November 13, 2008
Etc.: Campus news & notes
UNDER THEIR INFLUENCE: When Seattle Magazine‘s staffers decided to create a list of the 25 Most Influential People of the Year, they included four members of the UW community. “We looked at the year’s local headlines — and behind them — to ferret out the people who are changing the landscape and driving conversations in Seattle and the greater Puget Sound region,” they wrote. Their picks:
- Under the heading “climate” was Philip Mote, UW research scientist and Washington state climatologist. “It’s his weekly (or more often) informative and entertaining presentations on [global warming] to a variety of audiences that have spread his influence in this arena and given him the honorary title of Al Gore of the Pacific Northwest,” the magazine said.
- Under “technology” is Oren Etzioni, director of the UW’s Turing Center. The magazine called him “a pioneer in the area of ‘Web 3.0,’ which he sees as an era when computer sophistication can help people make better use of the vast body of information on the Web.”
- Under “science” was Yoky Matsuoka, associate professor of Computer Science & Engineering. “Her research is hailed as a tour de force in the emerging field of neurobotics, and she hopes it will soon lead to building assistive devices and rehabilitative tools to help the disabled,” the magazine said.
- And finally, under “fundraising” was Connie Kravas, president of the UW Foundation and vice president for University Advancement. The magazine said, “When the campaign [Creating Futures] closed on June 30, a whopping $2.68 billion had been raised (benefiting new student and faculty endowments, and new buildings) due in large part to Kravas’ dynamic leadership and transparent approach to fundraising.”
CREATIVE COURSEWARE: The 2008 Premier Award for Excellence in Engineering Education Courseware was awarded to Richard Anderson, professor of computer science; Ruth Anderson, who also teaches computer science; and Natalie Linnell and Craig Prince, both doctoral students who work with Anderson, for Classroom Presenter. Classroom Presenter is a Tablet PC-based interaction system that supports the sharing of digital ink on slides between instructors and students. The Premier Award competition, hosted by the NEEDS/Engineering Pathway (the engineering education division of the National Science Digital Library), honors “high-quality, non-commercial courseware designed to enhance engineering education.”
CULTURAL COMMUNICATION: Communication Professor Gerry Philipsen will deliver the Carroll C. Arnold Distinguished Lecture, Coming to Terms with Culture, at the annual meeting of the National Communication Association this month in San Diego. The association is the largest, and the longest continuing, association of scholars of communication. Each year one member of the 7,000-member association is invited to give the Arnold lecture as the featured presentation of the annual meeting.
WILDLIFE HONOR: Richard Taber, professor emeritus of forest resources, has received the Aldo Leopold Memorial Award. The highest honor bestowed by the Wildlife Society, it is a lifetime achievement award given to those whose careers have made a difference to the cause of wildlife conservation. Taber, who actually worked with Aldo Leopold as a graduate student, taught at the UW from 1968 until his retirement in 1985. The author of more than 90 papers, he has been consulted on international wildlife issues in Pakistan, Chile, and Eastern Europe. With Neil Payne, he wrote a book called Wildlife, Conservation and Human Welfare: A United States and Canadian Perspective, a work that looks at the continuing evolution of the relationship between people and wild creatures.
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.
