Hundreds of students, faculty and community members gathered at the annual Spring CELEbration to learn about how students鈥� work in community engagement, leadership and activism affected their academic experience and impacted the broader community.
Category: Features
Typically longer in length and relevancy than content in the news category. Features content is more likely to be republished over time.
AI, library checkouts, biodiversity and music: A glimpse at 2026 Research Symposium presenters
With more than 1,700 presentations across more than 220 majors, this year鈥檚 Symposium was the largest in the event鈥檚 29 years.
Symposium 2026: Forgotten instruments
The idea for Juan Posada Abal鈥檚 research project came from a trip to the basement of the School of Music.聽There, he saw the more than 400 instruments that the Ethnomusicology Instrument Collection had amassed over the years.
Three UW students honored for environmental, tribal relations work
Anouk-Belle Janess, Lorenzo McCleese and Jaycee Williford are among 65 students named 2026 Udall Undergraduate Scholars across the country. This year鈥檚 Udall Scholars major in marine biology, American Indian studies, aquatic conservation and ecology, and environmental science and informatics. They research how climate change is affecting coastal communities and habitats, and how to better work with Indigenous communities affected by the changing climate.
Student research in science, arts, humanities and more on display at 29th annual Research Symposium
The 29th Undergraduate Research Symposium is an opportunity for students and the broader community to celebrate their work and get experience presenting research to their peers, faculty, friends and the community.
UW neuroscience student recognized as 2026 Truman Scholar
Adelina Grace Sudarman, a junior majoring in neuroscience with minors in Indonesian and global health, is one of 55 Truman Scholars selected across the nation. Each year, the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation recognizes students who excel in leadership, civic engagement and academics. Sudarman is the 天美影视传媒鈥檚 21st Truman Scholar since the program began in 1975.聽
Four UW juniors honored for work in science and mathematics with Goldwater Scholarship
Four UW students received Goldwater Scholarships this year, highlighting their work in environmental science, bioengineering and neuroscience. The award is another recognition of the University鈥檚 commitment to undergraduate excellence and research.
鈥淭he Power of the River鈥� is not Ed Taylor鈥檚 first book, but it is a first for him
Ed Taylor, vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs, professor in the College of Education, academic author, scholar, board member of several international and community-based organizations and former college basketball player, will soon add memoirist to his long list of accomplishments. His memoir, 鈥淭he Power of the River,鈥� will be released by Seattle-based on April 21.
Taylor has been part of the 天美影视传媒 community since his days as a graduate student more than 30 years ago. In 鈥淭he Power of the River,鈥� readers learn about his journey from a childhood marked by loss in Lompoc, California, to his rise as an educator, scholar and leader. Along the way, he invites readers into a story grounded in community, shaped by pivotal relationships and sustained by a search for meaning in the face of adversity.
In 鈥淭he Power of the River,鈥� Taylor writes in a way that is self-reflective and personal yet expansive and universal at the same time. It is a story about what it means to belong, to be guided and to grow. Through moments of doubt and determination, from navigating the pressures placed on young Black men in collegiate athletics at Gonzaga University to finding purpose in higher education, Taylor offers readers a deeply human story about becoming. His examination of mentorship, community, education and growth offer points of connection that can open pathways forward.
At a time when higher education is under fire, Taylor鈥檚 story demonstrates the purpose and potential universities can have in individuals鈥� lives and in the lives of our communities.
Several public events are scheduled to celebrate Taylor鈥檚 book.
Public events
Book Launch Celebration at the
April 29, 2026 // 7:00 p.m.
In conversation with Reggie Brown.
May 7, 2026 // 7:00 p.m.
Q&A with Taylor to follow his book talk.
May 22, 2026 // 7:00 p.m.
In conversation with Enrique Cerna.
June 2, 2026 // 6:00 p.m.
In conversation with Colleen Echohawk.
CELE Center a leading partner in national recognition for community engagement
The UW recently earned again the Carnegie Foundation鈥檚 designation of being a community-engaged campus. As a longtime leader in community engagement work, Undergraduate Academic Affairs is proud to be an integral part of this recognition. The Community Engagement & Leadership Education (CELE) Center, housed within UAA, is a primary coordinator at the UW for community-engaged learning, partnership development and student civic leadership. The Center鈥檚 broad work enabling student involvement in community engagement across campus was pivotal in achieving the Carnegie re-classification.
Celebrating the 2024鈥�25 Undergraduate Medalists
From the thousands of undergraduate students at the 天美影视传媒, three are selected each year for the prestigious聽Undergraduate Medalist Award. Kaytlin Rose Vanderhorst, Carilyn Brandt and Luna Crone-Bar贸n are the medalists for 2024鈥�25, selected by a committee for their high GPAs, rigor of classes and number of Honors courses.