October 2025 Newsletter
Perspectives is a monthly newsletter that highlights the accomplishments and latest news from the College of Arts & Sciences community. Learn about unusual courses, student projects, faculty research, alumni careers, and more.
Featured Stories This Month
Demystifying Quantum
In a physics course for non-STEM majors, Professor Miguel Morales teaches quantum mechanics without the advanced mathematics most quantum courses require.
UW Biology Alum Awarded Nobel Prize
Mary E. Brunkow (BS, Biology, 1983) was awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Frederick J. Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi.
The Curious Journey of Chinese Characters
Several Asian countries adapted the Chinese writing system — the oldest writing system still in use — for their own languages. In a new book, Professor Zev Handel shares how that happened.
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New Story Pole Installed on UW Campus
A story pole celebrating the Coast Salish peoples was recently installed outside Denny Hall, thanks to the efforts of Professor Sven Haakanson (Sugpiaq/Alutiiq).
Opportunities to Explore
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Meet Me at the Henry
October 25
Henry Art Gallery
Join the Henry Art Gallery for this twice-a-year celebration of contemporary art and ideas. Explore new exhibitions, catch captivating performances, get hands-on with an all-ages art-making workshop and museum bingo, and discover rarely seen works from the Henry’s collection. Free. -
Frontiers of Physics Lecture: Nobel Laureate David Baker
October 28, 7:30 pm
130 Kane Hall
Nobel laureate David Baker — UW professor of biochemistry, HHMI investigator, and director of the UW’s Institute for Protein Design — will discuss advanced protein design software and its use in developing molecules to address challenges in medicine, technology, and sustainability. Free. Presented by the Department of Physics. -
Halloween Organ Concert
October 31, 7:30 pm
Walker-Ames Room (Room 225), Kane Hall
It’s a Halloween tradition! Stephen Price, head of organ studies in the School of Music, will be joined by organ studies students and guests to perform spooky organ works and Halloween-themed favorites in this festive concert. Free. Presented by the School of Music. -
Healing Heart Speaker Series
Thursdays through November 20, 11 am – noon
wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ– Intellectual House, UW Seattle Campus
This lecture series is presented in preparation for a February 2026 UW Symphony performance of “Healing Heart of the First People of This Land,” a project developed in response to 9/11 and first performed in 2006. Lecture series speakers include UW faculty and community members, with topics ranging from the revitalization of the Lushootseed language to various aspects of the Healing Heart project. Free. -
Music for New Bodies
November 1, 7:30 pm
Meany Hall – Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater
With stirring symphonic intensity and thought-provoking lyrics, “Music for New Bodies,” performed by the American Modern Opera Company, offers a deep and urgent meditation on the challenges we face as a species. This ambitious work by Matthew Aucoin is directed by Peter Sellars with a libretto based on the poetry of Jorie Graham. Presented by Meany Center for the Performing Arts. -
Katz Distinguished Lecture
November 4, 6:30 pm
210 Kane Hall
Why do we turn to the past to confront the crises of the present? In this Katz Distinguished Lecture, “Comparison Controversies: Historical Analogy and the Politics of Holocaust Memory,” Michael Rothberg (UCLA) approaches this question from the perspective of “comparison controversies” that occur when impassioned public debates emerge from provocative historical comparisons, and the possibilities and pitfalls of historical analogy. Free. Sponsored by the Simpson Center for the Humanities.
Editor
Nancy Joseph
nancyj@uw.edu