When Volha Hrechka, ’13, left her home country of Belarus on an exchange program in 2004, she had no idea she’d one day be revolutionizing the plastics industry. Today her startup PolyDrop is responsible for creating an innovative additive that dissipates electrostatic charge on airplanes one drop at a time — and it all started in the halls of the UW.
None of this would have been possible without the help of the UW, says Volha. “Countless times I’ve asked for help and it was always provided to me. I’m so thankful.”
With a humanitarian crisis leaving a trail of destruction in Syria, UW alumna Rita Zawaideh is building a path toward healing for children facing the traumas of war. Funded entirely by donations, the Maliki-SCM Children’s Center is dedicated to helping the youngest victims of the wars in neighboring Syria and Iraq.
Opened in January of this year, the center serves about 25-30 children every quarter, year-round. The children often arrive displaying one or more symptoms of trauma: aggression, bed wetting, a refusal to interact with others. With a staff including social workers, teachers, and a psychologist, the nondescript white building in this quiet neighborhood in Jordan’s capital is the first of 10 Zawaideh plans to open. A second center is scheduled to open in March, Zawaideh says, and funding is lined up for eight more to open around the country, one-to-two months apart. When all 10 centers are operating they will be able to serve more than 1,000 children every year.
The centers, according to Zawaideh, will focus on the behavioral and emotional needs of traumatized children. They are treatment programs, not schools. Instead of working on math or reading, children play, receive behavioral therapy and one-on-one sessions with psychologists, and have structured free time.
Zawaideh is a 1975 alumna of the University of Washington and is widely recognized for her knowledge of and work in the Middle East.
A new study of the worldwide migration of professionals to the U.S. shows a sharp drop-off in its proportional share of those workers – raising the question of whether the nation will remain competitive in attracting top talent in an increasingly globalized economy.
The study, which used a novel method of tracking people through data from the social media site LinkedIn, is believed to be the first to monitor global migrations of professionals to the U.S., said co-author Emilio Zagheni, a University of Washington assistant professor of sociology and fellow of the UW eScience Institute.
“This is the first time a worldwide data set has been used to answer this question,” he said. “That hasn’t been done before.”
University of Washington fisheries ecologist Daniel Schindler was awarded the highest honor given by the Society of Canadian Limnologists for his work in freshwater science. Schindler is the second in his family to receive the Frank Rigler Award. In 1964 — the first year the honor was awarded — it was presented to Schindler’s father, David.
Daniel Schindler studies climate impacts, fisheries as large-scale drivers of ecosystem organization and the interdependence of terrestrial, marine and freshwater ecosystems. As one of the lead investigators of the UW Alaska Salmon Program, much of his research focuses on salmon-producing watersheds in Alaska.
Jason Young strikes a pose on the Arctic ice near the town of Igloolik in northern Canada.Photo by Walter O’Toole.
Jason Young and Walter O’Toole had been stranded on Arctic ice for nearly an hour, unable to find a safe path back to shore, when an Inuit woman observing from her kitchen dispatched her 13-year-old son to guide them to safety. It was one of many humbling moments for the UW students during a visit to the Canadian Arctic through a Canadian Studies Foreign Language Area and Studies (FLAS) Fellowship.
US News & World Report released its first Best Global Universities rankings Tuesday. UW tops the list at #14, edging out many other leading institutions. The ranking system focuses on the academic research and overall reputation of more than 500 institutions across the globe, scoring universities on criteria that includes number of publications, percentage of highly cited papers and international collaboration. UW scores among the top 20 in five of the 10 ranking categories.
The report also includes the top 100 universities in subject rankings, which evaluate academic research and reputation in a field. UW ranks among the top 10 in the world in seven subject areas: microbiology (#3), geosciences (#5), immunology (#5), pharmacology and toxicology (#7), clinical medicine (#8), social sciences and public health (#8) and molecular biology and genetics (#9). Twenty subjects at UW made the overall rankings.
The report is designed to help the more than 4.5 million students who study abroad each year choose the best global universities to pursue their passion. UW’s top billing shows a proven impact in offering a leading-edge student experience and a growing global reputation.
More than ever before, the University of Washington will be a driver of innovation in the Puget Sound region, says President Michael K. Young in a Sunday guest column.
Almost 1000 University of Washington undergraduates studied abroad this summer. Together with fellow students and UW faculty, they asked daring questions and discovered new answers, engaging the world through study, research and community engagement.
Explore this map for a peek at UW’s study abroad programs across the globe, and hear straight from students about their most memorable experiences.
On September 12, university faculty and staff from the Pacific Northwest and beyond will gather at UW Bothell for a symposium on the use of technology to further students’ global engagement. Hosted by UW Bothell Global Initiatives and the Teaching and Learning Center, the symposium will provide strategies for integrating international collaboration components into university coursework and allow educators to share best practices for creating a physical and virtual learning community.
Registration is open now for the Global Engagement through Technology Symposium, and participants may sign up until September 11. An Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Area and International Studies grant, administered by the UW Jackson School of International Studies, has allowed organizers to offer the event at a reduced rate to participants.
Presenting at last week’s Global Honors Spring Colloquium, Noelle Gichohi started by thanking her mentors and supporters. “I stood in front of the audience and said, ‘I grew up in a village in Kenya, and it took a village to get me here’”. Her ‘colloquium village’ included UW Tacoma professors and librarians, a Highline Community College professor, fellow students and family.
Graduating seniors at the Global Honors Colloquium Photo: Cody Char UW Tacoma Creative Services
For Noelle and 12 other graduating seniors in UW Tacoma’s Global Honors program, the colloquium was a chance to share and reflect on their capstone research projects. They will now apply their learning as community leaders heading toward jobs and graduate school.
The students presented before audiences of 40 to 60 faculty, staff, community members and fellow students. Diverse in terms of discipline and geography, their projects exemplify UW Tacoma’s emphasis on student-led, use-inspired research.
Kristie Weisert Photo: Cody Char
Inspired by her work with State Senator Jeanne Kohl-Williams during a Legislative Internship, Kristie Weisert’s thesis examines sex trafficking in the U.S. and India. Human trafficking is a pressing issue locally and internationally, and Kristie pointed out Washington state’s efforts to address the problem through new legislation.
Brandon Napenias Oreiro’s research project explores the development of Filipino American identity in the context of a globalized culture. A leader in UW Tacoma’s Filipino American Student Association, Brandon paired his research findings with examples of the group’s efforts to create a sense of identity and community on campus and in the region.
Noelle Gichohi Photo: UW Tacoma
Noelle Gichohi’s research project was inspired by her study abroad to Italy. “We were studying preschools, and I saw that [Italian schools] had kitchens right next to the classrooms and served the kids three-course meals on real plates. It was totally different from the U.S., where my kids went to preschool, and Kenya, where I grew up.”
She began thinking about how place influences the food children are served at school, and how parents’ perceive the healthfulness of school meals. For her thesis, Noelle surveyed Kenyan and U.S. parents about their children’s school meals, and their perceptions of the meals.
“Carrying out a research project and presenting at the colloquium “was enriching for me personally and as a scholar,” Noelle reflects. The experience gave her new confidence about her ideas and ability to communicate. “I won’t be afraid to stand up and give my opinion in the workplace,” she says, “I’ll think, ‘I’ve done Global Honors, I can do anything.’”
Chancellor Kenyon Chan Photo: UW Tacoma
During his remarks at the colloquium, UW Tacoma Chancellor Kenyon Chan underscored the local relevance of the students’ research and the urgency of the issues addressed. Echoing Noelle Gichohi’s recognition of her village, Chancellor Chan also emphasized the students’ important roles as leaders – locally and globally.
