October 21, 2004
Etc.
PARALYMPIC PRESS: The UW was well represented in the Paralympics games last month in Athens. Not only were Mike Peters, a lecturer in the Department of Communication, and Jason Slemons, a graduate student in applied mathematics on the soccer team, but Taso Lagos, a graduate student in communication, was there volunteering in the Main Press Centre (yes, they used British spelling).
Lagos was born in Greece but came to the United States at the age of 8. He returned to his native land for dissertation research and worked at the Olympics while he was there. Once inside “Olympic World,” he decided to stay and volunteer at the Paralympics as well. “It was amazing to see these men and women, limbs missing, with prostheses, throwing, or running, or swimming, or kicking a soccer ball,” he said of the experience. “It seems to me that the true spirit of the Olympic Games are in the Paralympics.”
And there was a UW reunion of sorts as Lagos interviewed Peters as part of his duties. Unfortunately, the U.S. soccer team didn’t make it past the preliminary round in the competition, but as in the Olympics, it’s an honor just to be there.
INNOVATIVE EDUCATORS: Two UW professors are among 39 educators around the country named Education Fellows in the Life Sciences by the National Academies of Science. Clarissa Dirks, Howard Hughes Programs in Science coordinator; and Barbara Wakimoto, professor of biology, earned the honor after attending an NAS summer institute aimed at fostering innovative approaches to teaching undergraduate biology. Teams were chosen to attend the institute based on their ideas for enhancing undergraduate biology education and a commitment by their universities to support teaching innovations. The institute grew out of a recommendation in an NAS report issued last year, which called for changes in the way college students are taught biology.
CLINICAL ACHIEVEMENT: Lesley Olswang, professor and associate chair of the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, received the Clinical Achievement Award from the Washington Speech and Hearing Association. The award is given to a member of the association who demonstrates advancement of knowledge in clinical practices as evidenced by significant accomplishment within the last three years in clinical service in speech-language pathology or audiology. As state winner, Olswang will be a nominee for the DiCarlo Award, which is granted by the American Speech & Hearing Foundation.
TEACHING TECHNOLOGY: The UW’s Catalyst, an integrated collection of resources, training, tools, templates, and support to help educators make effective use of technology in teaching, was among more than 40 of the best and most innovative K-12 and higher education Web sites and online applications honored by the Center for Digital Education recently. Catalyst was cited in the Teacher-Focused Application — Higher Education category of the Digital Education Achievement Awards program. The Center for Digital Education is a national research and advisory institute on K-12 and Higher Education technology.
Do you know someone who deserves kudos for an outstanding achievement, award, appointment or book publication? If so, send that person’s name, title and achievement to uweek@u.washington.edu.
