Category: News

This February, faculty and staff across our campuses shared their discoveries as part of the UW’s employee photo contest.

This month’s winning photo comes from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Washington. Xu Chen, an assistant professor in the department, is leading his team to build collaborative robots and artificial intelligence to solve Rubik’s cubes.

The team is applying their knowledge from the build to tackle a $1.2 million robotic inspection project in collaboration with the University of Connecticut and GKN Aerospace. Most of the project work is done at the Mechatronics, Automation, and Control Systems (MACS) Lab. The lab investigates theories and practices  to seek better understanding and engineering of the interplay between data, systems and control in machines and automation processes.

The project is also one of the six newly-selected projects from the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing’s (ARM) fourth Technology Project call that took place in 2019. According to ARM’s website, the project’s purpose is to build an advisor robotic platform that will provide comprehensive parts inspection of complex metallic components and high-fidelity recommendations for defect identification and characterization.

The project draws on different subfields such as imaging, sensor fusion and robot controls.  In the future, this work may have the potential to impact automotive, agriculture and consumer goods markets.

With their engaging collaboration, the UW’s Department of Mechanical Engineering continues to make important discoveries with a true impact.

The University of Washington is a huge organization – a University for more than 59,000 students, a workplace for more than 47,000 employees and a small city’s worth of operations, from maintaining residence halls and food services to running hospitals and clinics across the region. An institution of this size requires a broad strategy of modernizing our administrative systems, policies and processes.

UW Finance Transformation (UWFT) is an important step in this direction, and is much more than a systems update. It’s a collaborative redesign of our current finance policies, processes and systems, and will help teams reduce risk by giving them more predictable and real-time information for making financial decisions.

Our current Financial Accounting System (FAS) was first developed in 1974 using a COBOL-based platform for an institution with a $552 million annual budget. Fast forward to today and the UW’s annual revenues stand at $8 billion, yet investments in our infrastructure have not kept pace with the demands of our growing operations.

“As a world-class research university serving stakeholders from undergraduates to hospital patients, we need to evolve our finance processes, policies and systems to be more cost efficient and ensure responsible stewardship of our resources,” said UW President Ana Mari Cauce. “That makes UWFT crucial to our public service mission.”

Following a thorough fit-gap analysis, the UW identified Workday as the best platform to support the institution’s business objectives while also providing a seamless, tightly integrated solution for human resources, payroll, procurement and finance. This will allow for standardized, non-redundant, and strategic decision-making across the University.

With a go-live date of July 1, 2022, UWFT recently received full funding and approval by the Board of Regents to enter into the Implementation Phase. The program team, along with partners in UW Finance, UW-IT, UW Medicine, the Integrated Service Center (ISC) and research (ORIS), will work with stakeholders across the University to build out processes, configure the system and test and train prior to launch.

More information on UWFT can be found at https://finance.uw.edu/uwft/

This January, faculty and staff from across the UW shared photos of how their teams serve the UW community and beyond.

This month’s winning photo came from the UW Facilities team. This past April, the team held a “Trash-In” at Red Square to determine how much compostable and recyclable material is thrown out at the UW. To support these efforts, UW Building Services Department Director Gene Woodard and UW Facilities Vice President Lou Cariello volunteered.

During the event, the team observed that 47% of waste that was thrown away was compostable. The Trash-In brought together faculty, staff and students to better understand waste at the UW and to explore ways to reduce it.

The runner up for this month’s photo contest was the Institute for Protein Design/Baker Lab team. On Martin Luther King Day, the team volunteered at the North Creek Forest in a “mulch brigade” on the forest’s trail. Working together, the team removed shrubbery from invasive species, helping to create positive change in our community.

UW faculty, staff, retirees, students and alumni came together this fall to support their favorite nonprofits through the UW Combined Fund Drive.

Together, we contributed $1,975,515 to a variety of organizations, which will make a significant impact on the lives of many, both locally and nationally.

“Through payroll deduction, personal donations and event participation, our employees have continued to go above and beyond in serving our state and world,” said Kerri Fuller, development officer and campaign manager for the UW Combined Fund Drive. “It’s amazing to see the UW’s generous contributions toward helping so many.”

The UW Combined Fund Drive collaborates with a featured charity, co-hosting special events and working to boost the organization’s fundraising efforts. This year’s charity was Be The Match, which works to save the lives of those diagnosed with life-threatening blood cancers. The UWCFD and Be The Match partnered to raise money to help add donors to the registry, assist patients with uninsured transplant costs and fund groundbreaking research.

“We’re proud to partner with Be The Match this year knowing that our donations help save lives,” said Fuller. “Through the UW community’s generous support, the registry will grow and more people diagnosed with blood cancers may find a match.”

The UWCFD is part of a statewide fundraising campaign that dates back to 1984. The UW community has contributed more than $50 million for nonprofits, UW scholarships and UW programs through the campaign.

If you missed this year’s drive or still want to show your support, you can give year-round through payroll deduction.

Visit the UW Combined Fund Drive website to find volunteer opportunities as well as special events like Diversity Resource expo in May, a Cat Café in June and the monthly Sustainability Film Series.

The University of Washington community is invited to attend this year’s Distinguished Staff Award Reception on Tuesday, Feb. 25 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. in the HUB Ballroom.

Come celebrate the extraordinary accomplishments of our inspirational staff, including incredible efforts from individuals and teams.

You can see a complete list of our nominees on the DSA website. 

President Ana Mari Cauce will be speaking at this year’s reception alongside the award’s executive sponsor and Vice President for Human Resources Mindy Kornberg, Dean of the Graduate School Joy Williamson-Lott, UW Medicine Chief Medical Officer Dr. Tim H. Dellit, and Dean of the UW Information School Anind K. Dey.

Don’t miss this opportunity to enjoy refreshment with your colleagues while cheering on this year’s nominees. All nominees will receive a certificate along with a copy of their nomination.

Up to five individuals or team nominees will be selected for a $5,000 award presented at the University’s Awards of Excellence ceremony in June.

Learn more on the Distinguished Staff Award website.

This November, faculty and staff across the UW shared photos of their teams to show how they are committed to excellence.

The winning photo of this month’s contest features Research Associate Josephine Rapp and her team, the Deming Lab at the School of Oceanography. The photo shows how their team spent a fun evening celebrating new and old members.

“At the core of excellent work, especially challenging fieldwork, is good communication and a team that can rely on one another,” said Rapp. “Our team is in perfect sync.”

The Deming Lab reminds us all of the boundless power we have when we come together.

The first photo contest runner up is the School of Social Work’s Admissions & Student Services team. They support and advise current UW social work students and recruit aspiring agents of change. With a passion for social justice activism and promoting equity, this team cares about enhancing the quality of life for all.

The second runner up is the Comparative History of Ideas department. At the center of their work, this team questions, critiques and creates. They encourage students to approach life using an innovative lens while developing critical thinking skills. They also help students and staff challenge and change the systems we live in.

Each fall, the UW Combined Drive Fund provides UW employees an opportunity to give back by donating to their favorite nonprofit organizations. Whether you’re interested in the arts, environment, human services, medical research, international relief or animal welfare, you can make a difference through an easy payroll deduction.

Here are some additional ways you can contribute to this year’s drive from Oct. 2 to Dec. 6:

Donate Oct. 2 to 13 and claim your $5 Starbucks gift card
Those who make a new $5 donation, add $5 to an existing pledge, or log one volunteer hour this week will receive a $5 Starbucks gift card compliments of WSECU.

Attend the Fall Nonprofit Expo
All UW students, staff, faculty and retirees are also invited to the Fall Nonprofit Expo on Wednesday, Oct. 16 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the HUB Ballroom. Meet with more than 80 local nonprofits to learn how they support a variety of causes, while enjoying complimentary refreshments and amazing door prizes. Bring new men’s or women’s socks to benefit Teen Feed and earn an extra door prize drawing ticket! Bid on silent auction items to benefit this year’s featured charity, Be The Match.

Be The Match
This year’s featured charity is Be The Match, which works to save the lives of those diagnosed every year with life-threatening blood cancers. The UWCFD and Be The Match aim to raise money to help add donors to the registry, help patients with uninsured transplant costs and fund groundbreaking research.

Learn more about Be The Match:

• Register or share the registry with your coworkers, friends, family and social media networks and save a life.
• Learn about how Be The Match helped UW Professor Alexis Harris.

With your help, our University can surpass our $2.1 million in pledges from last year.

Professor of Sociology Alexes Harris, who holds the Presidential Term Professorship, has been appointed to serve as the University’s Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR).

In this role, she will help ensure that the University of Washington’s athletics programs are closely aligned with our core educational mission, safeguarding our student-athletes’ well-being and maintaining the academic integrity of our intercollegiate athletics program in compliance with NCAA rules.

Harris is an award-winning teacher and scholar with a deep commitment to equity. Her body of research on inequality and race in the American justice system has transformed the national conversation and she has earned numerous recognitions, including the UW Distinguished Teaching Award.

She has been appointed to serve on several federal advisory boards, including the Office of Justice Programs Science Advisory Board and the National Task Force on Fines and Fees, and Bail Practice. She has also been called to testify for numerous state and federal governing bodies about inequalities in the criminal justice system and sentencing.

Harris has worked with UW Athletics as a member of the Advisory Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics since 2011 and served as the Chair since 2014. She earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of Washington, and her Ph.D. in sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Last week, more than two dozen recently hired UW faculty members traveled across Washington by bus to meet and learn from diverse communities throughout our state.

On the annual five-day UW Faculty Field Tour, participants experience Washington’s culture, Native history, diversity, economics and geography. The UW has been conducting the tour for more than two decades to build community partnerships, create opportunities for research and learning, and contribute to the University’s goal of improving the lives of Washington residents. Faculty gain a better understanding of our state and the diverse regions our students come from.

Participants were joined on the tour by Provost Mark Richards, who conducted a Q&A with faculty and also provided an impromptu lecture on the geology of the Northwest.

The tour visited communities throughout Washington, including Olympia, Toppenish, Vancouver, Richland, Spokane, Nespelem, Hanford and Everett.

“Touring the state with new faculty is one way we convey what it means to be a public university, of and for the state of Washington,” says Thaisa Way, professor of landscape architecture. “It’s an opportunity to meet the people and visit the places that define our state.”

Way and Edward Taylor, vice provost and dean of undergraduate academic affairs at the UW, discussed the importance of the tour in a recent op-ed in The Tri-City Herald.

“Our purpose is to better understand the place where we teach, do research, serve and live,” they write. “We travel this road because 75 percent of our students are from Washington and our region, and many will remain here when they graduate. Our work is intimately connected to the inhabitants, structures, values and ideas that make us who we are.”

Stops on the tour included Mount St. Helens, the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic, Heritage University, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Boeing’s manufacturing facilities and the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO). The tour also stopped at the Schoesler wheat farm in Ritzville, where participants learned about farming and land conservation techniques.

“This trip has been a superb opportunity to learn about the landscape and people of this state, which are diverse and fascinating,” says Patrick Boyle, assistant professor of bioengineering.

Participating new faculty members included two UW deans and represented a range of disciplines and departments, including architecture; Asian languages and literature; biobehavioral nursing and health informatics; business analytics; culture, arts and communication; electrical and computer engineering; environmental health sciences; the Information School; interdisciplinary visual arts; mechanical engineering; real estate; Scandinavian studies; social work; and more.

Watch the slideshow below to see some photos from the Faculty Field Tour.