Milestones
APPOINTMENTS
Interim Athletic Director Dick Thompson, '68, named former Husky softball star Heather Tarr, '98, as the new UW softball coach in July, replacing interim coaches Scott Centala and Steve Dailey. Tarr spent six years as an assistant coach and associate head coach at the University of the Pacific. During her UW playing career, she was named to the Pac-10 All-Conference team from 1995-97.
Alexander Bolton, '03, a graduate student in the Evans School of Public Affairs, was selected in July by Gov. Gary Locke to be the UW student regent for 2004-05. Bolton has been active with the Associated Students of UW since he was an undergraduate in 1998, when he was a student senator. In 2000 he served on the ASUW Board of Directors and in 2002 he worked for State Sen. Patricia Hale as a legislative intern in Olympia. His UW undergraduate majors were in political science and economics.
HONORS
In recognition of outstanding contributions to education within the UW, the Environmental Science Program at UW Tacoma and the Certificate of International Studies in Business (CISB) Program received the 2004 Brotman Awards for Instructional Excellence, the UW announced June 9. The UW Tacoma's Environmental Science Program was conceived eight years ago as a liberal arts degree concentration and has grown into a degree program with 60 students. The program's interdisciplinary focus is an advantage for students, as they can also study the policy, law, history and literature of the environment. The CISB Program came into existence in 1992. The program requires courses in international business, studying or working abroad, and proficiency in a foreign language. The program also hosts two undergraduate student competitions every year. More than 350 business students have been awarded the certificate and are now employed at businesses, consulting firms, nonprofit organizations and government agencies.
Two President's Medalists were honored this year for exceptional academic achievements. Anna Fortin, '04, transferred to UW from Yakima Valley Community College, where she became fascinated with cell biology, her current field of study. She loves the Latin American culture and has studied Spanish in the classroom and abroad in Ecuador. She has been accepted to the UW School of Medicine and plans to work as a family physician for underserved, Spanish-speaking populations. Tan Hung "Marie" Ng, '04, a native of Hong Kong, graduated with a degree in psychology and two minors-in mathematics and philosophy. The first in her family to attend college, she has made the dean's list every quarter and has been involved in undergraduate research at the UW. She plays the violin and piano and has performed with the University Symphony Orchestra and El Mariachi Club. This fall she is attending graduate school at the University of Southern California.
The White House honored Denice D. Denton, dean of the UW College of Engineering, in May with a Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring. She received the award for her success in recruiting nontraditional students for careers in engineering. In 1996, she became the first woman in the nation to assume the helm of an engineering college at a major research university.
UW Professor of Medicine and Genome Sciences Mary-Claire King was presented in June with the 2004 Genetics Prize from the Peter Gruber Foundation for her contribution to genetic research. Well known for isolating one gene common for those with a predisposition to breast cancer, she has also made breakthroughs in the use of DNA testing in human rights and was involved in identifying the orphaned children of political revolutionaries killed during Argentinean rebellions (see "Putting the Puzzle Together," Sept. 1996).
Five members of the UW faculty were elected fellows in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in April: Michael Hechter, professor of sociology; Edward D. Lazowska, Bill and Melinda Gates professor in computer science and engineering; Thalia Papayannopoulou, professor of medicine; George Stamatoyannopoulos, professor of genome sciences and medicine; and Robert H. Waterston, professor and Gates chair, genome sciences.
Columns staff won seven awards in the 2004 Excellence in Journalism Competition sponsored by the Society of Professional Journalists, Western Washington Chapter. UW Photographer Mary Levin, '82, took first-place for her photo essay "Faces of the Millennium" (March 2003). Associate Editor Jon Marmor, '94, received three second-place awards for his feature articles "Disappearing Act" (March 2003), "Rag to Riches" (June 2003) and "Bouncing Back" (Sept. 2003). Art Director Ken Shafer also won a second-place award for his "Honor and Glory" cover (Sept. 2003) and the layout of "Faces of the Millennium" (March 2003). Another second-place award went to UW Photographer Kathy Sauber for her portrait of Keith Gilbertson (Sept. 2003). Free-lancer David Williams received a third-place award for "Alien Invasion" (Sept. 2003). Columns also won three awards in the 2004 CASE, District VIII, competition. Levin received a gold award for "Faces of the Millennium," UW Health Sciences Writer Walter Neary received a silver award for "Prize Catch" (March 2003), and Marmor, Shafer and Editor Tom Griffin won a silver award in the overall magazine category.
RANKINGS
The UW Medical Center climbed another rung on the ladder in U.S. News & World Report's 2004 guide to the best hospitals in the country. Among the 2,113 hospitals eligible for consideration, the UW Medical Center was ranked 9th on the list released in July. Twelve of the medical center's specialties were ranked among the top 20 in the nation. UWMC has been consistently ranked among the top hospitals nationally by U.S. News since 1993, and has moved up the honor roll during the past six years from 14th to ninth.
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