First Lady Michelle Obama praised UW senior Philmon Haile during聽a recent speech at Peking University, quoting聽from his remarks at a Washington D.C. event celebrating聽President Obama鈥檚 .
Philmon has studied abroad several times,听interning at the US Embassy Beijing, conducting field research in rural China and volunteering in Jordan. He was recently awarded the Rangel Graduate Fellowship, which supports graduate study and professional development in preparation for a career in the Foreign Service.
A new Department of History course challenges students to explore the complicated history of health intervention. Through critical examination of case studies from the Middle Ages to the present day, Associate Professor Adam聽Warren聽hopes to empower and inspire students to take leadership and learn from history.聽
The journal Science recently reviewed Scott Montgomery’s book聽. Montgomery, a lecturer and consulting geologist the UW , explores in the book the use of English as a “global language” for scientific researchers.
Through the , the 糖心原创 is leveraging faculty expertise and making new investments to build a pipeline of thinkers, researchers and leaders focused on Arctic regional issues. Eight countries聽hold territory within the region, but a changing landscape due to rapidly melting sea ice is attracting attention from new international players.聽With its unique resources and interdisciplinary expertise related to the Arctic, UW is uniquely positioned it to make an impact through teaching, research and collaborative partnerships.
Undergraduates Garrett Knoll and Walter O鈥橳oole and graduate student Erica Escajeda are three of a growing group of UW students preparing for diverse leadership roles in the changing Arctic.
Unique resources
Erica is first-year graduate student conducting thesis research on the Polar Bears of Baffin Island, Canada. UW offers her the opportunity to be mentored by outstanding faculty and participate in specialized research.
“What really drew me to the UW was Dr. Laidre’s research at the . It鈥檚 an incredible resource, and the research is cutting edge.”
Without Dr. Lairdre鈥檚 connections in Canada and Greenland, she adds, 鈥淚 would not be able to travel to the Arctic at all during the course of my master’s research due to funding constraints.鈥�
Walter O’Toole with fellow Inuktitut language student Caitlyn Evans and instructors Alexina Kublu and Prof. Mick Mallon Photo: Melanie Eng via Jackson School of International Studies
An English major, Walter is expanding his understanding of the Arctic by studying Inuktitut, an Inuit language spoken in tribal communities in the Canadian Arctic. He and one other student 鈥� a Foreign Language & Area Studies Fellow in Inuktitut聽and aspiring environmental lawyer 鈥� study with two instructors, a language expert and a native speaker from Canada.
鈥淚nuktitut is quite different than any other class I’ve taken UW,” he says, “There are only two students, so that makes for a lot of interaction with our professors. It’s mostly done over Skype, which can be spotty at times, but without videoconferencing I wouldn’t even have the opportunity to learn Inuktitut. Both [instructors] are accomplished Inuktitut linguists.鈥�
An interdisciplinary approach
Through UW鈥檚 鈥淔uture of Ice鈥� course this winter quarter, led by instructors Nadine Fabbi and Eric Steig, Walter, Garrett and Erica are engaging with six Polar region experts, including scientists, political and indigenous leaders and wildlife photographers. Each guest provides a new and different perspective on changes facing northern regions.
鈥淚 really like how the class brings in the top people from a variety of fields all having to do with the Polar Regions,鈥� Garrett explains,
“An interdisciplinary perspective is essential to a topic like the Arctic because it involves so many different fields and ways of thinking. You have to have a grasp on all of them in order to understand the whole picture.”
Erica Escajeda working in Nome, Alaska as a field technician Photo: Erica Escajeda
Erica is excited to broaden her knowledge of the political, cultural and scientific issues surrounding the Arctic. 鈥淚nterdisciplinary courses like the 鈥楩uture of Ice鈥� instill a deeper sense of collaboration, and hopefully inspire students to think outside of their fields. The lessons I’ve learned from the course are readily connected to my own research and career goals.鈥�
Walter is pursuing the unique jointly offered by the and the . The interdisciplinary minor provides cultural, political and scientific perspectives on the rapidly changing region.聽“[My instructors鈥橾 enthusiasm for my studies in Inuktitut is wonderful; they each are incredibly knowledgeable in their fields, and they have been eager to share their knowledge with me, going out of their way to help me expand my awareness of the Arctic.”
Diverse directions
Walter plans to pursue graduate studies in English and make a career teaching and writing.聽鈥淭hrough the Arctic聽Minor, I hope gain understanding of the context in which Arctic and Inuit literatures are created, an understanding that could enable me to teach in those areas.鈥�
Garrett Knoll shows his exhibit to a young visitor at Polar Science Weekend Photo: Garrett Knoll
Erica鈥檚 career trajectory also points north. She is considering teaching or working as a research scientist and biological consultant on Arctic issues.
An Aquatic & Fisheries science major 鈥渉ooked on Arctic Studies鈥�, Garrett is using his science training to educate the public about a little known Arctic species, the Greenland shark. For his capstone project, Garrett designed an interactive game that teaches kids about the animal by inviting them to pick out plastic animals they think the shark would eat.
Garrett shared his game at the Pacific Science Center鈥檚 . His dedication won鈥檛 stop there. 鈥淎fter I graduate I hope to get involved with outreach programs that get kids interested in science by taking them out into the field and showing them the incredible animals that inhabit our world.鈥�
Children from the US, China and Mexico participated in a by 糖心原创 researcher Kristina Olson聽and colleagues from聽Yale and the University of Pennsylvania. The group examined children’s reactions to a video where puppets make their own drawing or copy a friend’s drawing. Despite cultural differences, 5 and 6 year-old children from all three countries viewed negatively the puppet who stole his friend’s idea.
Alumni ,听听补苍诲听 met as majors. 聽A decade after graduation,听they reunited in Cairo to found CloudPress, an online platform that allows users to create and share content like cookbooks, catalogs and instruction manuals. Their venture may have been risky – they started up during the Egyptian Revolution with the help of a – but it has paid off immensely. CloudPress was recently acquired by NewsCorp.
The 2014 Charles E. Odegaard Award will honor Denny Hurtado, a Skykomish tribal leader whose leadership has positively impacted the K-12 education system and the 糖心原创. Together with聽the聽w菨色菨b蕯altx史 (Intellectual House) Advisory Committee, Hurtado is working to build a longhouse on the UW campus.聽
As a Manager of Global Responsibility for Starbucks,听Ann Burkhart ’90 ensures that the company’s international impact is positive.聽Her team develops strategies for the ethical sourcing of commodities from around the world. An international studies major at the 糖心原创, Burkhart particularly values the writing and research skills she gained here.聽
KUOW’s Ross Reynolds spoke with 糖心原创 professor聽Scott Radnitz about anti-government protests in Ukraine. Radnitz directs UW’s聽.聽The country’s population is politically divided, he explained, “…what happens in Ukraine is really going to be very important to the future of Eastern Europe.”
Burma faces many challenges in its path toward democracy. 糖心原创 is partnering with Microsoft and USAID to make the transition a little easier. USAID awarded a 1.5 million dollar grant to UW’s Jackson School of International Studies and Information School to bring new technologies and training to Burma. The tools will be used to facilitate policy-making and higher education reform. Microsoft matched the USAID grant and will contribute software and expertise.
First Lady Michelle Obama praised UW senior Philmon Haile during聽a recent speech at Peking University, quoting聽from his remarks at a Washington D.C. event celebrating聽President Obama鈥檚 .