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Undergraduate Academic Affairs

Category: News

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Three UW students honored by the Boren Undergraduate Scholarship Program

The Boren Awards program honored three 痳豆在线 students, naming Conor Cunningham and Sarah Slack as recipients, and Oliver Lang as an alternate.聽 A competitive award, more than 850 students applied, and only 244 were offered positions. award up to $20,000 to study language and regions critical to U.S. interests. In exchange for funding, scholars will work in the federal government for at least one year following graduation. Since 1994, over 6,000 students have received Boren awards. Established in 1991, the provides funding opportunities for U.S. students to study languages and world regions critical to U.S. interests (including Africa, Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America & the Caribbean and the Middle East).

Meet the Boren Undergraduate Scholarship recipients:

Conor Cunningham, scholar to Latvia

UW senior Conor Cunningham knows firsthand the importance of immersion when learning a language. Growing up, he attended a French language school in Lausanne, Switzerland. More recently, he received the Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship to spend two months studying Russian in Moscow.聽 Cunningham, an international studies major, is specializing in cybersecurity issues in Eastern and Western Europe, Russian and Central Asia. To help prepare, he鈥檚 pursuing a triple minor in: French language; Russian language; and Russian, East European and Central Asian studies. Cunningham is currently a cybersecurity fellow in the Jackson School and received a Mary Gates Research Scholarship to support his work building a comprehensive dataset of Russian political interference around the world. During his fellowship, he participated in two global research group projects for Microsoft鈥檚 Defending Democracy team on election security. Cunningham presented his findings to the executive panel of the Digital Diplomacy Team at Microsoft. The combination of Cunningham鈥檚 passion for Russian language with Eastern European history and security issues in the region prompted him to apply for the Boren Scholarship. As a Boren scholar, he鈥檒l be living in Daugavpils, Latvia. There, he鈥檒l live with a host family, study at Daugavpils University, explore the culture and continue to study Russian language.

鈥淩eceiving the Boren has been one of my greatest achievements thus far and it has been a huge honor for me.鈥� Cunningham explains.聽 鈥淭his was my second time applying, after I was rejected for last year鈥檚 cycle, but this gave me time to reevaluate why I wanted to pursue this path and develop both my language skills and expand my research in Eastern European topics. In the end, this made receiving the scholarship that much more rewarding for me. It really signifies an acknowledgment of my work that I have done as a student at the 痳豆在线.鈥�

Following his Boren experience, Cunningham plans to attend graduate school in the Washington D.C. area to continue pursuing his interest in Euraisan studies and cybersecurity. His long-term career goal is to build a career in the federal government using the cultural and linguistic skills developed during his Boren year.

Sarah Slack, scholar to Brazil 鈥� award declined

Bioengineering major Sarah Slack started at the UW determined to contribute to medicine. Early in her first year, she started researching in the Woodrow Lab. The Lab specializes in global health, and this experience confirmed her desire to pursue a career focusing on international health, likely infectious disease. Slack started taking Portuguese classes during her second year, primarily motivated by the uniquely welcoming culture she experienced while traveling in Brazil with her father to visit his old exchange family. Since then, her career goals have shifted towards integrating Portuguese, and what she鈥檚 learned from it, into her work. Her language studies have emphasized the importance of researchers being able to communicate with the different communities they work in. Slack envisions herself collaborating with global Lusophone communities by potentially working with the Center for Disease Control to respond to infectious disease threats in Lusophone areas. Slack was offered the Boren Scholarships鈥� summer STEM initiative to study in Brazil. She ultimately declined the Boren Scholarship in order to pursue a different fellowship opportunity in Brazil.

Learn more about scholarship opportunities at UW

The Boren Undergraduate Scholarship聽 application process is supported by the (OMSFA), a UAA program. OMSFA works with faculty, staff and students to identify and support promising students in developing the skills and personal insights necessary to become strong candidates for this and other prestigious awards.

Spring Celebration showcases Huskies’ dedication to service and leadership

痳豆在线 students鈥� dedication to community engagement and leadership will be recognized at the on May 21 from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the Husky Union Building (HUB) on the UW Seattle campus. The annual event showcases UW undergraduates who serve and lead in their communities, both on and off campus,聽 to expand their boundaries and make a tangible difference in the world.聽 This year鈥檚 theme of 鈥淲e>Me鈥� will highlight student stories as they share how they have worked together to transform their campus and communities, develop collaborative leadership skills and learn from each other. In 2017-18, more than 6,000 students engaged in public service, volunteering an astounding 616,869 hours.

This year鈥檚 Spring Celebration features culminating poster and oral presentations from nearly 200 participants, including student participants in the Carlson Leadership & Public Service Center, Dream Project, , Jumpstart, , and . The entire UW community and network of community partners are welcome to attend.

The Spring Celebration of Service and Leadership is planned by programs in . The work of community engagement and leadership education at the 痳豆在线 is sustained by community and campus partners throughout the region. Thank you to everyone who makes this event possible through time, funding, student support, participation and attendance.

 

Schedule overview

All events take place on Tuesday, May 21, 2019, in The HUB.

BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Husky Leadership Certificate student presentations
2:00-5:00 p.m. in various HUB rooms

POSTER SESSIONS
3:00-5:00 p.m. in the HUB 1st floor street

PROGRAM AND RECEPTION
Celebration! Food, photo booth with Dubs, networking
5:00-6:00 p.m. (spoken program from 5:10-5:30 p.m.) in the HUB Lyceum

 

Undergraduates to present research spanning academic disciplines on May 17, 2019

On Friday, May 17, more than 1,200 痳豆在线 undergraduates and visiting undergraduate student scholars will participate in the 鈥� an event that is one of the largest of its kind in the nation.

The Symposium runs from 11 a.m.鈥�6 p.m. on the UW Seattle campus. Students will present their research in poster, oral and performing arts sessions in Mary Gates Hall and Johnson Hall, and in a visual arts and design showcase in Odegaard Undergraduate Library (see event details below). UW Regent Constance Rice, Provost Mark Richards and Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs Ed Taylor are scheduled to provide opening remarks at 11 a.m. in Mary Gates Hall.

Through undergraduate research, students contribute to groundbreaking work and gain the experience necessary to one day lead innovative research themselves. UW undergraduates are getting involved in research in increasing numbers 鈥� more than 9,000 students participated in research in 2017鈥�18. More than 1,000 faculty, post-doc, research staff and graduate student mentors supported this year鈥檚 Symposium presenters through their research, helping students develop subject area knowledge, transferable skills and an entrepreneurial perspective that will prepare them for future employment, education and civic engagement.

Art installation from the 2015 Visual Arts and Design Showcase.

The Undergraduate Research Symposium showcases the diversity of undergraduate research, which spans all disciplines and addresses critical issues of our time. Students will share their research on topics as diverse and broad as: global warming and energy conservation; improving rocket performance; effects of mindfulness on new moms and their babies; Native American and Alaska Native experience in higher education; the study of Alzheimer鈥檚 disease; computer security; political meme responding to Brexit; birdsong evolution and so much more. The titles of students鈥� presentations give more detail about the range and complexity of their projects. A small sampling of titles include:

  • Hopping and Grabbing Insect-Inspired Robot for Space Exploration
  • Analysis of the Susceptibility of Smart Home Interfaces to End User Error
  • The Art of Cultural Outreach
  • Customizable Tactile Maps for the Visually-Impaired
  • On the Social Ecology of Environmental Dance: Fostering Community Dialogue and Environmental Action
  • A 3D Printed Microfluidic, Tumor Organoid Testing Platform for Personalized Cancer Care and Treatment

The Symposium is open to selected undergraduates from other institutions, and we are thrilled to welcome presenters from 32 other institutions in addition to McNair Scholar institutions, the Seattle Colleges, Bellevue College, Portland State University, Everett Community College and California State University San Marcos.

The Symposium is organized by Undergraduate Academic Affairs鈥� Undergraduate Research Program.

Event Details

What: The 22nd Annual Research Symposium at the 痳豆在线
Who: More than 1,200 inspiring undergraduates at UW presenting ground-breaking research and selected undergraduates from other institutions
When: Friday, May 17, 2019, 11:00 a.m.颅鈥�6:00 p.m.
Where: Mary Gates Hall, select rooms in Johnson Hall, and Odegaard Undergraduate Library
Plan ahead: See event schedule and search the Online Proceedings at .

Teaching across borders to become a better doctor

Tammy Tarhini, ’17, graduated knowing she wanted to be a doctor and work with Arabic speaking populations. However, she decided to spend the year before medical school on a Fulbright Fellowship as an English teaching assistant in Berlin, Germany. The question she鈥檚 most frequently asked is, 鈥淵ou want to be teacher?鈥� Nope. Here鈥檚 why she鈥檚 confident that teaching English will make her a better physician.

UW alumna Sneha Indrajit selected as scholar for China鈥檚 Yenching Academy

痳豆在线 alumna Sneha Indrajit, 鈥�18, was recently selected for the competitive Yenching Academy Scholars program at Peking University. Indrajit earned her degree with honors in international studies and is one of approximately 125 scholars from around the world selected to be in their 2019-20 cohort. The opportunity to join the Yenching Academy is competitive. Only six scholars came from U.S. public universities in last year鈥檚 cohort, including two 痳豆在线 alumni.

The Yenching Academy scholars participate in a customizable master鈥檚 program in China. In addition to covering the costs of tuition, the award includes round trip air travel from the student鈥檚 home country, housing on campus and living costs. Although Chinese language proficiency is not required and classes are taught in English, Indrajit is excited to speak in Mandarin, which she began learning at age six.The academy鈥檚 goal is to shape new generations of global citizens with a nuanced understanding of China. Indrajit will choose courses from six research areas, engage in field studies and conduct research that relates to her specific interest, international law.

Originally from Singapore, Indrajit moved to the United States to attend the 痳豆在线 in 2015. She returned home each summer to be with family and work, including at an internship for the MSC Law Corporation and as a facilitator for a performance art production at the Singapore International Festival of Arts.

As an undergraduate, Indrajit鈥檚 involvement in numerous academic clubs gave her valuable experience in the field of international law. She led a team of fellow Jackson School students to emerge in the top five out of 100 teams nationwide in the New York University Policy Case Competition, and was co-captain of the Mock Trial team, where she won the Outstanding Attorney Award at the regional championship. She also researched with the Rohingya Project last spring with a team of UW researchers, assisting聽in the creation of digital identification for the Rohingya people in Myanmar. As a stateless population, the Rohingya lack the identity documentation they need to set up bank accounts or participate in financial markets.

Outside of university sponsored programs, she conducted cybersecurity research as a fellow for the International Policy Institute, with a focus on the intersections between cybersecurity and human rights. Between her classes and experiencing different cultures, she grew interested in understanding the relationships between other countries, especially the United States, Singapore and China.

鈥淭o have that experience in the US, I thought it would be really interesting to see it from China鈥檚 perspective,鈥� Indrajit said. 鈥淛ust to be immersed in the culture is an invaluable opportunity, deepening my understanding of the language and deepening my understanding of how China positions itself in the world.鈥�

At Peking University, she plans to pursue a master鈥檚 degree in law and society with the hopes that it will expose her to a greater understanding of China and its relations with other countries. Following her studies, Indrajit hopes to start a career in law and diplomacy in Singapore where she can positively impact and contribute to the community.

About the Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships and Awards

The Yenching Academy application process is supported by the聽聽(OMSFA), a UAA program. OMSFA works with faculty, staff and students to identify and support promising students in developing the skills and personal insights necessary to become strong candidates for this and other prestigious awards. The聽聽(and other scholarships supporting graduate studies around the world) will get started this spring for 2020-21 awards. Watch for updates about OMSFA鈥檚 .

Debra Bragg to receive prestigious national award for her research

Debra Bragg, director of the Community College Research Initiative

Debra Bragg, director of the 痳豆在线鈥檚 Community College Research Initiative (CCRI), will receive the National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students鈥� (NISTS) most prestigious award: the Bonita C. Jacobs Transfer Champion Award. This honor recognizes exceptional advocacy and leadership in the field of community college research. Bragg heads the CCRI team, whose research focuses on improving state and institutional transfer policies and practices. Her team conducts national research designed to understand the impact of high-performing transfer partnerships on baccalaureate graduation rates for underserved students.

Bragg used funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to launch the CCRI in 2016. She leads research on critical issues of equity and outcomes in community college education. Since starting the Center, the CCRI group has expanded its work to study a range of concerns impacting the graduation rates of diverse learners. Prior to coming to the UW, Bragg was a distinguished professor and director of the Office of Community College Research and Leadership at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This award celebrates the entirety of Bragg鈥檚 work. She will receive her award, as well as present her current research, on February 13, 2019 at the NISTS conference. .