On Friday, May 16, more than 1,100 University of Washington undergraduates will participate in the 17th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium—an event that might well be the country’s largest “show and tell” for undergraduate research. The Symposium takes place from 11 a.m.–6 p.m. in Mary Gates Hall; select oral presentations will happen in Johnson Hall and visual arts and design presentations will be in Odegaard Undergraduate Library.
Category: News
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Discover the impact of student service and leadership at the Spring Celebration
UW students have a zeal for community service and activism. In 2012-13, more than 7,000 students engaged in academic service-learning, volunteering a staggering 465,000 hours with organizations such as Girls on the Run and the National Alliance on Mental Illness. That’s the equivalent of 53 years of service.
In recognition of this extraordinary accomplishment, the annual Spring Celebration of Service and Leadership showcases more than 100 UW undergraduates who have dedicated their time, skills and sheer hard work to service and leadership activities in the community.
The Spring Celebration takes place May 20, 3-6:30 p.m. in the HUB (gallery of projects on first floor, reception in Lyceum) on the UW Seattle campus. All students, staff, faculty and especially alumni of UAA programs are invited to attend.
This year’s Spring Celebration will include a Gallery of Student Projects, nine break-out sessions and a pop-up museum showcasing artifacts that represent the theme of “the art of powerful citizenship,” curated by students who attended Citizen University 2014, a national conference for educators and activists on civic engagement.
Service is, of course, about contributing your skills and giving your time to those in need. But this also leads to innumerable benefits for the volunteers themselves.
Spring 2014 Alumni e-Newsletter
Table of Contents
- Message from Vice Provost and Dean Ed Taylor
- Entrepreneur Kirsten Rogers aims to take a bite out of cancer
- U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s visit to the UW
- Honors students discover the world, themselves
- UW collaboration, student discovery on display at Undergraduate Research Symposium
- Discover the impact of student service and leadership at the Spring Celebration
- Dream Project freshmen reflect on year 1 at the UW
Back to e-newsletter overview >
Daniel Hadidi, who graduated last winter quarter with a B.S. in biology, worked with Persian Circle, a cultural organization that works to bring together Persians at UW and in the greater Seattle area. Daniel found that his work not only helped strengthen the Persian community, but it also helped himself in many ways. “I have experienced great personal growth, becoming more confident in social situations and establishing closer relationships with others,” he says.
Professor Rick Bonus, associate professor of American Ethnic Studies, stresses the educational value of service-learning projects. “It’s not only a different kind of learning because of its location,” he says. “It’s a kind of learning that is wrapped around the practice of being of service to others. When serving others takes place, students learn how to empathize, collaborate, and participate in someone else’s lives. Indeed, many students tell me how being of service is such a humbling experience, and one that provides them with a deeper sense of meaningfulness beyond what a classroom session could offer.”
Hanna Dinh, a senior studying public health and medical anthropology, certainly experienced that. She volunteered with the Vietnam Health Center and served on its Public Health Committee to make educational posters and take-home notecards for patients in rural areas of Vietnam about public health issues such as water sanitation. Hanna was especially impressed by the amount of teamwork it took from volunteers, staff, advisers and other students to achieve a successful project. “We all volunteered and struggled together, but also challenged and supported each other to reach our potential […] Witnessing and experiencing this teamwork daily during our volunteering in Vietnam gave me the necessary energy and strength [to complete the project].“
The Spring Celebration of Service and Leadership is sponsored by the Carlson Leadership and Public Service Center, the Husky Leadership Initiative, Jumpstart, the Mary Gates Endowment for Students, the Pipeline Project, and the HUB, programs that are a part of Undergraduate Academic Affairs and Student Life.
UW Dream Project is awarded a $150,000 College Spark Washington Community Grant
The Dream Project at the University of Washington has been awarded a three-year, $150,000 College Spark Washington Community Grant today to enhance its current work by improving its curriculum, materials and training of mentors; and improvements to its data management system to better inform efforts to help students avoid remediation.
UW students to explore far reaches of the globe by means of unusual fellowship
Fourteen University of Washington students were recently awarded Bonderman Travel Fellowships that will enable them to embark on solo journeys that are at least eight months long and take them to at least two regions and six countries of the world. These fellowships, worth $20,000 each, aim to expose students to the intrinsic, often life-changing, benefits of international travel.
Undergraduate creates device to help diagnose cancer
Chris Burfeind is a senior studying mechanical engineering and researching microfluidic devices in Eric Seibel’s lab. With the help of the lab, Chris has created a credit card-sized device that can analyze biopsy tissues and help diagnose pancreatic cancer in minutes.
Goalkeeper, photographer and skateboarder awarded president’s medals
University of Washington president’s medalists were recently selected for their high scholastic standing and difficulty of coursework. They represent undergraduate scholarship of the highest caliber. The students’ academic pursuits show interdisciplinary interests and their co-curricular and extracurricular activities demonstrate their classroom energy and commitment to a host of other interests. They are truly interesting individuals.
Thousands from UW community and Seattle to volunteer for MLK Day of Service
On January 20, 2014, the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, thousands of volunteers will honor the civil rights leader’s legacy of service by volunteering in the community at more than 80 projects identified by local nonprofit organizations. The MLK Day of Service is an annual, national tradition. The University of Washington-coordinated event brings together University of Washington students, faculty, staff, alumni, friends and neighbors to volunteer alongside others in the Seattle and King County community. The Carlson Leadership and Public Service Center is partnering with the United Way of King County to make the event happen.
In 2013, more than 1,800 people volunteered on campus and throughout the Puget Sound region for the MLK Day of Service. This year, organizers anticipate 2,000 volunteers donating their day to their community, the majority coming from the UW community. Volunteers can lead or participate in such wide-ranging projects as restoring habitat, greenspace and parks; painting a daycare; promoting tax help for low-income people; organizing a foodbank; and more.
To lead or volunteer for a service project, visit uw.edu/carlson.
Kick-Off Rally
A rousing Kick-Off rally at 8 a.m. at the Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center will fortify volunteers’ spirits and stomachs for their day’s work. Will Berkovitz, CEO of Jewish Family Service, will inspire volunteers with his thoughts on service and social justice; Ed Taylor, vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs, Marisa Herrera, director of the Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center, and Blair Taylor, chief community officer from Starbucks and United Way of King County board member will also provide brief remarks. Pastries and coffee, provided by Starbucks, and commemorative t-shirts will be available for volunteers as well.
Will Berkovitz is chief executive officer of Jewish Family Service. The 122-year-old agency delivers essential human services—from refugee resettlement to a food bank. Berkovitz’s prior service work includes roles as senior vice president & rabbi in residence at Repair the World, as well as rabbi and executive director of Hillel at the University of Washington/Jconnect Seattle.
The Day of Service is nationwide tradition spanning more than 20 years. The UW and United Way have partnered on local Day of Service opportunities for more than ten years. The organizations’ efforts have culminated into the largest Day of Service in Washington state.
Event Details
Who: You + 1,800 UW family, friends, and community members
What: MLK Day of Service Kick-Off Event and Service Projects
When: Monday, January 20, 2014. Kick-Off Event 8:00 a.m. sharp! Projects happen throughout the day
Where: Kick-Off at the Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center, 3931 Brooklyn Avenue NE. Service projects at various locations
How: Sign up to lead or participate in a project here: uw.edu/carlson
Share: Participants are encouraged to share their experiences via social media using the hashtags #HuskiesServe and #MLKsea.
The MLK Day of Service is coordinated and supported by the UW Carlson Leadership & Public Service Center and the United Way of King County. Event sponsors include Union Bank, Starbucks, Titan 360, UW’s First Year Programs, and the UW Alumni Association.
There’s no one way to be a Husky
Nearly 30,000 undergraduates at the UW means 30,000 individual ways to be a Husky. The UW offers students countless opportunities to bring their academics beyond the classroom, grow as leaders, contribute to research, become global citizens, and serve our communities near and far. Learn about some particularly meaningful student experiences.
Message from Vice Provost and Dean Ed Taylor
What have we learned in the last year that will help our communities in the coming year? I am thinking about our students, past and present and how their UW experiences lay a foundation for their future, indeed, but also for the futures of so many others.
Innovative Robinson Center alumni inspire students
Students crowded together for the third-annual Robinson Center Alumni Speaker Series. The event’s topic—Startups & Entrepreneurs—energized students to appreciate that today’s studying can blossom into tomorrow’s business opportunity.