91ÊÓƵ

Olga Klimova

Visiting Associate Teaching Professor of Russian Studies

Bio

Olga Klimova is a visiting associate teaching professor of Russian studies in the Department of Languages, Cultures & Applied Linguistics at 91ÊÓƵ. Her interdisciplinary teaching and scholarship bring together Russian and Eurasian cultural studies, second-language pedagogy, instructional technology and curriculum and program development. Her research examines late-Soviet and post-Soviet cinema and visual culture, with particular interests in youth culture, censorship, protest and resistance and Belarusian and Central Asian visual cultures. Her work in the environmental humanities focuses on cultural representations and memory of nuclear disasters, particularly Chernobyl, across film, television, visual art and popular culture. Her work in language education explores learner-centered and inclusive approaches, including technology-enhanced instruction, generative AI, project- and community-based learning, social-emotional learning and alternative assessment.

Klimova has extensive experience in language curriculum development, program administration and teacher education. From 2018 to 2025, she directed the University of Pittsburgh’s STARTALK Summer Russian Language School, an intensive federally funded language program for high school and college students. She has developed online and hybrid curricula, open educational resources, interdisciplinary language and culture courses and regularly leads professional development for language educators. She is also an ACTFL-certified Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) tester. 

Beyond the classroom, Klimova is active in professional leadership, program building and community outreach. She serves as President of the American Council of Teachers of Russian (ACTR), National Co-Chair of the ACTR Olympiada of Spoken Russian and a member of the Board of Trustees of American Councils for International Education. She has also served as Head of the Slavic Sector of the American Association of University Supervisors, Coordinators and Directors of Language Programs (AAUSC), as a member of ACTFL’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and on the National Collaborative Board responsible for the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages. Her outreach work includes K-12 collaborations, language competitions, cultural programming and experiential-learning initiatives that connect university students with broader educational and local communities.

Education

Ph.D., Russian Language, Literature and Culture, University of Pittsburgh 

M.S.Ed., Instructional Technology, Duquesne University

M.A., Russian Literature, University of Pittsburgh 

M.A., Popular Culture, Brock University, Canada

Areas of Interest

Courses Taught

Selected Awards and Honors

Selected Community, University & Professional Service

Selected Publications