img:is([sizes=auto i],[sizes^="auto," i]){contain-intrinsic-size:3000px 1500px} /*# sourceURL=wp-img-auto-sizes-contain-inline-css */

乱伦社区

Skip to content
Undergraduate Academic Affairs

Category: News

Content that has a shorter shelf life and is less likely to be republished over time.

Three UW students named Goldwater scholars for 2020

Written by Undergraduate Academic Affairs
Posted on
Congratulations Keyan Gootkin, Parker Ruth and Karen Zhang, UW’s newest Goldwater Scholars. Photo: UW News

The Goldwater Foundation honored three 乱伦社区 students this year with its undergraduate scholarship for students studying the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering. Undergraduates Keyan Gootkin, Parker Ruth and Karen Zhang were selected for the award from a pool of more than 5,000 undergraduate students from 461 institutions across the country.

Goldwater Scholarships are granted to sophomores and juniors who show exceptional promise and plan to pursue research careers in math, engineering or the natural sciences. These scholarships award up to $7,500 a year to help cover costs associated with tuition, mandatory fees, books, room and board. For the 2020-21 academic year, 396 college students nationwide were selected for the competitive scholarship.

鈥淚 am delighted and inspired by this news,鈥� says Undergraduate Academic Affairs Vice Provost and Dean Ed Taylor. 鈥淪upporting students on their journey through the UW helps our students to understand and improve the world we live in. Faculty of public research universities like the UW guide and mentor this next generation of researchers and scientists. With our support and their talent, our aim is to develop the scientific talent our world needs. I extend my warmest congratulations to Keyan, Parker and Karen as well as their faculty mentors and others who have supported them on their journeys so far.鈥�

Keyan Gootkin

Keyan Gootkin, an astronomy and physics double-major, studies 鈥渢he universe’s most massive stars near the end of their lives.鈥� In addition to his work as an undergraduate researcher, Gootkin actively brings the stars down to Earth through service: He serves as the student coordinator at the UW鈥檚 historical Theodor Jacobsen Observatory; co-chairs the Mobile Planetarium Committee; and is the outreach coordinator for the UW League of Astronomers.

Gootkin has received a Washington Research Foundation Fellowship, a Washington Space Grant scholarship, been named to the College of Arts & Sciences Dean鈥檚 List and is a Washington State Opportunity Scholar.

He plans to earn a Ph.D. in astrophysics 鈥渟o that I can continue doing research as long as I can.鈥�

Parker Ruth

Parker Ruth is earning a double degree in computer engineering and bioengineering; he is part of the Interdisciplinary Honors Program and is pursuing Departmental Honors. His research explores the design of computational tools to improve access to healthcare. As a member of the Ubiquitous Computing (UbiComp) research lab advised by Professor Shwetak Patel, Ruth has contributed to the development and testing of mobile health applications for sleep apnea screening, cardiovascular health, osteoporosis detection and physical activity quantification.

Outside the classroom Ruth started a club to help students get involved with research in bioengineering-related fields. His additional honors and scholarships include a Levinson Emerging Scholars Award, Microsoft Endowment Scholarship, Washington Research Foundation Fellowship, Mary Gates Scholarships, and selections to the Dean鈥檚 List.

Ruth plans to obtain a Ph.D. in computer science, with a long-term goal of pursuing a career as a researcher using computers to improve people鈥檚 lives.

Karen Zhang

Karen Zhang is double-majoring in biochemistry and microbiology. She is part of the Interdisciplinary Honors program and is pursuing Departmental Honors in biochemistry. Zhang is also a Mary Gates Scholar and Annual Dean鈥檚 List awardee.

Currently, Zhang is an undergraduate researcher in the Molecular Information Systems Lab (MISL) at UW. Her lab investigates technologies for storing digital data in DNA and is interested in all things at the intersection between computer science and biology. Through this interdisciplinary lab, she has gained invaluable experience in professional research and discovered a passion for synthetic biology. She has also developed an appreciation for bioinformatics and the essential role that computational algorithms play in interpreting biological data.

Outside of academics and research, Zhang is an editor for the UW Microbiology Journal where she guides writers in developing informative and fascinating articles about topics in microbiology. In her free time, she enjoys reading (and maybe one day writing) fantasy novels.

After graduating from the UW, Zhang aims to obtain a Ph.D. in either synthetic biology/bioengineering or bioinformatics. She is 鈥渄eeply passionate about studying the machineries of life at a molecular level and engineering them to perform novel tasks.鈥�

 

This news item also appeared on the UW News blog.

About the Goldwater Foundation

Goldwater Foundation鈥檚 scholarship program honors Senator Barry Goldwater and encourages outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, natural sciences and engineering. The Goldwater Scholarship is the preeminent undergraduate award of its type in these fields.

Learn more about scholarship opportunities at UW

The Goldwater Scholarship application process is supported by the (OMSFA), a UAA program. OMSFA works with faculty, staff and students to identify and support promising students in developing the skills and personal insights necessary to become strong candidates for this and other prestigious awards.

###

For more information:

Kirsten Atik, communications director, Undergraduate Academic Affairs, at katik@uw.edu or 206-221-6130.

Robin Chang, director, Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships and Awards, robinc@uw.edu, 206-543-2603.

 

UW Honors students use art to disrupt the narrative on homelessness聽

Written by Jenelle Birnbaum
Posted on
Real Change vendor Addis Michael Junior’s inner light is beautifully captured by the halo surrounding him. The artist Derek Gundy donated his time and talent to create this portrait. This painting is on display as part of the Portraits for Change exhibit, currently in the Allen Library Atrium through March 12.

Students in the Interdisciplinary Honors class “Citizen Acts to Challenge Poverty” collaborated with to bring the exhibit to the UW campus. The gallery features portraits and biographies of Real Change newspaper vendors, originally commissioned and curated by Real Change art director, Jon Williams. The idea of hosting this exhibit grew out of a long standing partnership between Real Change and Vicky Lawson and Sarah Elwood, UW geography professors and co-founders of the Relational Poverty Network. As Lawson designed an interdisciplinary seminar to engage UW Honors students in a learning experience that could amplify the work of activist organizations like Real Change, she saw an opportunity for students to make a positive impact by installing the existing portraits as a public exhibit on UW鈥檚 Seattle campus.听

Honors students worked with Real Change to figure out how to mount and promote the exhibit, create an opening event and lead small group tours. They also curated an accompanying exhibit called 鈥淪eattle Now and Then鈥� to show that homelessness in Seattle is not a new issue for the city. A photo of the 1930s shantytown known as Hooverville is contrasted with a modern day photo of the same location. The historic picture shows a man standing on a ladder, repairing the roof of his makeshift home. In today鈥檚 photo, tents line the sidewalk along Alaskan Way. Smith Tower is prominent in both images, orienting the viewer within the city. Interdisciplinary Honors student and aeronautics major Danny Roberts led the curation and photography of this addition to the Portraits exhibit. Pairing these images with the portraits and stories of the vendors tells a more nuanced and complex story of the people living outside in our city.听

Artists donated their time to paint portraits of Real Change vendors to change the way we see these members of our community. For a population that is often ignored or avoided, this celebration of their beauty, joy and depth聽 is especially meaningful. These works invite the viewer to spend time looking at each person as precisely that 鈥� a person. The paintings are accompanied by biographies, which explain the unique set of circumstances that led the person to become unhomed. These stories aim to thwart the toxic stereotypes 鈥� that people living on the streets are all drug addicts, mentally ill, lazy and so on 鈥� and instead highlight the person鈥檚 humanity, dignity and resilience. Many vendors talked about how powerful and transformative selling the papers has been: from helping them create a community of vendors and clients to helping them regain a sense of dignity and employment. Being immortalized in a portrait 鈥� an artform historically reserved for nobles and royalty 鈥� further honors each person.听

Sam Fredman, a senior and peer educator in the Honors Program studying law, societies and justice and disability studies, underlined the importance of holding this exhibit in the 乱伦社区鈥檚 Allen Library, explaining that 鈥渓ibraries are spaces of public education鈥� and that as a public university, it’s important to create a welcoming space for all of our community members. To further the impact of the exhibit, Lawson and Elwood, along with graduate student Isaac Rivera, also set up a research project to gauge the public鈥檚 understanding of Real Change and issues surrounding homelessness and poverty in our community. The last question of the survey asks people what actions they will take based on the exhibit. The intention is to inspire people to imagine making a difference, sparking everyday citizens into action.听

When asked how he feels about the experience of partnering with UW students and faculty on Portraits for Change, Williams was very positive. 鈥淚t meant a lot to have students taking care of all the details to share these portraits and get the word out,鈥� he explained. 鈥淣ow a lot more people will see them.鈥�

The exhibit is on display at the Allen Library Atrium through Thursday, March 12.

.

Video by Sovechea Sophanna.

About Honors

The brings together students and faculty from all across campus to learn through cross-disciplinary curriculum, experiential learning, research and critical reflection. Honors鈥� curriculum offers a rigorous, interdisciplinary education, while Departmental Honors programs provide deep disciplinary education.

About Real Change

is an award-winning newspaper. It’s written by professional journalists and provides people experiencing homelessness or who are low income with immediate employment.

UW recognized for institutional commitment to community engagement

Written by Undergraduate Academic Affairs
Posted on

All three 乱伦社区 campuses are among the 119 U.S. colleges and universities to receive the this year, an elective designation that indicates institutional commitment to community engagement.

This important classification is awarded following a process of self-study by each institution, which is then assessed by a national review committee led by the Swearer Center for Public Engagement at Brown University, the administrative and research home for the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification.

Read the campus announcement here.

The Classification for Community Engagement is not simply a designation from the Carnegie Foundation. The Carnegie Community Engagement Classification has been the leading framework for institutional assessment and recognition of community engagement in U.S. higher education for the past 14 years. It requires evidence-based documentation of institutional practice and a process of self-assessment and quality improvement for community engagement.

鈥淭his is more than a point-of-pride for the UW,鈥� says Ed Taylor, UAA鈥檚 vice provost and dean. 鈥淩eceiving this classification truly puts into focus that the three core entities of the 乱伦社区鈥檚 mission 鈥� teaching, research and service 鈥� are all equally important and inspire our intention to serve the public good.鈥�

鈥淭he expectation that we have in UAA for all our students is to learn and to serve,鈥� he continued. 鈥淥ur hope is that they leave the University and be servant-leaders and thoughtful public citizens.鈥�

Undergrad Auston Jimmicum and elementary school students work on their video for Pipeline Project’s Telling Our Stories project. This was one of the featured projects in the application for this designation.

Toward that end, UAA recently brought together its community engagement and leadership education programs, including Othello-UW Commons, in one center. Engaging students in college access, P-12 student success, community-engaged courses and internships, all while emphasizing strong community partnerships and leadership development, make plain that educating undergraduates to be thoughtful servant-leaders in and with community is among our highest priorities.

UAA programs whose community-engagement work was included in the application are the Carlson Leadership & Public Service Center, Dream Project, JumpStart, , , , and the .

The application process for the Seattle campus was led by Rachel Vaughn, former director of the Carlson Leadership & Public Service Center, and Jen Davison, program director at Urban@UW, and included a group of more than 30 colleagues from across campus as well as community-based partners. The study produced a rich and compelling application and set of recommendations for the University鈥檚 next steps in community engagement.

鈥� Content for this announcement was also drawn from the UW News release.听

2018鈥�19 President鈥檚 Medalists announced

Written by
Posted on

The President鈥檚 Medalist Award celebrates the top student in each undergraduate class. Selected by a committee for their high GPA, rigor of their classes and number of Honors courses, the recipients for the 2018鈥�19 academic year come from a broad range of disciplines.

Junior medalist Renee Zhang is preparing for a career in medicine with dual degrees in biology and violin performance, while also serving as concertmaster for the UW Symphony. Sophomore medalist Louis Patsawee Maliyam puts his problem-solving skills to work as a computer science major and celebrates his love for dance, which is his minor. Freshman medalist Piper Coyner is studying Persian and Near Eastern studies and actively exploring other interests, including cinema studies.

These exceptional students will be recognized at a reception with University President Ana Mari Cauce, and this award will be added to the students鈥� permanent academic record.

Meet this year鈥檚 medalists:

Renee Zhang, junior medalist

Majors:聽Biology and Violin Performance
Expected graduation: 2021
贬辞尘别迟辞飞苍:听Portland, OR

Music and medicine have always been Renee Zhang鈥檚 twin passions.

At the UW, she鈥檚 exploring the ways these subjects complement one another by pursuing dual degrees in biology and violin performance. Zhang is getting hands-on research experience under Olivia Bermingham-McDonogh, a professor in the department of biological structure.

Outside of her academic pursuits, Zhang serves as the concertmaster of the UW Symphony Orchestra and president of the Chamber Music Club. One of her goals is to make music more accessible to students on campus by expanding performance opportunities for both music and non-music majors. She also plays the violin for residents at local assisted-living and memory-care facilities.

After graduating, Zhang hopes to embark on a career in medicine. She believes that having a creative outlet is instrumental to her well-being, and she will continue to share her love of music with those around her.

 

Louis Patsawee Maliyam, sophomore medalist

惭补箩辞谤:听Computer Science
Minor:听顿补苍肠别
Expected graduation: 2020
贬辞尘别迟辞飞苍:听Samutprakarn, Thailand

 

 

Louis Patsawee Maliyam鈥檚 interest in technology began when he helped his family run an internet caf茅 in Thailand.

A Royal Thai Scholarship recipient, he arrived at the UW excited to challenge his problem-solving skills as a computer science major. Maliyam is a teaching assistant at the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, because he wants to help people realize their dreams through education. He also recently interned as a software developer at Indeed.com.

Maliyam balances his love of computer science with his passion for dance, which is his minor. He sees dance as a tool for self-exploration and better understanding the world. He believes his well-rounded education in the arts and sciences has widened his world and prepared him for the future.

The support from people in his life has helped Maliyam thrive, and he hopes to bring that culture of caring to the tech industry, where he plans to work.

Piper Coyner, freshman medalist

惭补箩辞谤:听Near Eastern Studies
Intended major: Cinema and Media Studies
Expected graduation: 2022
贬辞尘别迟辞飞苍:听Olalla, WA

 

 

Piper Coyner is an avid reader whose lifelong fascination with other cultures and foreign languages has shaped her path at the UW.

Coyner is majoring in Near Eastern studies and studying Persian. She鈥檚 particularly interested in literature, which she sees as a gateway to understanding the essence of a culture.

Inspired by her love of books and movies, Coyner is also exploring other majors, including cinema and media studies. When she鈥檚 not in class, you can find Coyner at a film screening or classical music concert. She also writes reviews for the UW Film Club.

Coyner plans to continue exploring her intellectual interests by taking a variety of classes and studying abroad. She hopes to combine her many passions into a career 鈥� whether in law, film production or literature.

Student-athletes are golden on and off the field

Written by Undergraduate Academic Affairs
Posted on

Student-athletes work hard to be top competitors in their respective sport. They also take the “student” part of student-athlete seriously and work hard in the classroom.

In autumn quarter 2019, the overall department GPA was 3.27. This is a new all-time high since tracking began in autumn of 2003.

Congratulations to UW student athletes and their networks of support for a terrific autumn quarter in the classroom!

UW alumna Crysti (Zinan) Chen named Schwarzman Scholar

Written by
Posted on

乱伦社区 alumna Crysti (Zinan) Chen, (鈥�15, B.A. in political science) received the prestigious . Selected from more than 4,700 applicants, Chen will join 145 Schwarzman Scholars from around the world to make up the program鈥檚 fifth cohort. A competitive program, the incoming class was selected through a rigorous application process designed to identify academic ability, as well as leadership potential and strength of character. The program takes place at Tsinghua University in Beijing, where the scholars will immerse themselves in Chinese culture, business and language. At the end of the cross-cultural, year-long program, scholars will have developed an in-depth understanding of China and earned a master鈥檚 degree in global affairs.

Schwarzman Scholar Crysti Chen.

 

The core curriculum is focused on three pillars: China, global affairs and leadership. Scholars also have the opportunity to take elective courses from a variety of disciplines at Schwarzman College, as well as from other departments at Tsinghua University. Scholars are taught by a cadre of leading international faculty, with frequent guest lectures from prominent global thought leaders.

Beyond the classroom, Scholars gain exceptional exposure to China and access to important relationships through internships, mentors, high-profile speakers and opportunities to travel throughout China. Scholars are also provided with a range of career development resources to help them to make the most of their time in Beijing and position them for success upon graduation. This unique combination of coursework, cultural immersion and personal and professional development opportunities equip students with a first-hand and well-rounded understanding of China鈥檚 changing role in the world, critically important to leadership in any field in the 21st Century.

About Crysti (Zinan) Chen

Chen will graduate from the University of Pennsylvania in 2020 with an M.S.Ed. degree in education entrepreneurship. She obtained her bachelor鈥檚 degree in political science, with a political economy focus, and minored in international studies from the 乱伦社区. Chen founded her first nonprofit organization in 2009. She dedicated a decade in promoting education quality, gender equality, and environmental awareness in underprivileged villages in China, Vietnam and Kenya. In 2017, Chen co-founded UniWill Ventures in Silicon Valley. She currently serves as the general partner and leads impact investing into early-stage tech startups. As a Schwarzman Scholar, Chen hopes to explore more effective methods to leverage investment capital with goodwill to create bigger impact on urgent social and environmental issues.

About the Schwarzman Scholars Program

Designed to inspire the next generation of global leaders,听Schwarzman Scholars聽is the most significant program of its kind since the Rhodes Trust was founded in 1902. The is in its聽fourth year as a new institution at Tsinghua University in Beijing. The program鈥檚 focus is global leadership and draws students from China, the U.S. and the rest of the world. Over the course of the year, students will spend a quarter immersed in language: Mandarin for non-Chinese students; English for Chinese students. They鈥檒l complete an intensive field study, where they will spend a week in communities throughout China, working with mentors from NGOs, academics and government; receive mentorship from prominent Chinese leaders; attend talks from high-profile speakers; and complete a practical training project, where they take on consulting-style projects. Scholars also have access to career services support to help them make the best of their time in Beijing, and receive ongoing support in the form of alumni events. The Schwarzman Scholars program is dedicated to building a strong alumni network, so that their students can continue to learn from and support one another. Last year, Henry Chan became the UW鈥檚 first Schwarzman Scholar.

The Schwarzman Scholarship application process is supported by the聽, a UAA program. OMSFA works with faculty, staff and students to identify and support promising students in developing the skills and personal insights necessary to become strong candidates for this and other prestigious awards.

Drawing my own path one lab at a time

Written by
Posted on

Meet Irika Sinha, an Interdisciplinary Honors student double majoring in biochemistry and biology. Sinha is one of two UW students who received the Goldwater Scholarship for the 2019-20 school year. This award honors sophomores and juniors who show exceptional promise and are dedicated to pursuing research careers in math, engineering or natural sciences. We spoke with her to learn more about her and how she鈥檚 making the most of her #HuskyExperience.


Congratulations on receiving the Goldwater! Do you have suggestions for others interested in applying for it?
Thanks! If you are planning to apply, find a mentor or principal investigator whose work you are interested in collaborating with. Know what your goal is; understand what you鈥檙e doing and legitimately be working towards a Ph.D. Look over your essay carefully. Make sure it鈥檚 clear and that the research essay is specific, yet also something that a generalist can understand. I had several people look it over, before showing it to my mentors, Dr. Ginger, Dr. Kaeberlein and Robin Chang, director of the Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships and Awards.

What prompted you to get involved in research?
I was always interested in STEM. In high school, I originally was looking around for an internship, and I found an opportunity at . We were working on diagnostic assays for infectious disease. The project I worked on researched affordable tests to see if people were carrying the parasite Babesia microti, which is linked to a rare disease called .

What were your take-aways from that experience?
When I was little, I wanted to understand what made humans work: why we saw colors, why people thought certain ways and why we all move just a little bit differently. The elders in my life pointed me towards medicine as the best path for my goals. I spent the next 10 years thinking the only way to understand people was to become a medical doctor. A research career was never mentioned. InBios was the first time I understood that you could do research as a career and help groups of people (rather than individuals).

 

In her free time, Irika Sinha illustrates for the Daily. This piece originally appeared in the article “Psychology graduate student challenges the one-size-fits-all approach to language education”.

 

You are about to join your fourth lab. What has been surprising about moving from lab to lab?
How different labs can be. Going from one lab to another is interesting, and you can explore labs a lot more in undergrad than you would ever do in grad school (unless you do lab rotations at the beginning.) This is helpful to do as an undergrad because you can see what you prefer to do in the future while simultaneously learning useful lab techniques. The introduced me to academic research, and I learned to balance research and school. In the I read literature, learned a variety of techniques and was more involved. Now, in the , I am working on cancer treatments, which is more biological in nature than my work in the Ginger Lab while still being fairly involved. I鈥檓 slowly working my way towards my final goal and am gaining a more well-rounded background in research as a result.

 

What recommendations do you have for someone interested in getting involved in research?
Check out the projects the lab is currently working on. When I鈥檓 researching a lab, I will look over some more recent papers. Even if I don鈥檛 fully understand it, it鈥檚 generally enough to help me get a sense of what the lab does. Also, apply to labs which have projects you are genuinely interested in. Since we don鈥檛 start out with a lot of research experience as undergraduates, enthusiasm counts for a lot.

Read the latest papers from , ,听and , Irika’s graduate student mentor. In addition, Irika has聽 with her name on it.

How would you describe your experience as an undergraduate researcher?聽
My experience has been pretty good. All the principal investigators, post-docs and grad students have been really welcoming. Everyone is supportive and has been very nice. If I have a question, they鈥檒l help answer it if they can. That鈥檚 not something I expected as a freshman. I went in thinking they鈥檇 just think I was the strange undergrad who came to join them and that it would be super awkward. This has never been the case, and I鈥檓 glad.

In addition to your lab work, you work in the libraries and tutor chemistry for . How do you balance a very full schedule?
Google calendar is my best friend. I put everything on it. I even schedule lunch and dinner, because if I didn鈥檛 see it, I鈥檇 end up programming myself back-to-back classes without meal breaks. This was an especially big problem freshman year because I鈥檇 get hungry long after the dining halls had closed. I also add in all of my time spent with friends so I am still able to hang out with people without over-scheduling myself.

Eagle. Medium: instant coffee. Part of Sinha’s personal collection.

In honor of the start of the school year, do you have any suggestions to help students settle in to campus?
Find a reason to stay on campus. I think it鈥檚 especially tempting for students from Western Washington to go home a lot first quarter. I know I did. I wasn鈥檛 homesick, I just didn鈥檛 know what to do on campus.听 I鈥檇 spend most of my time on campus either in the lab or in the library and then would go home for weekends. I made friends with a lot of people in my lab first quarter, but we didn鈥檛 grow closer until winter quarter, when I started staying on campus to spend more time with them. I also started rock climbing, which gave me something more to do. And, I eventually found things to do with others that weren鈥檛 on campus, like going downtown on weekends.

Sinha received the Varanasi Endowed Scholarship from the chemistry department in 2019. She explains, “Meeting Drs. Usha and Rao Varanasi (pictured above) gave me role models to look up to. For people of my background, it is still uncommon to find others who have been successful for many decades in the biochemistry or chemistry fields and have held faculty positions in the United States .”

How did working with the UW Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships and Awards help you?
Robin is very supportive and gave me very clear directions on how to clean-up my essay and application. In addition to the essay, she helps me find opportunities that may be relevant to me.

You are currently a junior. What ideas do you have about what you鈥檒l do after college?
I plan to spend a year working before applying to Ph.D. programs. During that year, I鈥檇 also like to complete the UW鈥檚 certificate in natural science illustration. (Right now, I illustrate for The Daily and Gray Matters in my free time.) For my Ph.D. research, I鈥檓 currently planning to focus on neurodegenerative diseases related to aging. My grandma has Alzheimer鈥檚, and I鈥檝e watched many of my older relatives suffer from dementia. Seeing their experiences and the devastating results has steered my interest in this direction. This research could include investigating causes, prevention and treatment for diseases such as Alzheimer鈥檚 and Parkinson鈥檚.

One of Irika Sinha’s favorite illustrations for the Daily. This one appeared with the article “The epidemic of myth: How false information about vaccines spread.”

About the Goldwater Foundation
The Goldwater Foundation鈥檚 scholarship program honors Senator Barry Goldwater and encourages outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, natural sciences and engineering. The Goldwater Scholarship is the preeminent undergraduate award of its type in these fields.

Learn more about scholarship opportunities at UW
The Goldwater Scholarship application process is supported by the , a UAA program. OMSFA works with faculty, staff and students to identify and support promising students in developing the skills and personal insights necessary to become strong candidates for this and other prestigious awards. to learn more about how OMSFA can support your scholarship search.

Welcome to the 2019 academic year

Written by Ed Taylor
Posted on

Welcome to the start of another year in which UAA programs come together to advance and deepen undergraduate learning at the UW. This year is a special year for UAA: We are celebrating the 20th anniversary of Mary Gates Hall.

Twenty years ago, the building re-opened, transformed from the old physics hall into a space designated for and dedicated to the academic needs of undergraduates. One could argue that, with tens of thousands of undergraduates, the entire campus is geared toward undergrads. But place matters. While the education of undergraduates happens in classrooms and other spaces across campus, and critical and inspiring work that furthers the undergraduate experience takes place across campus, having a place specifically designated to care for and steward that experience writ large is as significant today as it was 20 years ago.

There is a foundational goodness to public research universities and their dedication to deepening and advancing knowledge for the public good. Our role is to bring that focus, energy and inspiration to the undergraduate academic experience. Not just any undergraduate academic experience, the experience that undergraduates have here, at the 乱伦社区. This is a special place, a place that matters.

It鈥檚 a place that matters to the students who come from across the city, region, state, country and world. This summer, I met entering students from Spokane and was again reminded of the power of holding community when we get stuck. I met a student in front of Suzzallo whose Kermit the Frog backpack and Peppa Pig lunch box stood out. I wanted to know why he chose elementary school gear for the UW. Turns out he鈥檚 a veteran and starting school here, the same year his daughter is starting school. She picked out their backpacks and lunchboxes. We started talking about our favorite children鈥檚 books. One of mine is Maurice Sendak鈥檚 鈥淲here the Wild Things Are.鈥� I love the joy of dancing with the wild things, the making one鈥檚 way and ultimate homecoming in that story.

Throughout the year and coming years, these students will come through Mary Gates Hall to connect with the myriad programs here and learn how they can make the most of their time at the UW.

鈥淚 hope you learn to write like you,鈥� wrote the late writing teacher, poet and UW alumnus Richard Hugo in his book about writing called 鈥淭he Triggering Town.鈥� As we help students discover the opportunities here that will have a lasting impact into their futures, we are helping them learn to write their own story, their own poem, and how to tell it in their own way.

This building, dedicated to being a visual and important physical representation of the University鈥檚 commitment to undergraduates, is so appropriately named after Mary Gates. During her time as a regent, she is credited as being the regent most interested in undergraduates and their experiences here. As a result of their work here at the UW, students鈥� lives should be different, forever changed in a way that it can only be changed at this institution.

Welcome to fall. Let the wild rumpus start.

Sincerely,

Ed Taylor's Signature

 

 

 

Ed Taylor

Vice Provost and Dean
Undergraduate Academic Affairs

Professor
College of Education

Resilience Lab announces 2019 seed grant recipients

Written by Undergraduate Academic Affairs
Posted on

The 乱伦社区 Resilience Lab and the Campus Sustainability Fund have joined together to award 20 grants to UW projects designed to cultivate sustainability, compassion and resiliency; to engage hardships, setbacks and failures with empathy and vulnerability; to foster connectedness, belonging and community; and to embrace both common humanity and diversity within the human experience. Students, staff and faculty from all three campuses applied for seed grants to fund research, workshops, retreats, activities, faculty-invited speakers and other events tailored for students, faculty and staff in support of these aims. Together the Resilience Lab and the Campus Sustainability Fund awarded a total of $38,575 to individuals and groups.

The range of proposals demonstrate the need and collective interest to realize sustainability and compassion-building work. In all, students, faculty and staff submitted 42 proposals from 31 different departments/programs across all three UW campuses. From that group, 20 grants were made to fund the ideas of faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students representing 18 departments. Funded projects are intended to benefit the broad UW community at all three campuses.

鈥淭he creative ideas people had to build connection and support well-being was just inspiring,鈥� said Anne Browning, director of the Resilience Lab. Projects range from cultivating mindful leadership in faculty, a podcast series focused on indigenous well-being in Urban Seattle, the creation of sustainability-centered curriculum, all with the intent of creating more sustainable and resilient communities.

For his project, 鈥淐reating a Climate Heat Map: Finding Equitable and Inclusive Spaces on Campus,鈥� School of Education Ph.D. candidate Kaleb Germinaro said, 鈥淎 SEED grant provides me the space to explore a creative passion while creating a useful tool for my peers and community.鈥� Associate professors in the College of Built Environments Julie Johnson and Brooke Sullivan highlighted this year鈥檚 theme in their project 鈥淩aising Resilience,” saying, 鈥淎s resilience and well-being are central to our built environments, we look forward to engaging with College of Built Environments (CBE) faculty to develop pedagogy that supports students鈥� own resilience, well-being and compassion through their studies.鈥�

A list of funded projects and the project leads is below. For more information about the projects, . Funding for these seed grants is provided by the Campus Sustainability Fund and the UW Resilience Lab.

Funded projects and project leads are:

Creating a Climate Heat Map: Finding Equitable and Inclusive Spaces on Campus
Project lead: Kaleb Germinaro, Ph.D. Candidate, College of Education, Seattle

A Retreat to Build Faculty Capacity for Mindful Leadership
Project lead: Anthony Back, Professor, School of Medicine, Oncology, Seattle

Many Voices: A Storytelling Toolkit for Community-Based Oral History Projects
Project lead: Dillion Connelly, Masters Student, Art of Museology, Seattle

Resilience and Compassion @ Odegaard Pop up Events
Project lead: Emilie Vrbancic, Undergraduate Experience Library, Odegaard Library, Seattle

Making Space in Higher Education- Diversity, Inclusion, and More
Project Lead: Erica Mallet, Ph.D. Candidate, Educational Policy, Organizations, and Leadership

Telling Our Stories at Neah Bay Elementary
Project lead: Christine Stickler, Director, UW Pipeline Project, Undergraduate Academic Affairs, Center for Experiential Learning, Seattle

Darn it! A mobile clothing repair and experience across UW Campuses
Project lead: Coreen Callister, Graduate student, Interaction Design< Division of Design, School of Art, Art History + Design, Seattle

Raising Resilience: Connecting compassion and well-being with systems-based pedagogy in the College of the Built Environment
Project lead: Julie Johnson, Associate Professor, Landscape Architecture, Seattle

Diversity Includes Disability
Project lead: Sheryl Burgstahler, Director, Accessible Technology Services- Accessible Technology Services, Seattle

Building Resilience for Teaching at UW
Project lead: Christine Sugatan, Program Administrator, Center for Teaching and Learning, Seattle

Women in Applied Math Mentoring Program
Project lead: The Diversity Committee, The Department of Applied Mathematics, Seattle

Resilience and Urban in Public Writing Partnerships
Project lead: Candace Rai, Associate Professor and Director of the Expository Writing Program, Department of English, Seattle

Fostering Self-Compassion in the Transition to College: Developing Resources for Parents
Project lead: Emily Kroshus, Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, School of Public Health, Department of Health Services, Seattle

Queer and Trans People of Color: Healing in the Outdoors
Project lead: Reb Zhou, Student, Q Center, Community Environment and Planning, Seattle

Health and Wellness at the Q Center
Project lead: Jen Self, Director, Q Center, Seattle

Trauma Informed Mindfulness Training
Project Lead: Megan Kennedy, Interim Student Assistant to the Vice President of Student Life-Student Life, Seattle

Women of Color in Global Health: Building Resilience and Community
Project Lead: Diem Nguyen, MPH Candidate, Department of Global Health, Seattle

Capillaries: The Journal of Narrative Medicine
Project Lead: Alice Ranjan, Student, Health Sciences Learning and Advocacy Group, Seattle

Indigenizing Urban Seattle Podcast
Project Lead: Jessica Hernandez, Ph.D. Candidate, School of Environmental and Forest Services, Seattle

Sustaining Fierce Compassion
Project Lead: Lauren Litchy, Assistant Professor, School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, Bothell

About the UW Resilience Lab

The Resilience Lab promotes resilience development while normalizing failure and acknowledging the wide range of hardships our community members have faced and continue to face. As a laboratory space, the Resilience Lab tries new and creative methods for rethinking the UW experience in and out of the classroom.