UO Today: Mérida Mehaffey, Research Notes with Gantt Gurley

Mérida Mehaffey is an interdisciplinary scholar based in Brooklyn, New York. She is currently a master’s student at Bard Graduate Center, where she studies museum ethics, curatorial practice, and Native American material culture. Mérida graduated from the University of Oregon in 2018 with a bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies and History. She returned to campus on May 7th, 2026 to deliver the keynote address for the Undergraduate Research Symposium. Research Notes: Gantt Gurley is an associate professor of Scandinavian in the Schnitzer School of Global Studies and Languages at the University of Oregon where he is also a faculty fellow in the Clark Honors College and a faculty affiliate in Folklore and Public Culture, Judaic Studies, and Medieval Studies. He talks about the research he has been conducting on the Jewish legend of the golem.