News from School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences
Category: Policy Studies
Melanie Malone’s work highlighted as part of UW’s Urban Environmental Justice Initiative
With a background in soil science and geology, Melanie Malone positions her work in the space of Critical Physical Geography, a theoretical framework that connects biophysical sciences to social sciences and spatial analysis. In her teaching and research, Malone’s technical experience in the environmental remediation of industrial and Superfund sites merges with a consideration of social justice and equity. She emphasizes that issues like racism and sexism are environmental problems, yet ...
February 3, 2020
Megan Dunn is elected to Snohomish County Council
Congratulations to Megan Dunn, who was elected to Snohomish County Council in November! The M.A. in Policy Studies alum will represent District 2, which includes Everett, Mukilteo, and Tulalip. An experienced community leader, Dunn is ...
December 19, 2019
Zarefah Baroud creates documentary “Stories from the Homeland”
Telling the story of her own family, Zarefah Baroud created a documentary film about the displacement of Palestinians, an event they refer to as the Nakba - Arabic for “catastrophe.” Baroud undertook this endeavor as her undergraduate capstone project while studying Media & Communication Studies (’19) at UW Bothell.
November 19, 2019
Shibuki Hanai discusses his Public Management Fellowship with City of Hillsboro
IAS alum Shibuki Hanai (‘14, ’18) has been serving as a Public Management Fellow for the City of Hillsboro, Oregon since July. This fellowship is designed for emerging leaders with a strong commitment to public service and provides a breadth of experience in local government. Hanai talked with IAS News about his motivations to seek the fellowship and how his interdisciplinary education prepared him for this experience.
October 31, 2019
Melanie Malone publishes article on failed implementations of no-till agriculture techniques
IAS faculty member Melanie Malone published an article in Progress in Physical Geography. "A physical and social analysis of how variations in no-till conservation practices lead to inaccurate sediment runoff estimations in agricultural watersheds" examines the social and physical complexities behind failed implementations of no-till agriculture techniques. The article emphasizes the need to ...
September 19, 2019
Margaret Redsteer receives 2018 Eugene Shoemaker Science Communication Award
IAS faculty member Margaret Redsteer received the 2018 Eugene Shoemaker Science Communication Award. The award from the U.S. Geological Survey recognizes Redsteer’s important contributions to collaborative studies that combine conventional physical sciences and tribal elder observations to show that local knowledge and conventional science partnerships can effectively ...
June 5, 2019
Charlie Collins co-authors top-cited paper in Journal of Urban Affairs
IAS faculty member Charlie Collins co-authored the top-cited paper in the Journal of Urban Affairs in 2018: “Transforming social cohesion into informal social control: Deconstructing collective efficacy and the moderating role of neighborhood racial homogeneity.” Drawing on collective efficacy and social disorganization theories, the article found a positive relationship between social cohesion ...
May 2, 2019
Amber Shirk recognized as one of Tacoma’s top volunteers
Alum Amber (Monson) Shirk has always been involved in her community, but her engagement has only deepened since graduating from the M.A in Policy Studies (MAPS) program in 2017. This June, Shirk will receive a City of Destiny Award from Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards and the City Council for her contributions to the city’s economic development. Shirk is Digital Marketing Chair for Tacoma Waterfront Association, Event Coordinator for Friends of the Foss’s annual Free Summer Concert Festival Series, and ...
April 22, 2019
Alumni receive Fulbright awards to Estonia and Namibia
Hana Bloedel has been selected for a U.S. Student Fulbright grant to Estonia, where she will serve as an English Teaching Assistant. Hana completed her B.A. in Global Studies and Society, Ethics & Human Behavior, with a minor in Human Rights, in June 2018. Mariah Crystal (formerly Ortiz) has been granted a Fulbright award to conduct research in Namibia during the 2019-2020 academic year. She will be analyzing the oral history narratives of Namibian women who contributed the anti-apartheid movement and ...
April 5, 2019
Ted Hiebert and Jin-Kyu Jung: At the intersection of art and geography
As IAS faculty members, Ted Hiebert and Jin-Kyu Jung have been colleagues for a long time. But they seldom had occasion to talk until they found themselves commuting on the same bus. Those commuter conversations a few years ago led to a creative collaboration of researchers from two different fields. Recently, Jung and Hiebert received a UW Royalty Research Fund (RRF) Scholar award for nearly $39,000 for a research project called “Imagining the Details: Creative-Critical Engagement of Mapping and Imagining.”
March 7, 2019