University of Washington alumna Havana McElvaine, Class of 2017, has been selected as a Marshall scholar, one of the highest honors available to college graduates in the U.S.
Category: News
Content that has a shorter shelf life and is less likely to be republished over time.
Celebrating National First-Generation College Student Day
In honor of National First-Generation College Student Day, we asked a few UAA staff members who were the first in their families to attend and graduate from college how the experience changed their life.
How research changed Melissa’s life
Melissa Krook always knew she wanted a career helping people. That was the easy part. Figuring out how was the challenge. Early on, Melissa had friends of all ages. Her grandmother, a nurse, operated a nursing home within her home in Federal Way, Washington. There, Melissa learned that friends come at all ages…
Francesca Lo named executive director of leadership education in Undergraduate Academic Affairs
Undergraduate Academic Affairs is pleased to announce organizational shifts designed to more proactively align the unit’s community engagement and student leadership development work.
Fall 2018 welcome from Vice Provost and Dean
Dear Friends of Undergraduate Academic Affairs,
As a first-generation student at Gonzaga University in Spokane, where I earned my bachelors’ and master’s degrees, and here at the UW where I earned my Ph.D., I found points of connection with faculty and advisers who were truly devoted to the well-being of students and who created a safe, thought-provoking and warm environment for students. My coursework and dissertation work were still hard, challenging and, at times, frustrating. But being able to turn to someone who was unequivocally devoted to my success both as an undergraduate and graduate student meant everything to me.
This year’s entering group of undergraduates is the University of Washington’s largest and most academically-talented group of incoming freshmen and transfer students — 7,050 freshmen and 1,300 transfer students.
These students come to us from all across Washington state, from around the country and the world — they come from small towns and urban settings. Some are returning veterans. Some already know what they want to major in and others want to explore. Many of our students are also the first in their family to attend college. Many are the first Husky in their family, and some come from generations of Huskies. Many receive the UW’s Husky Promise scholarship. In fact, from freshmen to seniors, the UW enrolls more Pell Grant-eligible students than all the Ivy League schools combined, a true testament to our public mission.
Our students came to campus this summer to start their UW journeys through advising and orientation sessions run by UAA’s First Year Programs. First Year Programs’ staff, student orientation leaders and UAA advisers are among new students’ first UW points-of-connection who are devoted to their success.
At orientation, students begin asking questions that will impact their experience here. New students’ questions are often driven by important practicalities of understanding their new home: Where will I study? Where will I live? Will I make friends? Should I get a job? Where do I belong? Will I get the class I need to get into my major? What should I major in?
Many of those questions can be quickly answered, which helps students move on to questions that aren’t so easily answered. Students entering this fall will likely graduate in 2022 or after, and come into their careers beyond the year 2030. As a result, they face a lot of unknowns about work and daily life. To help students focus on their futures, we turn to time-honored, Socratic questions: What does it mean to find a vocation and meaningful work? What does it mean to live a fulfilling life? How will I use my education to make a difference?
In UAA, we are guideposts for students as they connect to, move through and engage in our campus. We encourage students to direct their gaze beyond the study table of today and to their long journey ahead, positioning them to think well about the impact of their choices. We will nudge them toward deeper questions. Questions that will connect them with faculty and graduate students so they can find answers to some of the world’s most pressing problems. We will help them find their academic footing by providing support in their coursework, by connecting with one another, and by inviting them to do research and serve their community.
In the process of connecting to the University community, students connect to a community writ large. Though an individual student’s performance may have enabled them to come to the UW, moving beyond individualism and becoming a community is our utmost aim for students. In her book, “Talking to Strangers,” Danielle Allen describes our democratic ideal as a community, “tied together in a constantly evolving, ever-shifting universe of intricate weave.” That notion of being tied together explains the relationship we, as a public university, have with our community on campus and well beyond the physical boundaries of this place.
First, though, we welcome. We connect. We take the time and journey together toward each student’s success.
Sincerely,
Ed Taylor
Vice Provost and Dean
Undergraduate Academic Affairs
Professor
College of Education
Resilience Lab announces 2018 seed grant recipients
The University of Washington Resilience Lab recently awarded 16 grants to UW projects designed to cultivate kindness, compassion and gratitude; to engage hardships, setbacks and failures with compassion 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. The Resilience Lab awarded a total of $25,000 to the individuals and groups. This base amount was increased by 41% through matching funds from the associated schools, colleges and departments. The combined support raises the total value of these awards to more than $35,500.
The range of proposals demonstrate the need and collective interest to realize resilience-building and compassion-building work. In all, students, faculty and staff submitted 44 proposals from 29 different departments across all three UW campuses. From that group, 16 grants were made to fund the ideas of faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students representing 13 departments from all three UW campuses. Funded projects are intended to benefit the broad UW community.
“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 alleviating burnout among medical residents, a resilience and compassion podcast series, a wellness challenge and much more, all with the intent of creating more compassionate and resilient communities.
For their project, “What Compassion Looks Like: Journaling for Self-Kindness,” School of Medicine associate professors Jennifer Best and Jennifer Zumsteg said, “We hope to break down Health Sciences silos, foster vulnerability and combat isolation in clinical practice and education; cultivate peer communities; and curate stories of self-compassion to sustain our community.”
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 Maritz Foundation.
Funded projects and project leads are:
A Pilot Study of Search Inside Yourself for UW Faculty and Staff
Project lead: Anthony Back, Professor, School of Medicine, Oncology, Seattle
Building Compassion and Promoting Burnout Recovery Through Resident Team Reflection
Project lead: Michelle Lam, Resident Physician, School of Medicine, Seattle
CARE Training to Prevent Burnout and Improve Well-Being at the Center for Equity and Inclusion
Project lead: Jane Compson, Associate Professor, Politics, Philosophy and Public Affairs, School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, Tacoma
Changing the Culture of the University: Beginning Within
Project lead: Kelly Edwards, Associate Dean, Student and Postdoctoral Affairs in the Graduate School; Professor, Department of Bioethics and Humanities, School of Medicine, Seattle
Cultivating Compassion and Resilience Through Mindful Inquiry
Project lead: Anil Coumar, Clinical Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Seattle
Engaging Students in Creating Inclusive, Welcoming and Connected Learning Environments
Project lead: Sujata Pradhan, Associate Professor, Rehabilitation Medicine, School of Medicine, Seattle
Knit for Nice
Project lead: Alyssa Taylor, Senior Lecturer, Bioengineering, College of Engineering and School of Medicine, Seattle
Map of Restorative Spaces on UW Seattle’s Campus
Project lead: Beck Tench, Ph.D. student, The Information School
The Resiliency Collective
Project lead: Marissa Jackson, Master of Public Health student, School of Public Health
Resilience and Compassion Podcast Series
Project lead: Gregory Heller, Adviser, Senior Associate Director, MBA Career Management, Foster School of Business, Seattle
Self Care is Revolutionary
Project lead: Alice Pederson, Lecturer, School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, Bothell
Starting the Year off Right: Cultivating Community in the Epidemiology Department
Project lead: Jen Balkus, Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology, School of Medicine, Seattle
Trauma Informed Yoga
Project lead: Brittany Bowhall, Student Advocate for Sexual Assault, Relationship Violence, Stalking, and Harassment, Health and Wellness, Division of Student Life, Seattle
What Compassion Looks Like: Journaling for Self -Kindness
Project lead: Jennifer Best, Associate Professor, General Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, and Jennifer Zumsteg, Assistant Professor, General Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Seattle
The Whole U Summer Wellness Challenge
Project lead: Lauren Updyke, Assistant Director, The Whole U, Bothell, Seattle and Tacoma
About the UW Resilience Lab
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.
Sean Gehrke named director of the Office of Educational Assessment
Undergraduate Academic Affairs is thrilled to announce Sean Gehrke as the new director of the Office of Educational Assessment (OEA). Gehrke brings more than 15 years of experience as an administrator, researcher and leader in higher education. In his new role, Gehrke, along with his colleagues in OEA, will lead the charge in assessing the effectiveness of the University of Washington’s educational outcomes.
“I’m excited to have an opportunity to work with a diverse team focused on different aspects of assessment and evaluation to advance the mission of UW,” explains Gehrke. “This is a dream position for me at this point in my career — using my experience in student affairs and institutional research, as well as my training as a researcher, I get to focus on helping faculty and staff improve their work through rigorous and meaningful assessment.”
At the UW, Gehrke will focus on providing campus leadership with guidance on assessing the University’s work toward achieving its educational outcomes, as well as providing leadership for several key areas integral to evaluation and assessment on campus. In his past two roles, Gehrke served as the primary consultant to campus administrators, faculty and staff, helping inform decision-making, advance strategic initiatives and improve the institution’s educational practices.
“In this time of innovation and change at the UW, it is important to think well about the role of assessment and evaluation, as well as a campus-wide vision for the Office of Educational Assessment,” says Dean and Vice Provost of Undergraduate Academic Affairs, Ed Taylor. “Sean brings the right blend of experience, deep knowledge and skill, and a broad lens on assessment in a university, and we’re delighted to welcome him to the UW.”
Gehrke is excited to join a vibrant academic culture focused on student learning and inquiry. On top of starting his dream job, he and his wife are big UW volleyball fans and look forward to introducing their baby to the sport as members of the UW’s community.
Prior to joining the UW, Gehrke served as the director of institutional research at Everett Community College (EvCC). There, he leveraged his expertise in higher education, advanced quantitative methods, survey research, outcomes-based assessment and complementary training in mixed-methods research and social network analysis to guide campus leadership in making data-informed decisions to best serve the student body. He also led work to assess EvCC’s progress toward achieving equitable outcomes among its students and employees. Both at EvCC and in a previous role, he conducted studies to identify predictors of retention and graduation and examine students’ experience with funding and financial aid. This work resulted in the institutions developing strategies to facilitate student success and empowering stakeholders to focus their work toward achieving equity for all members of the campus community.
Gehrke actively publishes in peer-reviewed journals and presents at national conferences on a variety of topics, including outcomes-based assessment and faculty engagement with STEM education reform efforts. Prior to his position at Everett Community College, Gehrke served as the director of institutional planning, research and assessment at Lewis-Clark State College, researcher at the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education and associate director of Residence Life and Housing at Whitman College. He earned his Ph.D. in urban education policy from the University of Southern California, his M.Ed. in counseling and personnel services from the University of Maryland College Park, and his B.A. in psychology from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon.
About the Office of Educational Assessment
The Office of Educational Assessment, a program in Undergraduate Academic Affairs, improves educational practice through assessment of teaching and learning and through evaluation and support of educational programs and services. The Office of Educational Assessment provides a variety of assessment services to the UW campus and external agencies including course evaluations, classroom test scoring, test administration, program evaluation, survey research and assessment of undergraduate learning.
2018 UAA staff awardees announced
Congratulations to the 2017-18 Undergraduate Academic Affairs staff recognition and distinguished partner awardees. Selected for their dedication to supporting UAA’s mission of creating innovative academic experiences for undergraduates, these 23 staff members made an indelible impact on the UW’s students, faculty, staff and community.
And the awardees are…
Award for Excellence
• Lisa Bruce, Assistant Director for Learning Resources, Student Athlete Academic Services
• Josh Gibbs, Director of Information Technology, Office of the Dean
Outstanding Achievement Award
• UAA Workday Transition Team: Nermine Botros, Kelly Chapman, Sylvie Lapointe, Kim Lee, Chloe Mahar, Christine Muongchanh, Nanette Rosenthal, Iryna Schmidt and Mark Wu
• IASystem Team: Raquel Chavez, Luda Kourenina, Trevor Leffler, Joanna Loss and Debbie McGhee
Outstanding Student Employee Award
• Annie Lewis, Lead Tutor for the Writing Center, Academic Support Programs and Peer Advisor, Undergraduate Advising.
• Ann Margaret Stompro, Coordinator of Environmental Alternative Spring Break, Pipeline Project
Distinguished Partner Award
• Leilani Lewis, Assistant Director, Diversity Communications Outreach and Jeanette James, Manager of Strategic Initiatives and Projects, Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity
• Office of Regional and Community Affairs
Award for Excellence
Awarded to employees who have worked in UAA for at least five years, this award celebrates the employee’s leadership in creating formative student experiences and building the necessary infrastructure to support their vision. Lisa Bruce shaped all student athletes’ undergraduate experience by transforming and elevating the tutoring systems and processes. Through the use of innovative technologies, Josh Gibbs built computer systems and software to ensure that UW’s students’, faculty and staff have the tools they need to have a leading-edge student experience.
Lisa Bruce, the humble builder
“Lisa is a no-nonsense and high output individual, whether working one-on-one with students or executing initiatives/task relates to the Student-Athlete Academic Services (SAAS) tutoring program. It is easy to see the lasting impact that Lisa has on her students because they often stay in touch or stop by to see her when they are on campus. She is quick to celebrate the achievements of others, and she never looks for recognition herself — instead, her focus is on the experience and success of our student-athletes.”
— Student-Athlete Academic Services department
Achievements of note: Named the Intercollegiate Athletics Star Performer in 2018 for her growth mindset, committed service, humility and grit. Provided high-level leadership in areas of scheduling, managing, training and mentoring tutors. Overhauled policies, procedures and systems for the SAAS’ tutoring program, resulting in higher tutor job satisfaction and significant cost reductions without change to the students’ experience with the program. Traveled with the men’s basketball team to China in 2015, playing an important role with helping the students get the most out of the cultural experience and assisted with a class they were taking to prepare for the trip.
Josh Gibbs, the technology guru
“While Josh’s contributions to the undergraduate experience stand out, it’s his caring and genuine support of our staff that I get to see most often. Josh has a philosophy that’s visible across his daily interactions and present throughout the technological infrastructure he has built here. The philosophy that we each come to UAA with our own unique knowledge and experience, talents and preferences, and that the role of technology in our work should be nothing more than a set of tools to boost what we’ve already brought with us.
— Jeremy Caci, Software Engineer, Office of the Dean
Achievements of note: Led UAA through several generations of technology, providing support and tools for effective work. Built the Assigned Advising Dashboard to help advisers manager their caseloads and student check-in systems for advising, CLUE and Dawg Daze. Developed check-in and tracking systems for the Commuter and Transfer Commons and the Center for Learning and Undergraduate Enrichment. Manages student data for UAA.
Outstanding Achievement Award
Recognizing the innovation, collaboration and tenacity it takes to initiate change, this award acknowledges the teams behind some of UAA’s innovative programming. The UAA Workday Transition Team prepared UAA for the largest administrative transition in UW’s history. The Instructional Assessment System [IASystem] Team responded to the feedback from the Transforming Administration Program (TAP) initiative survey, and is now updating the IAsystem to better serve the faculty’s needs.
UAA Workday Transition Team, the magicians of change
“They made this transition easy for us by taking on all of the hard work themselves. They all took time out of their regular work to take hours of training to prepare our unit for Workday. They worked well as a team and were effectively able to make sure all individual departments were taken care of and that no employee would go without a paycheck in the process.”
— Micah Trapp, Executive Assistant to the Vice Provost and Dean, Office of the Dean
Achievements of note: Attended two years of monthly status meetings leading up to the launch date. Identified the impact of changing business processes and workflows for each unit, and revamped processes as necessary. Responded to six months of repeated requests for data collection and cleanup of employees in the payroll system. Constructed the new “sup org” model of identifying and organizing all employees within UAA. Completed 40-80 hours of training each. Served as first point of contact for all staff and students during the transition period.
Team members: Nermine Botros, Kelly Chapman, Sylvie Lapointe, Kim Lee, Chloe Mahar, Christine Muongchanh, Nanette Rosenthal, Iryna Schmidt and Mark Wu.
IASystem Team, the astute architects
“In my estimation, what Debbie, Joanna, Luda, Raquel and Trevor are doing with this project is truly outstanding in several ways. First and foremost, while many around the UW have approached the TAP initiative with a great deal of caution, the IASystem team has seized it as a genuine learning opportunity. Further, they have embraced the entire process with an uncommon sense of wholehearted humility — something that is especially hard to do when the results and action plans are publicized to the whole institution.”
— Jason Johnson, Senior Associate Dean and Associate Vice Provost, Office of the Dean
Achievements of note: Improved IASystem training and user experience by offering links to additional resources. Added the ability for instructors to create and manage their course evaluations. Enhanced communications with faculty through quarterly emails. Addressed concerns about response rates by offering updated best practices. Built a stable base of college/university licensees of IASystem. Built and released a new version of IASystem in response to customer needs and interests.
Team members: Raquel Chavez, Luda Kourenina, Trevor Leffler, Joanna Loss and Debbie McGhee
Outstanding Student Employee Award
Student employees are an integral part of the UAA staff. This award recognizes the outstanding achievements of two student employees. Annie Lewis’ leadership as a writing tutor and a peer advisor has helped the Center for Undergraduate Advising, Diversity and Student Success become more supportive for our students. Under Ann Margaret Stompro’s leadership the Pipeline Project’s Environmental Alternative Spring Break Program (EASB) has had more applicants in the past three years and has been able to expand the student team.
Annie Lewis, the analytical innovator
“Her innovation can be seen in her commitment to making our center stronger both in terms of our daily operational procedures and the critical thinking around writing. Annie is not afraid to raise important and often difficult but critical questions about the support needed for an organization to thrive. She is also not afraid to have challenging, but nuanced and necessary conversations with tutors she has to oversee. I think she’s been remarkable in this regard, as it is quite difficult to move from being a peer to being a peer-leader.”
— Ryan Burt, Senior Program Manager, Academic Support Programs
Achievements of note: Recipient of the Bonderman Fellowship, the Thomas Paper Prize, the Grand Prize of the Library Research Award, the Dean’s Medal for Social Sciences, the Husky Leadership Certificate, the Peter L. Thorpe Scholarship, the Fay A. Wilson Scholarship, and the Honors Undergraduate Scholar Award. Member of Phi Beta Kappa. Presenter at the 2017 Spring Celebration of Service and Leadership and the 2017 and 2018 Praxis Conference. Undergraduate nominee for the Luce Scholars Program.
Ann Margaret Stompro, the giving leader
“She builds leadership through creating a platform for others: Ann Margaret was an excellent facilitator of the winter EASB class, and was prepared each week with a comprehensive PowerPoint, but didn’t need to always be in the spotlight. She distributed leadership opportunities among others and always was open to feedback and ideas. Her ability to distribute leadership opportunities has led to more students than ever interested in continuing in EASB with a leadership role in the program next year.”
— Sarah Bishop, Assistant Director, Pipeline Project
Achievements of note: Led and coordinated the EASB Program for two years. Trained students on developing curriculum for the program. Successfully grew the EASB program from a student team of 4 to 5. Incorporated Pipeline Project’s racial equity goals into the EASB course.
Distinguished Partner Award
The Undergraduate Academic Affairs Distinguished Partner Award recognizes a colleague, program or department whose collaborations with Undergraduate Academic Affairs have made significant advances in the University of Washington’s undergraduate academic experience. These collaborations enhance, enrich and deepen the undergraduate experience. The reciprocity of these relationships benefits undergraduates and the broader campus community.
Leilani Lewis and Jeanette James, leaders of change
“Leilani Lewis’ and Jeanette James’ work with the UW’s Race and Equity Initiative, is broad-reaching and has been influential across UAA through hiring, on-boarding and other HR practices, influencing communications work, to steadfastly moving this critical work forward in a host of other ways. Though they are based out of the Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity, their work stretches across and into so many aspects of campus, and their partnership with UAA truly has been distinguished.”
— Ed Taylor, Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs
Office of Regional and Community Affairs, stewards of community
“Sally Clark and her team in the Office of Regional and Community Affairs have been visionary and stalwart partners in our work to launch the Othello-UW Commons site. UAA and other areas of the University have been involved in community-based work in South Seattle for decades, and this project provides a space to gather, to more deeply anchor our work in the community, and Sally’s community expertise and enthusiasm for this project have been invaluable.”
— Ed Taylor, Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs
Five UW undergraduates receive prestigious Fulbright scholarships for 2018-19
Continuing in the University of Washington’s tradition of producing globally-minded students, five undergraduates and bachelor’s alumni have been selected for the 2018-19 Fulbright Student program. In addition, 10 graduate/professional students and alumni were named finalists. Three undergraduates and two graduate students were also selected as alternates. Acceptance to the Fulbright program is competitive, and recipients are selected based on academic and professional achievement, as well as record of service and leadership potential in one’s chosen field.
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is the largest U.S. international exchange program offering opportunities for United States students to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools worldwide. This year’s undergraduates will teach English, conduct research and pursue graduate studies across the globe
This year’s undergraduate Fulbright finalists are:
- Jake Hansen, ’18 // Major: Russian Language, Literature, and Culture // Fulbright: English Teaching Assistantship in Russia
- Yesenia Navarro-Aguirre, ’17 // Major: Human Evolutionary Biology; Anthropology of Globalization // Fulbright: Public Health research in Peru
- Philip Palios, ’18 // Major: Culture, Literature, and the Arts (UW Bothell) // Fulbright: Studying at University of Glasgow in the UK
- Caleb Perez, ’18 // Major: Bioengineering // Fulbright: Engineering research in Switzerland
- Tammy Tarhini, ’17 // Major: Human Evolutionary Biology; Anthropology of Globalization // Fulbright: Germany, English Teaching Assistantship
This year’s undergraduate Fulbright alternate finalists are:
- Kylie Luse, ’17 // Major: Psychology; Spanish // Fulbright: Alternate to Spain for English Teaching Assistantship
- Anika Patel, ’17 // Major: Biochemistry and Interdisciplinary Honors // Fulbright: Alternate to Thailand for English Teaching Assistantship
- Nicole Shermer, ’16 // Major: International Studies // Fulbright: Alternate to Peru for Economic Development research
Read the bios for this impressive group of undergraduates as well as those who reached the semifinalist stage. Learn more about scholarship opportunities at UW.
The Fulbright US Student Program application process is supported by the Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships and Awards (OMSFA), a UAA program. OMSFA collaborates closely with the Graduate School’s Office of Fellowships & Awards, UW Bothell’s Global Initiatives and UW Tacoma’s Office of Global Affairs in supporting Fulbright applicants at all three campuses. OMSFA also 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.
Note: This story was updated to reflect one graduate student declining the award to accept a different award. February 19, 2019.
UW undergrad presents her research to senators in the “other Washington”
Jasmine Graham (bioengineering, ’18) represented the UW and state of Washington at this year’s Posters on the Hill. Joining 46 other undergraduate researchers from around the country, Graham, along with her peers, presented their research to congress and advocated for continued funding of undergraduate research. Jasmine takes us through her preparation and whirlwind two days in the nation’s capital.
Getting ready to present my research to congress
February-April: I’m accepted to Posters on the Hill — a conference in Washington D.C. hosted by the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) — where I’ll be the sole representative from the University of Washington and Washington state. Delighted, I tell my mentors and parents about this amazing opportunity and register for the conference. With the help of a travel agent, I book my UW-sponsored flights and hotel.
The conference’s purpose is to show that undergraduate research is important and should continue to be funded. I tune in to CUR’s advocacy webinar to learn how to discuss the impact of undergraduate research with congress members and their staff. I plan my elevator pitch to include a mention of the NSF funding I received for my capstone and the ways research helped me define and pursue my career goals. I practice my poster and pitch for with mentor, who helps me to frame my research developing a dental acidity indicator. The conference’s attendees include government staff from a variety of non-science backgrounds, so I take out technical jargon. To establish common ground between my research and their dental experiences, I will discuss how my research aims to help prevent cavities by identifying at-risk teeth earlier and allowing targeted preventive treatment.
Arriving in Washington D.C.
April 17: I arrive in Washington D.C. at 7 a.m. and check into my hotel early to take a nap. At the CUR office, I meet the other student presenters and connect with Amber, a presenter from Mississippi. As we walk through the National Museum of American History, we chat about our shared goals of pursuing graduate school and becoming leaders in our field. We agree it’s inspiring to be at a conference with so many like-minded young scientists. After more sight-seeing, the evening formally wraps up with an orientation dinner at the American Chemical Society, who is a sponsor of Posters on the Hill. After appreciating the lit-up monuments on the National Mall, I head to the hotel to prepare for tomorrow’s meetings.
Meeting Washington’s state senators
April 18: My morning starts with coffee … and senators! Both Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell hold weekly coffees with their constituents — a.k.a. voters. To sign up, you just need to email the senators’ offices in advance. The coffees are informal discussions in which the senator and their staff chat with each visitor, answer questions and give updates on Senate debates.
Senator Patty Murray is a ranking member of the education committee and wrote the Higher Education Act, which sets standards for the accessibility, affordability and accountability of colleges. Several faculty members from Washington colleges are at Senator Murray’s coffee to advocate for undergraduate research funding. I jump into the discussion to share how undergraduate research helped make me competitive for grad school and solidified my career goals. The faculty agree and add that their students also learn skills not taught in classrooms, prepare for their careers and build support networks through research. Senator Murray comments that it’s great to hear about students benefiting from undergraduate research, and these stories will give her fuel for when she supports research funding. Senator Cantwell’s coffee proceeds similarly, with the senator responding to people’s concerns in a lively and insightful manner.
Getting the V.I.P. treatment
April 18: One perk of visiting your senator’s office is touring the U.S. Capitol with an intern, which includes riding an underground train to the Capitol building, giving you a behind-the-scenes peek of capitol history. Another perk is a Senate Gallery ticket, where I watch the senators popping into the chamber to vote for the NASA administrator nominee. I get a sense of the incredible amount of American history in the past and in the making.
I am paired with the UW’s Federal Relations Associate McKinzie Strait, who’s based in Washington D.C. Before this conference, I didn’t know that the UW has full-time staff in D.C., and am thankful that we do. McKinzie helped schedule all the day’s meetings, accompanies me to my one-on-one talks with US representatives’ staff, and easily navigates our way through the maze of representatives’ offices. I reiterate the importance of funding undergraduate research to Rep. Rick Larsen’s legislative assistant and Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s congressional fellow. I especially connect with Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s congressional fellow over our research experiences. Her additional roles as a research mentor and STEM outreach leader are special to me, since I want to take on the same roles in my career.
Advocating to congress for undergraduate research
April 18: It is finally time to see all 47 students and their posters at the evening CUR reception. Though I don’t get any technical questions from the congressional and funding agency staff attending, I do appreciate the enthusiasm they show about my research after I share my poster’s story with them. With a variety of compelling projects in areas from biotech to the social sciences, the poster session fosters continued support on Capitol Hill for undergraduate research. Undergraduate research has been such an impactful part of my time at UW, and I’m proud to advocate for future undergraduates to have similar experiences.
April 19: I catch my flights back to Seattle and get right back into classes and lab work. The photos taken at the senators’ constituent coffees arrive by email, and I send thank you notes to the congressional offices.
About Jasmine Y. Graham
An experienced undergraduate researcher, Jasmine Graham published a first-author paper on her dental research in “Lasers in Dentistry” earlier this year. In addition to her experience at Posters on the Hill, she has presented at conferences in San Francisco and Seattle. Her exceptional promise as a researcher has earned her a Levinson Emerging Scholars Award, a Mary Gates Research Award and a National Science Foundation award for a summer research experience for undergraduates. In addition to her lab work, Graham is an active member of the UW community, serving as a Dawg Daze leader welcoming first-year students to campus, outreach leader for the UW’s Biomedical Engineering Society and an Undergraduate Research Leader for the UW Undergraduate Research Program. Next fall, she will start a Ph.D. program in bioengineering at U.C. Berkeley.
Learn more about Undergraduate Research at the UW.
The Undergraduate Research Program facilitates research experiences for undergraduates with UW faculty members across the disciplines. URP maintains a listing of current UW research opportunities and national programs. The Undergraduate Research Program works to ensure that all UW students have access to undergraduate research opportunities by creating initiatives that expand research opportunities; providing a public forum for students to present their work; and helping faculty integrate undergraduates into the knowledge-making process.