November 30, 2011
Etc.: Campus news & notes
CONSERVATION STAR: Dee Boersma, a UW biology professor, is among 29 conservationists nominated for the Indianapolis Prize, awarded every two years by the Indianapolis Zoo. The winner receives a $100,000 unrestricted award and the Lilly Medal. Boersma was nominated for her work over four decades documenting the effects of global warming on penguins and reducing development and harvesting in the area of penguin colonies.
Dee Boersma and friends.
Two other nominees – Lisa Dabek, director of the Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, and Steven Amstrup, chief scientist for Polar Bears International – are UW graduates. Award finalists will be announced in the spring of 2012 and the winner in the summer.
STUDENTS WITH DRIVE: Sperantsa, the UW student group that sells warm woolen hats hand-made by and benefiting Roma (gypsies), has won a $5,500 driving credit from Zipcar as part of the companys “Students With Drive” program.
Sperantsa distributes quality clothing handmade by Roma. The group works in partnership with Dece, a self-help project created by the Romanian Christian charity NetWorks.
Arthur Zetes, founder and director of Sperantsa, is delighted by the award. “Zipcar is the key to our succcess,” he wrote in an email, saying his plan is to use Zipcar to travel to shops and churches outside the UW area seeking distribution deals. “Having Zipcar (and the free gas) allows Sperantsa to move outside of its current boundaries and reach more people, get the word out, and sell more hats.”
He said though the group does most of its selling on Red Square, “we are desperately trying to push to sell outside of Red Square via online with our website, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Youtube, and other opportunities.” The increased online presence, he said, “coupled with the hundreds of hours of driving we are able to do with Zipcar, will launch Sperantsa into a sustainable mode of sales.”
Zipcars Students with Drive program is sponsored by Ford and seeks to assist student groups by giving them free Zipcar memberships, driving credits and grants. Additional grants and prizes will be awarded in spring of 2012. UW students 18 and older can join Zipcar for $15.
