April 15, 2025
ArtSci Roundup: May 2025
From campus to wherever you call home, we welcome you to learn from and connect with the College of Arts & Sciences community through public events spanning the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. We hope to see you this May.
Innovation Month
April 30 | An Evening with Christine Sun Kim (Public Lecture)
May 1 | John Jennings: The AfroFuture Now (Public Lecture)
May 3 | Third Coast Percussion and Jessie Montgomery: Strum, Strike, Bend (Meany Center)
May 6 | Paul C. Cross Endowed Lecture in Physical Chemistry (Chemistry)
May 13 | Frontiers of Physics: Fluid or Solid? The Physics of Shape-Shifting Materials (Physics)
May 14 | MFA Dance Concert (Dance)
May 14 | Jazz Innovations I (Music)
May 15 | Jazz Innovations II (Music)
May 16 | Linguistics Colloquium Series (Linguistics)
May 19 | Book Talk: The AI Con – How to Fight Big Tech’s Hype and Create the Future We Want (Linguistics)
May 21 | DXARTS Spring Concert (DXARTS)
May 21 | George H. Cady Endowed Lecture in Inorganic Chemistry (Chemistry)
May 27 | Studio Jazz Ensemble and Modern Band (Music)
ArtSci on the Go
Looking for more ways to get more out of Arts & Sciences? Check out these resources to take ArtSci wherever you go!
Zev J. Handel, “Chinese Characters Across Asia: How the Chinese Script Came to Write Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese” (Department of Asian Languages & Literature)
“Ways of Knowing” Podcast (College of Arts & Sciences)
Black Composers Project engages the School of Music faculty and students (School of Music)
Ladino Day Interview with Leigh Bardugo & MELC Professor Canan Bolel (Jewish Studies)
Week of April 28
Thursday, May 1, 6:30 – 7:30 pm | John Jennings: The AfroFuture Now (Public Lecture)
Afrofuturism began as a concept coined by scholar Mark Dery in 1993. It was his way of grouping ideas regarding how Black people used the technology of stories to deal with racial oppression, disrupted history, and the challenge of moving into a positive future. In recent years, we have seen an explosion of interest from various fields around the critical making space that we call Afrofuturism.
In this lecture, John Jennings will explore the major themes in the Afrofuturism movement, track the timeline of its growth, and posit future possibilities around this vibrant and ever-changing way of seeing the world.
Friday, May 2 to Saturday, May 3 | The Living Breath of wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ (American Indian Studies)
This symposium brings people together to share knowledge on topics such as traditional foods, plants, and medicines; environmental and food justice; food sovereignty/security; health and wellness; and treaty rights. This event serves to foster dialogue and build collaborative networks as we, Native peoples, strive to sustain our cultural food practices and preserve our healthy relationships with the land, water, and all living things. Save the Date for this year’s event. The theme is: “Generational Food Sovereignty.”
Friday, May 2, 5:00 pm | Burke in Bloom (Burke Museum)
Join the Burke Museum for an exclusive tour of the Burke’s extensive collection of oversized items at our Sand Point facility, followed by a reception, dinner, and auction.
Additional Events
April 30 | An Evening with Christine Sun Kim (Public Lecture)
May 1 | Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band: Radiance (Music)
May 1 | Splintered Intimacies: Work and Friendship in Karachi’s Service Economy (South Asia Center)
May 1 | Conference: Political Software: Mapping Digital Worlds From Below (Simpson Center)
May 2 | UW Symphony Orchestra with Donna Shin (Music)
May 3 | Third Coast Percussion and Jessie Montgomery: Strum, Strike, Bend (Meany Center)
Week of May 5
Monday, May 4, 5:00 – 6:20 pm | ONLINE ONLY Trump in the World 2.0 Lecture Series: U.S. Foreign Aid (Jackson School)
Join the Jackson School for Trump in the World 2.0, a series of talks and discussions on the international impact of the second Trump presidency.
This week: Mark Ward, U.S. Foreign Service (ret.) and Instructor in the Department of History, Philosophy and Religion at Oregon State University.
Tuesday, May 6, 4:00 – 5:00 pm | Paul C. Cross Endowed Lecture in Physical Chemistry (Department of Chemistry)
Professor David Hu – School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Tech
Host: Sarah Keller
Wednesday, May 7, 5:00 – 7:00 pm | Not So Simple! Translating Young Adult Literature as Resistance and Entertainment with Sawad Hussain (Department of Scandinavian Studies)
There is a common misconception in literary publishing that books for children and young adults are “simple” and are, therefore, easy to translate. But translating literature for younger people is not simple at all.
Join the panel of three distinguished translators—Sawad Hussain (Arabic), Shelley Fairweather-Vega (Russian and Uzbek), and Takami Nieda (Japanese)—for an engaging discussion of these issues.
Thursday, May 8, 6:00 – 7:30 pm | Monsen Photography Lecture: Carmen Winant (Henry Art Gallery)
Thursday, May 8, 11:30 am – 12:00 pm | Theodore Roethke Memorial Poetry Reading featuring Brandon Som (Department of English)
Theodore Roethke taught at the University of Washington from 1947 until his death in 1963. The Theodore Roethke Memorial Poetry Readings began in 1964 to honor his memory by bringing notable contemporary poets to the UW campus to give a reading of their works and, when possible, to meet with students enrolled in the department’s advanced poetry writing courses. The annual Roethke Readings, co-sponsored by the Department of English, the UW Graduate School, and the Theodore Roethke Memorial Fund Committee. This event is free and open to the public and regularly attracts large audiences of poetry lovers from around the Pacific Northwest.
Saturday, May 10, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm | Dino Fest (Burke Museum)
Hear about groundbreaking research from the Burke and UW scientists, enjoy hundreds of specimens from the Burke’s collection, and celebrate all things fossilized with fossil digs, ancient animal identification, microfossil sorting, crafts, and more!
Additional Events
May 5 | Faculty Recital: Melia Watras, Broken Bell (Music)
May 6 | A Delicate Symphony: Courtship, Guardianship, and (self-)Censorship in Translating from Arabic (Simpson Center)
May 7 | Finland: Scandinavian, Nordic, and Baltic Positioning by Sonya Amadae of the University of Helsinki (Jackson School)
May 7 | Guest Artist Concert: Lumina Women’s Ensemble (Music)
May 7 | 50 Years of Danish at the UW (Scandinavian Studies)
May 8 | Second Seattle Organic Chemistry Seminar: Professor Sarah Reisman (Chemistry)
May 8 | Complexions Contemporary Ballet (Meany Center)
May 8 | Digital Humanities Lecture: Ryan Cordell – Bibliography & the Sociology of Large Language Models (Simpson Center)
May 8 | Sawad Hussain: Selling literature: What’s a translator got to do with it? (Simpson Center)
May 9 | 2025 GWSS Spring Community Gathering: Undergraduate Research Colloquium (Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies)
May 9 | UW International Security Colloquium (Political Science)
May 9 | “Ron Athey’s Tragic,” Visiting Professor Tom Sapsford (Classics)
May 9 | 250 Years of German Obedience in Review (German Studies)
May 10 | External Event: Organ Masterclass: Jonathan Moyer, Oberlin Conservatory (Music)
Week of May 12
Monday, May 12, 5:00 – 6:20 pm | ONLINE ONLY Trump in the World 2.0: Latin America and Africa (Jackson School)
Join the Jackson School for Trump in the World 2.0, a series of talks and discussions on the international impact of the second Trump presidency.
This week: Vanessa Freije, James D. Long, Tony Lucero, and Christopher Tounsel.
Tuesday, May 13, 7:30 pm | Frontiers of Physics: Fluid or Solid? The Physics of Shape-Shifting Materials (Department of Physics)
When we think of engineering materials, we often picture solid blocks such as steel or plastic with fixed properties—soft, lightweight, or strong. In contrast, granular materials such as sand or rice flow and shear. What if a material could do both? Polycatenated Architected Materials (PAMs) are a new class of structures that bridge the gap between solids and fluids. Made of interlocked particles forming intricate 3D networks—akin to modern-day chainmail—PAMs can switch from flowing like granular matter to behaving as solid elastic materials. Join the Department of Physics to discover how the geometry and topology of PAMs are redefining what’s possible in material science and engineering.
May 13, 15, and 16 | Wan Lecture: Nick Trefethen (Harvard University) (Department of Applied Mathematics)
The Frederic and Julia Wan Lecturer Prize aims to invite renowned mathematicians to visit the Department of Applied Mathematics. The lecturer delivers three lectures, ranging from technical talks to experts to expository talks. Additionally, the lecturer actively engages with members of the department and the broader UW community.
Tuesday, May 13, 4:00 pm: The AAA Algorithm for Rational Approximation
Thursday, May 15, 4:00 pm: From Rational Approximation to Helmholtz Scattering
Friday, May 16, 3:30 pm: Fifteen Images for Discussion
Thursday, May 15, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm | Global Sport Lab: African Women, Gender and Soccer with Martha Saavedra (Jackson School)
Join us for a retrospective reflection on the future of African women and football, followed by a Q&A featuring guest speaker Martha Saavedra, faculty and associate director of the Center for African Studies at the University of California in Berkeley. This event is part of the Global Sport Lab initiative.
This event is free and open to all.
Additional Events
May 12 | Strike: Labor, Unions, and Resistance in the Roman Empire (Classics)
May 12 | Cinematic Returns: Affect, Language, and Sexuality in the 1990s and 2000s (Simpson Center)
May 12 | Jill Fredericksen-Adams Endowed Lecture: The genomics of climate change adaptation (and extinction) (Biology)
May 13 | Katz Distinguished Lecture in the Humanities: Jahan Ramazani (Simpson Center)
May 13 to May 23 | 2025 BA Exhibitions – Group 2 (Art + Art History + Design)
May 13 | Jonathan Biss: Transfiguration (Meany Center)
May 14 | MFA Dance Concert (Dance)
May 14 | Jazz Innovations I (Music)
May 14 | Ten Paradoxes of Finland and Sweden’s NATO Membership by Tuomas Forsberg, Tampere University (Jackson School)
May 14 | Sexuality & Queer Studies Capstone: “Falling Asleep in the Museum” (Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies)
May 14| Making AI Globally Intelligent (CSSS)
May 14 | Kwakwaka’wakw Art: A Presentation by Trevor Isaac (Burke Museum)
May 15 | Jazz Innovations II (Music)
May 15 | Elegies for the Planet (Simpson Center)
May 15 | Toddler Talk: Iterative Development of a Model to Support Language and Social-Emotional Development in Infant-Toddler Community Childcare Programs (Speech & Hearing)
May 16 | Center for Environmental Politics: “Water Governance Disparities and Utility Performance: Evidence from California” (Political Science)
May 16 | Linguistics Colloquium Series (Linguistics)
May 16 | Undergraduate Research Symposium (Undergraduate Academic Affairs)
May 16 | TEAL Karaoke x Graphic Novel Cafe (Asian Languages & Literature)
May 16 | Atheism and Theodicy in Classical Athens (Classics)
May 16 | Sparse Estimation in Finite Mixtures of Varying Coefficient and Survival Regression Models (Statistics)
May 17 | Hamid Rahmanian’s Song of the North (Meany Center)
May 17 | A Tyrant’s Rise: The evolution of T. rex – Dino Lecture (Burke Museum)
Week of May 19
Monday, May 18, 5:00 – 6:20 pm | ONLINE ONLY: Trump in the World 2.0: Energy (Jackson School)
Join the Jackson School for Trump in the World 2.0, a series of talks and discussions on the international impact of the second Trump presidency.
This week: Scott L. Montgomery.
Monday, May 19, 5:00 – 8:00 pm | 2025 Andrew L. Markus Memorial Lecture (Asian Languages & Literature)
This lecture, Recipes for the Life Politics of Domesticity in Global Korea with Hyaeweol Choi, takes food as an entry for understanding gender history and culture in general, and the politics of domesticity in particular, by focusing specifically on the gendered history of street food in South Korea, exploring its evolution through the forces of war, poverty, industrialization, and nation-branding in the age of globalization.
Wednesday, May 21, 7:30 pm | DXARTS Spring Concert: Celebrating John Chowning (DXARTS)
Composer John Chowning is considered one of the pioneers of Computer Music. His contributions to this field, such as the invention of FM Digital Synthesis, had a strong cultural impact on the worlds of both classical and popular music. His invention allowed the production of one of the most popular digital synthesizers, the Yamaha DX7, which sold millions of units in the 1980s and was used by virtually every band from that era. Revenues from the licensing of this technology to Yamaha Corporation allowed Chowning to create the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) at Stanford University, one of the most important Computer Music research centers in the world.
Thursday, May 22, 7:30 pm | Sacred Breath: Indigenous Writing and Storytelling Series (American Indian Studies)
The Department of American Indian Studies at the UW hosts an annual literary and storytelling series. Sacred Breath features Indigenous writers and storytellers sharing their craft at the beautiful wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ Intellectual House on the UW Seattle campus. Storytelling offers a spiritual connection and a sharing of sacred breath. Literature, similarly, preserves human experience and ideals. Both forms are durable and transmit power that teaches us how to live. Both storytelling and reading aloud can impact audiences through the power of presence, allowing for the experience of the transfer of sacred breath as audiences are immersed in the experience of being inside stories and works of literature.
Thursday, May 22 to Sunday, June 1, Times Vary | Thrive, or What You Will (Drama)
THRIVE, OR WHAT YOU WILL tells the story of Jeanne Baret, a gender-nonconforming 18th-century herb woman, who embarks on an 11-year voyage around the world disguised as a (male) botanist’s assistant. The first woman to circumnavigate the globe, Jeanne’s journey is depicted through a blend of historical fiction and contemporary issues. The play interrogates themes of “discovery,” survival, power, access, gender, and identity while highlighting the subjective nature of history and self. With a style that merges past and present, this epic tale is funny, gripping, poignant, and wild.
Additional Events
May 19 | Baroque Ensemble (Music)
May 19 | The AI Con – How to Fight Big Tech’s Hype and Create the Future We Want (Linguistics)
May 19 | Graphic Novel Cafe (Asian Languages & Literature)
May 19 | SIFF screening: “Cloud” (Asian Languages & Literature)
May 19 | Leaders from Biology Endowed Lecture (Biology)
May 20 | Voice Division Recital (Music)
May 20 | Brechemin Piano Series (Music)
May 20 | LitFest (CHID)
May 21 | Film Screening: “How I Learned to Fly” (“Leto kada sam naučila da letim”) with Director Radivoje Andrić (Slavic Languages & Literatures)
May 21 | Interdisciplinary Research Colloquium (CHID)
May 21 | George H. Cady Endowed Lecture in Inorganic Chemistry (Chemistry)
May 21 | George H. Cady Endowed Lecture in Inorganic Chemistry (Chemistry)
May 21 | Judge Joel Ngugi (Public Lecture)
May 21 | GWSS Oral History Website Launch Party (Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies)
May 21 | Designing Robust and Domain-Specific Multimodal Foundation Models (CSSS)
May 21 | VIRTUAL COM Colloquium by Steve Rains (Communication)
May 21 | Experimentation and Inference on Networks (Statistics)
May 22 | Guest Artist Concert: Ekmeles Vocal Ensemble (Music)
May 22 | To Stand with Palestine: Transnational Resistance and Political Evolution in the United States (Jackson School)
May 22 | Taiwan Studies Spring Colloquia (Asian Languages & Literature)
May 23 | Severyns Ravenholt Seminar in Comparative Politics (Political Science)
May 23 | Modern Music Ensemble (Music)
May 23 | Guitar Studio Recital (Music)
May 23 | An overview of entropy-regularized optimal transport and Schrödinger bridges (Statistics)
May 24 – June 15 | 2025 UW MFA + MDes Thesis Exhibition (Art + Art History + Design)
May 25 | SIFF screening: “Cloud” (Asian Languages & Literature)
Week of May 26
Thursday, May 29, 7:30 pm | UW Sings (School of Music)
The University Singers, Treble Choir, and UW Glee Club present an eclectic program of music from around the world, folk tunes, and arrangements of popular music standards.
Thursday, May 29, 7:30 pm | Percussion Ensemble and UW Steelband (School of Music)
The UW Percussion Ensemble (Bonnie Whiting, director) and the UW Steelband (Gary Gibson, director) present an end-of-year percussion bash.
Additional Events
May 27 to June 6 | 2025 BA Exhibitions – Honors (Art + Art History + Design)
May 27 | Studio Jazz Ensemble and Modern Band (Music)
May 28 to May 30 | Space Ethics Conference (Philosophy)
May 28 | The Geopoliticization of Critical Raw Materials: Undermining a Just Global Green Transition (Jackson School)
May 28 | DH Colloquium – Introduction to The Black Grandmother Archive (History)
May 28 | Active Learning Sampling Design (A-LSD): A New Adaptive Survey Design Paradigm to Improve Representativeness for Subpopulations (CSSS)
May 29 | Jen Rose Smith, Ice Geographies: The Colonial Politics of Race and Indigeneity in the Arctic, Book Tour (Indigenous Studies)
May 29 | Christopher Wild, “Theater and theoria in Hannah Arendt’s Late Thought” (Simpson Center)
May 29 | Giant Leaps for Humankind: Outer Space & Intergenerational Ethics (Philosophy)
May 30 | University of Washington International Security Colloquium (Political Science)
May 30 | Chamber Singers and University Chorale: Blue Planet (Music)
May 30 | Campus Philharmonia Orchestras (Music)
May 30 | The Party’s Interests Come First: The Life of Xi Zhongxun, Father of Xi Jinping, with Joseph Torigian (China Studies)
May 30 | Lauren Iida and Lawrence Matsuda in the Artist Studio (Burke Museum)
Have an event that you would like to see featured in the ArtSci Roundup? Connect with Kathrine Braseth (kbraseth@uw.edu).
