October 11, 2007
ETC.: Campus news & notes
STAR EDUCATOR: Tom Griffin, editor of Columns, the UW alumni magazine, was named a “Faculty Star” by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. Griffin was a faculty member for CASE’s Summer Institute in Communications and Marketing. The star designation goes to faculty who scored 4.5 or better on a 5.0 scale in student evaluations.
POETIC PEARLS: Columns Associate Editor Eric McHenry was one of five finalists in the 2007 Washington State Book Awards poetry category for his first published book of poetry, Potscrubber Lullabies. A book award is given based on the strength of the publication’s literary merit, lasting importance and overall quality. UW alumna Tess Gallagher was also a finalist.
COMMUNICATION CHAMPS: The Communications Department at the UW will induct six new members into its Alumni Hall of Fame on Oct. 25. They are David Boardman, executive editor, The Seattle Times, MA, 1983; Peter Clarke, professor of preventive medicine and communication at the University of Southern California, BA, 1958; Frank Garred, publisher and community newspaper leader, BA, 1958; Bryan Monroe, vice president and editorial director of Ebony and Jet magazines, BA, 1987; Mike Peringer, vice president of marketing/sales for Process Heating Co. and founder of the Sodo Business Association, BA, 1957; and Dolores Sibonga, a 12-year member of the Seattle City Council and the first Filipina-American lawyer in Washington State, BA, 1952;
SERVING GALLAUDET: Richard Ladner, Boeing professor in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering, has been named a board member of Gallaudet University, the country’s only university for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Since 1994, as part of the DO-IT Project, Ladner has held a summer workshop for high school students with disabilities, encouraging them to pursue college programs and careers in science, mathematics and engineering. He is fluent in American Sign Language and a former visiting faculty member at Gallaudet University. Ladner’s parents and sister are Gallaudet alumni. He has made efforts to help the UW become more welcoming to deaf students, faculty and staff, and succeeded in having the University offer its first American Sign Language classes this fall. Ladner holds adjunct appointments in the Department of Electrical Engineering and in the Department of Linguistics.
PRINT CONTROVERSY: Nuclear Waste Stalemate: Political and Scientific Controversies is the title of a book recently published by Robert Vandenbosch, an emeritus professor of chemistry; and Susanne Vandenbosch, who earned her doctorate in political science at the University. The book examines the complex political, legal, and scientific issues relating to the disposal of nuclear waste. It is published by the University of Utah Press.
PLANT FELLOW: Robert Cleland, professor emeritus of biology, is among 53 scholars chosen as inaugural Fellows of the American Society of Plant Biologists. The award is given to recognize “distinguished and long-term contributions to plant biology and service to the society by current members in areas that include research, education, mentoring, outreach and professional and public service.”
DIRECTOR IN SPACE: Jeffrey A. Simmen, director of the Applied Physics Laboratory, has been elected to the Board of Directors for the National Space Biomedical Research Institute. The institute, funded by NASA, is a consortium of institutions — including the UW — studying the health risks related to long-duration space flight and developing countermeasures to mitigate the risks.
