August 5, 2010
Etc: Campus news & notes
OF FILMS AND RACCOONS: Sometimes being a film archive specialist can bring you more adventure than you bargained for. The UW’s Hannah Palin found that out when she received a call to sort out Intercollegiate Athletics’ treasure trove of films, which she’d heard were “stored in Husky Stadium somewhere, sitting in the dirt, deteriorating beyond redemption.”
They weren’t sitting in the dirt, exactly, but the space they occupied also had resident raccoons. Palin writes about her experience with the films in an article titled “Films, Football and Raccoons,” and published in Moving Image Archive News.
She describes her first encounter with the films this way: “It was the Holy Grail of university films, but there it was — piled in boxes stacked four deep, 16mm film spilling out onto the floor next to gas powered leaf blowers and speaker systems, videotapes falling out of ripped boxes sitting on shelves with old programs and leftover T-shirts. There was an opening at the top of the room’s door which would, conveniently, allow rain, snow, and probably those pesky raccoons inside. So much for climate control. The good news? The floor was concrete, not dirt. (Although I found out later that such a storage space did, indeed, exist at one time.)”
To read the whole story, click here.
ABLE TO EXCEL: Dennis Lang, founder and faculty member of the Disability Studies Program, has just won the White Ribbon Award from the Alliance of People with disAbilities, a major King County Independent Living Center. The organization said Lang “has worked tirelessly towards improving access, resources and climate for the disability community at the University of Washington and beyond. His vision, dedication and leadership brought to fruition the UW’s nationally-recognized Disability Studies Program and a minor in Disability Studies.”
WELL-PAID GRADS: The UW was among the top 10 western schools (excluding California) when it comes to the salary earned by its graduates, according to Payscale.com. The University was number seven on the list, with a median starting salary of $47,100 and a median mid-career salary of $86,500. The other schools, in order, are the Colorado School of Mines, the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Pacific University, the University of Colorado, Oregon State University, Reed College, Brigham Young University and the University of Arizona. Payscale, Inc., headquartered in Seattle, claims to have the world’s largest database of individual employee compensation profiles.
ORDERING SLEEP: Dr. Michael V. Vitiello, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, was recently appointed to the Sleep Disorders Research Advisory Board of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research. The center is responsible for supporting and facilitating basic and clinical research, research training, health information dissemination and other activities within the National Institutes of Health related to sleep disorders. It also coordinates sleep-related programs with other federal agencies and public organizations. The advisory board provides regular guidance to the center, including participation in the development of its five-year sleep research strategic plans. Dr. Vitiello is an internationally recognized expert in the area of sleep, circadian rhythms and sleep disorders in aging.
Do you know someone who deserves kudos for an outstanding achievement, award, appointment or book publication? If so, send that person’s name, title and achievement to uweek@u.washington.edu.
