A&S Perspectives: December 2009

Mission, Vision & Values Facts & Figures Dean Ana Mari Cauce Dean's Office Directory Departments & Units Newsletter Contact Us __________________ Administrative Gateway

Art Dance Drama DXARTS Music __________________ Burke Museum Henry Art Gallery UW World Series

Asian Languages & Literature Classics Comparative History of Ideas Comparative Literature English French & Italian Studies Germanics Linguistics Near Eastern Languages & Civilization Scandinavian Studies Slavic Languages & Literatures Spanish & Portuguese Studies __________________ Simpson Center for the Humanities

Applied Mathematics Astronomy Biology Chemistry Mathematics Physics Psychology Speech & Hearing Sciences Statistics __________________ Burke Museum

American Ethnic Studies American Indian Studies Anthropology Communication Economics Geography History Jackson School of International Studies Law, Societies & Justice Philosophy Political Science Sociology Women Studies __________________ Burke Museum


	December 2009 issue


	From the Dean Dean Ana Mari Cauce muses about students' and alumni's use of the three "H"s—head, heart, and hands—to make a difference locally and internationally.
	From A&S to NGO A&S students and alumni have founded non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in such far-flung places as Sudan, Colombia, Mozambique, and China. Here, a few share their motivations for taking action. Related stories: Short takes on more student and alum NGOs
	Anthropologist's School of Rock Anthropology Professor Jason De León, who has fronted two bands as lead singer, songwriter, and lead guitar, is now combining his passions for music and anthropology in an innovative course, The Anthropology of Rock and Roll.

What's News
	At the Biology Book Club, Scientists Join the Discussion Have you ever read a book steeped in science and wished you could discuss it with an expert in the field? That's the idea behind the Biology Book Club, introduced by a professor and a staffer in the Department of Biology.
	Former Slavic Major and Biotech CEO Leads A&S Board H. Stewart Parker ('79, '81) spent nearly two decades at the helm of Targeted Genetics. Now she brings her considerable talents to her role as chair of the College of Arts and Sciences Board.
	A Course Celebrates Writers and Writing How's this for a course assignment? Fall in love with a novel and three poems. The assignment hints at what's to come in Writers on Writing, a lecture course designed to remind students that "literature is a joy."
	The Great Depression—On the Web, On the Stage The current financial crisis has renewed interest in the Great Depression, so a UW history professor has created a website about the period and the School of Drama has scheduled staged readings of two Depression-era plays.

Research
	Big Decisions, Little Data: Improving AIDS Projections Accurate predictions for the spread of AIDS are hard to come by in countries where health data is limited. An A&S professor's new statistical model has improved accuracy of AIDS projections and is now being adopted by many African countries.
	A Chirp-less Guam Becomes a Living Laboratory Over the past half century, the Brown Treesnake has decimated bird populations in Guam, leading to the extinction of nearly all native birds. Now researchers are studying the impact of bird extinctions on the island's remaining flora and fauna.

Awards and Honors
	Creative Writing Faculty Honored—Again Heather McHugh has been named a MacArthur Fellow—the fourth UW creative writing professor to receive the "genius grant"—and professor emeritus David Wagoner has won the Washington State Book Award in Poetry.
	Student Receives Scholarship from NASA's Finest UW senior Andrew Ishizuka never imagined he'd get the chance to meet a NASA astronaut, but in October he met two. The pair presented him with the Astronaut Foundation Scholarship.
Other Awards and Honors. News of recent awards, honors, and professorships throughout the College.

Calendar
	A&S Events. Mexican film, Yiddish songs, the developing brain, artifact identification, and faculty choreography! Check out the College's offerings for Winter 2009-2010.

Links

Past issues