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EDUCATION


Stanford University, 1998 – 2002. President’s Scholar. Bachelor of Science, Physics;
Minor, Political Science. GRE 1600/1600.

Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics, Oklahoma City, 1996 – 1998. GPA 4.0/4.0.


EXPERIENCE


          Author
Fast Times in Palestine
Coming-of-age journalistic memoir that ramps the average American reader up to a sophisticated understanding of the Israel/Palestine conflict.

          Research Associate
Ma’an Development Center, Ramallah, West Bank (Oct - Dec 2007)
Drafted and edited funding proposals, pamphlets, and fact sheets related to capacity building projects in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

          Research Associate
American Association for Palestinian Equal Rights, Washington, DC (Apr - Sep 2007)
Researched compelling and carefully-targeted brochures, reports, and presentations to advocate in America for Palestinian human rights.

          Research Associate
Institute for Defense Analyses, Alexandria, VA (Apr 2006 - Apr 2007)
Assisted in research projects contracted by Congress and the Department of Defense to study DoD management, risk calculations, chemical and biological weapons detection, and perspectives from the Arab and Muslim worlds.

          Program Coordinator, Head Writer and Editor
The Palestine Monitor, Ramallah, West Bank (Oct 2004 - Dec 2005)
Wrote and edited articles, updates, press releases, analysis reports and appeals regarding the daily reality in the Palestinian Territories. Organized press conferences and prepared PowerPoint presentations for Arab and international audiences. Traveled extensively in the West Bank and Gaza Strip to gather information and interview residents. Hired and managed employees and volunteers from around the world.

          Foreign Press Liaison
Presidential Campaign of Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, Ramallah, West Bank (Nov 2004 - Jan 2005)
Organized press conferences, prepared presentations, wrote press releases, ghostwrote Op-Eds, and spoke to the foreign press (New York Times, CNN, BBC, etc.) on behalf of Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi during his 2005 bid for the presidency of the Palestinian Authority.

          Editorial Assistant and Website Co-designer
Palestinian National Initiative (Al Mubadara), Ramallah, West Bank (Jul - Oct 2004)
Aided in redesign of the Al Mubadara website and edited web content.

          Bartender
Rose & Crown Pub, Palo Alto, CA (Jan - Jun 2003, Jan - Jun 2004)

          Volunteer English Teacher
Project Hope, Jayyous, West Bank (Oct - Nov 2003)

          Research Assistant
Ocean University of Qingdao, Shandong Province, China (May - Aug 2001)
Analyzed data to study the variability of blocking anticyclones in the Northern Hemisphere.

          Independent Researcher
Moscow, Siberia, and the Russian Far East (Oct - Dec 2000)
Interviewed diverse Russian citizens to study the effects of the post-Communist economy on their economic and social lives.

          Physics Researcher
Marcus solid-state physics group, Stanford University (Jan 1999 - Jan 2000)
Assisted PhD candidates in mesoscopic physics experimentation. Designed and built a device to study two-dimensional quantum electron effects.


PUBLICATIONS


Fast Times in Palestine Blog, active since September 2009, frequently cross-posted on Mondoweiss, The Palestine Note, and elsewhere.

Pamela Olson, “Holy Sites in the Palestinian Territories,” Cheryl Rubenberg, Ed., Encyclopedia of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2009.

Pamela Olson, “The Palestinian Perspective,” GoogleTechTalks, February 2009. (The talk has also been given in several other venues, including Stanford University and the Institute for Defense Analyses in Washington, DC.)

Pamela Olson, “The Ramallah I Remembered,” Stanford Magazine, Jan/Feb 2008.

Jason A. Dechant, David R. Graham, Christopher H. Hanks, Gen. Hansford T. Johnson, Hon. James R. Locher, Pamela J. Olson, and Paul H. Richanbach, “Does DoD Need a Chief Management Officer?” Institute for Defense Analyses, December 2006.

J. Darrell Morgeson, Andrew J. Coe, and Pamela J. Olson, “Integrating Components of Consequences for the National Comparative Risk Assessment,” Institute for Defense Analyses, September 2006.

Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, “Make sure ‘Gaza first’ is not ‘Gaza last’,” International Herald Tribune, August 19, 2005. (Ghostwriter)

Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, “What Palestinians Need in Order to Believe in the Peace Process,” The Jewish Daily Forward, February 18, 2005. (Ghostwriter)

Pamela Olson, “New Year’s in a Garden on the Moon: A West Bank Story,” CounterPunch, February 5/6, 2005.

Huang Fei, Zhou Faxiu, and Pamela J. Olson, “Variations of Atlantic and Pacific Blocking Anticyclones and their Correlation in the Northern Hemisphere,” Journal of Ocean University of Qingdao (English Edition), Vol.1, No.1, 2001.

Pamela Olson, “Travels in Siberia,” pamolson.org, May 2001.


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

      • Member of Young Professionals in Foreign Policy, Washington, DC
      • Intermediate knowledge of Arabic, Russian, and French
      • Member of the Stanford Improvisers comedy troupe
      • 4th Kyu (Green Belt), Zen Budokai Aiki Jujitsu
      • PADI-certified Rescue Scuba Diver
      • Founder of Ramallah Football Club
      • More about me