UW and the Community

Some hope is on the horizon this week with the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine. Of course, it’s not a silver bullet in this pandemic. Certain groups of people remain especially vulnerable. They include detainees at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma. A report by the UW Center for Human Rights is mentioned.

Jonathan Kanter, director of the Center for the Science of Social Connection, offered UW News some suggestions for a healthy and, yes, happy, holiday season.

If you've done a double-take over what appears to be a work of art on the side of a King County Metro bus recently, you didn't imagine it. Last week, the Henry Art Gallery in the University District launched their latest show, Set in Motion. This "city-wide" public art exhibition puts local and national artists' work on the side of various Seattle buses across the city.

Here's a quick look at some giftworthy books and music created by UW faculty and staff in 2020, and a reminder of some recent favorites.

See public a public art exhibition on the side of city buses, watch a talk about "Public Opnion and Polls in the 2020 Presidental Election, revisit Marc Seales Group's performance at Town Hall, and more!

Affective Software Inc., is releasing a new portal and products to harness technology in assessing and improving relationships. Affective Software was co-founded by John Gottman, professor emeritus of psychology at the UW, and Julie Gottman, who found fame with their research-based love and therapy institute and the so-called “Love Lab,” which opened in 1986 at the UW.

There are certain values we’d love for our kids to have. But how do we go about teaching them? Jana Mohr Lone, affiliate associate professor of philosophy at the UW and director of the UW Center for Philosophy for Children, is quoted.

We know spending the holidays on our own will keep our loved ones healthy. That doesn’t make it any easier. But there’s joy to be found in solitude. We spoke to experts in stress and connection who told us how to navigate the complicated emotions around spending the holidays alone. Jonathan Kanter, research associate professor of psychology at the UW, is quoted.

There’s a Norwegian term for deliberately embracing time spent outside, for both the mental and physical benefits. It’s frifluftsliv, something Alaskans will find familiar, in spirit if not in name. And some say it’s a way to cope with the many limitations on life during a pandemic. Andy Meyer, assistant teaching professor of Scandinavian studies at the UW, is quoted.

Honors Peer Educator Zoe Mertz felt more engaged than ever by this year’s online Global Challenges event, saying: "I really appreciated the range of knowledge and disciplinary experience the speakers brought to the conversation; and the topic felt immediate and relevant to students in all disciplines." A video recording of Drs. Bushnell, Spigner and Koutnik's Nov. 12 discussion on communicating crises across a divided public is available to view and to share.

Dillon Gisch (B.A. 2013, summa cum laude, Classical Studies and Art History) won the Arthur Ross/Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Pre-Doctoral Rome Prize! 

KNKX presents a Studio Session live from The Forum at Town Hall Seattle with the Marc Seales Group, hosted by KNKX jazz ambassador Abe Beeson on November 14, 7 PM PT. Marc Seales, professor of music in the Jazz Studies Program, is a noted pianist, composer and leading figure in the Northwest jazz scene.

Award-winning screenwriter, playwright and novelist La'Chris Jordan, (BA, Communications, 2001), tells a timely and personal story in her debut short film.

“Something I hear all the time is that those who are closest to the pain and to the solution are furthest from the power to make the change,” says De’Sean Quinn, a Tukwila City Councilmember.

“It’s important to take stock of what we’ve accomplished so we can remember that our collective activism, past and present, isn’t in vain,” says LaShawnda Pittman, an assistant professor of American Ethnic Studies.