Students Build Radio Telescope for Research Use
Rethinking the University
75 Courses--and Counting--Lead to Professorship
A Global Look at Ethnic Conflict
Love of Art Leads to Faculty Support
High School Students Challenged by Olympiada
Humanities Center Director Appointed
Celebration of Distinction Raises $88,400 for Hirabayashi Professorship
Two A&S Centers Receive UIF Funding

Students Build Radio Telescope for Research Use
On a cloudy night at the UW’s Manashtash Ridge Observatory near Ellensburg, a group of undergraduates hatched an idea. The weather made it impossible for the students to use the observatory’s 30-inch optical telescope, so they turned their attention to a short-wave radio at the site. Soon they had a mission: to construct an amateur radio telescope on the UW campus for use in undergraduate research.

	Undergraduate Astronomical Institute members pose with a satellite dish that will serve as an antenna for the group's first radio telescope.

“A little research on the Internet told us that the construction of such a telescope was feasible,” explains Dawn Erb, a member of the Undergraduate Astronomical Institute—a group of upper-division astronomy and physics majors interested in independent research—that took on this project. “Because there is currently little active research in radio astronomy at the UW, this was a perfect opportunity for undergraduates to make a big difference.”

While optical astronomy uses visible light to study the universe, radio astronomy uses radio waves emitted by celestial objects. “Some of the things that you look at are different,” explains Erb, “because objects that emit radio waves sometimes can’t be seen with visible light.”

With the support of several faculty members, graduate students, and a postdoctoral student, the group applied for and received a $193,325 grant from the UW Student Technology Fee. In addition, UWTV donated three 10-foot satellite dishes, one of which is serving as the antenna for the group’s first telescope. “The money will be used to upgrade the computers necessary for undergraduates to participate in research,” says Erb, “and to purchase the additional materials necessary for construction of the radio telescope.”

Construction has, in fact, already begun. The dish is in position on the roof of the Atmospheric Sciences/Geophysics Building, and students are preparing the electronics to receive their first radio signal. They expect to spend the summer and much of next year refining the telescope.

“Although the telescope will be small and limited by the electromagnetic interference in the Seattle area, we hope to be able to see radio emissions from the strongest radio sources in the sky, which include the Sun, Jupiter, and the galactic center,” says Erb. “Our eventual goal is to construct an interferometer, a linked array of several telescopes that has much greater resolution than any of the telescopes alone.”

Rethinking the University
When a group of faculty was asked how to bring undergraduates into the University’s strategic planning process, Jim Clowes suggested offering a course about the University. The idea was a hit. Soon Clowes, senior lecturer in international studies and associate director of the Comparative History of Ideas Program (CHID), was developing “Rethinking the University,” a two-credit course that explored the complex role of the University in society and encouraged students to think creatively about how things might work differently.

The course, offered Winter Quarter 2000, was built around a series of already-planned public forums entitled “Conversations About the Future.” These were supplemented with weekly class lectures—presented by various faculty and administrative staff across campus—and small group discussions. Nearly 80 students with 35 different majors enrolled in the course, which was offered through CHID, recent recipient of a Brotman Award for its efforts to improve the quality of undergraduate education.

“The discussion sections were really the heart of the course,” says Clowes. “They gave students a chance to struggle with what was important to them.” The discussions were led by peer facilitators who helped isolate some of the students’ concerns. The peer facilitators met with Clowes weekly and eventually summarized the class discussions—themes, solutions/ proposals, and conclusions—in a report submitted to UW President Richard McCormick.

“The issues of primary interest to students were issues of community and isolation,” notes Clowes. “They focused on isolation at many different levels—isolation from other students and faculty, isolation of various disciplines, and isolation from the wider community. Many of their solutions address these concerns.”

Among the proposals offered were a campus discussion series, a peer mentoring program, and more senior capstone experiences, which provide students a sense of closure and purpose at the end of their undergraduate years.

The group also suggested a follow-up class to continue the work begun in the “Rethinking the University” course. In their report the students wrote, “This course has been vital and ground-breaking to the students involved. We cannot allow this harnessed energy to fall to the wayside. . . .The University is at a crucial time in its self-definition, and it must continue to solicit ideas and input from its students.”

Clowes says that a follow-up course is already in the works.

75 Courses—and Counting—Lead to Professorship
When Howard Keller retired in 1983, he decided to become a student again. He signed up for several history courses through the University’s Access Program—a program enabling seniors to take courses for a nominal fee—and has never looked back. He figures he’s attended more than 75 classes in the past 17 years, mostly in history but also in German, comparative religion, Jewish culture, and other subjects.

Howard and Frances Keller. Photo by Mary Levin.

Along the way, the quality of UW faculty has so impressed Keller that he and his wife Frances recently created the Howard and Frances Keller Endowed Professorship in History with a $250,000 gift. The endowment will enhance the UW’s ability to attract and retain distinguished faculty in the Department of History.

“I’ve been very impressed by the faculty,” says Keller, who has been giving $10,000 to the UW annually for years. “When people talk about history coming alive, I’ve had faculty who really make that happen. I’d like to be a factor in keeping faculty like that at the UW.”

As members of the History Department’s Visiting Committee, Howard and Frances became aware of the department’s need for additional funds to retain exceptional faculty. “Like anything else, there is competition for top people,” he says, “so being able to offer additional support can really make a difference. I felt that this was something I could do—and it made me feel good.”

Keller, who recently celebrated his 85th birthday, continues to sign up for Access courses. “I don’t have to worry about grades or tests, and I’ll never run out of courses,” he says. “I still have an insatiable desire to learn as much as I can.”

A Global Look at Ethnic Conflict
In the last decade, the world witnessed mass killings in the former Yugoslavia, the genocide of Tutsis in Rwanda, and violence in East Timor. But in South Africa, the transfer of power took place without bloodshed. Why the difference? That question is at the heart of the UW’s Center for Ethnic Conflict and Conflict Resolution, recently created by a group of faculty led by Daniel Chirot, professor of international studies.

“Most countries in the world have ethnic divisions,” says Chirot, “but not all potential ethnic conflicts turn into actual conflicts, much less into violence. We are forming this interdisciplinary center to look at why such potential conflicts sometimes escalate into genocides or severe wars while others generate less violence or no conflict at all. And we want to find out what we, as scholars, can do to further the movement in cases of conflict toward reconciliation and peace.”

The Center is interdisciplinary, with faculty from political science, anthropology, history, international studies, sociology, and geography—and possibly other departments—offering their unique perspectives.

“We have a lot of talented faculty at the UW with interests in this area,” says Chirot. “Many of us have spent a long time becoming specialists in certain parts of the world, and we know a lot about ethnic conflicts in our own areas of specialty. But if you study just one place, you lose perspective. You have no way of really grasping the range of possibilities. What we hope to do is rephrase the most important questions about why conflicts escalate or become less intense so that we can give answers that can be compared to each other, from one region to another. Only by being globally comparative and by sharing our results with each other can we fully use the vast amount of scholarly information gathered so far in the study of these questions.”

In addition to its role as a research hub, the Center will present a seminar series and courses—both graduate and undergraduate—that will explore questions of ethnic conflict comparatively and broadly. The first seminar series will be offered Autumn Quarter 2000. “Our long-term goal is to develop, disseminate, and teach a working model to explain different outcomes, predict potential future ethnic conflicts, and suggest ways in which these could be avoided,” say Chirot.

Love of Art Leads to Faculty Support
When Jack Pruzan attended the UW in the 1920s, he was inspired by faculty in the School of Art. He studied design, drawing, and painting, and he created drawings and cartoons for The Columns, a student humor magazine. Although economic circumstances forced Pruzan to leave the University prior to graduation, his interest in painting and sculpture never waned.

To celebrate Pruzan’s love of art, his family has created the Jack and Grace Pruzan Endowed Faculty Fellowship in the School of Art with a $100,000 gift. The fellowship—which helped kick off the University’s Campaign for the Arts—will help attract and retain talented faculty and provide opportunities for their professional development in the ceramics and painting programs.

“I don’t think the general public is aware of the high-quality faculty we have at the UW in the School of Art,” says Jack’s son Herbert Pruzan (‘57), a collector of Northwest art along with his wife Lucy. “These are world-class artists. The encouragement of such top-flight teachers is extremely important for the School.”

Herbert Pruzan attributes his own love of art to his father. His sister, Hermine Pruzan (’69), was also influenced—she became an accomplished ceramicist. “Art was always a part of our father’s life, and we developed those interests from his interest,” recalls Herbert. “He didn’t have time to do artwork professionally, but he painted for his own enjoyment all his life.” Jack Pruzan died in 1996.

High School Students Challenged by Olympiada
To ace a high school test in Russian is one thing. To ace the Olympiada of Spoken Russian, an annual competition sponsored locally by the UW Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, is quite another. High school students who compete in the demanding one-day event must speak on a variety of subjects, in Russian, before a panel of judges. The student with the highest score wins a Nora Holdsworth Scholarship—a full scholarship to the UW’s summer program in Russian language.

	"It is so rewarding for them to go through this experience," says one high school teacher whose students participated in the Olympiada of Spoken Russian at the UW.

“The American Council of Teachers of Russian sponsors Olympiadas across the country,” says Shosh Westen, program coordinator in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures. “In 1996 we took on an organizing role in Washington state and started holding the event at the UW, to reach out to high schools and encourage the teaching of Russian at the high school level. When students have a chance to compete, they realize how much they’ve learned in their Russian classes.”

There are three parts to the competition. First the students, grouped by skill level, respond to questions about themselves. Next they respond to questions about Russia, which could concern the nation’s geography, literature, music, art, or another aspect of the country. Finally they recite a poem and read a text aloud to demonstrate their ability to read and pronounce Russian. Advanced students also respond to questions about the text. Students compete against themselves rather than each other, with medals going to all students with high scores.

“It’s very challenging and the preparation is very time consuming, but it is well worth it for students who participate,” says Merrie McIvor, who teaches Russian at West Valley High School in Spokane. “These students push themselves beyond where they’ve pushed themselves before, and then they are so proud of themselves at the end. It is so rewarding for them to go through this experience—to take a risk, prepare for something, and then shine.”

McIvor sees the Olympiada as particularly important for students who choose to study a difficult and less familiar language like Russian. “Taking Russian is a big risk,” she explains. “It takes a really special kid, who’s willing to be different. And then to take that to the next step and compete on this intense level—and it is intense—it has a real impact for a long time. I think it propels them.

“It’s a great program, and I’m so thankful to the UW for sponsoring it. It couldn’t happen without them.”

Humanities Center Director Appointed
For more than two decades, the humanities have been Kathleen Woodward’s focus. She has served as director of the Center for Twentieth Century Studies at University of Wisconsin-Madison since 1981, and she chairs the Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes. In September, she will bring her considerable expertise to the UW as director of the Walter Chapin Simpson Center for the Humanities.

Kathleen Woodward

The Simpson Center is dedicated to fostering innovative and interdisciplinary research and teaching in the arts and humanities. It also stimulates exchange and debate on intellectual, cultural, and educational issues. Its broader goal is to knit the academic and civic communities through a shared fostering of education and culture.

“In Kathleen Woodward, we have the right person to direct the broad agenda of the Simpson Center,“ notes Michael Halleran, Divisional Dean of the Arts and Humanities. “We are delighted at her appointment.”

In addition to her role as director, Woodward will be a UW professor of English. Her equally esteemed husband, Herbert Blau, will join the faculty as a professor of English and Byron W. and Alice L. Lockwood Professor of the Humanities.

Celebration of Distinction Raises $88,400 for Hirabayashi Professorship for the Advancement of Citizenship
With more than 360 guests in attendance, Arts and Sciences alumnus Gordon Hirabayashi (‘46, ‘49, ‘52) was honored by the College at its Celebration of Distinction on May 9. The event, emceed by KING 5 news anchor Lori Matsukawa, celebrated Hirabayashi’s many achievements, beginning with his refusal—on Constitutional grounds—to report to an internment camp during World War II .

Lori Matsukawa with Gordon Hirabayashi. Photo by Mary Levin.

Hirabayashi endured a much-publicized trial and conviction—overturned 40 years later— for asserting his Constitutional rights. After serving his sentence, he returned to the UW to earn B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees in sociology. A distinguished career in academia followed.

The Celebration of Distinction raised $88,400 to help establish The Gordon Hirabayashi Professorship for the Advancement of Citizenship. “This professorship honors and recognizes Dr. Hirabayashi’s lifelong work for human rights and his distinguished career, “ says David Hodge, dean of Arts and Sciences. “Each gift to the professorship will have twice the impact, because gifts will be matched dollar for dollar by the State of Washington Distinguished Professorship Trust Fund."

For more information on the Gordon Hirabayashi Professorship for the Advancement of Citizenship, contact Michael Podlin by email or by calling (206) 616-2464.

Two A&S Centers Receive UIF Funding
Two new interdisciplinary centers within the College of Arts and Sciences will receive permanent funding through the University Initiatives Fund (UIF).

The Center for Astrobiology and Early Evolution, created by a team led by Astronomy Professor Woodruff Sullivan, will receive $151,000 annually. Astrobiology is the study of microbial life that is adapted to extreme physical conditions of Earth; the long-term goal is to design missions to other solar system bodies to search for living or fossil microbes. Recent advances have created intense interest in this new field of study.

The Center brings together the disciplines of astronomy, planetary and earth sciences, and biological sciences. The UIF strengthens a new graduate program in astrobiology, and allows development of new undergraduate courses and undergraduate research opportunities.

The Comparative Law and Society Studies Center (CLASS) will receive $153,388 annually. Created by Michael McCann, chair of the Department of Political Science and acting director of the Society and Justice Program, the Center focuses on changing legal practices in local, national, and transnational contexts around the world.

CLASS will differ from most existing law and society programs in its interdisciplinary emphasis and its focus on the comparative study of legal cultures. It will include an interdisciplinary undergraduate program–Law, Societies, and Justice, new modes of graduate instruction and research, and a coordinated support network for faculty research and grant generation.

The University Initiatives Fund was established in 1996 to “fund innovative new programs, strategically selected to strengthen the UW and to seize opportunities that would otherwise be lost."

[Summer 2000 - Table of Contents]