Rita Sodt, a student at the University of Washington, won a national competition sponsored annually by the Council on Undergraduate Research. Her winning project was “Fighting Cancer with Math: A Patient-Specific Computational Model of Brain Tumor Growth.” She displayed her poster along with other winners from across the country, at a reception in the Rayburn House Office Building on April 14. Rita and her faculty mentor, Russell Rockne, also met with Senator Patty Murray and staffers from several Members of the Washington state delegation.

Also in DC on April 14 was Sabine Mecking, an oceanographer at the Applied Physics Lab at the university. She was invited to DC by the Coalition for National Science Funding. Her presentation was on recent results on direct measurements of ocean acidification in the North Pacific Ocean, a research project by the National Science Foundation.

The week following the reception, April 19-23, brought six more representatives from the university. The primary purpose of their trips was to attend professional or association meetings, but they were all also able to meet with staff of the Washington State Senators and Representatives.

A group of four were here representing Students Advocates for Graduate Education (SAGE): Jake Faleschini (GPSS President); Sarah Reyneveld (GPSS Vice President); Ben Henry (GPSS Senator, Evans School); and Adam Sherman (GPSS Senator, Evans School). The focus of their discussions was on the SAGE policy issues: the need for more financial support for higher education; making scholarships/fellowships tax exempt; and immigration reform for international students.

Tom Ackerman, Director of the Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean, attended a Directors meeting of the NOAA Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies. Also in DC was Penny Dalton, Director of Washington Sea Grant, who participated in the meeting of the US Committee for the Census of Marine Life.

Since the end of November when the last “Seen in DC” article was posted, the Federal Relations office in DC has been extremely busy working with UW faculty, staff, and student leaders to facilitate advocacy meetings with the Washington congressional delegation.   This is, however, not unusual for this time of year; winter has traditionally been very busy in DC since it is the time when professional associations meet and encourage their members to meet with Congressional and Senate representatives on funding issues. Read more

The pace of visitors coming to Washington DC slowed quite a bit in November, which is typical for this time of year.  In fact there were only three from campus.  The first was Randy Hodgins, Vice President of External Affairs, who was here the first week of November.  Randy and the Federal Relations team of Christy Gullion (Director) and Jonathan Nurse (Assistant Director)  visited offices of the Washington delegation to discuss the projects that have been submitted for inclusion as directed appropriations (earmarks) in the FY 2011 budget.   Randy was able to stay through Saturday to join UW alums in cheering on the Huskies football game.

 Elaine Oneil, Dean of Forest Resources and Executive Director of CORRIM (Consortium for Research on Renewable Industrial Materials), was in DC November 18 to the 20^th.  She testified before a subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on “The Management of Federal Forests in Response to Climate Change, Including for Natural Resource Adaptation and Carbon Sequestration.”  While she was here she was also able to meet with some of the Washington delegation staff about the issue.  In Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers’ office, Elaine briefed staff on a project she recently completed on biomass availability from forest residuals from McMorris Rodgers’ district.

 The last visitor to DC was David Allen, Chair of Women’s Studies, who was here to attend a meeting of the White House Council on Women and Girls at the White House on November 23.  This Council was appointed by President Obama in March of this year; they were interested in gathering feedback regarding the UW’s efforts in this area and the UW program.

On October 7^th, Dr. Joel Berg, Chairman of Pediatric Dentistry, testified before the Oversight and Government Reform’s subcommittee on Domestic Policy.  The hearing was held to examine the steps that state Medicaid programs have taken to improve access to and utilization of dental services by Medicaid eligible children.  Dr. Berg addressed his testimony to the academic and peer-reviewed research that has been conducted on the State of Washington Access to Baby and Child Dentistry program, and the administration of the program.  While he was here he was also able to meet with Senator Murray, Representative McDermott, and a member of Representative Reichert’s office.

Brad Portin, Director and Professor of Education at UW Bothell, was in DC mid-October to attend an educational conference.  While he was here, he met with a staff member in the Office of Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (member of the House Education & Labor Committee) to urge support for the Department of Education’s School Leadership Program, make recommendations for the anticipated reauthorization of “No Child Left Behind” legislation, and discuss the ongoing learning needs of teachers to more effectively meet the needs of diverse students.

Kenyon Chan, Chancellor of the UW Bothell campus, and Kelly Snyder, Director of Government and Community Relations at the Bothell campus, were both in DC October 20-22 to meet with Members of Congress and organizations of higher education.  They were able to meet with Senators Murray and Cantwell, Congressmen Inslee, Dicks, and McDermott, and professional staff from the offices of Congressmen Larsen, Reichert, and Smith.  They also had meetings at the Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Education, and Diverse:  Issues in Higher Education.  They were able to discuss projects underway at the Bothell campus and learn of possible intersections with federal priorities and opportunities.

Also on October 20^th, Dr. Paul Ramsey, Dean of the School of Medicine, was in DC with J. Shan Mullin, Vice Chair of the UW Board of Medicine.  They met with both Senators and several members of the House to provide an update on how health reform may affect academic health centers and graduate medical education, as well as on UW’s plans to “grow” medical education opportunities in Spokane.

President Mark Emmert completed the visitors to DC.  He was in town to attend the National Security higher Education Advisory Board meeting.  He also had a meeting at The Chronicle of Higher Education, and attended a University Leaders Roundtable Discussion with India Prime Minister Sibal.

Note:  If you are planning a trip to Washington, DC, please contact the Office of Federal Relations (202.624.1420) for assistance in setting up appointments to meet with Members or staffers of the Washington delegation.  We’re happy to help.

Dr. Samuel Wasser, Director of the Center for Conservation Biology, and a research professor at the UW Department of Biology,  was invited to DC to testify at a hearing on the Global Wildlife Conservation, Coordination and Enhancement Act of 2009.  The hearing was held by the House Committee on Natural Resources’ Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife on Tuesday, July 28th.  The day prior to his testimony, Dr. Wasser met with staff from the offices of Washington Senators Cantwell and Murray and Representatives Inslee and McDermott to discuss his work.

UW Provost Executive Vice President Phyllis Wise arrived in DC the last week of July to attend meetings at the National Institute of Health.  She also had lunch at the White House with UW’s Paul Miller, who is working as part of the Obama transition team.

Also in DC the last week of July was Ruth Ballweg, Director of MEDEX at the UW.  While here she met with Federal Relations Director Christy Gullion about the Physician’s Assistant program at the UW.

Elaine Faustman, UW professor and Director of the UW Center for Child Environmental Health Risks Research, met with UW Federal Relations Director Christy Gullion and staff from the offices of Representatives McDermott and Reichert on May 8th. She was in DC to discuss the Center and sources of funding.  The Center was formed to learn more about children’s susceptibility to pesticides and the way pesticides affect normal development and learning.  Funding for this Center and the research comes from the EPA and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. 

The Center has also recently been awarded two grants through NIH to participate in the National Children’s Study, which is a long-term research project that will examine the environmental influences on children’s health and development. The grant allows for work in Grant and King Counties, with the possibility of expanding to Thurston County and Marion County, OR (work is approved, but funds are not yet available).

Nancy Nihan, Director of UW Transportation Northwest (TransNow), was in DC May 19-20 to discuss a request the UW made in partnership with WSU, to be designated as a National University Transportation Center (UTC).  The UW is currently designated as a Regional UTC, which was awarded through a competitive process.  National UTC designation can only happen through a transportation reauthorization bill and will allow the UW and WSU to play a more national role in transportation research on safety, freight mobility, and traffic management.  Nancy met with staff in the Senate office of Pattty Murray and Maria Cantwell, as well as staff from the offices of Representatives McMorris Rodgers’, Larsen, Baird, and McDermott.

Dan Schwartz, professor of Chemical Engineering and Director of the UW’s recently funded BioEnergy Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) Program, was in DC with two of his graduate students, Laurel James and Kurt Spies.  Dr. Schwartz was impeccably dressed for the meetings with representatives from the Interior Department, staff from the offices of Senators Murray and Cantwell and Representatives Inslee and Dicks.  The IGERT Program’s focus is the development of sustainable energy projects for tribal nations, and also on training a new generation of tribal PhD scientists. Our first IGERT project involves work with the Yakama Nation and the second IGERT project is with the Colville Tribes.  Dr. Schwartz, Laurel, and Kurt briefed staff on UW IGERT work, and discussed opportunities (either through the Recovery Act or annual programs) in the Department of Interior and Department of Energy that might bolster its activities.

Even though the appropriations application process is completed, and the stimulus package is being implemented, the Office of Federal Relations continues to welcome university representatives who are in Washington DC for meetings or who want to speak with Capitol Hill staff and/or agency representatives concerning the projects that their college is involved in.

Norm Arkans, Associate Vice President for Media Relations and Communications, was in DC the end of March to attend a public affairs network meeting hosted by the Association of American Universities (AAU).

Dennis Lettenmaier, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, was in DC to attend a meeting, and stopped by the Federal Relations office to speak to Jonathan Nurse about NASA and NOAA funding.

Provost Phyllis Wise, Provost, was in DC on business March 30 and 31, and visited the Federal Relations Office while she was here to meet with Director Christy Gullion.

President Mark Emmert returned to DC in April to attend a workforce meeting of the Association of American Universities.  After the meeting, he met with some of the Washington State legislators, Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, Dick Sprott, Director of the Ellison Medical Foundation, and was interviewed by Susan Kinzie at the Washington Post regarding the effect of the economic crisis on the university.  He thanked the Members for their support during the appropriations process and discussed the university’s economic situation.

Also in April  Bruce Bare, Dean of Forest Resources, Jerry Franklin, Professor, and Ivan Easin, Professor and Director of CINTRAFOR, arrived to discuss university forest resource projects.  In particular, they discusssed the Olympic Natural Resources Center, the Wind River Experimental Forest, and CINTRAFOR.  Visits included Capitol Hill staff, USDA, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee staffer, and the National Science Foundation.

Student Advocates for Graduate Education (SAGE), whose members number 10 public institutions of higher learning, was in DC April 28th and 29th.  The University of Washington was represented by Nicholas Nasrallah, Jake Faleschini, and Jean-Paul Willynck.  They spoke to staff in several Congressional offices to request support for changes in the federal loan repayment program and to request fellowship grants be treated as qualified scholarships for tax purposes.

Note:  Please contact the UW Office of Federal Relations for assistance in scheuling visits to the Washington state delegation offices (202-624-1420).

The beginning of the annual federal appropriations process is a popular time for association and university staff to visit Senators and Representatives to impress upon them the value that research and learning is adding to their particular fields.  The University of Washington is no exception.  The support of Members of Congress is necessary to ensure that adequate funding is part of the national budget. During the past several weeks, the Office of Federal Relations has been pleased to assist with the following DC visits:

Professor Ken Creager, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, attended a board of directors meeting of Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) the first week of February.  IRIS has a data management center located near the UW campus where it collects, stores, and distributes information from numerous seismic networks around the globe.  IRIS is funded by the National Science Foundation.  Professor Creager met with Washington state Members’ office to request additional funding (in the FY 09 Interior Appropriations Act) that will allow them to also manage the data generated by the US Geological Survey’s Advanced National Seismic System. 

Professor Bruce Balick, Department of Astronomy, and Vice Chair of the Faculty Senate, was in DC on February 20th to discuss with Members’ offices the goals of the UW’s Climate Action Plan (CAP).  The goal of CAP is to create an environmentally sustainable campus; UW has committed itself to this goal as part of the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment. Professor Balick emphasized the need for long term federal strategy around climate change research and related funding opportunities.  He also offered the university’s expertise in development of this strategy.

Associate Dean Deborah McCutchen, College of Education, represented Dean Patricia Wasley, at the Advocacy Conference for Learning and Education Academic Research Network (LEARN) the end of February.  LEARN is a coalition of research colleges of education that advocates investment in multi-disciplinary research to advance the scientific understanding of learning and development.  Currently the Department of Education invests less than 1% of its overall budget to education research.  LEARN is requesting that amount be doubled.

Also at the end of February, Professor Uri Shumlak, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Associate Professor Brian Nelson, Department of Electric Engineering, were here for Fusion Day.  The focus was on educating the Washington state delegation about fusion energy in general and specifically the fusion energy research that is being done at the UW.  The concern is that the Department of Energy continue to fund domestic programs and not international ones.

UW President Mark Emmert  and Randy Hodgins, Interim Vice President of External Relations and Director of State Relations, met with Members of the Washington state delegation on March 10th and 11th to discuss the university’s federal agenda issues and what they would like to see included in the FY 10 Appropriations budget.  Christy Gullion, Director of Federal Relations, accompanied them on the meetings to Capitol Hill.  The list of projects that the UW is requesting funding for in the FY 10 budget can be found on this website.

Also on March 11th Professor Anthony Geist, Chair of Spanish and Portuguese Studies, attended the 2009 conference of the National Humanities Alliance and met with staff on the Hill to ask for increased funding to support the humanities and the work being done at schools such as the UW.  The UW Simpson Center for the Humanities has focused on how digital technologies can transform the way knowledge is researched, taught, and shared.  The Center now has a $625,000 challenge grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to create the Digital Humanities Commons.  Each year four faculty members and four graduate students will be chosen to explore how the next generation of technology can change research and teaching in the humanities.  The goals of the Commons are to animate knowledge (add interactive features), circulate knowledge (to the larger public), and to understand digital culture. 

Note:  Please contact the UW Office of Federal Relations to assist in scheduling visits to Washington state delegation offices.  202-624-1420.