Burke Museum project manager Lace Thornberg (MA, 2010) developed a program connecting tribal community members from Washington with residents of a remote island in the Philippines. Washington and Filipino community members made transcontinental visits for cultural exchange and are now building unique museum exhibits based on their experiences.
Category: Asia
International researchers track melting sea ice
Led by principal investigator Craig Lee, an oceanographer at the University of Washington’s Applied Physics Laboratory, researchers from around the world are conducting the longest and most extensive effort ever to track the melting of arctic sea ice. Members of the international research team hail from the United States, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom and France.
International student first Husky to golf in British Open Championship
For the first time, golf fans will watch a Husky athlete compete at the Open Championship in Holyoke, England. Representing UW at this week’s tournament is Cheng-Tsung Pan, a senior communications major from Taiwan.
UW ignites international student’s passion for art
College of Arts & Sciences Dean’s Medalist Jueqian Fang showed promise in the sciences during high school in China. However, she came to UW ready to explore new pathways. Drawn to the arts, Jueqian went on to double major, earning degrees in photomedia in the School of Art + Art History + Design and cinema studies in the Department of Comparative Literature.
While at UW Jueqian has displayed her artwork at exhibitions on campus as well as in a juried art show in Seattle’s Pioneer Square. She was selected as a Dean’s Medalist on the basis of academic performance and faculty recommendations.
New Burke Museum curator an advocate for indigenous cultures
The Burke Museum of Natural History’s new Curator of Native American Anthropology is passionate about preserving indigenous culture. A native of Kodiak, Alaska, Dr. Sven Haakanson has conducted research and lived in Siberia. He received the MacArthur Foundation’s “genius” grant in 2007 for his work advocating for Native cultures, and plans to conduct further research in Russia.
US, Japanese leaders celebrate longstanding relations
Japanese General Consul Masahiro Omura spoke today near Drumheiller Fountain today to celebrate a recent gift of cherry trees to the UW American Ethnic Studies department from the people of Japan.
Also speaking at the ceremony were former congressman and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta and UW President Michael K. Young.
The new cherry trees, installed on central campus overlooking Drumheiller Fountain, were presented in honor of longstanding relations between the U.S. and Japan. They also honor the many Japanese and Japanese American students who have attended UW since 1894.
Launch party celebrates book by study abroad students
A May 12 launch party will celebrate the publication of TIPS to Study Abroad: Simple Letters for Complex Engagement, a book by students from Professor Anu Taranath’s 2013 study abroad to Bangalore, India.
Through the unique medium of students’ letters to Things, Ideas and People (TIPS), the book “offers a simple method to help travelers- students and tourists alike- reflect on how moving from one culture to another sparks questions about identity, society and the meaning of travel itself.”
Professor Taranath’s unique approach to teaching abroad integrates on-campus classroom learning with international immersion. Students participate in quarter-long seminars on campus before and after the study abroad to allow time for in-depth preparation for and reflection on the experience. TIPS to Study Abroad is the culmination of the group’s experience and learning.
Community members are welcome at the book launch party at 7pm on Monday, May 12. The event will be held at University Temple.
Study abroad students connect with Roma communities
During winter quarter, Comparative History of Ideas’ (CHID) Legacies of Empires study abroad program took students on a journey to Rome, Budapest and Istanbul to connect with Roma communities through experiential learning.
Michelle Obama praises UW student in Peking University speech
First Lady Michelle Obama praised UW senior Philmon Haile during a recent speech at Peking University, quoting from his remarks at a Washington D.C. event celebrating President Obama’s 100,000 Strong initiative.
Philmon has studied abroad several times, interning at the US Embassy Beijing, conducting field research in rural China and volunteering in Jordan. He was recently awarded the Rangel Graduate Fellowship, which supports graduate study and professional development in preparation for a career in the Foreign Service.
Cross-cultural study examines kids’ understanding of intellectual property
Children from the US, China and Mexico participated in a recently-published study by University of Washington researcher Kristina Olson and colleagues from Yale and the University of Pennsylvania. The group examined children’s reactions to a video where puppets make their own drawing or copy a friend’s drawing. Despite cultural differences, 5 and 6 year-old children from all three countries viewed negatively the puppet who stole his friend’s idea. Read more at UW Today…