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This course will take students on an exciting two week field study to the three “wilderness jewels” of Washington state’s national parks, Mount Rainier, Olympic and North Cascades, and follow with class time in autumn quarter. Students should be comfortable hiking moderately strenuous trails almost every day of the trip, camping in remote locations, and traveling and lodging in primitive and close quarters. Through a combination of immersed field study readings and expert speakers, students will not only introduce themselves to these diverse and unique places in our country, but also gain a greater understanding of the purpose of such a system, and look critically at the cultural and environmental issues impacting the National Parks today.
— Excerpt from the course description for “Honors 230: Parks in Progress or Peril?”
When junior Rhyannon Hayes, a political science and history major and environmental studies minor, read the course description for “Honors 230: Parks in Progress or Peril?” she thought it would be a cool experience, a great intro to backpacking and a fun way to explore the Pacific Northwest while satisfying requirements for the UW Honors Program.
Before this class, Hayes had only been to two national parks in her life. She had hiked only a little and camped in traditional campgrounds, but never backpacked or camped in the backcountry. By the end of the two week field study, she’d visited Washington’s three major national parks: Mount Rainier, Olympic and the North Cascades, had trekked more than 50 miles and spent 11 nights camping. She learned to love dehydrated meals and mastered how to keep a fire alive through rain and the season’s first snow. Days spent hiking and evenings spent chatting around the campfire gave Hayes and her classmates time to bond. She left the class with a solid group of friends.
The two week field study gave nine interdisciplinary honors students the opportunity to explore national parks, learn from a variety of experts, observe firsthand how people interact with the park, and decide through their own lived experiences if and why these spaces matter in our collective culture. The course — taught by Honors Program and UAA staff members Aley Mills Willis, Brook Kelly and Laura Harrington — continued as a campus-based seminar through autumn quarter.
“If this field study was our buffet of information, experience and sensation, then the autumn discussion section was our digestion of the material,” explains bioengineering major Matt Tucker.
The field study/seminar combination is the latest iteration of a 10-year collaboration between the Honors program and the national parks. “Our goals,” explains instructor Mills Willis, “are to take a unique, enormous and inherently interdisciplinary idea like national parks and break it open, exposing students firsthand to the variety of passions and perspectives that brought these places into existence and those that will preserve them. We want students to grapple with the complex natural and cultural histories of these places, their evolution, and their current and more fragile states. And, we want them to confront that while walking up a mountain trail, peering into a coastal tide pool or visiting significant cultural sites of our region’s native tribes.”
Dave Conca, Olympic National Park archaeologist, has been collaborating with Kelly, Harrington and Mills Willis for more than a decade. “Working with the UW instructors and students is one of the highlights of my entire work year,” says Conca. “The high level of engagement with students, their level of sophistication regarding questions and discussion around complex issues continues to amaze and humble me.” Conca finds it so invigorating that he includes it in his annual work plan.
This year, Conca led the class through the Makah Tribal Museum, which tells the story of the Makah Tribe through a collection of artifacts found at Ozette Village site. This group of artifacts provides a uniquely complete story, since the village was preserved as the result of a landslide in the 1700s. Then, while hiking to Shi Shi Beach, Conca discussed how what they saw in the museum related to the land they were walking on. “The students’ observations and questions spur my thinking. After more than 26 years in the field, you can become complacent. Their questions and observations help keep me fresh.”
Shi Shi Beach averages around 300 people a weekend through the summer. The recent uptick in visitors puts a strain on the finite number of campsites, rangers and other park resources. This raises many questions: Are current management tactics — education through permitting and enforcement through park rangers patrolling the beaches — working? Is the current usage harming the parks’ ecosystems? Are the parks being loved to death? Should park guests be limited? How would limiting guests impact the Makah Tribe’s economy?
Collaboration and partnership is essential for how national parks come to be, and how they are managed for the future. Modeling that for students in the structure of the course itself was essential.
Meeting with subject matter experts like Conca is part of the course’s engagement with the history, relevance and evolution of America’s National Park Service, as well as its central question: Is the idea of national parks progressing, or is it in peril? Interdisciplinary exploration is at the foundation of the Honors curriculum, and this class was no exception. Additional speakers ranged from scientists to artists to activists, who all shared their unique perspectives and interest in these places. The guests included the acting superintendent and the volunteer manager of Mount Rainier National Park, UW scientists, the authors of books outlining the natural and political histories of Mount Rainier and North Cascades National Parks, photographers, poets, historians, exhibit builders and a program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA).
Community, environment and planning student Becca Fogel reflects, “Before this class, educating about and advocating for the national parks seemed like a fairly siloed endeavor rooted deep in environmental science and geology — things I’m interested in but not necessarily very passionate about. But our in-class meetings provided me with a better understanding of the far-reaching interdisciplinarity of the Park Service mission.”
Students kept daily field journals, led group discussions, engaged with course readings and daily class sessions in the field and prepared a final case management project and reflective field journal presentation. The connections made with guest speakers gave students a panel of experts to turn to when working on their parks management case studies.
Hayes, along with group members Andrew Ryan and Nathan Ji, researched the topic of noise pollution in Olympic National Park from Growler jets flying out of the Naval Air Station on Whidbey Island. To understand the diverse perspectives, the group connected with Graham Taylor of the NPCA, the superintendent of Olympic National Park, and the public affairs officer for Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. “What I really appreciated in working with Graham was that we were able to have a very open and honest conversation about [his experiences] communicating with the Navy to try to have more thorough and comprehensive environmental impact studies,” explains Hayes, who grew up in a Navy family.
To present their results, the three students created, narrated and recorded an audio experience, voiced by them and spearheaded by the group’s “creative genius,” Ryan. The soundtrack took the class through the park in a “magic tent,” similar to a field trip on “The Magic School Bus,” talking about issues with the experts. Hayes describes it as “the most creative project” she’s been a part of.
As a result of collaborating on the case study, Taylor invited Hayes to help start a NPCA Northwest Student Leadership Council. Hayes recruited classmates Aidan DeHan, Niki Kafie and McKenzie Carlson to launch the group. This new NPCA council, which formed in February, held two events: hosting a recruitment table at the environmental career fair and supporting Taylor in a presentation about North Cascades grizzly bear reintroduction to a class on threatened and endangered species. Following his talk, Hayes and Carlson spoke with students about continuing their conservation work with their council. Their membership is now up to 11 students.
The next two events, a service project on Ebey’s Landing and an advocacy tabling event on Earth Day, had to be cancelled due to public health guidance and efforts to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. Still, the group is eager to continue their work and holds weekly Zoom meetings featuring national park experts giving talks and answering audience questions. Speakers so far have included: author and North Cascades expert Lauren Danner; president of the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial Association Clarence Moriwaki; and, on April 23, 2020, author and Mount Rainier expert Jeff Antonelis-Lapp. Hayes’ future plans include collaborating with Carlson, who is president of the UW Hiking Club, to lead hikes and backpacking trips talking with students about issues the national parks are facing and how the NPCA can help. Their mission is to advocate for these beloved wild spaces, so national parks can be enjoyed by future generations.
Reflecting on the class, Hayes shares that it “marked one of two turning points I’ve had in my college career in which I took a newly ignited passion, in this case for national parks, and created opportunity. It took me deeper into the wilderness than I had ever been and helped me fall even more deeply in love with the natural world. I learned from all the speakers and in the case of Graham and the NPCA, I found a place where I could take my new knowledge, combine it with my skills in constituent relations and government, and actually become a part of conservation work. I always knew environmental issues were a priority that I wanted to incorporate into my future career, but because of this class, I get to start that work now.”
Photos courtesy of students and instructors in Honors 230: Parks in Progress or Peril.
Students in the Interdisciplinary Honors class “Citizen Acts to Challenge Poverty” collaborated with Real Change to bring the exhibit Portraits for Change to the UW campus. The gallery features portraits and biographies of Real Change newspaper vendors, originally commissioned and curated by Real Change art director, Jon Williams. The idea of hosting this exhibit grew out of a long standing partnership between Real Change and Vicky Lawson and Sarah Elwood, UW geography professors and co-founders of the Relational Poverty Network. As Lawson designed an interdisciplinary seminar to engage UW Honors students in a learning experience that could amplify the work of activist organizations like Real Change, she saw an opportunity for students to make a positive impact by installing the existing portraits as a public exhibit on UW’s Seattle campus.
Honors students worked with Real Change to figure out how to mount and promote the exhibit, create an opening event and lead small group tours. They also curated an accompanying exhibit called “Seattle Now and Then” to show that homelessness in Seattle is not a new issue for the city. A photo of the 1930s shantytown known as Hooverville is contrasted with a modern day photo of the same location. The historic picture shows a man standing on a ladder, repairing the roof of his makeshift home. In today’s photo, tents line the sidewalk along Alaskan Way. Smith Tower is prominent in both images, orienting the viewer within the city. Interdisciplinary Honors student and aeronautics major Danny Roberts led the curation and photography of this addition to the Portraits exhibit. Pairing these images with the portraits and stories of the vendors tells a more nuanced and complex story of the people living outside in our city.
Artists donated their time to paint portraits of Real Change vendors to change the way we see these members of our community. For a population that is often ignored or avoided, this celebration of their beauty, joy and depth is especially meaningful. These works invite the viewer to spend time looking at each person as precisely that — a person. The paintings are accompanied by biographies, which explain the unique set of circumstances that led the person to become unhomed. These stories aim to thwart the toxic stereotypes — that people living on the streets are all drug addicts, mentally ill, lazy and so on — and instead highlight the person’s humanity, dignity and resilience. Many vendors talked about how powerful and transformative selling the papers has been: from helping them create a community of vendors and clients to helping them regain a sense of dignity and employment. Being immortalized in a portrait — an artform historically reserved for nobles and royalty — further honors each person.
Sam Fredman, a senior and peer educator in the Honors Program studying law, societies and justice and disability studies, underlined the importance of holding this exhibit in the University of Washington’s Allen Library, explaining that “libraries are spaces of public education” and that as a public university, it’s important to create a welcoming space for all of our community members. To further the impact of the exhibit, Lawson and Elwood, along with graduate student Isaac Rivera, also set up a research project to gauge the public’s understanding of Real Change and issues surrounding homelessness and poverty in our community. The last question of the survey asks people what actions they will take based on the exhibit. The intention is to inspire people to imagine making a difference, sparking everyday citizens into action.
When asked how he feels about the experience of partnering with UW students and faculty on Portraits for Change, Williams was very positive. “It meant a lot to have students taking care of all the details to share these portraits and get the word out,” he explained. “Now a lot more people will see them.”
The exhibit is on display at the Allen Library Atrium through Thursday, March 12.
Read Real Change’s coverage of the gallery.
Video by Sovechea Sophanna.
The University of Washington Honors program brings together students and faculty from all across campus to learn through cross-disciplinary curriculum, experiential learning, research and critical reflection. Honors’ curriculum offers a rigorous, interdisciplinary education, while Departmental Honors programs provide deep disciplinary education.
Real Change is an award-winning newspaper. It’s written by professional journalists and provides people experiencing homelessness or who are low income with immediate employment.
The University of Washington’s MLK Week was organized to remind us of the history and the fight that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and many other lives have put up for freedom and equality. Watch the video here.
University of Washington alumna Crysti (Zinan) Chen, (’15, B.A. in political science) received the prestigious Schwarzman Scholarship. Selected from more than 4,700 applicants, Chen will join 145 Schwarzman Scholars from around the world to make up the program’s fifth cohort. A competitive program, the incoming class was selected through a rigorous application process designed to identify academic ability, as well as leadership potential and strength of character. The program takes place at Tsinghua University in Beijing, where the scholars will immerse themselves in Chinese culture, business and language. At the end of the cross-cultural, year-long program, scholars will have developed an in-depth understanding of China and earned a master’s degree in global affairs.
The core curriculum is focused on three pillars: China, global affairs and leadership. Scholars also have the opportunity to take elective courses from a variety of disciplines at Schwarzman College, as well as from other departments at Tsinghua University. Scholars are taught by a cadre of leading international faculty, with frequent guest lectures from prominent global thought leaders.
Beyond the classroom, Scholars gain exceptional exposure to China and access to important relationships through internships, mentors, high-profile speakers and opportunities to travel throughout China. Scholars are also provided with a range of career development resources to help them to make the most of their time in Beijing and position them for success upon graduation. This unique combination of coursework, cultural immersion and personal and professional development opportunities equip students with a first-hand and well-rounded understanding of China’s changing role in the world, critically important to leadership in any field in the 21st Century.
Chen will graduate from the University of Pennsylvania in 2020 with an M.S.Ed. degree in education entrepreneurship. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in political science, with a political economy focus, and minored in international studies from the University of Washington. Chen founded her first nonprofit organization in 2009. She dedicated a decade in promoting education quality, gender equality, and environmental awareness in underprivileged villages in China, Vietnam and Kenya. In 2017, Chen co-founded UniWill Ventures in Silicon Valley. She currently serves as the general partner and leads impact investing into early-stage tech startups. As a Schwarzman Scholar, Chen hopes to explore more effective methods to leverage investment capital with goodwill to create bigger impact on urgent social and environmental issues.
Designed to inspire the next generation of global leaders, Schwarzman Scholars is the most significant program of its kind since the Rhodes Trust was founded in 1902. The Schwarzman Scholars Program is in its fourth year as a new institution at Tsinghua University in Beijing. The program’s focus is global leadership and draws students from China, the U.S. and the rest of the world. Over the course of the year, students will spend a quarter immersed in language: Mandarin for non-Chinese students; English for Chinese students. They’ll complete an intensive field study, where they will spend a week in communities throughout China, working with mentors from NGOs, academics and government; receive mentorship from prominent Chinese leaders; attend talks from high-profile speakers; and complete a practical training project, where they take on consulting-style projects. Scholars also have access to career services support to help them make the best of their time in Beijing, and receive ongoing support in the form of alumni events. The Schwarzman Scholars program is dedicated to building a strong alumni network, so that their students can continue to learn from and support one another. Last year, Henry Chan became the UW’s first Schwarzman Scholar.
The Schwarzman Scholarship application process is supported by the Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships and Awards (OMSFA), a UAA program. OMSFA works with faculty, staff and students to identify and support promising students in developing the skills and personal insights necessary to become strong candidates for this and other prestigious awards.
“Being at an institution like this, I’ve learned to see the importance of bringing my voice to discussions because there’s not a lot of us indigenous people that even have a seat at these discussions.”
Meet Irika Sinha, an Interdisciplinary Honors student double majoring in biochemistry and biology. Sinha is one of two UW students who received the Goldwater Scholarship for the 2019-20 school year. This award honors sophomores and juniors who show exceptional promise and are dedicated to pursuing research careers in math, engineering or natural sciences. We spoke with her to learn more about her and how she’s making the most of her #HuskyExperience.
Congratulations on receiving the Goldwater! Do you have suggestions for others interested in applying for it?
Thanks! If you are planning to apply, find a mentor or principal investigator whose work you are interested in collaborating with. Know what your goal is; understand what you’re doing and legitimately be working towards a Ph.D. Look over your essay carefully. Make sure it’s clear and that the research essay is specific, yet also something that a generalist can understand. I had several people look it over, before showing it to my mentors, Dr. Ginger, Dr. Kaeberlein and Robin Chang, director of the Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships and Awards.
What prompted you to get involved in research?
I was always interested in STEM. In high school, I originally was looking around for an internship, and I found an opportunity at InBios International. We were working on diagnostic assays for infectious disease. The project I worked on researched affordable tests to see if people were carrying the parasite Babesia microti, which is linked to a rare disease called babeiosis.
What were your take-aways from that experience?
When I was little, I wanted to understand what made humans work: why we saw colors, why people thought certain ways and why we all move just a little bit differently. The elders in my life pointed me towards medicine as the best path for my goals. I spent the next 10 years thinking the only way to understand people was to become a medical doctor. A research career was never mentioned. InBios was the first time I understood that you could do research as a career and help groups of people (rather than individuals).
You are about to join your fourth lab. What has been surprising about moving from lab to lab?
How different labs can be. Going from one lab to another is interesting, and you can explore labs a lot more in undergrad than you would ever do in grad school (unless you do lab rotations at the beginning.) This is helpful to do as an undergrad because you can see what you prefer to do in the future while simultaneously learning useful lab techniques. The Kaeberlein Lab introduced me to academic research, and I learned to balance research and school. In the Ginger Lab I read literature, learned a variety of techniques and was more involved. Now, in the McGuire Lab, I am working on cancer treatments, which is more biological in nature than my work in the Ginger Lab while still being fairly involved. I’m slowly working my way towards my final goal and am gaining a more well-rounded background in research as a result.
What recommendations do you have for someone interested in getting involved in research?
Check out the projects the lab is currently working on. When I’m researching a lab, I will look over some more recent papers. Even if I don’t fully understand it, it’s generally enough to help me get a sense of what the lab does. Also, apply to labs which have projects you are genuinely interested in. Since we don’t start out with a lot of research experience as undergraduates, enthusiasm counts for a lot.
How would you describe your experience as an undergraduate researcher?
My experience has been pretty good. All the principal investigators, post-docs and grad students have been really welcoming. Everyone is supportive and has been very nice. If I have a question, they’ll help answer it if they can. That’s not something I expected as a freshman. I went in thinking they’d just think I was the strange undergrad who came to join them and that it would be super awkward. This has never been the case, and I’m glad.
In addition to your lab work, you work in the libraries and tutor chemistry for CLUE. How do you balance a very full schedule?
Google calendar is my best friend. I put everything on it. I even schedule lunch and dinner, because if I didn’t see it, I’d end up programming myself back-to-back classes without meal breaks. This was an especially big problem freshman year because I’d get hungry long after the dining halls had closed. I also add in all of my time spent with friends so I am still able to hang out with people without over-scheduling myself.
In honor of the start of the school year, do you have any suggestions to help students settle in to campus?
Find a reason to stay on campus. I think it’s especially tempting for students from Western Washington to go home a lot first quarter. I know I did. I wasn’t homesick, I just didn’t know what to do on campus. I’d spend most of my time on campus either in the lab or in the library and then would go home for weekends. I made friends with a lot of people in my lab first quarter, but we didn’t grow closer until winter quarter, when I started staying on campus to spend more time with them. I also started rock climbing, which gave me something more to do. And, I eventually found things to do with others that weren’t on campus, like going downtown on weekends.
How did working with the UW Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships and Awards help you?
Robin is very supportive and gave me very clear directions on how to clean-up my essay and application. In addition to the essay, she helps me find opportunities that may be relevant to me.
You are currently a junior. What ideas do you have about what you’ll do after college?
I plan to spend a year working before applying to Ph.D. programs. During that year, I’d also like to complete the UW’s certificate in natural science illustration. (Right now, I illustrate for The Daily and Gray Matters in my free time.) For my Ph.D. research, I’m currently planning to focus on neurodegenerative diseases related to aging. My grandma has Alzheimer’s, and I’ve watched many of my older relatives suffer from dementia. Seeing their experiences and the devastating results has steered my interest in this direction. This research could include investigating causes, prevention and treatment for diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
About the Goldwater Foundation
The Goldwater Foundation’s scholarship program honors Senator Barry Goldwater and encourages outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, natural sciences and engineering. The Goldwater Scholarship is the preeminent undergraduate award of its type in these fields.
Learn more about scholarship opportunities at UW
The Goldwater Scholarship application process is supported by the Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships and Awards (OMSFA), a UAA program. OMSFA works with faculty, staff and students to identify and support promising students in developing the skills and personal insights necessary to become strong candidates for this and other prestigious awards. Visit their website to learn more about how OMSFA can support your scholarship search.
Welcome to the start of another year in which UAA programs come together to advance and deepen undergraduate learning at the UW. This year is a special year for UAA: We are celebrating the 20th anniversary of Mary Gates Hall.
Twenty years ago, the building re-opened, transformed from the old physics hall into a space designated for and dedicated to the academic needs of undergraduates. One could argue that, with tens of thousands of undergraduates, the entire campus is geared toward undergrads. But place matters. While the education of undergraduates happens in classrooms and other spaces across campus, and critical and inspiring work that furthers the undergraduate experience takes place across campus, having a place specifically designated to care for and steward that experience writ large is as significant today as it was 20 years ago.
There is a foundational goodness to public research universities and their dedication to deepening and advancing knowledge for the public good. Our role is to bring that focus, energy and inspiration to the undergraduate academic experience. Not just any undergraduate academic experience, the experience that undergraduates have here, at the University of Washington. This is a special place, a place that matters.
It’s a place that matters to the students who come from across the city, region, state, country and world. This summer, I met entering students from Spokane and was again reminded of the power of holding community when we get stuck. I met a student in front of Suzzallo whose Kermit the Frog backpack and Peppa Pig lunch box stood out. I wanted to know why he chose elementary school gear for the UW. Turns out he’s a veteran and starting school here, the same year his daughter is starting school. She picked out their backpacks and lunchboxes. We started talking about our favorite children’s books. One of mine is Maurice Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are.” I love the joy of dancing with the wild things, the making one’s way and ultimate homecoming in that story.
Throughout the year and coming years, these students will come through Mary Gates Hall to connect with the myriad programs here and learn how they can make the most of their time at the UW.
“I hope you learn to write like you,” wrote the late writing teacher, poet and UW alumnus Richard Hugo in his book about writing called “The Triggering Town.” As we help students discover the opportunities here that will have a lasting impact into their futures, we are helping them learn to write their own story, their own poem, and how to tell it in their own way.
This building, dedicated to being a visual and important physical representation of the University’s commitment to undergraduates, is so appropriately named after Mary Gates. During her time as a regent, she is credited as being the regent most interested in undergraduates and their experiences here. As a result of their work here at the UW, students’ lives should be different, forever changed in a way that it can only be changed at this institution.
Welcome to fall. Let the wild rumpus start.
Sincerely,
Ed Taylor
Vice Provost and Dean
Undergraduate Academic Affairs
Professor
College of Education
The University of Washington Resilience Lab and the Campus Sustainability Fund have joined together to award 20 grants to UW projects designed to cultivate sustainability, compassion and resiliency; to engage hardships, setbacks and failures with empathy and vulnerability; to foster connectedness, belonging and community; and to embrace both common humanity and diversity within the human experience. Students, staff and faculty from all three campuses applied for seed grants to fund research, workshops, retreats, activities, faculty-invited speakers and other events tailored for students, faculty and staff in support of these aims. Together the Resilience Lab and the Campus Sustainability Fund awarded a total of $38,575 to individuals and groups.
The range of proposals demonstrate the need and collective interest to realize sustainability and compassion-building work. In all, students, faculty and staff submitted 42 proposals from 31 different departments/programs across all three UW campuses. From that group, 20 grants were made to fund the ideas of faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students representing 18 departments. Funded projects are intended to benefit the broad UW community at all three campuses.
“The creative ideas people had to build connection and support well-being was just inspiring,” said Anne Browning, director of the Resilience Lab. Projects range from cultivating mindful leadership in faculty, a podcast series focused on indigenous well-being in Urban Seattle, the creation of sustainability-centered curriculum, all with the intent of creating more sustainable and resilient communities.
For his project, “Creating a Climate Heat Map: Finding Equitable and Inclusive Spaces on Campus,” School of Education Ph.D. candidate Kaleb Germinaro said, “A SEED grant provides me the space to explore a creative passion while creating a useful tool for my peers and community.” Associate professors in the College of Built Environments Julie Johnson and Brooke Sullivan highlighted this year’s theme in their project “Raising Resilience,” saying, “As resilience and well-being are central to our built environments, we look forward to engaging with College of Built Environments (CBE) faculty to develop pedagogy that supports students’ own resilience, well-being and compassion through their studies.”
A list of funded projects and the project leads is below. For more information about the projects, visit the UW Resilience Lab’s website. Funding for these seed grants is provided by the Campus Sustainability Fund and the UW Resilience Lab.
Creating a Climate Heat Map: Finding Equitable and Inclusive Spaces on Campus
Project lead: Kaleb Germinaro, Ph.D. Candidate, College of Education, Seattle
A Retreat to Build Faculty Capacity for Mindful Leadership
Project lead: Anthony Back, Professor, School of Medicine, Oncology, Seattle
Many Voices: A Storytelling Toolkit for Community-Based Oral History Projects
Project lead: Dillion Connelly, Masters Student, Art of Museology, Seattle
Resilience and Compassion @ Odegaard Pop up Events
Project lead: Emilie Vrbancic, Undergraduate Experience Library, Odegaard Library, Seattle
Making Space in Higher Education- Diversity, Inclusion, and More
Project Lead: Erica Mallet, Ph.D. Candidate, Educational Policy, Organizations, and Leadership
Telling Our Stories at Neah Bay Elementary
Project lead: Christine Stickler, Director, UW Pipeline Project, Undergraduate Academic Affairs, Center for Experiential Learning, Seattle
Darn it! A mobile clothing repair and experience across UW Campuses
Project lead: Coreen Callister, Graduate student, Interaction Design< Division of Design, School of Art, Art History + Design, Seattle
Raising Resilience: Connecting compassion and well-being with systems-based pedagogy in the College of the Built Environment
Project lead: Julie Johnson, Associate Professor, Landscape Architecture, Seattle
Diversity Includes Disability
Project lead: Sheryl Burgstahler, Director, Accessible Technology Services- Accessible Technology Services, Seattle
Building Resilience for Teaching at UW
Project lead: Christine Sugatan, Program Administrator, Center for Teaching and Learning, Seattle
Women in Applied Math Mentoring Program
Project lead: The Diversity Committee, The Department of Applied Mathematics, Seattle
Resilience and Urban in Public Writing Partnerships
Project lead: Candace Rai, Associate Professor and Director of the Expository Writing Program, Department of English, Seattle
Fostering Self-Compassion in the Transition to College: Developing Resources for Parents
Project lead: Emily Kroshus, Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, School of Public Health, Department of Health Services, Seattle
Queer and Trans People of Color: Healing in the Outdoors
Project lead: Reb Zhou, Student, Q Center, Community Environment and Planning, Seattle
Health and Wellness at the Q Center
Project lead: Jen Self, Director, Q Center, Seattle
Trauma Informed Mindfulness Training
Project Lead: Megan Kennedy, Interim Student Assistant to the Vice President of Student Life-Student Life, Seattle
Women of Color in Global Health: Building Resilience and Community
Project Lead: Diem Nguyen, MPH Candidate, Department of Global Health, Seattle
Capillaries: The Journal of Narrative Medicine
Project Lead: Alice Ranjan, Student, Health Sciences Learning and Advocacy Group, Seattle
Indigenizing Urban Seattle Podcast
Project Lead: Jessica Hernandez, Ph.D. Candidate, School of Environmental and Forest Services, Seattle
Sustaining Fierce Compassion
Project Lead: Lauren Litchy, Assistant Professor, School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, Bothell
The Resilience Lab promotes resilience development while normalizing failure and acknowledging the wide range of hardships our community members have faced and continue to face. As a laboratory space, the Resilience Lab tries new and creative methods for rethinking the UW experience in and out of the classroom.
Rising senior Hugo Pontes recently presented his research at the Council on Undergraduate Research’s Posters on the Hill Conference in Washington, D.C. Here, Hugo shares his journey from arriving in the states not speaking English to sharing his research and story with members of Congress.
“You won’t be able to get into the University of Washington,” explained my high school counselor when I asked her about applying. My family and I are from Brazil, and moved to Spain when I was little. I started my freshman year of high school in Washington state after moving from Madrid, Spain. Not only had I just moved across the globe to a new country with a new system, a new culture, new food and even new weather, I also did not speak English. That was incredibly lonely since I couldn’t communicate with others to make friends. Also, I couldn’t do what I enjoyed most: learn. Doing my homework took much longer than my classmates, since to complete my work, I had to understand what it said first. This taught me an incredibly hard-working mindset. I graduated high school at the top of my class, and despite those that believed I couldn’t make it, I started college at the University of Washington.
Thrilled for this opportunity, I was really excited to find my community and learn how I could help those that had helped me so much in the past. However, along with starting college as an immigrant, came additional hurdles, like proving residency, receiving financial aid and qualifying for federal programs.
In the beginning of my sophomore year, I stumbled upon an opportunity to work with Dr. Lilo Pozzo, who has become an important mentor to me and helped me navigate many hurdles. She started a research project in Puerto Rico investigating how Hurricane Maria affected patients who depended on power for their medical needs, such as diabetic patients who needed to refrigerate insulin or those with who needed a CPAP machine to treat sleep apnea. As part of my research, I traveled to the island. There, I interviewed people to better understand their situation and needs. I also helped install solar panels, which provided enough electricity to power a small refrigerator for insulin storage or a sleep apnea machine. This was my first introduction to research right at the intersection of medicine and engineering. I couldn’t wait to do more.
The summer after freshman year, I volunteered at the Gay Men’s Health Collective in the Berkeley Free Clinic in California. I was able to connect with my community by volunteering with others that had similar goals and experiences. The clinic focused on giving healthcare to anyone regardless of socioeconomic standing or ability to pay. This clinical experience showed me a side of health care that focused on people instead of profit. These two experiences led me to a path that combined clinical work with engineering in a way that was fulfilling and impactful.
Eager to learn more about combining a degree in chemical engineering with a clinical career, I met with Dr. Elizabeth Nance, a chemical engineering assistant professor in nanomedicine. She told me about an available spot in her lab. Without hesitation, I joined the Nance Lab, where we study nanoparticles for drug delivery to the pediatric brain. My project looks at how nanoparticles move in the diseased brain to reach their desired target.
After nearly a year working in the lab, I applied for and received the Washington Research Foundation (WRF) fellowship through the Undergraduate Research Program, which paid my educational expenses and allowed me to spend more time in the lab. Receiving this fellowship reassured me that research is the right path for me, and that my work is worth the time of those around me.
The WRF fellowship also provided funding to attend a scientific conference, so I submitted an abstract to the Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting in Baltimore at the same time that I submitted my application to present at the Council on Undergraduate Research’s Posters on the Hill in Washington, D.C. Next thing I know, I heard that I was accepted to present at both events and they lined up to be in the same weekend. I was ready for a busy weekend that started with an early flight.
On Friday, April 26, 2019, Dr. Nance, Kate (a research technician in our lab), and I traveled to Baltimore. Dr. Nance completed her Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins University, so we were coming to her old stomping grounds. She showed us around town, we went out for burgers and ice cream and had amazing conversations that left me inspired to continue the pursuit of scientific discovery.
As the conference started on Saturday, I sat in on engaging talks ranging from the clinical perspective on the opioid crisis to the clinical trials on treatment for hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, a type of brain damage that occurs when a baby does not receive enough oxygen. It was a fantastic conference to see collaboration from pediatricians and scientists, as well as to get a clinical perspective that is often overlooked in the engineering field. I presented my research poster on Tuesday morning and shared the work that could one day turn out to be a clinical trial presentation in that same conference. As it turned out, my presentation at Posters on the Hill was not only in the same week, it was on the same day. Luckily, D.C. is just a short train ride from Baltimore.
I arrived in D.C. with my poster tube in one hand, my suitcase in the other, and just enough time to drop my bag at the hotel and hurry to the Hart Senate Building, where I had the first of two meetings with my representatives. I was scheduled for two meetings, one with the staff of Senator Maria Cantwell and the other one with the staff of Congresswoman Kim Schrier. My goal in these meetings was to show how current policies are not inclusive of all people when it comes to research funding for undergraduate students by sharing my story.
I explained that I could only apply for funding and job opportunities that did not have a citizenship requirement. As an immigrant, this greatly limited my options. I’m supporting myself through college, so the scholarships and fellowships I received were not only important for my growth as a researcher, but also a way that I could pay rent every month. After taking a picture with Congresswoman Schrier, who appeared at our meeting, I rode the trolley that runs under the Capitol Building to Longworth House Office Building. I admit, this ride was a highlight of the trip.
After a little break to visit the botanical garden and scoot around the National Mall, I headed to the Rayburn House Office Building for the poster session. I was lucky to meet so many amazing researchers from every state in the country. Rachel from Wyoming helped me put my poster up, and Caroline and Jessi from West Virginia went to get some food with me before the event started. As you might have noticed, we were organized in alphabetical order by state. Once the event started, I had the pleasure to share my research with members of Congress, staffers, professors from around the country and directors of national organizations. It was an amazing mix that ranged from neurobiologists to English professors to institute directors. Having one-on-one conversations with multiple professionals in academia and governmental organizations was motivating. It helped me envision where my career could one day take me and the impact that I could have with research. Finally, after a long day involving two presentations, meetings at Congress, a train ride and meeting so many inspirational people, I was ready to fall asleep right there and then.
The next morning, I took the metro to the airport for an early flight, ready to go back to school and keep working hard. While I had to spend the majority of the plane ride studying for a midterm I had to take two hours after landing back in Seattle, I found some time to reflect on the trip. I started high school without being able to communicate with my classmates, and now, seven years later, I presented at the steps of the Congress of the United States. I feel very proud of being able to get here after much hard work, but also very thankful for those that helped me get here. My family has always supported me, and it is along with them that I learned what it means to be a Brazilian immigrant. Dr. Pozzo and Dr. Nance have played such a crucial role in my development as a researcher, as a student and most importantly, as a compassionate human. For that, I thank them from the bottom of my heart.
I still have one more year at UW. This summer I will be completing a summer research program at the University of California, San Francisco, where I will be studying neuroinflammation in the human brain in a neurology lab. After graduation, I hope to pursue an M.D./Ph.D. to become a physician researcher in the nanomedicine field. I’d also like to have the chance to inspire students about what you can do with research in the way my mentors have inspired me.
Undergraduate research and scholarship support made a big difference for Hugo. Other students wanting to get involved in research and learn what scholarships they’re eligible for should check out the Undergraduate Research Program, the Mary Gates Endowment for Students and Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships and Awards. These UAA programs are but three that create and support academic opportunities that have a lasting impact in undergraduates’ lives.
To support the aspirations and futures of undergraduates like Hugo, consider making a gift that helps students get involved in research.