Honors and Awards

A Q&A with poet and alumnus Matthew Nienow.

After retirement, UW professors emeriti continue to gain recognition for their work, as evidenced by recent awards to biologist Robert Paine and author Charles Johnson.

When the University of Washington handed out its top awards this June, eight A&S faculty and students were among those recognized for their teaching, leadership, and public service.

Earning a PhD is accomplishment enough for most graduate students, but three recent grads received the A&S Graduate Medal along with their doctorates this spring

When a foot injury sidelined dancer Anna Zemke (BA, Dance, Biochemistry), she gave up one dream to pursue another. But she never lost her passion for dance, even as she pursued a second degree in biochemistry.

"I find theory of computation and logic extremely beautiful," says Sam Hopkins (BS, Mathematics, Computer Science), whose fascination with mathematics and philosophy have informed his computer science research.

An interest in social justice led Sam Nowak (BA, Geography) to the Department of Geography, where he pursued research on issues of inequality, particularly among Seattle's homeless and other marginalized populations.

For Mimi Cagaitan (BA, English, Comparative History of Ideas), an unusual family history was the motivation for her research and a class she led about international marriage migration—the so-called "mail-order bride" industry.

Lillian C. McDermott has dedicated her career to improving physics education using scientific research methods. The American Association of Physics Teachers is honoring her for her contributions to the field.

Jim Riswold (1983), whose hugely popular ad campaigns for Nike and other top clients featured household names like Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny, was recently inducted into advertising's Creative Hall of Fame.

Martha Gonzalez and her band Quetzal won a 2013 Grammy for their album Imaginaries. Her work as a recording artist is intertwined with her academic work as a PhD candidate in Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies.

Three UW faculty, including two from Arts and Sciences, have been elected senators of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, the nation's most prestigious academic honor society. The election of three senators from one university is unprecedented.

The White House announced that UW biology professor Jay Parrish has received a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the government's highest honor for scientists in the early stages of their research careers. 

UW Professor Emeritus Estella Leopold has been awarded the International Cosmos Prize, which honors those who further the "harmonious coexistence between nature and mankind." The prize carries a cash award of 40 million yen—nearly $500,000—and goes to just one individual or team each year.