UW News

Archive

January 25, 2007

Official Notices

Board of Regents

The Board of Regents will hold a regular public meeting at 3 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15, in the Petersen Room, Allen Library.


Blood Drives

Thursday, Feb. 1, 11:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m., Schmitz (north side)

Monday, Feb. 5, 10 a.m.–4 p.m., 106B HUB

Tuesday, Feb. 6, 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Fisheries (parking lot)

Grant applications sought
The Alcohol & Drug Abuse Institute invites applications from University
of Washington faculty for its Small Grants Research Awards.  Proposed
research must be in alcohol or drug abuse-related fields.  The maximum
amount considered for funding is $20,000.

The next application deadline is 5 p.m., March 15.  Questions
concerning the application process or suitability of a potential project
should be directed to the Institute at 206-543-0937.  Application guidelines
are available on the ADAI website at http://depts.washington.edu/adai or
by calling ADAI at 543-0937.


Call for forthcoming examinations

The Centre for the Greek Language (CGL) announces that the 2007 examinations for the Certificate of Attainment in Greek will be held on May 16 and 17 both in Greece and in the United States. The dates for registration and examination for the year 2007 are the following:


  • Tuesday, May 16 (morning)*, 65 euros
  • Tuesday, May 16 (afternoon), 65 euros
  • Wednesday, May 17 (morning), 75 euros
  • Wednesday, May 17 (afternoon), 75 euros

*The oral examination follows immediately after the written for each level.

Registration: Feb. 1 to March 24.

Information: It is the first time that the exams are going to be held in the Examining Centre of the UW, Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, Seattle, 403 Thomson.

For more information, please contact Paraskevi Delikari, Hellenic Studies Program, European Studies Program, Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, 206- 221-4852. E-mail: delikp@u.washington.edu. 

Reference Update

The following UW policies and orders were recently revised:


For more information on these statements, contact the Rules Coordination Office: rules@u.washington.edu. 


Anti-Kickback, Conflict of Interest and Whistleblower Regulations

Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR 52.203-7) require the university to implement procedures designed to prevent and detect violations of the Anti-Kickback Act of 1986 (41 USC 51-58). This is published as a reminder of the policies and procedures in place at the University of Washington:

1. Kickback Defined: “Kickback” as defined by FAR means any money, fee commission, credit, gift, gratuity, thing of value or compensation of any kind that is provided directly or indirectly to any prime contractor, prime contractor employee, subcontractor or subcontractor employee for the purpose of improperly obtaining or rewarding favorable treatment in connection with a prime contract or in connection with a subcontract relating to a prime contract. University employees are prohibited under federal and state laws from accepting or offering kickbacks.

2. Ethics in Public Service Act: The Ethics in Public Service Act codified in Chapter 42.52 of the Revised Code of Washington prohibits State of Washington employees from accepting a gift, gratuity or additional compensation for personal services rendered as part of official duties.

Regulations published by the State Ethics Board and in University rules at http://www.washington.edu/admin/adminpro/APS/47.02.html prohibit the use of university facilities and equipment for personal business use. E-mail and local telephones may be used for personal nonbusiness uses so long as the use is minimal and does not interfere with the carrying out of official duties. Each faculty and staff member is individually responsible for compliance with these rules.

3. Procurement Integrity Provisions: The Procurement Integrity Provisions of Public Law 100-679 (1988) prohibit university employees from offering promises of future employment, business opportunities, money, gratuities or other things of value to federal procurement agents. University employees are precluded from soliciting information about proprietary or source selection information from any federal officer or employee prior to the award of a contract. University employees responsible for a federal contract over $100,000 may be required to certify before the award that they have no information concerning a violation of the procurement integrity provisions.

4. Outside Consulting Work: Faculty and staff are required to receive prior approval from their supervisors before engaging in outside professional work for compensation. See University Handbook Vol. IV, Part V, Chapter 6 and Administrative Policy Statements at http://www.washington.edu/admin/adminpro/APS/47.03.html. University facilities and resources, including computers and e-mail, may not be used in outside work.

5. Internal and Governmental Audits: Internal audits conducted by the university’s Internal Audit Department, and external audits conducted by the office of the State Auditor and the Office of Naval Research, among others, provide checks and balances to university procedures.

6. Purchasing Procedures: The Purchasing Department solicits competitive bids for most purchases on behalf of the university. Purchases may not be made by university personnel unless authorized in advance by a department employee with signature authority and by a Purchasing Department Buyer. Purchasing procedures are described at http://www.washington.edu/admin/purchasing/. No gift or benefit of any kind may be offered to or accepted by a state employee involved in the purchasing process as an inducement to buy a particular product or restrict competition. (Revised code of Washington Sections 43.19.1937 and 42.52.140.) The state ethics law also prohibits any state employee from participating in a purchasing transaction that may result in an economic benefit to themselves or to a family member. Check writing and accounting functions are conducted by Payables Administration.

Under the state ethics rules, a University employee who independently contracts with the University for the sale of goods and services may need to receive prior approval from the State Ethics Board.

7. “Whistleblower” Provisions and Protection: University employees may report improper governmental actions to the Office of the State Auditor. To encourage the reporting of improper governmental actions, employees are protected from reprisal or retaliatory action by the provisions of state law. The Whistleblower law is codified in Chapter 42.40 of the Revised Code of Washington. Procedures for reporting improper governmental actions are in the Administrative Policy Statements at http://www.washington.edu/admin/adminpro/APS/47.01.html.

Summary of the Provisions and Protections of RCW 42.40:

“Whistleblower Act” chapter 42.40 RCW was enacted to encourage employees of the State of Washington to report improper governmental actions to the State Auditor’s Office. “Improper governmental action” means any action by an employee undertaken in the performance of the employee’s official duties that is:



  • A gross waste of public funds of resources; or
  • In violation of federal or state law or rule if the violation is not merely technical or of a minimum nature; or
  • Of substantial and specific danger to the public health or safety.

    “Improper governmental action” does not include personnel actions for which other remedies exist, such as employee grievances and related complaints.
    In order to be investigated, an assertion of improper governmental action must be provided to the State Auditor’s Office within one year after the occurrence of the asserted improper governmental action.

    Assertions of improper governmental action must be filed in writing with the State Auditor’s Office. Telephone calls are not accepted. Assertions can be reported using the Whistleblower Reporting Form or in a separate letter. In either case, the report should include:

  • A detailed description of the improper governmental action(s);
  • The name of the employee(s) involved;
  • The agency, division and location where the action(s) occurred;
  • When the action(s) occurred;
  • Any other details that may be important for the investigation — witnesses, documents, evidence, etc.;
  • The specific law or regulation that has been violated, if known;
  • The whistleblower’s name, address and phone number.

    Assertions of improper governmental action may be filed anonymously. However, by providing a name and phone number, the whistleblower enables the State Auditor to gather additional information necessary for a thorough investigation. The identity of the whistleblower is kept confidential.

    The Whistleblower Reporting Form is available by contacting the State Auditor’s Office at 543-4196 or through the State Auditor’s Office homepage at http://www.sao.wa.gov.

    The Whistleblower Reporting Form or letter should be mailed to: Washington State Auditor’s Office, Attention: State Employee Whistleblower Program, P.O. Box 40031, Olympia, WA 98504-0031

    The State Auditor’s Office has sole discretion to determine how, or if, whistleblower assertions will be investigated. The law listed factors to be considered when making this determination. The State Auditor will mail an acknowledgment to the whistleblower within five working days of receipt of the report. When the investigation has been completed, the State Auditor’s Office will send the whistleblower a letter containing a summary of the information received and the results of the investigation. If the State Auditor’s Office determines an employee has engaged in improper governmental action, it will report the nature and details of the activity to the subject(s) of the investigation, the head of the employee’s agency and, if necessary, the Attorney General or other appropriate authorities.

    The law protects whistleblowers from reprisal or retaliatory action. If a whistleblower believes he or she has been the subject of such action, the whistleblower may file a claim with the Washington Human Rights Commission. The commission shall investigate the claim and take appropriate action.

    A more detailed summary of the Whistleblower Law is contained in the Administrative Policy Statements at http://www.washington.edu/admin/adminpro/APS/47.01.html. You may call Internal Audit at 543-4028 if you have questions relating to any of the above.


Degree Exams

Members of the graduate faculty are invited to attend the following examinations.  Chairpersons are denoted in parentheses.

General Examinations



  • Bungo Akiyoshi, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Ph.D. 9:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 29. FHCRC, D4-120.   (Prof. Susan Biggins).
  • Victor J. Anderson, Education, Ed.D 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8. Miller Hall, M-210.   (Prof. Michael Copland).
  • Machelle L. Beilke, Education, Ed.D 8 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 8. Miller Hall, M-210.   (Prof. Bradley Portin).
  • Benjamin F. Gauyan, Jr., Education,  10:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 8. Miller Hall, M-210.   (Prof. Kathleen Kimball).
  • Andrea Elizabeth Hickerson, Communication – Department of, Ph.D. 2 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1. Communications Bldg., 102-E.   (Prof. Patricia Moy).
  • John B. Kirkpatrick, Oceanography, Ph.D. 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 26. Ocean Sciences Bldg., 410.   (Prof. James Murray).
  • Chung-Han Kuo, Asian Languages and Literature, Ph.D. 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 26. Gowen Hall, 001-B.   (Prof. David Knechtges).
  • Brenton E. Louie, Medical Education and Biomedical Informatics, Ph.D. 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 31. Health Sciences Ctr., T-360.   (Prof. Peter Tarczy-Hornoch).
  • Lisa A. Mennet, Individual Ph.D. Program, Ph.D. 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 31. Health Sciences Ctr., T-404.   (Prof. Susan Spieker).
  • Kevin Scott Ramsey, Geography, Ph.D. 2 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8. Smith Hall, 408-A.   (Prof. Timothy Nyerges).
  • Weidong Song, Aeronautics and Astronautics, Ph.D. 2:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 29. Loew Hall, 105.   (Prof. Uri Shumlak).
  • Christopher D. Spitzer, Physics, Ph.D. 11 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 8. Physics/Astronomy Bldg., C-520.   (Prof. Ann Nelson).
  • Dellanira Valencia-Garcia, Psychology, Ph.D. 10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 29. Guthrie Annex 3, 120.   (Prof. Jane Simoni).
  • Jinnan Wang, Bioengineering, Ph.D. 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 6. Health Sciences Ctr., N-130-A.   (Prof. Chun Yuan).
  • Briana A. Woods, Psychology, Ph.D. 11:30 a.m. Monday, Feb. 5. Guthrie Annex 3, 120.   (Prof. Mary Larimer).

Final Examinations



  • Kim Renee Bobby, Education, Ed.D. 11:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 26. Mary Gates Hall, 224.  “Small school conversion and African-American student academic identity and aspiration” (Prof. Edward Taylor).
  • Gina S. Fiorini, Chemistry, Ph.D. 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 1. Chemistry Bldg., 102.  “Polymeric microfluidic devices: development of thermoset polyester microfluidic devices and use of poly(dimethyisiloxane) devices for droplet applications” (Prof. Daniel Chiu).
  • Kenneth Randal Hawkins, Bioengineering, Ph.D. 11 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 30. Foege Bldg., N-130.  “Designing the diffusion immunoassay (DIA): How properties of the analyte affect DIA performance” (Prof. Paul Yager).
  • Gerald Hoff, Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, Ph.D. 2:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 26. Fishery Science Bldg., 102.  “Reproductive biology of the Alaska skate, Bathyraja parmifera, with regard to nursery sites, embry development and predation” (Prof. Theodore Pietsch).
  • Chong-Jin Ong, Electrical Engineering, Ph.D. 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 26. Electrical Engineering Bldg., 403.  “Fast electromagnetic methods for analyzing interconnects on packages and printed circuit boards” (Prof. Leung Tsang).
  • Ivonne Ortiz, Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, Ph.D. 3 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 30. Fishery Science Bldg., 203.  “Ecosystem dynamics in the Aleutian Islands” (Prof. Robert Francis).
  • Karisa Marie Pierce, Chemistry, Ph.D. 3 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8. Chemistry Bldg., 339.  “Objectively obtaining information from gas chromatographic separations of complex samples using novel data processing and chemometric techniques” (Prof. Robert Synovec).
  • Kelli Griffin Roberts, Materials Science and Engineering, Ph.D. 1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 30. Mueller Hall, 243.  “Cobalt doped anatase TiO2: Materials for spin-electronics and their environmental impacts” (Prof. Kannan Krishnan).
  • William Henry Roberts, Atmospheric Sciences, Ph.D. 3:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2. Johnson Hall, 075.  “An investigation into the causes for the  reduction in the variability of the El Nino southern oscillation in the early Holocene in a global climate model” (Prof. David Battisti).
  • Pantipa Tachawachira, Business School, Ph.D. 9 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 30. Mackenzie Hall, 367.  “The influence of national culture on the knowledge transfer in cross-border acquisitions: A longitudinal analysis” (Prof. H. Kevin Steensma).