Undergraduate Academic Affairs

University of Washington


October 1, 2020

Welcome to the 2020-21 academic year

Ed Taylor

Photo of Ed Taylor

Our inter-connected and inter-dependent community is filled with people who care, and I want to remind everyone to find moments of joy and gratitude in each day.


September 16, 2020

Remembering Bill Gates, Sr.

Ed Taylor

Photo of Bill Gates Sr.

UAA’s Vice Provost and Dean Ed Taylor reflects on the larger meaning of his first meeting with Bill Gates, Sr. in this remembrance and appreciation.


May 12, 2020

The 23rd Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium moves online

Undergraduate Academic Affairs

  Registration is required to attend this year’s virtual Symposium. To register, visit symposium.uw.edu. Attending the event is always free. Show students your support by updating your social media profile picture with a Symposium avatar, available for researchers, mentors, parents and champions of undergrad research. Planning for the traditional event, which completely takes over Mary…


October 19, 2018

Francesca Lo named executive director of leadership education in Undergraduate Academic Affairs

Undergraduate Academic Affairs

Portrait of Fran Lo

Undergraduate Academic Affairs is pleased to announce organizational shifts designed to more proactively align the unit’s community engagement and student leadership development work.


May 23, 2018

Two UW undergrads receive the Udall Award

Undergraduate Academic Affairs

Photo of Ashley Lewis and Alishia Orloff

Juniors Ashley Lewis and Alishia Orloff will join 50 students from around the country as Udall Scholars. A competitive award, the review committee selected this year’s scholars from 437 nominees based on the student’s commitment to careers in the environment, Native health care or tribal policy, as well as their leadership potential, public service and…


February 16, 2018

UW senior Timothy Welsh selected to be 1 of 15 Churchill Scholars nationally

Undergraduate Academic Affairs

Photo of Timothy Welsh

A Pacific Northwest native, Timothy Welsh grew up fascinated by the natural world. Over the years, his career goals transitioned from geology to forestry, until he discovered chemistry. “What made me finally decide on chemistry as the path for me is an appreciation for the remarkable microscopic and biochemical functions that are crucial to every…


April 23, 2014

Undergraduate creates device to help diagnose cancer

Jacob Christensen

Video still of Chris Burfeind

Chris Burfeind is a senior studying mechanical engineering and researching microfluidic devices in Eric Seibel’s lab. With the help of the lab, Chris has created a credit card-sized device that can analyze biopsy tissues and help diagnose pancreatic cancer in minutes.


February 12, 2014

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to visit UW in March

Undergraduate Academic Affairs

Portrait of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor

On March 10, 2014, United States Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor will visit Seattle to talk about My Beloved World, her memoir chronicling her journey from a housing project in the Bronx to her service as a federal judge in New York and ultimately as a Supreme Court Justice.


September 24, 2013

Welcome from the Dean Autumn 2013

Ed Taylor

Vice Provost and Dean Ed Taylor

Dear Friends and Colleagues, Fall quarter is always an invigorating time for me. We begin by welcoming our newest students to the academic life of the University of Washington at Freshman Convocation, an event that represents the moment when students fully transition into the UW. These students join those who are settled and have found…


January 17, 2013

MLK and sacred songs that feed the soul

Ed Taylor

Vice Provost and Dean Ed Taylor

I crave the sound of a call and response—the verbal and non-verbal interaction between a speaker and listener—that is endemic to democratic participation in public matters; the kind of call that allows us to acknowledge misfortune, ruination, or loss, followed by a response proclaiming that freedom and justice are close at hand. It’s a reminder…