Congratulations to 糖心原创 junior Daniel Chen, whom the Goldwater Foundation honored with its undergraduate scholarship for students studying the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering. Chen, who is majoring in and , is one of 410 undergraduate students selected for the award from a pool of 1,256 students nominated by 438 institutions across the country.
UW junior Daniel Chen was selected for the competitive Goldwater Scholarship. (Photo taken following public health guidelines at the time.)
Goldwater Scholarships are granted to sophomores and juniors who show exceptional promise and plan to pursue research careers in math, engineering or the natural sciences. These scholarships award up to $7,500 a year to help cover costs associated with tuition, mandatory fees, books, room and board.
Chen on a snowy hike above Pratt Lake in Washington.
Chen鈥檚 interest in challenging himself can be seen through his academic choices: In addition to majoring in two disciplines, informatics and microbiology, he is pursuing in microbiology. Chen has previously been awarded the Levinson Emerging Scholars award and the , and is also listed on the annual Dean鈥檚 List.
He began his college path early, entering the UW after middle school through the . To balance out his rigorous academic and research work, Chen enjoys hiking in nature preserves and crocheting amigurumi animals, hobbies that suit the environment of his hometown of Sammamish, WA.
鈥淭his news is simply wonderful,鈥� says Undergraduate Academic Affairs Vice Provost and Dean Ed Taylor. 鈥淭hrough his involvement in undergraduate research, Daniel has shown a dedication to furthering science and understanding as well as to the purpose of making people鈥檚 lives better. As a University community, we couldn鈥檛 be more proud of him. I extend my warmest congratulations to Daniel as well as his faculty mentors and others who have supported him on his journey so far.鈥�
As an undergraduate, Chen was one of the co-authors of the research paper,
Chen currently conducts research under Dr. Yapeng Su and Professor Jim Heath in the Heath lab at the Institute for Systems Biology. His research is focused on using the single-cell multi-omic paradigm to analyze COVID-19 peripheral blood mononuclear cells to identify the disease state effects of SARS-CoV-2 on patient immune systems. Such research has also branched out into investigating heterogenous patient responses to COVID-19 in convalescence along with interrogation of patient epigenomes to identify the early-stage immune cell subpopulations responsible for humoral immunity formation and the epigenomic changes that may guide such. In combination with Chen鈥檚 previous research investigating melanoma subpopulations using single-cell transcriptome (scRNA-seq) and epigenome (scATAC-seq) data, his current research projects have continued to push and develop his passion for biomedical informatics particularly when applied to clinically relevant problems.
After his undergraduate studies, Chen intends to pursue an M.D.-Ph.D. centered on leveraging computational resources and advances to solve human medical challenges such as cancer and infectious diseases. He particularly looks forward to identifying best practices and applications for such research to develop more accessible medical solutions for the given problem. He eventually hopes to pursue a faculty position at a university to conduct translational research in biomedical-informatic oriented fields.
For more information, contact Robin Chang, director of the Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships and Awards, at robinc@uw.edu.
Each and every Husky goes through their own journey, undergoes their own unique experiences and, most importantly, has their very own story to share. Husky Stories is a mini-series in which Huskies share their successes, failures, experiences 鈥� their stories. There is no one way to be a Husky. Indeed, the culmination of individuals’ stories shape the picture of what it means to be a Husky.
Each and every Husky goes through their own journey, undergoes their own unique experiences and, most importantly, has their very own story to share. Husky Stories is a mini-series in which Huskies share their successes, failures, experiences 鈥� their stories. There is no one way to be a Husky. Indeed, the culmination of individuals’ stories shape the picture of what it means to be a Husky.
Welcome to the very first episode of Husky Stories! Ryan Lowery is majoring in math and atmospheric sciences here at the 糖心原创. Other than school, Ryan is also involved with the , a program within Undergraduate Academic Affairs. Here, he shares his stories of dealing with failure and resiliency. (Note: This interview took place prior to the coronavirus pandemic.)
The Resilience Lab is a campus partner in the Husky Health & Well-Being initiative. If you would like to talk with a counselor or simply learn more about the mental health resources available to students, visit the .
This week, the 糖心原创鈥檚 Resilience Lab released the , a new resource for instructors to aid them in designing learning environments that promote well-being. Combining research, best practices and personal testimony, the guidebook gives faculty and other instructors concrete ideas and direct input from the campus community around supporting the whole student and promoting resilience and compassion on campus.
Students鈥� well-being has been a growing concern for several years and has been exacerbated by 2020鈥檚 COVID-19 pandemic, economic fallout and the national reckoning over race and policing. A recent found that campus mental health was the top concern of university presidents.聽
鈥淎s we prepare the next generation of citizens and servant leaders, future educators, researchers, entrepreneurs and more, it really is critical that we incorporate practices that support our students鈥� whole lives and lived experiences,鈥� says Ed Taylor, vice provost and dean on Undergraduate Academic Affairs. 鈥淎s a public research university, much of our work is focused on understanding the factors that contribute to resilient communities. This guidebook helps us with that work right here at our UW home, knowing that it expands beyond campus as we all interact with our broader community through research, service and teaching.鈥�
The guidebook鈥檚 Foundations for Advancing Student Well-Being are the framework for the guide and include the themes of teaching for equity and access, building resilience coping skills, nurturing connection and connecting to the environment. This framework promotes core skills and mindsets of social and emotional learning and draws on best practices modeled at other institutions. This resource was researched, developed, co-written and edited by the Resilience Lab team and more than 40 Well-Being for Life and Learning Fellows who are faculty members, instructors, staff and students across disciplines and from all three UW campuses. Their contributions give the guidebook a UW-focused, holistic perspective on the impact of teaching the whole student. In that way, the guidebook is both a call to action and an invitation to the work of helping students develop the tools and habits for well-being so they are mentally and emotionally equipped to learn and thrive.聽
鈥淎ll of us at the Resilience Lab are so honored to have worked on this guidebook with such a committed group of instructors, staff and students,鈥� says Resilience Lab Director Megan Kennedy. 鈥淲e know that advancing student well-being really takes all of us, so our goal was to create a tool for our campus colleagues to add to their pedagogical toolbox. We wanted to give instructors a foundation of both why this work matters and how they can incorporate it into their teaching no matter where they are in terms of personal and professional experience.鈥澛�
Support resilience, compassion and well-being
The Resilience Lab promotes well-being at the 糖心原创 through education, research partnerships, and core programs and initiatives.
The Well-Being for Life and Learning guidebook sits at the prevention and promotion end of a mental health continuum of care within the UW and is aimed at preventing larger issues or crises by bolstering students鈥� resilience coping skills and helping them respond to stress and stay connected to others. It鈥檚 a part of the Resilience Lab鈥檚 Well-Being for Life and Learning initiative, one of the Lab鈥檚 efforts toward building and sustaining a culture of well-being at the UW.
About the Resilience Lab
The Resilience Lab was founded in 2015 and is a program within Undergraduate Academic Affairs that promotes well-being at the UW through education, research partnerships and core programs and initiatives.
For more information about the Resilience Lab or its Well-Being for Life and Learning initiative and guidebook, contact Megan Kennedy at meganken@uw.edu.
Congratulations to Ryan Burt, who was appointed the new director of Academic Support Programs in September, 2020.聽
runs the Center for Learning and Undergraduate Enrichment (CLUE) 鈥� a free, late night, peer-to-peer, drop-in tutoring program and academic support coaches, a peer-to-peer coaching program. Academic Support Programs sits within along with First Year Programs and Undergraduate Academic Affairs Advising. Burt explains that being situated here 鈥渃reates really powerful opportunities to collaborate with First Year Programs and UAA Advising. This is a great space for us to think creatively and collaboratively about supporting the transitional experiences of first-year and pre-major students, especially in this virtual world.鈥澛�
Ryan Burt, photographed at CLUE 鈥� a free, late night, peer-to-peer, drop-in tutoring program 鈥� in 2018. Academic Support Programs runs CLUE, along with the academic success coaching program.
Inclusiveness is central to Academic Support Programs鈥� work. When examining the effectiveness of their programs, Burt and team ask who is coming, and more importantly, who isn鈥檛 coming and why? Even before the pandemic hit, Burt and his team were planning to offer their services online to make it easier for students to access these resources. The University鈥檚 move to online learning in spring 2020 sped up the timeline for this change.聽
鈥淲e鈥檙e working to make the online experience a rich one. Even though it鈥檚 a challenging year, there is still a lot of possibility of collaborating differently in the virtual setting.鈥� Burt explains 鈥淚 want students to know we care about each of them. We know that being a student at a large public university can be overwhelming, daunting. That鈥檚 where we come in: we鈥檙e their academic home away from home.鈥澛�
Associate Dean Michaelann Jundt shares, 鈥淚 am thrilled to have Ryan leading Academic Support Programs. His curiosity fuels his dedication to deep learning and informs his leadership. I am impressed by how well he handles unexpected change and the ways he has embraced collaborative projects. His commitment to students will continue to move us forward in supporting UW student success.鈥澛�
Academic Support Programs鈥� offerings rely on students teaching other students. The peer-to-peer model is impactful. Students learn from other Huskies who are going through similar experiences and challenges. It allows them to relate and to learn from someone who is balancing the demands of student life, just like they are. To that end, Academic Support Programs increased the number of student coaches they hired in spring 2020 to both provide jobs for students who may have otherwise lost them and to be able to better serve UW undergrads.聽
To all faculty, staff and students thinking creatively about how to best support students, . Academic Support Programs is eager to connect, share ideas and work together.
Burt and team are eager to collaborate across campus. Because they work with both faculty and students, they have a unique vantage point to see both the faculty鈥檚 learning goals and how students are understanding the class material. They are available to meet with faculty and staff to share their observations and help support their classes.聽
Burt鈥檚 involvement with Academic Support Programs began in 2013, when he was a program manager. His work included overseeing the CLUE writing center and teaching academic support classes for multilingual students. The majority of students Burt was working with were international students, so Burt co-founded the International Student Success Committee. The Committee鈥檚 work brought together colleagues serving international students together to focus on enriching the international student college experience.聽
Burt continued to grow his career in Academic Support Services, serving as senior program manager, assistant director and most recently served as interim director. He continues to focus on how to best support the University鈥檚 diverse undergraduate student population.聽
He is a triple Dawg, earning his Ph.D. in English literature. His graduate work focused on critical multiculturalism in literature. He also holds a B.A. in both the comparative history of ideas and literature, and an M.A. in literature. He led the Academic Support Programs course English 295: Imagination, Immigration and Identity in Post-Colonial Rome聽and spent two years as a visiting professor of English at the Universit茅 Ibn Zohr in Agadir, Morocco.
Beyond his work in Academic Support Programs, Burt has been involved in several committees including Undergraduate Academic Affairs鈥� general studies curriculum committee and the diversity and inclusion team. He co-chaired the Undergraduate Academic Affairs鈥� staff teaching committee with Carissa Mayer, which brought together staff from across campus to think critically about undergraduate education.聽 He is also co-chairing the University鈥檚 Task Force on Writing, where he鈥檚 helping to reimagine the W (writing) requirement. Burt brings a unique perspective to this work, having been an undergrad and grad student at the UW, in addition to having taught classes as both a grad student and now a staff member. This work seeks to broaden the writing requirement to include diverse fields and writing intensive, upper-level language classes.
Outside of work, Burt, his wife Jennifer and their son Lucien recently welcomed their newest family member, Zin茅dine. Burt is a musician and drummer for the band . In addition, he鈥檚 an avid coffee drinker. Pre-pandemic, he鈥檇 offer you a Chemex pour over when you visited his office. His current favorite coffee is , which translates to鈥渃offee, coffee, coffee鈥︹�� in several East African languages 鈥� perfect for a coffee enthusiast.
Our inter-connected and inter-dependent community is filled with people聽who care, and I want to remind everyone to find moments of joy and gratitude in each day.
Undergraduate Academic Affairs is happy to share that Megan Kennedy was named director of the UW鈥檚 Resilience Lab in May. Kennedy has been connected to the Resilience Lab through multiple roles on campus that have all focused on student well-being. Since August, 2019, she served as interim director of the Resilience Lab, a unit within Undergraduate Academic Affairs that promotes mental health and well-being at the UW through education, research partnerships and a range of programs and initiatives.
Kennedy brings more than 20 years of experience to the role, ranging from a deep, clinical understanding of the importance of mental health to influencing organizational structures and systems so they better support individuals. Creating more concrete connections between the Resilience Lab and other campus partners whose work intersects with resilience and compassion is one of the ways Kennedy is infusing the Resilience Lab鈥檚 work more deeply into current structures.
Kennedy says she thinks about the Lab 鈥渁s existing along a continuum of care at the UW, working collaboratively and intentionally with colleagues on campus, whose work is complementary. This work is also deeply aligned with my values of community well-being and kindness. It鈥檚 one of the ways the Lab is reflective of who I am.鈥�
The Resilience Lab situates itself on the prevention side of that continuum, promoting resilience coping skills and mindsets across campus, including collaborating with faculty and programs to support integrating resilience practices into classroom settings and existing structures.
鈥淭he work of compassion for self and others is guided by important research and is much needed now,鈥� says Ed Taylor, vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs. 鈥淯ltimately, Megan鈥檚 work on well-being, mental health and her alliance building aims to foster compassionate communities. I am glad Megan is leading this work here.鈥�
As director, Kennedy will primarily focus the Lab鈥檚 work on:
Supporting faculty to promote well-being within their classrooms by modeling and teaching social and emotional skills and mindsets
Providing seed grants to support resilience- and compassion-building initiatives that foster connection and community
Offering the 6-week long Be REAL program (Resilient Attitudes and Living) to UW students, staff and instructors
Revitalizing a vulnerability collective, a student-led initiative that encourages compassion and fosters resiliency through storytelling
Deepening and developing research partnerships with faculty, other UW divisions and initiatives that research themes of resilience and well-being
Launching the Well-Being for Life and Learning guidebook, a tool to equip faculty and instructors with foundational research about the importance of integrating well-being practices into their pedagogy as well as practical, how-to tactics.
鈥淭his work is designed to deepen the resilience and coping layers of the University so students can see and experience staff and instructors modeling the change,鈥� explains Kennedy. 鈥淪taff and faculty play a key role in inspiring a culture of well-being at the UW 鈥� starting with ourselves is part of that work.鈥�
Prior to her work with the Resilience Lab in UAA, Kennedy served in the division of Student Life as the manager of strategic initiatives for student wellness and the suicide intervention coordinator. Before coming to the UW, Kennedy was clinical director and interim outreach director at Youth Eastside Services, where she counseled youth and families, was a leader in the organization鈥檚 diversity efforts, and brought the clinic鈥檚 work into school district and community-based organizations. She is the co-founder and gender and sexual diversity consultant and trainer for Revelry Media and Methods, a consulting company that addresses social isolation, violence and mental health disparities faced by LGBTQ youth. Through this work and her work as an independent counselor and consultant, Kennedy鈥檚 career has focused on issues of well-being and equity, empowering individuals to build their resilience and well-being, and engage in the long-term work of creating more equitable systems.
This course will take students on an exciting two week field study to the three 鈥渨ilderness jewels鈥� of Washington state鈥檚 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.
鈥� 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 鈥淗onors 230: Parks in Progress or Peril?鈥� 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.
Over the course of the two week field study, the students became close friends. Pictured here, from left to right, are Mckenzie Carlson, Aidan DeHan, Rhyannon Hayes, Matthew Tucker and Niki Kafie.
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鈥檇 visited Washington鈥檚 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.
Honors students and instructors in the course “Honors 230: Parks in Progress or Peril” at Mount Rainier, the first of three national parks they visited and studied. National park experts regularly joined the class. Author Jeff Antonelis-Lapp, pictured on the far right, led the class on a hike through the Sunrise part of the park.
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 鈥� taught by Honors Program and UAA staff members Aley Mills Willis, Brook Kelly and Laura Harrington 鈥� continued as a campus-based seminar through autumn quarter.
The first part of the UW Honors program class “Parks in Progress or Peril” took students to Washington’s three national parks: Mount Rainier, Olympic and the North Cascades. The course continued as a seminar through autumn quarter, where students grappled with the central question: are parks in progress or peril? Course instructors, from left, Laura Harrington, Brook Kelly and Aley Mills Willis.
鈥淚f this field study was our buffet of information, experience and sensation, then the autumn discussion section was our digestion of the material,鈥� 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. 鈥淥ur goals,鈥� explains instructor Mills Willis, 鈥渁re 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.”
Field learnings: Exploring Makah history and Shi Shi Beach
Olympic National Park archaeologist Dave Conca (sitting on the sand next to the campfire) accompanied the class on a two night backpacking trip. He led the class on a tour of the Makah Tribal Museum and a hike to Shi Shi Beach, where the students discussed what they learned in the museum and applied it to the land they were walking on and the issues the park is navigating.
Dave Conca, Olympic National Park archaeologist, has been collaborating with Kelly, Harrington and Mills Willis for more than a decade. 鈥�鈥媁orking with the UW instructors and students is one of the highlights of my entire work year,鈥� says Conca. 鈥�The high level of engagement with students, their level of sophistication regarding questions and discussion around complex issues continues to amaze and humble me.鈥� 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. 鈥淭he students鈥� 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.鈥�
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 鈥� education through permitting and enforcement through park rangers patrolling the beaches 鈥� working?聽 Is the current usage harming the parks鈥� ecosystems? Are the parks being loved to death? Should park guests be limited? How would limiting guests impact the Makah Tribe鈥檚 economy?
The class backpacks on Shi Shi Beach where they’ll be camping for the night.
Field learnings: Park advocacy applies to all fields
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鈥檚 engagement with the history, relevance and evolution of America鈥檚 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, 鈥淏efore this class, educating about and advocating for the national parks seemed like a fairly siloed endeavor rooted deep in environmental science and geology 鈥� things I鈥檓 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.鈥�
Students kept field journals, where they responded to daily prompts about what they were experiencing to “push their powers of observation and understanding of the course material.” Directions included聽reciting their observations out loud and drawing a couple of their entries. Pictured here: Niki Kafie.
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. 鈥淲hat 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,鈥� 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鈥檚 鈥渃reative genius,鈥� Ryan. The soundtrack took the class through the park in a 鈥渕agic tent,鈥� similar to a field trip on “The Magic School Bus,” talking about issues with the experts. Hayes describes it as 鈥渢he most creative project鈥� she鈥檚 been a part of.
Field learnings: UW students start NPCA Northwest Student Leadership Council
McKenzie Carlson (left) and Rhyannon Hayes (right) helped start the聽NPCA Northwest Student Leadership Council. 鈥淲e’re loving this opportunity to provide students with opportunities to explore our parks, learn of the challenges and develop the leadership skills we need to honor these places,鈥� says Graham Taylor of the NPCA.
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聽 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 NPCA talks are open to anyone interested in attending. .
The next two events, a service project on Ebey鈥檚 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鈥� 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.
Field learnings: I can start my conservation work now
In the future, Hayes hopes to continue this work as an elected official and form the first national park in her home state of Pennsylvania. Her vision includes creating a public education space that tells the story of the lands making up the park, the people who鈥檝e lived there, the evolution of the land and our role in protecting it for future generations. Pictured from left to right: McKenzie Carlson, Rhyannon Hayes, Matthew Tucker and Aidan DeHan.
Reflecting on the class, Hayes shares that it 鈥渕arked 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.鈥�
Photos courtesy of students and instructors in Honors 230: Parks in Progress or Peril.聽
The Goldwater Foundation honored three 糖心原创 students this year with its undergraduate scholarship for students studying the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering. Undergraduates Keyan Gootkin, Parker Ruth and Karen Zhang were selected for the award from a pool of more than 5,000 undergraduate students from 461 institutions across the country.
Goldwater Scholarships are granted to sophomores and juniors who show exceptional promise and plan to pursue research careers in math, engineering or the natural sciences. These scholarships award up to $7,500 a year to help cover costs associated with tuition, mandatory fees, books, room and board. For the 2020-21 academic year, 396 college students nationwide were selected for the competitive scholarship.
鈥淚 am delighted and inspired by this news,鈥� says Undergraduate Academic Affairs Vice Provost and Dean Ed Taylor. 鈥淪upporting students on their journey through the UW helps our students to understand and improve the world we live in. Faculty of public research universities like the UW guide and mentor this next generation of researchers and scientists. With our support and their talent, our aim is to develop the scientific talent our world needs. I extend my warmest congratulations to Keyan, Parker and Karen as well as their faculty mentors and others who have supported them on their journeys so far.鈥�
Keyan Gootkin
Keyan Gootkin, an astronomy and physics double-major, studies 鈥渢he universe’s most massive stars near the end of their lives.鈥� In addition to his work as an undergraduate researcher, Gootkin actively brings the stars down to Earth through service: He serves as the student coordinator at the UW鈥檚 historical Theodor Jacobsen Observatory; co-chairs the Mobile Planetarium Committee; and is the outreach coordinator for the UW League of Astronomers.
Gootkin has received a Washington Research Foundation Fellowship, a Washington Space Grant scholarship, been named to the College of Arts & Sciences Dean鈥檚 List and is a Washington State Opportunity Scholar.
He plans to earn a Ph.D. in astrophysics 鈥渟o that I can continue doing research as long as I can.鈥�
Parker Ruth
Parker Ruth is earning a double degree in computer engineering and bioengineering; he is part of the Interdisciplinary Honors Program and is pursuing Departmental Honors. His research explores the design of computational tools to improve access to healthcare. As a member of the Ubiquitous Computing (UbiComp) research lab advised by Professor Shwetak Patel, Ruth has contributed to the development and testing of mobile health applications for sleep apnea screening, cardiovascular health, osteoporosis detection and physical activity quantification.
Outside the classroom Ruth started a club to help students get involved with research in bioengineering-related fields. His additional honors and scholarships include a Levinson Emerging Scholars Award, Microsoft Endowment Scholarship, Washington Research Foundation Fellowship, Mary Gates Scholarships, and selections to the Dean鈥檚 List.
Ruth plans to obtain a Ph.D. in computer science, with a long-term goal of pursuing a career as a researcher using computers to improve people鈥檚 lives.
Karen Zhang
Karen Zhang is double-majoring in biochemistry and microbiology. She is part of the Interdisciplinary Honors program and is pursuing Departmental Honors in biochemistry. Zhang is also a Mary Gates Scholar and Annual Dean鈥檚 List awardee.
Currently, Zhang is an undergraduate researcher in the Molecular Information Systems Lab (MISL) at UW. Her lab investigates technologies for storing digital data in DNA and is interested in all things at the intersection between computer science and biology. Through this interdisciplinary lab, she has gained invaluable experience in professional research and discovered a passion for synthetic biology. She has also developed an appreciation for bioinformatics and the essential role that computational algorithms play in interpreting biological data.
Outside of academics and research, Zhang is an editor for the UW Microbiology Journal where she guides writers in developing informative and fascinating articles about topics in microbiology. In her free time, she enjoys reading (and maybe one day writing) fantasy novels.
After graduating from the UW, Zhang aims to obtain a Ph.D. in either synthetic biology/bioengineering or bioinformatics. She is 鈥渄eeply passionate about studying the machineries of life at a molecular level and engineering them to perform novel tasks.鈥�
Goldwater Foundation鈥檚 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 (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.
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For more information:
Kirsten Atik, communications director, Undergraduate Academic Affairs, at katik@uw.edu or 206-221-6130.
Robin Chang, director, Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships and Awards, robinc@uw.edu, 206-543-2603.
