The 45-credit program, launching in fall 2016, will be offered at the UW Seattle campus, with full- and part-time options available in the evening to suit the schedules of working professionals.

Top faculty from the UW Departments of Applied Mathematics, Biostatistics, Computer Science & Engineering, Human Centered Design & Engineering, Statistics and the Information School have joined forces with the UW eScience Institute to develop this professional master鈥檚 program to address the pressing demand for skilled data scientists.

鈥淭his new master鈥檚 program was designed not only by six leading UW departments, but also with direct input from top data science hiring managers in Seattle and nationwide,鈥� said , associate director and senior data science fellow at the UW eScience Institute and chair of the UW Data Science Master鈥檚 Development Committee. 鈥淭he level of technical expertise from both industry and academia that went into designing this program makes it unique in the country.”

The new program combines practically focused and technically rigorous training in statistical modeling, machine learning, software engineering, data management, data visualization and user interface design. 鈥淭he 天美影视传媒鈥檚 new master鈥檚 program provides the breadth and depth in data science that today鈥檚 employers demand,鈥� said , Amazon Professor of Machine Learning in Computer Science & Engineering at the UW and CEO of Dato, Inc.

鈥淎t Amazon Web Services, the exploding scale and complexity of data has meant that a new set of specialists is suddenly in great demand,鈥� said Roger Barga, general manager of Amazon Web Services Kinesis service.聽鈥淭eams at both AWS and at the companies that rely on AWS are aggressively hiring analysts and engineers with graduate training in data science methods, systems and algorithms.鈥�

A similar perspective is shared by Kristin Tolle, director of the Data Science Initiative at Microsoft Research: 鈥淎t Microsoft Research, we are committed to advancing research, services, and technology for data science at all levels. The 天美影视传媒鈥檚 new Master of Science in Data Science program helps address a critical educational need which in turn helps Microsoft and our customers find well-rounded data science talent.鈥�

The acute need for multifaceted data scientists was also cited in a report by : 鈥淏y 2018, the United States alone could face a shortage of 140,000 to 190,000 people with deep analytical skills as well as 1.5 million managers and analysts with the know-how to use the analysis of big data to make effective decisions.”

Pushing forward in the field of big data, the UW was recently selected by the National Science Foundation, along with the University of California, San Diego, and the University of California, Berkeley, to in the U.S. to catalyze collaborations that drive innovative application of data science.

鈥淯W has elite programs 鈥� among the best in the nation 鈥� in the core fields on which data science relies,鈥� said , Bill & Melinda Gates chair for the UW Department of Computer Science & Engineering and founding director and senior data science fellow at the UW eScience Institute. 鈥淭his new professional master鈥檚 program builds on the UW鈥檚 leadership in data science research and education and solidifies the position of Seattle and the Pacific Northwest as a national hub for professional data scientists.鈥�

Admissions communications for the new Master of Science in Data Science program will be managed by UW Professional and Continuing Education, which also runs the popular , a 9-month professional program offered year-round in Seattle, Bellevue and online.

For program inquiries, visit or email info@pce.uw.edu.

For press inquiries, contact Jo Gubas at jgubas@pce.uw.edu.

These 49 Huskies from eight states are part of the inaugural group of students in the UW’s first online bachelor’s degree completion program. in spring 2013, the degree is meant to prepare people for working in child care centers, preschools and other early education services. (The university has since announced a second online bachelor’s completion degree, in .)

University administrators hope the online bachelor’s degree completion programs will provide greater access to higher education to students who need a flexible approach to pursuing their education.

UW’s Early Childhood and Family Studies program is offered by the with support from .

“With this program we have reconciled a long-standing issue of a split of knowledge and practice in the field of early childhood teacher preparation. We hope the degree helps address the in early education,” said , director of the online program and an associate professor of educational psychology in the UW .

“Although I have never met one of them in person, I can honestly say that I am getting to know these online students so much better than I thought I would,” Joseph added.

The first cohort of students 鈥� 48 women and one man 鈥� hail from all over the country: Virginia, North Carolina, Texas, Colorado, California, Oregon, Hawaii and Washington.

Linked virtually to campus, one may wonder about the lives of these students. Why did they decide to pursue the degree, what do they think about learning online, and how do they fit the program around their other responsibilities?

Jeni Zaffram, 35, has been taking college classes in early education since 2005 and runs a licensed child care business from her home in Sultan, Wash. She began Kiddie Depot 13 years ago so she could be at home to raise her children 鈥� she has a 14-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter. “I felt like I could make a difference, and I always knew I would work with children,” she said.

Her 12-hour days start early so she can work on classwork before parents start dropping off their kids 鈥� Zaffram has two enrolled full-time and the rest part-time. She wedges in more homework in the evenings and weekends.

“I see it, learn it, and do it,” Zaffram said of how she integrates what she’s learning from the UW online program with her job. “I am able to use what I am learning immediately.”

The Zaffram takes as part of UW’s early education degree are taught online by . Students set their own pace by completing assignments on their own schedules, and choosing either full-time or part-time enrollment.

All the coursework is online, delivered through materials such as instructor videos, readings, narrated PowerPoint presentations and resource videos. They submit assignments 鈥� papers, presentations, videos 鈥� online, and students participate in online discussion forums as part of their grade.

In one type of assignment, students film themselves demonstrating what they’ve learned, such as following a child’s lead, positive reinforcement of behavior and teaching new words. They use the program “Coaching Companion” to upload and discuss the videos online with their teacher and other students.

Zaffram said the videos allow her to “see the big picture and find out what I miss during the moment.”

Another student, Anita McHarg, 60, had a similar view. “The videotaping we do with specific goals to cover has been a real eye-opener for interacting with children and seeing what I miss and how I sound,” said McHarg, who is the lead teacher in the toddler room at the Shyne School in Woodinville, Wash.

“Each class offers new information that I am able to incorporate into what I already know and do,” McHarg added. “Quite a lot of what we are learning I do already, it just needs some tweaking like rearranging an area of the class, adding in a small-group activity each day and reading stories with a focus on novel words.”

During breaks at work and on weekends, McHarg works on the early education degree. “It can feel overwhelming at times, but I love learning and this is my passion. I feel focused and energized by it 鈥� most of the time,” she said.

Miho Wright, director of St. Mike’s Tikes Early Learning Center in Olympia, Wash., was excited to enroll in the UW program because it lets her finish her degree online while still working. “Online courses may sound as if we are just learning through the computer screen,” she said. “But the program requires many service-learning hours working directly with children, which I think is crucial for our success as students.”

Her child care center is currently in the rating process through Washington State . Since the UW program is designed to align with state quality standards for early education, “I can share new information and knowledge I gain through this program with the staff members in my center,” Wright said.

All three students are using the degree to improve their careers. Zaffram, for instance, wants to improve her work-life balance by not having a daycare center in her home. “I feel that a degree will help get me a position that I will be proud of that includes working with children. Without a degree, finding a position of teaching is difficult to come by,” she said.

McHarg hopes to have new opportunities, such as working with adults or in public school and pursuing roles in school administration. And Wright hopes the degree will improve her ability to support children and their families.

“Working with young children and families is one of the most important fields in society,” Wright said. “Life experiences during the early years make such a great impact not only on the person, but also on society.”

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This is the second online-only bachelor’s degree completion program to be offered by the UW, following the degree last spring.

The program is intended to provide a flexible, lower-cost option for individuals who want to finish their degrees online without coming to campus.

“In this way, it promises to open university access to large numbers of students who have previously found it impossible to complete a bachelor’s degree,” said , the inaugural director of the program.

In Washington state, for example, nearly 1 million people 鈥� 21 percent of the state population 鈥� have two or more years of college behind them but have yet to finish a bachelor’s degree, according to surveys.

The curriculum will be taught by regular UW faculty. It will include popular upper level courses from across all the comprising social sciences at UW, Sparke said.

“Our curriculum will provide a broad-based interdisciplinary education designed to give students the skills and knowledge they need to survive and thrive as citizens of a complex globalized world,” Sparke said.

“Students will also compile an electronic portfolio designed to both plan a personalized pathway to completing a bachelor’s and to curate a library of their best work that can subsequently be used to showcase achievements to employers and graduate schools,” he added.

The program costs $199 per credit 鈥� just under $9,000 per year for full-time study for residents of Washington state. Nonresidents will pay 10 percent more, about $219 per credit. None of the students will have to pay for the costs of living on campus, and no state funds will be used to support the program.

“This is a way of expanding UW access to students who are time- and place-bound, whose family or work commitments make it impossible for them to come to campus,” said , UW president. “It is a way for them to finish their degrees and move ahead in life.”

Increasing access to UW resources is central to the university’s mission, Young said. “By adding online degree completion programs at a lower cost, we’re offering more opportunities for students to earn and benefit from a UW degree.”

The new program is not a MOOC 鈥� Massive Open Online Courses 鈥� which usually don’t offer course credit or a degree or very much in the way of student support, and which also tend to have high student attrition.

Rather, UW’s Integrated Social Sciences program has been designed with student degree-completion as the focus.

“This is about helping students complete their bachelor’s degrees,” Sparke said. “And that means offering supportive online mentoring that really gets them to the finish line. We want our students to feel personal success and pride in finishing college as Huskies, with all the distinction that a UW degree represents.”

The program will probably take most full-time students about two years to finish, though they could take longer if they are enrolled part-time.

include:

• A series of traditional courses taught by UW professors, in subjects such as communication, economics, political science, geography, international studies and American ethnic studies.
• Four core courses including an introductory course “Social Science Theory in Context.”
• A digital capstone project, or , consisting of learning plans, articles, self-reflection essays, maps, diagrams, and other materials that document students’ achievements.
• Participation in online advisory groups consisting of about 25 other students.

The advisory groups are intended to simulate on-campus experiences. “This is key for the degree: how to create community when students are only interacting online,” Sparke said. “A lot of learning that happens on campus occurs outside of class 鈥� in the student union building or quad 鈥� we needed to recreate this online.聽 And by doing so we also want to teach some of the online communication and self-presentation skills that graduates need for the 21^st-century workplace.”

Students will be eligible to if they’ve earned 75 transferable college credits. Admission will be competitive and separate from other UW degree programs. Applications are now being accepted for the first student cohort, which will enroll in September 2014.

“I applaud the university for developing and launching this second online degree completion program,” said Rep. .聽“If we are going to meet the educational needs of our state and grow our economy, it is critical that we offer innovative approaches to聽educate an聽increasingly diverse population of students. This degree offers an affordable, high-quality聽bachelor’s degree option for the聽nearly 1 million people with some college but no bachelor’s degree. I hope those who have dreamed of completing their college education will see this as an opportunity to take the next step in聽reaching their goals.”

The degree will be offered by the with the support of .

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For more information about the design of the degree contact Sparke at sparke@uw.edu, and for questions about entry requirements contact Mel Wensel, the director of student services and advising at wensel@uw.edu.

Can a book be a sculpture? Sure 鈥� at , it’s all part of the creative process.

Each summer, offers creative approaches to art and science for students from elementary through high school. Classes range from computer game programming, animation and robots to screenwriting, architecture and even studying ancient civilizations and the science of earthquakes.

But in a Loew Hall classroom on Friday, July 19, the focus was on book arts as a two-week class called ended with a round of games and fun.

The course, taught by Alisha Dall’Osto, introduced young learners to several types of book design and binding and ended with students making old tomes into art with the help of papier-m芒ch茅 and imagination.

The results of their literary art exploration lined a table along one wall. There, under a hand-printed sign reading “Welcome to the UW Book Arts Gallery,” sat books looking transformed: One seemed to have sprouted arms and another bore flowers on long stems looking ready to wave around. The pages on other books had been cut and crisply fanned. One bore a meticulously carved scene of a miner hard at work with a pickaxe.

, an artist herself, said it was a pleasure to work with the students for so much uninterrupted time 鈥� three hours — each day, compared to the single hour a school-year art class usually allows.

“I think we did really advanced-level work,” she said. “They really rose to the occasion.”

UW Summer Youth Programs classes continue through mid-August.

marked its 100^th birthday in grand style today (June 10) with the announcement of a glass sculpture from a UW alumnus who is also among the biggest names in art: .

“Deep Purple and Azure Centennial Seaform Set,” is a clamshell-like glass piece about 30 inches wide that now resides on the top floor of the UW Tower. The piece cradles smaller trumpets, globes and other shapes.

The piece, from his Seaform series, is the third by Chihuly currently at the UW. The other two are “Six Starbursts,” an anemone wall in the Meany Hall West Lobby and “Chinook Red Chandelier” at the UW Tacoma Library Tower.

UW President Michael Young and the artist were both present Monday at a small ceremony at the UW Tower noting the long-term loan of the piece to the university. In appreciation, Young presented Chihuly with a bottle of wine made by the Woodinville winery Matthews Estate, which is operated by UW alumni.

鈥淒ale is a celebrated alumnus and a great friend to the 天美影视传媒. He has been named one of the university鈥檚 Top 100 Alumni. He has inspired exciting new avenues of art and education through his innovative work and the Dale Chihuly Endowed Chair in the College of Arts and Sciences,” Young said. 鈥淗is support and a growing collection of his visionary pieces are a cornerstone of the UW’s legacy in the arts. It鈥檚 a tremendous honor and privilege to showcase his extraordinary work.”

David Szatmary, vice provost for UW Educational Outreach, which includes Professional and Continuing Education, noted that the department increases access to the UW for nearly 47,000 additional students every year, plus thousands more served through open online courses.

鈥淧roviding ongoing education for students of diverse ages, stages and walks of life has been a key part of the UW mission for 100 years,” Szatmary said, adding that the artwork “is a fitting tribute to the thousands of students, faculty members, instructors, dedicated staff and campus and community partners who exemplify the very best in lifelong learning.”

Chihuly earned his undergraduate degree in art from the UW in 1965. Other UW awards have followed: He received the UW Alumnus Summa Laude Dignatus Award in 1993 and the UW College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1996. He was also among the recipients of the College of Arts and Sciences Timeless Awards during the 150^th year celebrations in 2012.

“This is a very exciting development in the use of technology to meet critical educational needs that otherwise might be difficult to do in a more traditional educational setting,” said UW President Michael K. Young. “The country is moving towards better education, training 鈥� and certification 鈥� for the teachers of our youngest students. This is an optimal way to ensure they have access to high quality education in a place and at a cost that makes sense for them. We will be doing more of this.”

The , which is the first online-only bachelor’s completion program to be offered by the UW, will prepare individuals to work in child care, preschools, social and mental health services, parent and family support, and arts organizations.

“This work will train the next generation of professionals who are closing the achievement gap,” said , dean of the . “There is a national crisis in early childhood education and this program will help solve that problem by being responsive through curriculum based on equity and justice.”

Traditional degree programs can be obstacles for early care and education workers who work long hours and must commute to on-campus classes.

The UW online degree costs $160 per credit 鈥� which is about equivalent to $7,000 for a year of full-time study 鈥� regardless of where students live.

“Offering the Early Childhood and Family Studies degree online addresses these barriers, and the low cost will allow the program to be affordable to early learning providers,” said , an associate professor of educational psychology and early childhood and family studies in the .

“There’s a substantial need for affordable, flexible degree completion programs in the early education field,” said Joseph, who helped design the new online degree.

The UW program is intended to provide a convenient way for practicing professionals to fulfill federal and state requirements for bachelor’s degrees, and is expected to help fill a national growing demand for preschool teachers.

The program will be administered by , which received a Next Generation Learning Challenges grant partially funded by the Gates Foundation, to help offset costs of developing the degree. The grant includes offering several core classes in early childhood education free to the public, as Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) on the Coursera platform.

The projects a 25 percent growth from 2010 to 2020 in the employment of preschool teachers, due to a continued focus on the importance of early childhood education and the growing population of children between the ages of 3 and 5.

Head Start requires 50 percent of its teachers to earn bachelor’s degrees, while other national and state programs use teachers’ degrees to gauge the quality of their early education services.

The program is designed for students who have completed a two-year associate’s degree, or started college and then discontinued their studies. Eligible students will have earned 70 eligible transfer credits at the UW or elsewhere.

Admission preference will be given to Washington state residents and to students with previous credits from the UW. The university will start accepting applications in early May. UW administrators expect that many of the students will be working full-time in an early childhood setting and will pursue the online program part-time.

Transfer credit will also be offered to students who have attended community college but have not earned an associate’s degree. This option may be available through special arrangements with several community colleges, including Shoreline Community College and the Seattle Community Colleges – North, South and Seattle Central.

鈥淲e applaud the university for taking this bold new step in online education,鈥� said Seattle Community Colleges Chancellor Jill Wakefield. 鈥淚t clearly is designed to meet a growing need and to offer a pathway for community college students with an interest in early childhood education to fulfill their goals through an affordable online program. It鈥檚 terrific.”

“In Washington state, there are over 900,000 adults with some college and no degree,” said Rep. Reuven Carlyle.”If we’re going to meet the needs of our state’s economy and provide upward mobility for our citizens, we have to provide affordable, accessible, and high-quality educational opportunities to this critical population. This affordable, online degree option demonstrates the UW is willing to step up to this challenge. This is a great first step, and I hope they develop more.”

The program is self-sustaining and does not use state funds.

All courses will be taught by the university’s regular faculty with support from the UW鈥檚 staff, who have been providing online courses, certificates and degrees for more than a decade. Also, mentors will help students complete the program by providing assistance with course selections, academic progress, tech support and other concerns.

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聽For more information, contact Stritikus at 206-616-7854 or tstrit@uw.edu, Joseph at 206-685-7469 or gjoseph@uw.edu.