News from the School of IAS

Category: Alumni

Alums produce video of anti-racist poetry performance

Alums Quinn Russell Brown (’13, Society, Ethics & Human Behavior) and Aaron Middleton (‘13, Media & Communication Studies) produced a short video of local artist Troy Osaki’s poetry performance, “Year of the Dragon,” a homage to martial arts legend Bruce Lee and his struggle against racism. When Brown first heard Osaki recite the poem at a fundraiser months earlier, he was deeply moved and approached Osaki about creating a video. Brown then ...

December 5, 2016

Community-Engaged work of Nafasi Ferrell featured in UW Bothell’s annual report

UW Bothell’s 2015-2016 annual report to donors and community features the community-engaged work of alum Nafasi Ferrell (’15, Master of Arts in Cultural Studies). For her Cultural Studies capstone project, Nafasi developed and facilitated a three-hour workshop with community members of varying ages in partnership with Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. Let’s Talk!! Race and Class Through Hip-Hop and Poetry challenged participants to redefine their understandings of race and class using ...

November 21, 2016

Natalie Singer-Velush Receives Honorable Mention from AWP’s Intro Journals Project

Natalie Singer-Velush (Creative Writing & Poetics, 2016) was named among the 2016 Winners of the Association of Writers & Writing Programs Intro Journals Project, with an Honorable Mention for Creative Non-Fiction for her submission “There is But One Choice: Confession or Some Form of Extinction.” The Intro Journals Project is a literary competition for the discovery and publication of the best new works by students enrolled in AWP member programs, as nominated by the programs. Winning selections are published in participating journals, including Tampa Review, Colorado Review, and Iron Horse Literary Review, among others. The essay contains an excerpt from her memoir, California Calling, for which she is seeking a publisher.

October 19, 2016

IAS students tie for first in the Undergraduate Research category at the Washington State Lake Protection Association

Three IAS students collaborating on a project with faculty member Rob Turner presented a research poster at the 29th annual conference of the Washington State Lake Protection Association on October 6. The poster - Investigating the Ability of Mushroom Mycelium to Reduce Fecal Coliform Bacteria Contamination in Surface Water – tied for first in the Undergraduate Research category, earning the students a $50 cash prize.

October 19, 2016

Margaret Chiavetta publishes her first book and discusses why kids need more fictional characters with special needs

Margaret Chiavetta (MFA in Creative Writing & Poetics ’14) has published her first book, The Alchemist’s Theorem: Sir Duffy’s Promise, which is the first book in a planned five-part series. The series features a middle grade hero who registers on the autism spectrum. Recently ParentMap.com conducted an interview with Chiavetta to find out why kids need more fictional characters with special needs. In the interview Chiavetta says:

October 14, 2016

David Doyle becomes City of Seattle’s new Open Data Program Manager

Last week Master of Arts in Policy Studies alum David Doyle (’15) began a new venture as City of Seattle’s Open Data Program Manager. His primary focus is continuing the implementation of Seattle’s open data policy, which involves coordinating efforts across all City departments to accelerate the publishing of high value datasets into http://data.seattle.gov. In February 2016, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray signed an Executive Order directing all City data to be "open by preference," meaning City departments should make their data accessible to the public after screening for privacy, security, and quality considerations. A Microsoft employee for 18 years, David credits the Policy Studies program as key in his transition to public service. Describing his trajectory, David writes:

September 13, 2016

Alums find purpose at Alyssa Burnett Adult Life Center

Both Lauren Daniels (’16) and Brittany Lewis (’15) studied Community Psychology at UW Bothell, and both found Seattle Children’s Alyssa Burnett Adult Life Center by chance. The Alyssa Burnett Adult Life Center offers classes and activities for adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities as they transition out of the education system and into adulthood.

September 8, 2016

Jasleena Grewal writes about urban foraging in YES! Magazine

Jasleena Grewal (’13, Environmental Science) started nursing school in June and continues to write for YES! Magazine. Her most recent article, “Urban Foraging: Weeds You Can Eat,” discusses six edible weeds that can provide protein, reduce anxiety - or even predict the weather. The piece was picked up by The Marc Steiner Show, which ...

September 8, 2016