The 天美影视传媒 has again earned a prestigious recognition for the impact and importance of the connections faculty, students and staff have with local, regional and global communities.

All three UW campuses were recognized with the Carnegie Foundation Community Engagement reclassification, placing the university among nationwide. Officials with the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, who award the designation, noted that these universities are deepening partnerships, centering community assets and addressing urgent societal challenges with clarity and distinction.

鈥淭his Carnegie reclassification affirms what I鈥檝e long believed about the role of public universities: our work has to be rooted in partnership and focused on impact for all people,鈥� said UW President Robert J. Jones. 鈥淐ommunity engagement isn鈥檛 peripheral to our mission 鈥� it鈥檚 central to how we move the UW forward in service of the greater good. Being recognized again across all three campuses is a real point of pride and speaks to the shared commitment across the UW to working alongside our communities to drive meaningful change.鈥�

The UW鈥檚 three campuses were first recognized in 2020 by the Carnegie Foundation as community-engaged campuses. This reclassification is an external acknowledgement of the growing scale and quality of community-engaged work, built on a decades-long foundation. In recent years, the UW has strengthened relationships, expanded partnerships, and launched a tri-campus effort 鈥� funded in 2022 by a $3.8 million donation 鈥� to strengthen community engagement practices across campuses, develop shared definitions of community engagement, and build a digital clearinghouse to track and facilitate community work. Much of that work is documented on the Community Engagement Knowledge Hub, a website with resources for the UW and community partners.

The UW works with more than 700 different community organizations, including nonprofit providers of health care and other services, local and regional governments, school districts, tribal nations, and small businesses as well as large multinational companies.

The Carnegie Classification for the UW in Seattle recognizes the meaningful and sustained work of faculty, staff and students to engage with the community in genuine partnership, said Ed Taylor, vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.

鈥淭hese relationships enable students to take up community-informed, academically rigorous work in our civic spaces, leading to a more sophisticated understanding of the complex problems facing society,鈥� Taylor said. 鈥淲e are honored and humbled by this recognition of our work so far and inspired to continue to deepen our focus on addressing the most pressing needs of our campus and broader community. Sustaining these outcomes at scale requires dedicated infrastructure, student support, and long-term investment from partners.”

For example, via , the UW works with rural and tribal schools statewide. These programs are designed to enrich existing K-12 education, enhance STEM learning and provide opportunities for children in those schools to learn about higher education. UW undergraduates support curriculums, connect with students in communities, all while being guided by UW faculty and staff.

鈥淥ur programs work with all different grade levels at various tribal nations here in Washington state, which I think is cool and unique,鈥� said Richard Alejandro Parra, who runs the program and is assistant director of Rural and Tribal Partnerships in the UW.

The Center is a leading coordinator at the UW for community-engaged learning, partnership development and student civic leadership. Each year, it supports thousands of students and hundreds of collaborations with community-based organizations and faculty to strengthen community-driven solutions to complex societal challenges.

鈥淲e have students that we’ve worked with since they were fifth graders, and we engage with them throughout their entire K-12 journey,鈥� Parra said. 鈥淎fter graduating, some of those students have come to UW, and they return to their communities to mentor younger students through our programs.鈥�

When the in Snohomish County was looking to expand its capacity to serve recent immigrants, leaders of the small nonprofit reached out to UW Bothell. During more than a decade of collaboration, a symbiotic relationship between LETI and the UW has blossomed, providing critical resources to support LETI鈥檚 growth and giving UW students from Bothell and Seattle real-world experience.

This year, more than 40 UW students are engaged in work-study and research at LETI, providing services in education, health and more.

鈥淭he community engagement effort that they have is one of the best that I have seen,鈥� said Rosario Reyes, LETI鈥檚 founder and president. 鈥淚 wish other schools would emulate it.鈥�

Employers, like LETI, view UW Bothell as a strong partner in regional workforce development, said UW Bothell Chancellor Kristin G. Esterberg.

UW Bothell faculty and students collaborate with hundreds of community organizations locally and globally. Since first gaining the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, UW Bothell鈥檚 commitment to collaboration has deepened. It is underpinned by new policies such as the addition of an undergraduate learning goal focused on community engagement and faculty legislation supporting community-engaged scholarship.

鈥淲e also engage with hundreds of nonprofit agencies, local governments and grassroots organizations year-round,鈥� Esterberg said. 鈥淭his reclassification by the Carnegie Foundation recognizes our community engagement and reinforces the value of this work.鈥�

UW Tacoma is a vital part of building the future for the city of Tacoma, said Jacques Colon, the director of the city鈥檚 Equity, Strategy, and Human Rights office. In addition to bolstering the redevelopment of the city鈥檚 downtown by expanding and modernizing the university鈥檚 campus, UW Tacoma also contributes to economic development by training a desirable and highly skilled workforce. That, in turn, attracts more business to the area.

鈥淚f we can make that kind of synergy work, that’s exactly the kind of relationship that has the ability to set a trajectory for a city long term, over a decade,鈥� Colon said. 鈥淭o me, that’s incredibly exciting,鈥�

That kind of community engagement is at the heart of UW Tacoma’s mission and the key to a more prosperous future for the region, said UW Tacoma Chancellor Sheila Edwards Lange.

UW Tacoma has established itself as one of the region鈥檚 most community-engaged universities.

Over the past year, UW Tacoma faculty and students partnered with community organizations on a wide range of initiatives addressing pressing social, environmental and health challenges. These collaborations included restoring riparian forests to support salmon habitat, co-creating alternative and low-barrier pathways for youth to access evidence-based behavioral healthcare, co-designing food justice programming that connects labor, culture, and care, and developing mental health workshops for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) youth.

鈥淭hrough our community-driven initiatives, our students give back while engaging in career-connected learning, and our faculty and staff work alongside our partners to solve some of society’s toughest challenges,鈥� Lange said. 鈥淭ogether, with our hundreds of community partners, we’re making a lasting impact in the South Sound and beyond.鈥�

Seven UW students and recent alumni were awarded听听scholarships for the 2025鈥�2026 academic year, joining about 2,000 students and recent graduates from around the country to pursue graduate study, conduct research and teach English abroad.

The Fulbright scholarship program is the largest U.S. international exchange opportunity for students to pursue graduate study, advanced research and teaching in elementary and secondary schools worldwide.

鈥淭hese Fulbright awards reflect the exceptional caliber of our students and underscore the University鈥檚 commitment to fostering global citizens and scholars,鈥� said UW Vice Provost for Global Affairs Ahmad Ezzeddine. 鈥滱s the nation鈥檚 flagship international exchange program, Fulbright offers transformative opportunities for the next generation of leaders to engage meaningfully with the world.

鈥淲e are deeply grateful for the State Department鈥檚 continued investment in this vital initiative 鈥� one of our nation鈥檚 most effective tools of citizen diplomacy,鈥� Ezzeddine continued. 鈥淭hrough these prestigious fellowships, our students will pursue meaningful research, service and study abroad. They鈥檒l also represent the best of American higher education while building lasting connections that will benefit both our University and our country for years to come.鈥�

Among this year鈥檚 recipients are four UW undergraduate students or recent alumni. They plan travel to Europe, Central Asia and Mexico to take part in graduate study, research and teaching assistantships. Three graduate-level students plan to travel to Scandinavia, Southeast Asia and South America. This year鈥檚 finalists attended all three UW campuses.

The UW also had two students 鈥� one undergraduate and one graduate level 鈥� selected as alternates.

This year鈥檚听听awardees are:

• Annabella Li: Study and research, Germany
• Sabrina Prestes Oliveira: English teaching award, Mexico
• Jack Regala: English teaching award, Tajikistan
• Elana Skeers: Trinity Laban Award in Music & Dance, United Kingdom

This year鈥檚 awardees are:

• Emily Bassett: English teaching award, Norway
• Vincent Flores Da: Study and research, Philippines
• Thomas Key: Study and research, Brazil

Oliveira completed her undergraduate studies at UW Bothell and Da completed his undergraduate degree at UW Tacoma. The rest of the cohort received degrees for work on UW鈥檚 Seattle campus.

For the past several years, The Chronicle of Higher Education has ranked the UW a 鈥�Top Producer鈥� of student awardees. The Fulbright program, funded by the U.S. Department of State, provides round-trip travel, health insurance, a housing stipend and visa assistance to awardees.

Read more about this year鈥檚 UW Fulbright Student Program Finalists and the projects they will pursue abroad at the Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships & Awards and the Graduate School鈥檚 .

From campus to wherever you call home, we welcome you to learn from and connect with the College of Arts & Sciences community through public events spanning the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. We hope to see you this May.

Thirteen UW students and recent alumni were awarded听听scholarships this year, joining about 2,000 students and recent graduates from around the country to study and teach abroad.

The scholarship program is the largest U.S. international exchange opportunity for students to pursue graduate study, advanced research and teaching in elementary and secondary schools worldwide.

Five UW undergraduate students or recent alumni are among this year鈥檚 Fulbright Student Program recipients and plan travel to Asia, Europe, South America and the Middle East to take part in research and teaching assistantships. Eight graduate-level students plan to travel to the Middle East, Central America, Europe, and East and South Asia. The UW had three students 鈥� two undergraduates and one graduate level 鈥� selected as alternates.

This year鈥檚 awardees are:

• Vecksle Drake: English teaching assistantship in Mongolia
• Anna Feit: Study and research, Brazil
• Lukas Metzner: Study and research, Germany
• Lexi Rohrer: Study and research, Thailand
• Ela Sezgin: English teaching assistantship, Turkey

This year鈥檚 at the UW are:

• Aaron Barker, Doctoral student, Philosophy: Research grant to Germany
• Rachel Andersen, Doctoral student, Nursing: Research grant to Jordan
• Claudia Herrero Rapagna, Master’s student, Middle East Studies: English teaching assistant grant to Jordan
• Nicol谩s Kisic Aguirre, Doctoral student, Digital Arts & Experimental Media: Creative arts research grant to Mexico
• Kaya Mallick, Master’s student, International Studies: Research grant to India
• Brian Park, Doctoral student, History: Research grant to Japan
• Claire Rater, Master’s student, Epidemiology and Social Work: Research grant to Colombia
• Frankie Leigh Shelton, Master’s student, Health Administration: Study grant to United Kingdom

For the past several years, The Chronicle of Higher Education has ranked the UW a “Top Producer” of student awardees. The Fulbright program, funded by the U.S. Department of State, provides round-trip travel, health insurance, a housing stipend and visa assistance to awardees.

Read more about this year鈥檚 student winners and the projects they will pursue abroad at the Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships & Awards听 and the Graduate School鈥檚听.

Sonia Fereidooni, who earned bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees from the 天美影视传媒, was听selected for the prestigious .

, 22, will receive a full-cost scholarship to pursue doctoral work in Digital Humanities at the University of Cambridge, England.

The highly competitive scholarship brings recognition of accomplishments and future promise. This year, 26 students from 20 institutions across the United States were selected.

Fereidooni was born in Eastern Canada and raised in rural Washington. While an undergraduate at the UW, she studied computer and data science in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering and sociology in the College of Arts & Sciences. She went on to earn a master鈥檚 in computer science and engineering from the Allen School. She was named a Mary Gates Research Scholar in 2022. The next year, she received the Allen AI Outstanding Engineer Scholarship for Women & Underrepresented Minorities.

Her research to date has focused on artificial intelligence, including bias, ethics, fairness and governance; commonsense reasoning and development; and she鈥檚 looked at ways to teach computer science more equitably.

In joining the inaugural class in Cambridge鈥檚 Digital Humanities program, she plans to research how to effectively legislate AI governance in protection of intersectional identities from the global south, especially the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia.

鈥淚 hope to pursue fieldwork in critical areas that are most adversely affected by the recent accelerated developments of AI, and research how it is that AI can be universally-regulated to avoid such outcomes,鈥� she said.

Established in October 2000 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Gates Cambridge scholarships are awarded on a student鈥檚 intellectual ability, leadership capacity, and desire to use their knowledge to contribute to society throughout the world by providing service to their communities and applying their talents and knowledge to improve the lives of others.

November 7, 4:30 – 6:00pm | Communications Building

This presentation by Sharon Stein asks how universities can navigate the complexity of confronting the colonial foundations of higher education and enabling different futures. This discussion approaches reparations as a potentially regenerative process of enacting material redistribution and restitution, (re)building relationships grounded in respect and reciprocity, and repurposing our institutions to be more relevant and responsible.

Free |

November 7, 6:00 – 8:00pm | 听Kane Hall

The Pandemics – COVID 19 and the worldwide racial reckoning – forever changed how people work, live, go to school, and interact as a community. Come listen to a recorded dialogues about the pandemics, and engage in dialogue with the UW community. Together the session will remember and honor each individual’s lived pandemics experiences.

Free |听

November 8, 7:00 – 8:30pm | 听Burke Museum

Join the Burke Museum to celebrate Spirit Whales & Sloth Tales: Fossils of Washington State, by Elizabeth A. Nesbitt, Burke curator emerita of invertebrate and micropaleontology, and David B. Williams, Seattle-based author, naturalist, and historian.

From primitive horses on the Columbia Plateau to giant bird tracks near Bellingham, fossils across Washington state are filled with clues of past life on Earth. With abundant and well-exposed rock layers, the state has both old and 鈥測oung鈥� fossils, from Ice Age mammals dating only 12,000 years old back to marine invertebrates more than 500 million years old.

Free |

November 8, 7:30pm | Meany Hall

Seattle favorite Garrick Ohlsson has established himself as a pianist of masterful interpretive and technical skill. He commands an enormous repertoire ranging over the entire piano literature. He brings a full program of Chopin, Schubert, and Beethoven, along with an evocative work by Ursula Mamlok. Ohlsson鈥檚 brilliant stage presence and easy connection to audiences amplifies his well-earned reputation for bringing piano masterpieces to life with virtuosic firepower and resonant interpretations.

Buy Tickets |

November 8 | National First-Generation College Celebration

The UW proudly supports the experiences of first-generation students. For the sixth-straight year, the UW Bothell, Seattle and Tacoma campuses are joining colleges and universities throughout the nation to participate in the on November 8.

Led by the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) and the NASPA Center for First-Generation Student Success, the day is intended to celebrate the success and presence of first-generation college students, faculty, and staff on campuses across the country.

Free | More info

November 9, 6:00 – 8:00pm |

Different disciplines, cultures, and individuals have distinct approaches to gathering information, interpreting it, and forming beliefs. This begs the question: 鈥淗ow do we know things and where else should we be looking for answers?鈥�

UW Honors鈥� annual Global Challenges/Interdisciplinary Answers conversation, led by Polly Olsen (Yakama), director of DEI & Decolonization and tribal liaison at the Burke Museum; Tony Lucero, Professor and Chair in the Department of Comparative History of Ideas; and Katie Davis, Associate Professor in the iSchool, consider questions cultivated by students in the University Honors Program. This conversation will be moderated by Samantha-Lynn Martinez, a rising junior marine biology major.

Free |

November 12, 11:00am – 12:00pm | Burke Museum

Burke Museum education partner Hindi Time Kids has planned an exciting all-ages event to teach visitors about the meaning and traditions of Diwali, a South Asian annual festival of lights celebrated in many parts of the world. The word 鈥楧iwali鈥� derives from Sanskrit language and means 鈥渁 row of lights.” Diwali is a time for gathering with loved ones, celebrating life, and enjoying the illumination of lights.

Free |听

November 12, 1:30 – 2:30pm | 听Henry Art Gallery

Meet curator Nina Bozicnik for a tour of Sophia Al-Maria: Not My Bag. Born in Tacoma, Washington and now based in London, Al-Maria is a Qatari-American artist, writer, and filmmaker. Not My Bag brings together, her recent trilogy of films. In this exhibition, Al-Maria interrogates histories of colonial authority in contemporary culture. During the tour, Bozicnik will share insights into the concepts, ideas, and artworks within the exhibition as well as take time for questions and conversation.

Free |

October – November | 鈥淲ays of Knowing鈥� Podcast: Episode 4

鈥淲ays of Knowing鈥� is an eight-episode podcast connecting humanities research with current events and issues. This week’s episode is with Louisa Mackenzie, associate professor of Comparative History of Ideas at the UW, will describe how human’s view of nature has evolved over decades, from fear to appreciation.

This season features faculty from the UW College of Arts & Sciences as they explore race, immigration, history, the natural world鈥攅ven comic books. Each episode analyzes a work, or an idea, and provides additional resources for learning more.

More info

Twelve UW students and recent alumni were awarded听听scholarships this year, joining about 2,000 students and recent graduates from around the country to study and teach abroad.

The scholarship program is the largest U.S. international exchange opportunity for students to pursue graduate study, advanced research and teaching in elementary and secondary schools worldwide.

Six UW undergraduate students or recent alumni are among this year鈥檚 Fulbright Student Program recipients and plan travel to Asia, Europe, Scandinavia and Africa to take part in research and teaching assistantships. Six graduate-level students plan to travel to the Middle East, Asia, Scandinavia and the South Pacific. Four UW students were selected as alternates.

This year鈥檚 awardees who are at the UW are:

• Jessie Cox: English teaching assistantship award to South Korea
• Mia Filardi: Study award to Finland
• Auden Finch: Study award to Germany
• Jennifer Ha, UW Bothell: English teaching assistantship award to Taiwan
• Kennedy Patterson: English teaching assistantship award to Botswana
• Lillian Williamson: English teaching assistantship award to Spain

This year鈥檚 at the UW are:

• Jacob Beckert, Doctoral student, History: Research grant to Israel
• Eliyah Omar, Doctoral student, Anthropology: Research grant to Japan
• Larisa Ozeryansky, Doctoral student, Individual interdisciplinary doctoral student: Research grant to Norway
• Rachel Shi, Master’s student, Bioengineering: Research grant to Germany
• Camille Ungco, Doctoral student, Education: Research grant to the Philippines
• Nick Andrews, Doctoral student, Aeronautics & Astronautics: Research Grant to Norway

For the past several years, the UW has been named a听top producer听of Fulbright students and scholars, ranked by The Chronicle of Higher Education each February. The Fulbright program, funded by the U.S. Department of State, provides round-trip travel, health insurance, a housing stipend and visa assistance to awardees.

Read more about this year鈥檚 student winners and the projects they will pursue abroad at the Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships & Awards听听and the Graduate School鈥檚听.

天美影视传媒 alumnus Daniel Guorui Chen, Class of 2022, has been named a, one of the highest honors available to college graduates in the U.S. Chen plans to attend the University of Cambridge.

鈥淚 was so surprised when I learned I was awarded. This is such an honor,鈥� Chen, 19, said. 鈥淭he Marshall Scholarship is a great example of taking U.S. and U.K. perspectives and putting them together to work and discover and push for better health, not just for these two countries, but for the world at large.鈥�

Founded by an act of the British Parliament in 1953, the awards pay all expenses for up to three years of study at a British university of the student鈥檚 choice. Marshall scholarships finance young Americans of high ability to study for a degree in the United Kingdom. This year, 40 scholars were selected to pursue graduate study in any field at a UK institution.

Chen, a Sammamish, Wash., native, graduated with majors in informatics (data science) and microbiology. He plans to pursue a Master of Philosophy degree at Cambridge, delving deeper into biological sciences and genomic medicine. Eventually, Chen hopes to earn an M.D. and a Ph.D., to become a physician-scientist and professor conducting research while practicing in clinic.

Chen is the first UW student to achieve this honor since Havana McElvaine was selected in 2018. Prior to that, UW鈥檚 Jeffrey Eaton was selected in 2008. This year, 951 students from across the United States applied for the scholarship. Only four candidates from the San Francisco region, which includes Washington, Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Northern California and most of Nevada, were selected.

鈥淒aniel鈥檚 rigorous undergraduate scholarship on topical and complex medical issues is exemplary,鈥� said Ed Taylor, vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs. 鈥淭his recognition will provide a wonderful opportunity for Daniel, who is already dedicated to the medical sciences, to deepen and extend his scholarship.鈥�

Chen arrived at the UW when he was 14, through the Early Entrance Program. During his undergraduate career, he conducted research at UW and at some of the most prestigious research labs in the Puget Sound region, including听 the, Institute for Systems Biology and the. Chen鈥檚 research examines how and why some people contract long COVID and what鈥檚 happening at the cellular level. He also conducted single-cell research on pancreatic cancer and COVID-19 patients, and gained experience in bacterial cloning and genetic engineering while working in a medical microbiology lab.

鈥淒aniel is an amazing young scientist,鈥� said James R. Heath, president of the ISB and one of Chen鈥檚 mentors. Chen was the second author out of more than 50 on a research paper, 鈥�,鈥� published in 2020 in Cell.

Greg Hay, an assistant teaching professor in the Information School, asked Chen to be a teaching assistant after he exceled during an introductory class. Later, Hay tapped Chen to lead a project supervising both undergraduate and graduate students.

鈥淒aniel has a superpower processor,鈥� Hay said. 鈥淗is mind is always active, engaged and blasting forward at double-speed. He is fearless, focused and curious.鈥�

While in Britain, Chen plans to study with of the to acquire an understanding of the computational biology toolkit. He said he鈥檚 looking forward to immersing himself in British culture and learning from people who are different from him. He believes that a diversity of thought is what 鈥渄rives knowledge forward.鈥�

鈥淲hen we come from different backgrounds and perspectives, we can work together to chip away at the truth,鈥� Chen said. 鈥淭ogether we can figure out rich solutions.鈥�

Chen was the recipient of the Goldwater Scholarship, Mary Gates Research Scholarship, Microbiology Undergraduate Research Award and Levinson Emerging Scholar Award. He received the Microbiology Erling J. Ordal Award for best senior thesis, a Washington Research Foundation Fellowship and a Microbiology Summer Interdisciplinary Research Fellowship. In 2022, he was named to the Husky 100. Chen, who identifies as LGBTQIA+, also co-founded , a student group that promotes visibility and acceptance of neurodiversity at the UW and beyond.

For more information, contact Jackson Holtz at jjholtz@uw.edu.

The 25th annual 天美影视传媒 Undergraduate Research Symposium returns this year on May 20 with a hybrid format including both online and in-person presentations, following two years of online only events due to the COVID pandemic.

Hosted by the Undergraduate Research Program, part of Undergraduate Academic Affairs, the event is one of the largest symposia for undergraduates in the country. This research showcase covers student contributions, demonstrating the diversity of undergraduate research from scholarly to creative, crossing disciplines and addressing pressing critical issues of our time.

鈥淭he 天美影视传媒 ecosystem is on full display at the Undergraduate Research Symposium: Deep learning, mentorship, discovery, innovation, problem solving and the application of knowledge for the greater good are all articulated by students right before our eyes,鈥� said Ed Taylor, vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.

More than 700 undergraduates are expected to present their research during the day, including lightning talks online, in-person oral and poster presentations in Mary Gates Hall and visual arts and design exhibitions in Odegaard Library. More than 1,000 faculty, post-doctorate researchers, research staff and graduate student mentors will be supporting the student researchers. In 2020, in the midst of the COVID pandemic, 8,299 students worked with UW faculty research mentors devoting about 1.5 million hours, more than 6,000 years of research, across the university鈥檚 colleges, schools, departments and research centers.

The event is scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Taylor and UW Provost Mark Richards are scheduled to speak at an in-person welcome at 11:00 a.m. in Mary Gates Hall. For more information and a detailed schedule, click here.

For a time unlike any before, the 天美影视传媒 has developed 鈥�2020: The Course,鈥� a new online class for UW students that helps contextualize this year鈥檚 extraordinary events and societal upheaval. 鈥�2020: The Course鈥� gives students an opportunity to hear from UW professors and special guests who will discuss the COVID-19 pandemic, race in the United States, the state of the environment, the economic recession, civic participation, citizenship and this election season and outcomes.

This course, much of which is now available to the public, probes what national thought leaders are doing to meet the imperatives of this particular moment through their research, scholarship and service.

Among the featured speakers are UW President Ana Mari Cauce; UW Provost Mark Richards; Hillary Godwin, dean of the UW School of Public Health; Bob Stacey, dean of the UW College of Arts & Sciences; UW sociology professor Alexes Harris; UW history professor Margaret O鈥橫ara; and writer and UW English professor Shawn Wong. A complete list of the invited experts is here.

鈥�2020 has been a year like no other. It will be a year that will be remembered for the ways in which our university, nation, communities and world have been impacted,鈥� said Ed Taylor, vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs and lead instructor for the course. 鈥淲e must also look at 2020 as a year in which we contributed to the betterment of our world and society.鈥�

About 600 UW students, including from UW Bothell and UW Tacoma and including both undergraduate and graduate students, are engaging听with听a series of talks, lectures and conversations with scholars听representing colleges and schools听across all three UW campuses. Students听are also documenting听their听own experiences in such a way that a time capsule can be created for future generations of UW teachers and learners.

Taylor noted that being a student at the UW means being invited into the spheres of ideas and lines of inquiry to which UW鈥檚 teachers and researchers dedicate their lives听鈥� and continuously听bringing clarity of thought to the following questions:

• How do听we听know what听we听know?
• How do听we听know what听we听don鈥檛听know?
• How do听we听decide听what鈥檚听important to learn?

This听educational听vision听and these questions are听expressed throughout the UW鈥檚 curriculum, but听most often听in implicit ways, Taylor said. The purpose of this course is to animate this vision more explicitly through the presentation of and engagement with听researchers and teachers whose work is听meeting the moment 鈥� namely, 2020.

鈥淗ow shall this moment be remembered?鈥� asked UW Information School professor Joseph Janes, one of the nearly 20 public scholars presenting during the course. Janes, known for his podcast, 鈥�,鈥� came up with the idea to include a time capsule.

The time capsule will consist of contributions from students and faculty, including a poem by Wong, and others associated with 鈥�2020: The听Course.鈥� The capsule will be sealed and stored for safekeeping at UW Libraries, to be opened again听in 20 years in partnership with the UW Alumni Association.

鈥�2020 will be a year we will never forget, yet we will not be eager to remember,鈥� said Janes. 鈥淏y creating a time capsule, students will be part of creating an indelible legacy, recalling this remarkable year.鈥�

The course began asynchronously on Sept. 30 and continues until the end of the quarter in mid-December. Videos of the lectures will be made available here听, and typically will contain three parts: an introduction, a lecture and then follow-on conversation between Taylor and the other scholar.

For more information, contact Victor Balta, balta@uw.edu.