91̽��Tacoma – 91̽��News

New faculty books: Ordinary people and the global legal order, imperial policing, making of modern Taiwan, and poetry

Lauren Kirschman — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 19:40:30 +0000

New faculty and stuff books from the 91̽�� include those covering imperial policing, international law and the public, the making of modern Taiwan and poetry.

Recent books from 91̽�� faculty and staff include those from legal studies at 91̽��Tacoma, international studies, political science, history, and Asian languages and literature.��

91̽��Tacoma assistant professor collaboration with Policing in Chicago Research Group

“” was collaboratively authored by , assistant professor of legal studies at 91̽��Tacoma, and the Policing in Chicago Research Group. They developed the book in dialogue with those on the front lines of struggles against racist policing in Black, Latinx and Arab/Muslim communities.

“Imperial Policing” analyzes the connections between three police “wars” — on crime, terror and immigrants — with a focus on the weaponization of data and the coordination between local and national agencies to suppress communities of color and undermine social movements. Topics include: high-tech, data-based tools of policing; racialized archetypes; the manufacturing of criminals and terrorists; the subversion of sanctuary city protections; and abolitionist responses to policing, such as the Erase the Database campaign.

The book contains analysis and ideas for solutions at a critical political moment, and serves as a rare, vital example of scholars working directly with community organizations to map police networks and intervene in policing practices.

“‘Imperial Policing’ is an important offering that decenters normative modes of knowledge production and the academy itself and instead provides a model for collaborative knowledge production and change work that academics ought to take up and consider,” Ravichandran said. “This book deepens abolitionist analyses of U.S. Empire and broadens abolition as a necessary global coalitional framework.”

Modern Taiwan through an agrarian lens

“” is a recent book by , associate professor of international studies at the UW.

The book recounts the history of modern Taiwan through the lens of agrarian development. Starting in the 1950s, Taiwan sent international development missions to over two dozen nations across the Global South. From the 1950s to 1990s, Taiwan’s GDP per capita grew by 800%. While researching this growth, an article caught Lin’s attention: a report of how Taiwan’s efforts surrounding improved varieties of broccoli rabe would solve hunger, famine and malnutrition.

“How could broccoli rabe make the world a better place?” Lin wrote in a blog post about his book. “Over the next decade, I traced the arc of agricultural development in libraries and archives across the world, from Ithaca, New York to Shanhua, Taiwan. The more I delved into this question, the more I unearthed a time when Taiwan’s contributions to the world weren’t in advanced semiconductors, but rather rice and vegetables.”

In “In the Global Vanguard,” Lin examines how Taiwanese technicians and agricultural scientists introduced new crop varieties, extended new agricultural technologies and extolled the virtues of a Taiwanese approach to development across the Global South.��

Lin argues the missions eventually shaped how the Taiwanese conceived their place in the world. At the same time, the Nationalist party-state of Taiwan co-opted agrarian science to position Taiwan as a modern nation, legitimizing the government’s authoritarian rule by martial law.

Ordinary people and the global legal order

“” examines an important, and often underappreciated, actor in international law.��

Written by , professor of political science at the UW, the book is of interdisciplinary interest due to its combination of constitutional and international law theories and a wide range of quantitative and qualitative data.

When considering who counts in the international legal order, most answers focus on governments, leaders, generals, lawyers or other elites. Wallace integrates insights from law and political behavior to advance the idea of “popular international law,” where ordinary people are considered important legal actors.

“Drawing on a blend of experiments, conventional polling, media coverage and historical cases, this book shows the ways in which national publics can have an impact on core functions of international law,” Wallace said. “Insights from the book offer an account of international legal politics from below — taking seriously the place of ordinary people in international affairs.

Co-authored book began with love of 18th century poetry

“” is a new book co-authored by the UW’s , associate professor of history, and , professor of Asian languages and literature. True to its subtitle, the book emerged from friendly conversations they had about early 18th century poetry in Urdu — a language that was called Rekhtah at the time.

Their interdisciplinary conversations led to the growing conviction that the diverse roots of this important vernacular tradition had become obscured through selective attention to a handful of poets associated with rarified imperial courtly environments. Poetic networks had become erased as poems were taken out of their social contexts and isolated in separate tomes by author.��

“Vali Dakhani and the Early Rekhtah Networks” presents the evidence to reconstruct these lost literary networks of Urdu’s formative past. The book reframes the history of Urdu within the diverse context from which it emerged: lively social gatherings, bazaars, shrines and multiple courts of 18th-century South Asia, highlighting its engagement with diverse regional cultures and communities in South Asia.��

The cover illustration, an 18th-century canvas by Mughal painter Chitarman II, vividly depicts the many literary references to “Lovers and Beloveds” featured in the poetry of this period, inviting the reader to join the authors in sharing its pleasures.

For more information, contact Lauren Kirschman at lkirsc@uw.edu

91̽��recognized across all campuses with Carnegie Foundation Community Engagement reclassification

Jackson Holtz — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 15:00:17 +0000

The 91̽��has again earned a prestigious recognition for the impact and importance of the connections faculty, students and staff have with local, regional and global communities. All three 91̽��campuses were recognized with the Carnegie Foundation Community Engagement reclassification. Photo: 91̽��

The 91̽�� has again earned a prestigious recognition for the impact and importance of the connections faculty, students and staff have with local, regional and global communities.

All three 91̽��campuses were recognized with the Carnegie Foundation Community Engagement reclassification, placing the university among nationwide. Officials with the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, who award the designation, noted that these universities are deepening partnerships, centering community assets and addressing urgent societal challenges with clarity and distinction.

“This Carnegie reclassification affirms what I’ve long believed about the role of public universities: our work has to be rooted in partnership and focused on impact for all people,” said 91̽��President Robert J. Jones. “Community engagement isn’t peripheral to our mission — it’s central to how we move the 91̽��forward in service of the greater good. Being recognized again across all three campuses is a real point of pride and speaks to the shared commitment across the 91̽��to working alongside our communities to drive meaningful change.”

The UW’s three campuses were first recognized in 2020 by the Carnegie Foundation as community-engaged campuses. This reclassification is an external acknowledgement of the growing scale and quality of community-engaged work, built on a decades-long foundation. In recent years, the 91̽��has strengthened relationships, expanded partnerships, and launched a tri-campus effort — funded in 2022 by a $3.8 million donation — to strengthen community engagement practices across campuses, develop shared definitions of community engagement, and build a digital clearinghouse to track and facilitate community work. Much of that work is documented on the Community Engagement Knowledge Hub, a website with resources for the 91̽��and community partners.

Learn more about UW’s community-engaged portfolio and resources at the Community Engagement Knowledge Hub

The 91̽��works with more than 700 different community organizations, including nonprofit providers of health care and other services, local and regional governments, school districts, tribal nations, and small businesses as well as large multinational companies.

The Carnegie Classification for the 91̽��in Seattle recognizes the meaningful and sustained work of faculty, staff and students to engage with the community in genuine partnership, said Ed Taylor, vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.

“These relationships enable students to take up community-informed, academically rigorous work in our civic spaces, leading to a more sophisticated understanding of the complex problems facing society,” Taylor said. “We are honored and humbled by this recognition of our work so far and inspired to continue to deepen our focus on addressing the most pressing needs of our campus and broader community. Sustaining these outcomes at scale requires dedicated infrastructure, student support, and long-term investment from partners.”

For example, via , the 91̽��works with rural and tribal schools statewide. These programs are designed to enrich existing K-12 education, enhance STEM learning and provide opportunities for children in those schools to learn about higher education. 91̽��undergraduates support curriculums, connect with students in communities, all while being guided by 91̽��faculty and staff.

“Our programs work with all different grade levels at various tribal nations here in Washington state, which I think is cool and unique,” said Richard Alejandro Parra, who runs the program and is assistant director of Rural and Tribal Partnerships in the UW.

The Center is a leading coordinator at the 91̽��for community-engaged learning, partnership development and student civic leadership. Each year, it supports thousands of students and hundreds of collaborations with community-based organizations and faculty to strengthen community-driven solutions to complex societal challenges.

“We have students that we’ve worked with since they were fifth graders, and we engage with them throughout their entire K-12 journey,” Parra said. “After graduating, some of those students have come to UW, and they return to their communities to mentor younger students through our programs.”

When the in Snohomish County was looking to expand its capacity to serve recent immigrants, leaders of the small nonprofit reached out to 91̽��Bothell. During more than a decade of collaboration, a symbiotic relationship between LETI and the 91̽��has blossomed, providing critical resources to support LETI’s growth and giving 91̽��students from Bothell and Seattle real-world experience.

This year, more than 40 91̽��students are engaged in work-study and research at LETI, providing services in education, health and more.

“The community engagement effort that they have is one of the best that I have seen,” said Rosario Reyes, LETI’s founder and president. “I wish other schools would emulate it.”

Read more about how all three 91̽��campuses are supporting community-engaged programs:

In Seattle, the 91̽��engages thousands of students from all majors to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to contribute to a thriving civic society.
At 91̽��Bothell, is embedded in student engagement, curriculum, faculty research and scholarship, supporting reciprocal partnerships that contribute to the just and equitable development of the North Puget Sound region and Washington state.
At 91̽��Tacoma, the is dedicated to fostering transformative relationships between the university and the broader community.

Employers, like LETI, view 91̽��Bothell as a strong partner in regional workforce development, said 91̽��Bothell Chancellor Kristin G. Esterberg.

91̽��Bothell faculty and students collaborate with hundreds of community organizations locally and globally. Since first gaining the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, 91̽��Bothell’s commitment to collaboration has deepened. It is underpinned by new policies such as the addition of an undergraduate learning goal focused on community engagement and faculty legislation supporting community-engaged scholarship.

“We also engage with hundreds of nonprofit agencies, local governments and grassroots organizations year-round,” Esterberg said. “This reclassification by the Carnegie Foundation recognizes our community engagement and reinforces the value of this work.”

91̽��Tacoma is a vital part of building the future for the city of Tacoma, said Jacques Colon, the director of the city’s Equity, Strategy, and Human Rights office. In addition to bolstering the redevelopment of the city’s downtown by expanding and modernizing the university’s campus, 91̽��Tacoma also contributes to economic development by training a desirable and highly skilled workforce. That, in turn, attracts more business to the area.

“If we can make that kind of synergy work, that’s exactly the kind of relationship that has the ability to set a trajectory for a city long term, over a decade,” Colon said. “To me, that’s incredibly exciting,”

That kind of community engagement is at the heart of 91̽��Tacoma’s mission and the key to a more prosperous future for the region, said 91̽��Tacoma Chancellor Sheila Edwards Lange.

91̽��Tacoma has established itself as one of the region’s most community-engaged universities.

Over the past year, 91̽��Tacoma faculty and students partnered with community organizations on a wide range of initiatives addressing pressing social, environmental and health challenges. These collaborations included restoring riparian forests to support salmon habitat, co-creating alternative and low-barrier pathways for youth to access evidence-based behavioral healthcare, co-designing food justice programming that connects labor, culture, and care, and developing mental health workshops for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) youth.

“Through our community-driven initiatives, our students give back while engaging in career-connected learning, and our faculty and staff work alongside our partners to solve some of society’s toughest challenges,” Lange said. “Together, with our hundreds of community partners, we’re making a lasting impact in the South Sound and beyond.”

Washington residents make up nearly three-fourths of incoming class as enrollment increases across all three 91̽��campuses

Dana Robinson Slote — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 21:35:59 +0000

Total enrollment is up across all three 91̽�� campuses for the 2025-26 academic year, according to the annual census count released this month.

Each year, the 91̽��conducts an official enrollment count after the start of the fall quarter. The total number of students across all three campuses is 63,727.

Enrollment increased 1.1% to 52,316 at the UW’s Seattle campus, up from 51,719 in 2024. Total enrollment at 91̽��Bothell jumped to 6,361 students, up 4.7% from 2024. 91̽��Tacoma’s enrollment climbed to 5,059, a 1.6% increase over last year.

This year’s incoming class had a total of 12,126 first-year and transfer students enrolled across all three campuses, with 7,129 first-year students at the 91̽��in Seattle, 1,157 at 91̽��Bothell and 737 enrolled at 91̽��Tacoma.

There are 1,685 new transfer students at the 91̽��in Seattle, 649 at 91̽��Bothell and 769 at 91̽��Tacoma. Transfer students include those from community colleges in Washington and other states as well as other four-year institutions.

Washington residents make up 74.1% of the incoming class across all three campuses, which is similar to recent years. Of these students, 5,875 of the incoming first-year and transfer students at the 91̽��in Seattle are Washington residents. At 91̽��Bothell, 1,709 incoming first-year and transfer students are Washington residents. There are 1,403 Washington residents among the incoming first-year and transfer students at 91̽��Tacoma.

The number of Washington community college transfer students entering the 91̽��across all three campuses this fall was 2,517, an increase on all three campuses: 1,399 in Seattle, 505 in Bothell and 613 in Tacoma.

There are 7,893 international students enrolled across the three campuses, an approximate 7% drop from last year. Of those, 7,439 are in Seattle, 258�� are at 91̽��Bothell and 197 are at 91̽��Tacoma. The decline is similar to the trend seen across the country this year.

Of the 63,727 enrolled students across all three campuses, 46,079 are undergraduates and 17,648 are pursuing graduate or professional degrees.

The enrollment count — a snapshot in time — will later be presented to the 91̽��Board of Regents.

Four 91̽��researchers named Fulbright Scholars

91̽��News staff — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 19:27:48 +0000

Four 91̽��faculty received Fulbright grants to conduct research abroad. From left to right: Jamie Donatuto, Shelly Gray, Michael Kula and Yen-Chu Weng. Photo: 91̽��

Four 91̽�� researchers have been selected as Fulbright Scholars for 2025-2026 and will pursue studies in Spain, Taiwan, Poland and Japan.

The scholars are , a clinical associate professor in the Department of Environment & Occupational Health Sciences; , a professor in the School of Pharmacy; , an associate professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at 91̽��Tacoma; and , an assistant teaching professor in the College of the Environment.

Fulbright Scholars are college and university faculty, administrators, and researchers, as well as artists and professionals, who build their skills and connections, gain valuable international insights and return home to share their experiences with their students and colleagues.

“These four Fulbright awards are yet another example of UW’s global reach and scholarly impact,” said Ahmad Ezzeddine, 91̽��vice provost for Global Affairs. “The Fulbright program remains the flagship international educational exchange program, fostering academic collaboration and cross-cultural understanding for nearly eight decades.

“We are grateful for the State Department’s continued investment in this transformative program, which serves as one of our nation’s most powerful tools of citizen diplomacy,” Ezzeddine continued. “Through these prestigious fellowships, our faculty will advance research and teaching on the global stage, while serving as ambassadors of American higher education and building bridges with communities worldwide.”

The Fulbright Scholar Program for academics and professionals supports more than 800 people to teach and conduct research abroad. In February, the 91̽��was recognized as a 2024-25 “Top Producer” of both Fulbright scholars and students.

The 91̽��Fulbright Scholar selectees for 2025-26 are:

Donatuto, a clinical associate professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences in the 91̽��School of Public Health. She is also part of the An environmental social scientist, Donatuto has worked with communities, particularly Coast Salish Indigenous communities, for more than two decades.

She will use her Fulbright award in Spain, where she will work with the (CSIC), the nation’s largest public research institution, to implement a comparative analysis of human-ocean engagement in the northeast Pacific and northwest Mediterranean coast regions. The research will fill in a data gap identified by the ��— a lack of data describing the human-ocean connection.

Gray is a professor in the Department of Pharmacy and the Plein Endowed Director of the Plein Center for Aging in the School of Pharmacy. Her research uses pharmacoepidemiology and health services research to optimize medication use in older adults. With a focus on medication safety, she has conducted studies showing an association between high-risk common medications and fall injuries, dementia and physical performance in older adults.

Gray will be hosted by the in the College of Pharmacy. She will pursue a project entitled, “Adverse drug effects of medication use on sedentary time and physical activity in older adults.”

Kula is an associate professor of creative writing in the Department of Culture, Arts, and Communications at 91̽��Tacoma. He teaches courses in fiction and advanced fiction writing and regularly teaches a special topics class in playwriting. In collaboration with other faculty, he is developing a wider set of interdisciplinary writing courses in areas like historical fiction, fantasy/science fiction, ecopoetry and nature writing.

He was selected to serve as Fulbright Writer-in-Residence at in Poznań, Poland.�� While there, in addition to teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in AMU’s Center for the Affirmation of Literature, he will be completing final research and revisions for his book, “The Long Alone,” a creative nonfiction account of the travels of Kazimierz Nowak, an amateur Polish journalist who bicycled alone across Africa in the 1930s.

Weng is an assistant teaching professor in the Program on the Environment and the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences. As a geographer, Weng’s work explores the dynamic relationships between human societies and the environment. She is also an affiliate faculty member with the Taiwan Studies Program.

She was awarded the Fulbright Teaching Award to teach courses in geography, sustainability, environmental literature and global environmental politics at and in Tokyo. Through her Fulbright project, Weng will share the American experience in environmental conservation, movements, and governance with students and scholars in Japan and to foster opportunities for mutual learning and advancement in these areas.

Seven 91̽��students receive Fulbright exchange awards for study, research and teaching positions around the world

91̽��News staff — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 23:34:53 +0000

Seven 91̽��students and recent alumni were selected for Fulbright exchange awards. Top row: Emily Bassett, Thomas Key, Vincent Da, Elana Skeers. Bottom row: Sabrina Prestes Oliveira, Jack Regala and Annabella Li. Photo: 91̽��

Seven 91̽��students and recent alumni were awarded��scholarships for the 2025–2026 academic year, joining about 2,000 students and recent graduates from around the country to pursue graduate study, conduct research and teach English abroad.

The Fulbright scholarship program is the largest U.S. international exchange opportunity for students to pursue graduate study, advanced research and teaching in elementary and secondary schools worldwide.

“These Fulbright awards reflect the exceptional caliber of our students and underscore the University’s commitment to fostering global citizens and scholars,” said 91̽��Vice Provost for Global Affairs Ahmad Ezzeddine. ”As the nation’s flagship international exchange program, Fulbright offers transformative opportunities for the next generation of leaders to engage meaningfully with the world.

“We are deeply grateful for the State Department’s continued investment in this vital initiative — one of our nation’s most effective tools of citizen diplomacy,” Ezzeddine continued. “Through these prestigious fellowships, our students will pursue meaningful research, service and study abroad. They’ll also represent the best of American higher education while building lasting connections that will benefit both our University and our country for years to come.”

Among this year’s recipients are four 91̽��undergraduate students or recent alumni. They plan travel to Europe, Central Asia and Mexico to take part in graduate study, research and teaching assistantships. Three graduate-level students plan to travel to Scandinavia, Southeast Asia and South America. This year’s finalists attended all three 91̽��campuses.

The 91̽��also had two students — one undergraduate and one graduate level — selected as alternates.

This year’s��awardees are:

Annabella Li: Study and research, Germany
Sabrina Prestes Oliveira: English teaching award, Mexico
Jack Regala: English teaching award, Tajikistan
Elana Skeers: Trinity Laban Award in Music & Dance, United Kingdom

This year’s awardees are:

Emily Bassett: English teaching award, Norway
Vincent Flores Da: Study and research, Philippines
Thomas Key: Study and research, Brazil

Oliveira completed her undergraduate studies at 91̽��Bothell and Da completed his undergraduate degree at 91̽��Tacoma. The rest of the cohort received degrees for work on UW’s Seattle campus.

For the past several years, The Chronicle of Higher Education has ranked the 91̽��a “Top Producer” of student awardees. The Fulbright program, funded by the U.S. Department of State, provides round-trip travel, health insurance, a housing stipend and visa assistance to awardees.

Read more about this year’s 91̽��Fulbright Student Program Finalists and the projects they will pursue abroad at the Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships & Awards and the Graduate School’s .

91̽��celebrates Class of 2025 with 150th Commencement in Husky Stadium and ceremonies in the Tacoma Dome and Hec Ed

Jackson Holtz — Mon, 09 Jun 2025 23:33:15 +0000

91̽�� President Ana Mari Cauce inspired graduates at the UW’s 150th Commencement ceremony on Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium on Saturday.

Cauce delivered her final address before ending her 10-year run as president and returning to the faculty.

For journalists:

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“Graduates — right here, right now you stand on the edge of possibility, and you will be confronted with choices, challenges and opportunities that none of us can begin to imagine,” Cauce said. “That’s why all of us on this stage and in the audience are not only proud of your achievements, we are grateful — because the world urgently needs your voices and efforts.”

More than 7,400 91̽��graduates of the Class of 2025 — the most ever to pre-register — participated. About 50,000 family members and friends cheered the graduates from the Husky Stadium grandstands.

91̽��Tacoma held its commencement June 13 at the Tacoma Dome. 91̽��Bothell’s graduation ceremonies are scheduled for June 15 at Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion.

See highlights from Husky Stadium, Hec Edmundson Pavilion and the Tacoma Dome in the photo gallery below.

President Cauce presented nearly 18,833 degrees to the Class of 2025 across all three 91̽��campuses’ ceremonies. Members of the 91̽��Board of Regents, deans and other representatives of the University’s 24 colleges and schools across all three campuses also will participate in the ceremonies.

The following data, drawn from preliminary information broken down by campus and prepared by the Office of the University Registrar, was presented at the Board of Regents’ June 12 meeting:��

For work completed at the��Seattle��campus, about 15,412 degrees will be conferred, specifically: 8,712 bachelor’s degrees, 5,161 master’s degrees, 589 professional degrees, 17 Educational Specialist degrees, and 933 doctoral degrees.��
�� 91̽��Bothell, about 1,663 degrees will be conferred, including 1,425 bachelor’s degrees and 238 master’s degrees.��
And at�� 91̽��Tacoma,��students will receive about 1,758 degrees, including 1,393 bachelor’s degrees, 350 master’s degrees, 12 Educational Specialist degrees and three doctoral degrees.��

Degrees are awarded to those who have completed academic requirements during the 2024-2025 academic year. Many colleges and schools also hold separate graduation programs and investiture ceremonies.��

Q&A: How 12 91̽��researchers fell in love with their research

Sarah McQuate — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 17:27:34 +0000

For Valentine’s Day, 91̽��News asked 12 91̽�� researchers to share their love stories: What made them decide to pursue their career paths? Scroll down or click on the links below to see their responses.

Lakeya Afolalu Photo: 91̽��

, Assistant professor of language, literacy and culture, College of Education

What do you study at the UW?��

My research explores how immigration, race, language, literacy and identity intersect in the lives of Nigerian immigrant and transnational youth. Unlike in many West African countries, race is the most salient identifier in the United States, often overlooking the diverse ethnic, cultural and linguistic identities of youth of African origin. This often affects how immigrant youth make sense of their identities in this country. My research examines how Nigerian youth use multilingualism, literacy and digital literacies to construct and negotiate their identities across home, school and digital environments in the U.S.

What made you fall in love with your research area?

My mother is African American. My father is Nigerian. So, growing up, I often felt like I was split between both cultures. There were also so many societal and familial expectations about what it meant to be “Black,” “African American” and “Nigerian.”

Growing up, my family members and friends in Detroit called me by my African American name, “Lakeya.” But when my sisters and I spent summers and holidays in Queens, New York, with our Nigerian family, the moment I crossed over the threshold of the door I was called by my Nigerian name, “Iyore.”

Honestly, I’d say I set out very early in life to define my life’s path and to be intentional about how I wanted to make myself known to the world — my identity. It was not — and even as an adult Black woman in America, it still is not always — comfortable to defy identity expectations. But what other way is there to live? To be a shell of what others, or society, believe we should be? Is that living? It is not.

As a teenager, I had less confidence in being bold and being my true self. I loved reading novels. I’d go to the bookstore and buy books to read, but I hid this practice from my friends because of some unwritten rule that one can’t be Black, cool and smart. Adolescent peer pressure was a real issue. That’s also how I fell in love with writing. Often feeling misunderstood, I resorted to the pages of my journals where I could be myself and dream of my future self. I continue to keep a journal.

My Aunt Darcelle says I’ve been asking profound questions since I learned to speak. That hasn’t changed. So, it’s no surprise that I’ve committed to a career in research. My research is not just research, though. It’s the story and lives of so many young people who feel wedged between other people’s and society’s ideas of who they should be and what they should become. Sometimes, these expectations can come from those closest to us who have well-meaning intentions — parents, family members, close friends. I understand this feeling well.

There are many times when I’m writing a manuscript or analyzing data, and I draw on memories of my own schooling experiences to interpret interview transcripts from the Nigerian youth in my study. Or I remember similar instances from West African seventh-grade students in Harlem, which guided me to draw on theoretical frames that align best with the Nigerian youth experience.

My research is truly about shifting the narrative about what it means to be Black, Nigerian and African. Why? Well, because Blackness is so rich, diverse and multifaceted. So is Nigerianness and Africanness. As I engage in my research to illustrate the rich diversity of Nigerian youth’s languages, literacies and identities, I also aim to contribute to dismantling rigid identity structures, creating greater freedom for all young people who find themselves in environments that are structured by prescribed identities that conflict with how they desire to be known.

My research is a contribution to freedom — a freedom that transcends into adulthood. My feet may be in the academy, but my heart and hands always have been and always will be in the communities that mirror mine. It’s truly an honor to do this heart work.

Afolalu (right, in purple) with her two sisters and one cousin visiting their grandmother’s house on Detroit’s west side. This picture was taken by the girls’ Uncle Keith, who was visiting from Atlanta, and who had called the girls inside so he could take a picture of them. Photo: Lakeya Afolalu/91̽��

I also want to touch on how I decided to pursue this career path. Growing up, I always wanted to play school and take on the role of the teacher. In fact, I cried whenever my sisters and cousins wouldn’t play school with me. For Christmas and my birthday, I would ask my mother to buy me dry-erase boards, markers and other office items so that I could set up my “classroom” in the house.

I fell in love with teaching because my early elementary teachers were some of the first people who made me feel seen. For instance, my first-grade teacher, Mrs. Schave, would let me choose and read books to the whole class on Fridays. My second-grade teacher, Mrs. Korn, at Fitzgerald Elementary on the west side of Detroit, would invite me to the writer’s table in the classroom whenever I finished my work early. At that table, I realized how powerful and freeing the art of writing is.

While I had these great school experiences, they were also starkly different from my cousins’ experiences. They lived and attended public schools in Auburn Hills, in the suburbs outside of Detroit. I often visited them on the weekends and noticed that they read the same books that I read at my elementary school, except that we had the abridged version in basal textbooks while they had the full chapter books. That struck something within me, and I realized very early in life that your ZIP code — where you lived — determined the quality of your education. It felt unfair. I didn’t have the words to describe it then, but I now know that it was an equity issue — not just educationally but also in terms of economic and social mobility.

So, I decided around the age of 7 that I wanted to become a teacher. I made an internal promise to myself, a commitment, that children who grow up in communities like mine — the beautiful west side of Detroit — would have access to a quality education no matter what. Since that commitment, I’ve taught elementary and middle school in Newark, New Jersey, Detroit, and Harlem.

Thinking back to the connection with my research on identity, I had many conversations with my Nigerian father, who wanted me to pursue a career in finance. In Nigerian culture, there’s often the idea that doctor, lawyer and engineer are the only three career choices, but I was less interested in the money and prestige. I was committed to a career in education.

Today, as an assistant professor and the founder of a that supports the identities and well-being of youth of color, I have small moments when I think back to little Lakeya and smile. I’m doing exactly what she set out to do and more. She would be proud.

What advice would you give to your younger self?��

It’s okay to be misunderstood. It’s okay not to fit in. In fact, not fitting in is what makes you beautifully unique. I know that none of your identity and educational experiences may make sense now, but they will later. Trust me, it will make sense — not just for you but for many youths who find themselves making sense of their identities. In fact, you’ll dedicate your career to speaking, writing and doing community-based work about these topics. Finally, I know you’re looking for that example like yourself, with your dreams and who lives between multiple cultural worlds, but in time, you will become the example you’re looking for. Hold on. It’s going to be a beautiful roller coaster of a ride.

For more information, contact Afolalu at lafolalu@uw.edu.

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Katya Cherukumilli Photo: 91̽��

, Assistant professor, Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering

What do you study at the UW?

My research group, the Safe Water Equity and Longevity Lab, aims to bridge gaps between scientific discovery, technology design and safe water provision. We integrate methods from human-centered design and environmental engineering to investigate barriers that limit safe water access and to develop usable water quality monitoring and treatment technologies. Specifically, we use data science, experiments, hardware prototyping and community-engaged research methods to design collaborative tools that improve safe water management and mitigate exposure to chemical contaminants in water supplies.

What made you fall in love with your research area?

From a young age, I always felt a deep connection to our planet. I loved spending most of my time outdoors exploring the natural world. I was very curious and talkative as a child, wanting to solve riddles, play games and learn about how everything worked. My curiosity led me down a winding path of research adventures that allowed me to study geology and supercontinents, climate change and alpine plant ecology, fuel-efficient cookstoves, wastewater irrigation and, eventually, safe drinking water.

From a young age, Cherukumilli enjoyed being outdoors in nature, and she often found herself drawn by some invisible force to the nearest body of water. Shown here is a seventh-grade Cherukumilli enjoying some water in California. Photo: Katya Cherukumilli/91̽��

When I reflect on how I ended up choosing to research access to drinking water, I think about the different places I have lived: south India, Florida, California and Washington. Each region has a uniquely different way of life, cultural traditions and natural environments. A common thread in each of the places I have called home was proximity to the coastline and easy access to fresh springs, rivers and lakes. I have always found myself drawn by an invisible force to the nearest body of water.

I am grateful that my career allows me to address environmental health challenges while also considering the human experience, to reflect on and reconcile inequities and injustices, and to collaboratively solve complex puzzles with brilliant students, colleagues and community partners.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Don’t be scared to do what you love every day, follow your heart and never stop speaking your mind. You’ll eventually find your way and realize it was the journey that mattered in the end.

For more information, contact Cherukumilli at katyach@uw.edu.

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Stephen Groening Photo: Corinne Thrash

, Associate professor, Department of Cinema & Media Studies

What do you study at the UW?

I am a media historian who specializes in the sociocultural aspects of media technologies. This includes researching and writing about devices themselves, the implications of the introduction and widespread adoption of these devices and how people use them. For example, my first book was . I have also published research on cell phones, , 16 mm training films, and the use of television screens in the family minivan.

What made you fall in love with your research area? ��

I was 7 when I was stuck on a Pan Am 747 for five hours on the tarmac at London Heathrow and boy, was it exciting when they finally played the movie on the big screen at the front of the cabin!

After that, I lived in Poland under a military dictatorship, which profoundly shaped my media experience growing up. For example, we used to watch Hollywood films played on a 16 mm projector in our living room — both the films and projector were provided through the U.S. Armed Forces. The range of films could be odd. I remember watching “Sophie’s Choice,” “Heartbeeps,” “Terms of Endearment,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Going Ape!,” “Sleeper,” “Fire and Ice,” “The Towering Inferno,” “City on Fire,” “When Time Ran Out,” “Three Days of the Condor,” “Hannah and Her Sisters” and “Krull” — not exactly .

At the same time, we were watching Polish television (mostly the animated shows “Pszczółka Maja” and “Bolek i Lolek”). Occasionally, a Hollywood film would be aired on TV, over-dubbed in Polish in such a way that the English language dialogue was still audible. I have distinct memories of watching “The Poseidon Adventure” and hearing the first few words of a line in English before the Polish translation came in on top of the dialogue. It wasn’t until a decade or so later that I learned this is not the standard technique for making alternate language versions of films.

We sometimes had access to U.S. television shows from other American diplomats who would return from home leave. They would bring videotape recordings, so I got to watch “Hogan’s Heroes,” “M*A*S*H” and “Gilligan’s Island” months after air date, complete with commercials (which I found both profoundly perplexing and compelling — As I type right now, I am singing the ). I even got to see “Roots” and “The Day After” on Betamax (we did not have what was then thought of as the inferior VHS format).

I would say that those media experiences — in-flight film, 16mm home exhibition, watching films on television in multiple languages — sparked my interest in our mediated mass culture. Until relatively recently, film studies was marked by a bias toward theatrical exhibition of feature films (with the occasional nod to experimental films shown in art galleries) and media studies was concerned with the effective transmission of messages to audiences. The forms of media encounter that are unforeseen and often unintended at the moment of production often get treated as accidental and inconsequential and yet, for many people that is the primary mode of encounter. Because of my experience, I know that all media forms, devices and their contents are contingent on a particular and fortuitous set of circumstances. So I find myself curious about those circumstances and their history.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

If I had known I would become an academic, I might have told my 8-year-old self to take better notes and told my undergraduate self to spend more time in faculty office hours asking about academia. Knowing what I know now, I would have told myself 10 years ago to stop worrying what others might think and just write the damned book.

For more information, contact Groening at groening@uw.edu.

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June Lukuyu Photo: 91̽��

, Assistant professor, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering

What do you study at the UW?

My research centers on using transdisciplinary approaches to develop solutions for creating sustainable, inclusive and integrated energy solutions for underserved communities. My expertise supports policymakers and practitioners seeking equitable, community-centered energy transitions that combine technical and socioeconomic perspectives.

What made you fall in love with your research area?

I grew up in a small community outside Nairobi, Kenya. From an early age, I saw firsthand the challenges of unreliable power: frequent outages, power surges and a system that did not always meet the needs of the people it served. When the lights went out, my family, like many in the area, was often left scrambling to preserve our food or finish homework assignments in candlelight. It was not just an inconvenience — it was a reminder of how something as essential as electricity could hold communities back. I knew from then that I wanted to do something about it, but at the time, I did not quite know how.

When I was in high school, I applied to colleges in the U.S. and was accepted to Smith College on a full scholarship. There, I pursued engineering science, but what really sparked my love for the field was not just the technical challenges — it was how energy systems intertwined with society. At Smith, I was not just solving equations. I was also exploring how power affects everything from education to health care to human development. My engineering courses were paired with courses in psychology, economics and sociology, and that blend of disciplines opened my eyes to a new way of thinking: Energy wasn’t just a technical problem to solve, it was a societal one.

The more I learned, the more I realized that fixing energy systems in underserved communities couldn’t be as simple as just adding more power or building bigger grids. It had to be about understanding the people who needed that power. I wanted to create systems that responded to real needs, that didn’t just drop in solutions, but considered the community’s culture, environment and existing infrastructure. After graduating, I had a job developing software to estimate the cost of power systems, but I kept thinking about how we could rethink energy to make it more sustainable, more inclusive and more connected to the social fabric of the places it served.

That thinking led me to pursue a master’s in renewable energy systems at Loughborough University in the United Kingdom and then a doctorate at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where my research focused on finding ways to develop energy systems that were as much about community as they were about technology. I didn’t just want to create another power system that might fail because it didn’t align with how people lived or how societies worked. Instead, I wanted to design systems that were responsive to local contexts and to the needs of communities they intended to serve, systems that people could rely on for the long haul.

In 2023, I joined the 91̽�� as an assistant professor, where I founded the IDEAS (Interdisciplinary Energy Analytics for Society) research group. Our work is all about creating energy systems that work for the people who use them. It’s a mix of developing sustainable technology, social understanding and deep collaboration with communities. We’re working on projects in Africa, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands and even here in the U.S., always with the goal of creating solutions that are both sustainable and tailored to the specific needs of each community.

What I love most about my research is that it’s not just about the science — it’s about the people. Every project is a chance to dive into a new community, understand its challenges and design solutions that truly fit. I’m passionate about making sure that when we think about energy, we’re thinking about people, not just power. And now, teaching and mentoring the next generation of engineers at 91̽��gives me a chance to pass on that mindset — to inspire others to think beyond the technical and ask, “How does this system help the people who need it most?”

It’s been a winding journey, from a small town outside Nairobi to researching sustainable and inclusive energy solutions at a major university. But the core of it has always been the same: a desire to make a difference, to solve real-world problems with technology and to ensure that everyone, no matter where they are, has access to the energy they need to thrive.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

I’d tell my younger self not to worry so much about fitting into a mold or following a traditional path. Every experience, even the ones that seem unrelated or uncertain, contributes to your journey. Embrace the uncertainty, because it often leads to the most interesting places.

I’d also remind myself to be patient and kind with the process. Progress isn’t always linear. There were times when I felt overwhelmed or unsure of my next step. It’s okay to feel that way — it’s part of learning and growing. The setbacks, the challenges and even the moments of doubt are just as important as the successes. They shape you and teach you valuable lessons.

Finally, I’d tell myself to take more risks — to seek out the scary opportunities, the ones that seem daunting or unfamiliar. You never know where a seemingly small decision or unexpected twist in the road might take you. Sometimes, the things that seem out of reach are the ones worth pursuing most. So, trust yourself, stay curious and keep pushing forward, even when the path isn’t always clear. The journey will be worth it.

For more information, contact Lukuyu at jlukuyu@uw.edu.

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Jennifer Nemhauser Photo: 91̽��

, Professor, Department of Biology

What do you study at the UW?

We use plant, yeast and human cells to understand and engineer the molecular interactions that allow organisms to process information during development and stress responses.

What made you fall in love with your research area?

When I was a little girl, I attended a Montessori school in Los Angeles. This was the 1970s, and the teachers embraced the philosophy of letting a child’s interest direct their learning. I had one teacher that I really bonded with, named Dr. Pillai. He introduced me to the process of science research, rewarding my seemingly insatiable curiosity with thoughtful responses and sharing just the right book or model or experiment to help me dig deeper into any topic that caught my interest. He made me feel like asking a million questions was a wonderful quality (something not everyone agreed with, then or now!).

The pure joy of learning about the natural world through experimentation struck a deep chord. While the road was quite twisty between those early years and my decision to pursue science as a career, I am sure that I would not be here today without that early encouragement.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Be nicer to your dad when he is helping you with your math homework!

For more information, contact Nemhauser at jn7@uw.edu.

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Zoe Pleasure Photo: 91̽��

, Doctoral student, Department of Health Systems & Population Health, School of Public Health

What do you study at the UW?

My research focuses on understanding how people make decisions about their sexual and reproductive health care while navigating the multi-level influences that shape our current societal structure. In my research, I use mixed methods to analyze more traditional data sources, such as qualitative interviews and surveys, and newer data sources, such as TikTok videos, Reddit posts and electronic health record notes, to understand what type of information people seek out about sexual and reproductive health, their motivations behind decision-making and their care interactions with providers. I seek to examine how people with different lived experiences (for example: chronic disease, young people, veterans) may have different decision-making motivations and informational needs to make autonomous reproductive health decisions.

What made you fall in love with your research area?

I first became passionate about sexual and reproductive health while taking the class Sex, Gender and the Brain as a neuroscience undergraduate at Emory University. My final project focused on how anti-choice groups attempted to limit reproductive autonomy by promoting erroneous interpretations of neuroscience data to argue that oral contraceptives are dangerous. The class demonstrated to me how scientists could meld science with feminist theory and, more specifically, how the intentional distribution of misinformation online provides another tool to limit bodily autonomy.

Earlier in my educational career, teachers often framed my biology, chemistry and physics classes as apolitical or unbiased by societal structures. I now know that is not true. This class was one of the first classes where we were asked to name the specific orientation or lens of a research paper or study and describe who and what was left out.

I quickly dropped my neuroscience focus after this class and instead focused on policy-relevant, public –health-informed research that aims to improve access to and the equity and quality of sexual and reproductive health care and information. While earning a master’s of public health, I started working at the Guttmacher Institute, a leading sexual and reproductive health policy and research organization based in New York City. There, I started working on research projects that directly studied ways to improve access to sexual and reproductive health services.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

I would advise my younger self to think critically about the lessons that are available in all academic classes, including English, dance, and history, and to think about how these lessons can be used to become a better public health researcher and writer.

For more information, contact Pleasure at zoep2@uw.edu.

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Kira Schabram Photo: 91̽��

, Assistant professor of management, Foster School of Business

What do you study at the UW?

My two primary topics of inquiry are meaningful work and employee sustainability. My research examines how to support employees who want to make a positive difference through their work in ways big and small, ranging from employees who view work as a calling — not just a paycheck but as a source of personal, social or moral significance — to those engaging in everyday acts of helping, kindness and compassion. I study the challenges that impede these activities to determine how employees can conduct their work more sustainably.

What made you fall in love with your research area?

I fell into academia. In 2007, I was working for the largest animal shelter in North America and I enrolled in a part-time master’s program in business because I had aspirations of one day rising into a leadership position in animal welfare.

Schabram originally worked at an animal shelter and started taking master’s classes as a way to prepare for a leadership role in animal welfare. Photo: Kira Schabram/91̽��

In 2008, the Great Recession hit and I lost my job, but I also learned that professors in my master’s program did research (who knew!). At the time, research on meaningful work was in its infancy and focused primarily on the positive aspects (for example: showing that employees doing meaningful work have greater engagement and satisfaction). I saw this among my co-workers in the animal shelter, but I also saw so much frustration, burnout and resignation. Every day, employees who wanted to save animals’ lives were in the corner crying because of their inability to do so.

I applied to 10 doctoral programs and got into one, where I was lucky that my supervisors encouraged me to join the burgeoning wave of research looking at meaningful work as a double-edged sword and what to do about it. The rest is history.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

This is less advice for my younger self and more gratitude to all the people who helped me along the way. Early in your career, you do not yet know how anything works: how research works, what journals are appropriate outlets, how to develop the ability to know where to dedicate our efforts: what research projects are not only novel but important. Until then, senior mentors are invaluable guides. What makes for a successful career is all the people who generously offer their time and guidance along the way. I did many, many things wrong in my early career, but one thing I did right was to seek out and show my appreciation for any and all help. I would not be here if it wasn’t for the thousands of hours invested in me by others in the field and I hope I am paying that forward in a small part.

For more information, contact Schabram at schabram@uw.edu.

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Bára Šafářová Photo: Christa Holka

, Assistant professor, School of Urban Studies, 91̽��Tacoma

What do you study at the UW?

��My research is primarily on housing segregation, but I have also become an expert on the overlap of and its relationship with the greening of cities in times of climate change and rising inequality.

What made you fall in love with this new research area?

��I happened to fall into this area in the middle of the night a couple months into my architecture doctoral program. It was early spring. I had moved to College Station, Texas, and was living in a relatively old timberstick house. It was about 1 a.m. when I jumped into my bed and then yelped out from a sharp pain in my lower back.

My first thought: a snake bite?! I leapt up, squeezed my back as if I could prevent any poison from getting in, turned on the light and scanned the bed for a snake. Nothing. Instead I saw a bug — a flat dark bug, not even an inch long. I scooped it up in a jar, let go of my “poisoned skin” and sighed in relief.

Then I thought, could this be a risky bug? I had just moved to the U.S. from Europe and I didn’t know the local fauna at all. To resolve this in a rational way, I settled on eliminating worst-case scenarios. I Googled: “most dangerous insects in Texas.” I checked the bug in the jar for unique characteristics and compared it to a ranking of… JESUS! The third bug on the list was exactly the same bug that was staring at me from the jar: A Kissing bug… a bite from which can lead to Chagas disease… Deadly… No cure… Organs disintegrate in several decades.

My heart was pounding. My hand was back on the bite site. I was skimming the internet frantically. It was so late, and I had no one to call at that hour. I thought of calling people in Europe, but what would they know? I forced myself to read slowly and make a plan.

The message became clear: There is no cure for Chagas disease and the only symptom (sometimes) occurs the following morning: the swelling of one eyelid on the side closer to the bite site. Even if I went to the hospital, this seemed to be an under-studied disease and tests were limited. I resolved to just sleep it off and go to the doctor in the morning.

I woke up early. My face was symmetrical. Phew. I took the jar to the clinic right as they opened. Someone in the waiting room told me about getting bit by a brown recluse. “Oh well,” I thought, giving up on life a little.

The doctor took one look at the bug and said “Yes, that is a Kissing bug. There’s no cure. No test. Just move on, sorry!”

Perplexed, but also assured by the lack of urgency, I left the clinic. Over the next few days, my worries slowly faded as there apparently was nothing to do about this. I tossed the bug.

Two weeks later I saw an announcement on the university homepage from , then a doctoral student studying biomedical sciences. She was asking about any Kissing bug sightings and .

I immediately wrote to Rachel and reported what happened. She was super excited and asked me to bring her the bug. I said I threw it out, but had photos and I found a similar one — I had lots of bugs in my old house. We met over coffee. Rachel informed me that the bug was NOT a Kissing bug and that I should not worry. She could test me, but it was not necessary.

Šafářová collecting data in the colonias for the pilot project inspired by her encounter with a bug. Photo: Bára Šafářová/91̽��

She explained the science of how the parasite behind Chagas disease, Trypanosoma cruzi, . It’s quite the process: After the bug bites you, it poops. The parasites are in infected bugs’ poop, which means that the poop has to get smudged into the bite site for you to get infected.

Then Rachel asked about my doctoral research and I told her I was studying housing in the colonias that line the border of Texas and Mexico. Her eyes lit up because she was looking to get samples from there. Thanks to the bug bite and my coffee with Rachel, a whole team formed and we started a pilot project that combined our research interests. This study became my master’s thesis, and six years later in the prestigious Habitat International journal.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Talk to doctoral students from many more disciplines!

For more information, contact Šafářová at bsafar@uw.edu.

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Adam Summers Photo: 91̽��

, Professor, Department of Biology and School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences

What do you study at the UW?

I am a natural historian who applies physics, math and engineering concepts to living systems to understand how they work. My research is driven by both the evolutionary implications of function and the possibility of bio-inspired design.

What made you fall in love with your research area?

From my earliest childhood I spent three seasons in downtown Manhattan and summer in the north woods of Ontario, Canada. The contrast between the most urban environment and a place without utilities or indoor plumbing was formative. Fishes, whether in tanks, on lines, or through my SCUBA mask, were my constant and most interesting companions. No detail was too obscure, and no species too drab to escape my attention.

I left fish behind when I got to college. Instead, it was a constant joy of mathematics and engineering, with a liberal arts sprinkling of art history, economics and German. After college I tried many things: I started a business, taught in the NYC public school system and attempted a career in photography. But I wasn’t willing to persist when things were hard or no fun. Then I went to Australia to become a SCUBA instructor. There I met my first biologist. I was smitten with the idea of making a living trying to understand animals.

On my return to New York, I immersed myself in biology, particularly the natural history of fishes, reptiles and amphibians. Spending hours in the field closely observing animals and their environment was one avenue of inspiration. The other was investigating animals’ shape, or morphology, with an electron microscope. The link between form and function was how my weeks passed — looking at microstructure, then wading in temporary ponds for larval salamanders. I fell completely in love with both areas and have made my career at that interface.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Treasure your mentors in the moment. They are gone too soon and you will never feel like you made it clear enough how much they affected you and your career.

For more information, contact Summers at fishguy@uw.edu.��

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Timeka Tounsel Photo: 91̽��

, Associate professor, Department of Communication

What do you study at the UW?

I am a critical-cultural studies scholar who focuses on race, gender, and sexuality in the media. Specifically, I study how Black people negotiate mass media as marginalized subjects whose status as citizens is always precarious. I’m especially interested in the stories that circulate about Black women, both external narratives and the stories that Black women craft about themselves.

What made you fall in love with your research area?

I sometimes think of myself as an accidental academic. I pursued a degree in magazine journalism and international relations in college with the intention of becoming a magazine editor. But everything changed the summer I landed an internship at my dream magazine, . At the time, many publications were closing their doors or downsizing their staff in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. All of a sudden, pursuing a career in magazines began to feel like a much larger risk than I was comfortable with. Aside from the industry woes, I also realized that I had just as much fun studying magazines (and other media) for class projects as I did working for one.

At Essence, the assignments that my editor gave me reflected a particular image of Black womanhood and assumptions about Blackness, femininity and masculinity that were key to the magazine’s brand. When I returned to school for my last year of college, I took a Black feminist theory course where I wrote essays exploring the questions that had popped into my mind during my internship – questions that I couldn’t shake, questions that played in the background of my mind whenever I was walking through the magazine aisle at the grocery store, or watching television or a movie. This taste of how deeply satisfying a life of the mind could be was a turning point. By the end of the feminist theory course I had decided to apply to graduate school.

My first book, “,” was a full-circle moment. In the book I offer a cultural history of Essence magazine and position it as a predecessor to contemporary commercial representations of Black womanhood realized in the 2010s through hashtags like #BlackGirlMagic and advertising campaigns, such as Proctor and Gamble’s “.” It was an amazing feeling to follow my curiosity and return to the questions that first captivated my mind as an intern. During the writing process I realized that the seeds of these questions had started even earlier, when I was a little girl sitting in a Black beauty shop with dozens of issues of Ebony, Jet and Essence magazines. Long before I was old enough to fully comprehend the articles, the images in these magazines captivated me, beaconing me to explore further.

The thing that most fills my heart about the scholarly path that I’ve chosen is being able to document and amplify the brilliance and beauty of Black women. There’s so much that’s problematic in the stories that society tells about Black women, but the brightest moments in my teaching and research are connected to the dope narratives that Black women craft about themselves.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Lean into the questions that captivate you and the subject areas that awaken your passion and curiosity. This will point you in the direction of your most fulfilling research projects and your very best writing.

For more information, contact Tounsel at timeka@uw.edu.

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Kendall Valentine Photo: 91̽��

, Assistant professor, School of Oceanography

What do you study at the UW?

��I’m a coastal ecogeomorphologist, which means I study how ecology, geology and physics change the landscape on the coast. A lot of my work focuses on how biology (plants, microbes) alters how mud moves around coastal systems and changes what our coastlines look like. I am particularly interested in marshes and mudflats. I go into the field to measure what is really happening on the coast, and then develop numerical computer models to predict how these processes will change in the future.

What made you fall in love with your research area?

When I was 5 years old, my family went on vacation to Cape Cod National Seashore. We attended an educational program at the Salt Pond Visitor Center, and I knew I was in love. The stinky, muddy marsh felt like home to me immediately, and I still remember talking to the volunteer scientist about how marshes work. At that time, however, I had no idea that you could study marshes and mud as your job!

That formative memory never left me, even though, as I continued in school and focused on science, I intended to become a medical doctor. In my world, if you were good at math and science, the logical career path was to become a medical doctor.

Valentine fell in love with marshes on a trip to Cape Cod National Seashore when she was five years old, but she had no idea that you could have a career studying marshes and mud. Shown here is five-year-old Valentine on the beach at Cape Cod National Seashore. Photo: Kendall Valentine/91̽��

I went to college at Boston University, where I planned to major in chemistry. But for every class project, I ended up focusing on oceans and coastlines. I had a wonderful TA who noticed this trend and mentioned to me in passing that my university had a marine science program and that maybe I should consider taking a class in that program to see if I liked it. I enrolled in a class called “Estuaries” and I’ve never looked back. The first week of the class, we took a field trip to collect data in a marsh and I was instantly transported back to my 5-year-old self, loving the marsh. I was the first student who jumped into the mud to collect data, and I didn’t want to leave. Within a few weeks I was working in that professor’s lab, and I really haven’t left the marsh since.

I also started developing so many questions about how things worked — and how everything tied together, from the mud to the birds — that I quickly realized that research and teaching in the field was what I needed to do with my life. My research has expanded a lot since then to encompass many different types of coasts, but my love for the rotten-egg-smelling, squelching mud drives a lot of what I choose to do. Being out in nature and seeing the processes happen in real time inspires me to understand coastal systems and help make a more resilient future for our planet and for people.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

I am incredibly lucky to have a job that I absolutely love, and I would encourage my younger self to pursue what makes me happy. Sometimes my work hardly feels like work because I am so engaged and excited by what I am discovering and the students I get to work with. While every day isn’t always amazing (I have bad work days too!), at the end of the work week I’m always thankful for what a great job I have. I hope that everyone is able to find something they are passionate about in their life.

I would also say: Believe in yourself and don’t compare yourself to others. Just keep doing what you love and what you think is important and helpful to others, and everything will work out okay.

For more information, contact Valentine at kvalent@uw.edu.

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Navid Zobeiry Photo: 91̽��

, Associate professor, Department of Materials Science & Engineering

What do you study at the UW?

My research team integrates materials science, data science and advanced manufacturing with primary applications in aerospace. We focus on three main areas:

Smart material testing methods, using physics-informed machine learning to control the testing parameters.
Smart manufacturing that leverages automation, sensing and machine learning. The goal is to develop AI for autonomous and self-aware manufacturing systems.
Smart engineering approaches to accelerate aerospace design and certification. We use a combination of machine learning, automated testing and physics-based numerical simulations techniques.

What made you fall in love with your research area?

According to my parents, my first word was “hot.” Looking back, it seems like a fitting start to a life deeply intertwined with the principles of heat transfer. My fascination with heat and materials began early and found a natural outlet in my love for cooking. I enjoy experimenting with different cooking techniques, all of which benefit immensely from an understanding of heat transfer. This passion even led me to publish a cookbook a few years ago.

After earning my doctoral degree, I began working at a research center in Canada, where I collaborated with various companies to solve their manufacturing challenges. Over time, I worked with a wide range of materials — concrete, wood, polymers, metals and composites. As I delved deeper into manufacturing, I started noticing fascinating parallels between it and cooking. Both require precise control of variables like temperature and pressure to transform materials into something new.

For instance, making aerospace composite parts in an autoclave is essentially pressure-cooking a layered material. Similarly, tempering chocolate to achieve its perfect microstructure, texture and snap is strikingly similar to controlling the crystallinity of thermoplastics to optimize their performance. Recognizing these connections allowed me to combine my personal passion for cooking with my professional love for materials science and engineering.

This love for exploring the science behind materials was paired with my lifelong interest in mathematics, which naturally led me to integrate machine learning and AI into my research. These tools provided a way to unlock deeper insights and bring innovation into material design and manufacturing. For example, my very first project as a professor at the 91̽�� was a collaboration with Boeing, where we developed AI for manufacturing aerospace composites. It was akin to creating a smart oven that can monitor the temperature of various parts and autonomously adjust the controls — a direct parallel to advanced cooking techniques.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

As you explore different options for your career, focus more on what you truly love to do. Don’t be afraid to combine your personal passions with your professional goals — start doing this earlier. The joy and fulfillment you’ll find in aligning your personal interests with your career will open doors to creative opportunities and unique solutions you might not have imagined. Trust the process and follow what excites you most.

For more information, contact Zobeiry at navidz@uw.edu.

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New faculty books: Traditional Syrian cuisine, Indigenous ecological knowledge, data science for researchers

Lauren Kirschman — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 19:46:04 +0000

Highlighting select new books from 91̽�� faculty.

Three new faculty books from the 91̽�� cover the recipes and culture of the world’s largest Syrian refugee camp, traditional ecological knowledge of Indigenous peoples and data science for neuroimaging researchers.

91̽��News spoke with the authors to learn more.

Documenting history and rituals of Syrian cuisine

When was invited to Zaatari, the world’s largest Syrian refugee camp, she noticed that stories of the camp rarely included women’s voices. As she learned more about their lives, she had the idea to create a cookbook to counter the effects of domicide – the deliberate destruction of housing and basic infrastructure – and carve a space for the women to share their cultural knowledge with the world.

Published by Goose Lane Editions, “,” brings to life stories and traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation. Fisher wrote the book in collaboration with over 2,000 refugees. All royalties return to the people of Zaatari, which is located near Jordan’s border with Syria.

“The book was a way to increase global awareness about war and refugees, and to show how important food and other aspects of the culture are in human survival and in telling the human story,” said Fisher, a 91̽��professor in the Information School and an adjunct professor of communication.

The women in the camp were excited when Fisher approached them with the idea – even though many of them had never seen a cookbook.

“Part of why our book is so fascinating is that it focuses on tacit knowledge and the social nature of cooking,” Fisher said. “You learn to cook by cooking alongside somebody else.”

With over 130 recipes, some of which have never been written down before, the book documents the history and rituals of Syrian cuisine and how they have been adapted to life in a refugee camp. It also chronicles camp culture.

“We cannot lose our connections with humanity,” Fisher said. “Just because someone is a refugee living in a camp halfway around the world, doesn’t mean that their lives don’t have value. They are important within the global world that we live in and are all part of the history of humanity. All of these things need to be preserved and supported.”

Because they are war refugees, the people involved in the project were all credited with aliases. The photographs of the women were also taken from behind to protect their identities and as part of Islamic practice.

“The Zaatari book is just a powerful example of the 91̽��community-engaged research, of working with a refugee community and agencies inside a high security closed refugee camp,” Fisher said. “It was just incredible what we were able to do.”

For more information, contact Fisher at fisher@uw.edu.��

Collection highlights Indigenous environmental knowledge

In “,” presenters from the discuss best practices for traditional ecological knowledge, or TEK, which refers to evolving knowledge acquired by Indigenous peoples through direct contact with the environment.

(enrolled Haliwa Saponi/descendant Eastern Band Cherokee), who is an associate professor and chair of Social and Historical studies in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at the 91̽�� Tacoma, edited the book. She brought together speakers from the Indigenous Speakers Series and multigenerational Indigenous peoples to share how TEK aids in environmental justice efforts and why it should be adapted into Western sciences.

Launched by Montgomery in 2015, the Indigenous Speaker Series is a multi-purpose platform that promotes community partnerships, amplifies the voices of Indigenous people and dialogues about Indigenous people’s cultural and traditional lived experiences.

“Part of the Indigenous Speaker Series is about bringing in multigenerational voices to talk about all sorts of topics that relate to sustainability, because sustainability isn’t just about ecosystems or STEM initiatives,” Montgomery said. “It’s also about culture, identity, all those sorts of things. This project is about me really being passionate about decolonizing and indigenizing the narrative.”

As the founder and director of the Indigenous Speaker Series and “a humble, forever student,” Montgomery wanted to give back to the community by helping people share their stories.

“Culturally, I’m taught that my wealth is determined by how many people can say I contributed when asked,” Montgomery said. “Did I give back? How many people did I uplift as I made it on the journey? Being an editor, it sounds like a position of unique power. But to me, it was a humbling opportunity to reach out to people and to say, ‘I believe in your voice. Let me create a platform so you can share it.’”

Storytelling is about empowerment and justice, Montgomery said. Published by University Press of Colorado, the book is a multi-tribal collection and a space for people from all walks of life to share interdisciplinary knowledge through their stories.

“The reason why it’s important for me to always uplift the voices and the storytelling of people is that I want people to feel comfortable in their identity and the walk that they walk,” Montgomery said. “If you save spaces to tell their story, erasure doesn’t happen.”

For more information, contact Montgomery at montgm2@uw.edu.��

A new guide on data science for researchers

“,” recently published by Princeton University Press, serves as a guide to broadly relevant data science skills with specific application to neuroimaging research.

Written by , research associate professor of psychology at the 91̽��and data science fellow at the 91̽��eScience Institute, and , the book fills the need for an authoritative resource on data science for neuroimaging researchers.

“We’re both neuroimaging researchers and both of us painstakingly acquired data science skills by learning from mentors and peers and teaching ourselves,” Rokem said. “What we wanted to do was make that process a lot easier, especially for early-career researchers in our field.”

In 2016, Rokem and Yarkoni established a summer school focused on data science and neuroimaging. They’ve received funding from the National Institutes of Mental Health since 2017 to run the course, which is now called . Over the years, they identified gaps in existing training and worked to fill them.

In June, The Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM) awarded Rokem the , which is given to an OHBM member who has made significant contribution to education and training in the field of neuroimaging. Rokem was recognized for the work that led to the book, among other accomplishments.

Formal training programs don’t typically cover topics like data management and programming topics in machine learning, Rokem said. The book provides a source that students, teachers and instructors can use to learn and teach about these skills.

“Neuroimaging and neuroscience research, much like many other fields, is inundated in data,” Rokem said. “The instruments that we use to make neuroimaging measurements and the datasets that we have available to us are all becoming larger, more complicated.”

Researchers who are mentoring students don’t always have experience with the current magnitude of available datasets. “Data Science for Neuroimaging: An Introduction” helps bridge the gap.

There is also a growing concern about reproducibility in the neuroimaging field, Rokem said.

“One of the ways to mitigate concerns about reproducibility is to automate everything, track the progress of the research and then make the research openly available in a way that others can inspect what we’re doing,” Rokem said. “This is part of a larger movement around open science and reproducible research that the eScience Institute has been advancing here at the UW. Part of what we write about in the book is, what are the tools and techniques for making research accessible to and reproducible by others?”

The book, which allows users to run code examples and experiment with them hands-on, is also openly.

For more information, contact Rokem at arokem@uw.edu.

Q&A: The climate change toll on roads — two 91̽��professors weigh in

Sarah McQuate — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 16:02:35 +0000

Two 91̽�� researchers are investigating how to mitigate the effects of climate change on common road pavements, such as asphalt and concrete. Photo: Mark Stone/91̽��

We mostly take roads for granted until something bad happens — a heatwave leads to a street buckling or an atmospheric river makes a neighborhood creek spill over its banks and flood our route to work.

As climate change brings about rising sea levels and more extreme weather, these issues with our roads are likely to be exacerbated. Two 91̽�� researchers are investigating how to mitigate the effects of climate change on common road pavements, such as asphalt and concrete. , assistant teaching professor in the School of Engineering & Technology at 91̽��Tacoma, studies sustainable materials for pavement manufacturing. , 91̽��professor of civil and environmental engineering, studies how to make transportation infrastructure resilient.

91̽��News asked both to discuss the effects of climate change on roads and how their research addresses these issues.

Nara Almeida Photo: 91̽��

What aspects of climate change affect roads?

Nara Almeida: There are several consequences of climate change that can affect the durability and longevity of roads. These include extreme temperatures, significant temperature fluctuations and floods.

It is important to note, however, that roads built today also contribute to climate change and its effects. Roads absorb a lot of solar radiation and contribute to the increase in surrounding temperatures. This phenomenon, known as the “heat island effect,” can exacerbate climate change.

How does flooding impact roads?

Stephen Muench: There are two issues. The first involves a process called “scour,” which is when water moves across a road and dislodges the pavement and underlying material, usually soil and rocks. Scour can be addressed by raising a roadway to above a new, higher anticipated flood depth or protecting it with levees and walls. Both options are expensive. Relocating the road is another option here, but that is also expensive and sometimes not possible.

Stephen Muench Photo: 91̽��

The second issue is that flooded roads are unusable and can be permanently weakened by flooding. This can occur because of extreme precipitation or sea level rise. Higher sea levels on average mean that the high tides — sometimes called “king tides” — may flood your road rather regularly. In places like Florida, where sea level rise is quite noticeable, we have seen some rather extreme measures put in place. For instance, Miami Beach has spent more than a decade raising its roads and installing backflow preventers and pumps to combat flooded neighborhoods and roads.

NA: Flooding on roads also leads to critical issues in the gravel and soil layers beneath the pavement surface layer. Extreme precipitation events can increase the moisture content in these layers, which makes the roads weaker and more flexible than they should be. Effective drainage systems can help these pavement layers regain their properties, but if flood events occur in quick succession, it could lead to permanent damage or failure.

How do extreme temperatures affect roads?

NA: For cold temperatures, there are a few issues. First, cold temperatures can make pavements that are meant to be flexible, such as asphalt, more likely to crack. Also, during freeze-thaw cycles, water inside the pavement expands when it freezes and contracts when it thaws. This phenomenon can accelerate deterioration, which leads to large cracks in rigid pavements, such as concrete, and potholes in flexible pavements, such as asphalt. Finally, deicer salts used in cold conditions can chemically react with pavement materials and deteriorate the pavement’s structure over time.

SM: Another temperature issue that we typically notice here in Seattle is what happens during our increasingly common heat waves — say, three consecutive days of over 100 F weather. Infrastructure actually expands during hot weather, which can cause the edges of concrete pavement slabs to butt up and push on one another until the joint gives out and pops up to relieve stress.

NA: Some recent studies suggest that these damages tend to be worse if the concrete pavement has a thick surface layer and is subject to heavy loads, which is the case in our roadways.

Can you talk about how your research addresses these issues?

NA: One area I am particularly interested in is using what is called “” as the surface layer of pavement. These pavements absorb rainwater and recharge water tables, which could help with both flooding and the heat island effect.

Another indirect benefit of these pavements is that they could help filter contaminants in stormwater runoff. Right now, when it rains, water hits impermeable polluted surfaces, such as roofs and roads, and then it flows into lakes, rivers and other bodies of water. Pervious concrete could be really helpful in the Seattle and Tacoma region, where preserving aquatic wildlife, particularly salmon populations, tends to be a major issue.

I am also interested in using waste byproducts to manufacture pavements and other construction materials. One example is using water-treatment sludge and byproducts from the steel-production industry to make concrete.

SM: The industry buzzword for addressing climate change is “resilience.” Here, this means the ability of roads exposed to hazards (such as flooding or extreme heat) to resist, absorb, accommodate or adapt — and then to recover in a timely manner.

Before I was a professor, I spent seven years in the U.S. Navy driving a nuclear submarine. We were always thinking about what could possibly go wrong and practicing our response to quickly and safely recover from it. It is harder to do this for an entire transportation network, but it has to be done. It is time we spent some serious effort on it. It is not practical to design a pavement to be resistant to everything. At some point, you have to admit that if a flood or other event is strong enough, you are just going to have to absorb damage and then recover. I want to know how to triage a system, and then recover quickly with what will surely be limited resources after a hazard event.

I am particularly interested in recovery after a major flooding event. We just started a project that addresses how flooding impacts the resiliency of pavement systems. Our current work in the will provide guidance to state departments of transportation on how to quantify the effects of flooding and how to improve resilience.��

What do you wish people understood about roads and climate change?

NA: The way our roads are currently built and used contributes to climate change. To reduce the embodied carbon footprint of road manufacturing, we need to reuse and recycle materials for road construction, hire local construction companies, buy from local suppliers and implement other sustainable strategies.

To address the operational carbon footprint, we need to rethink how we move within, to and from our cities. The transportation sector is the largest contributor to U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, so we need to live closer to where we work — and walk, bike and use public transportation more often. Of course, this responsibility isn’t solely on us as citizens, and creating walkable cities with functional public transportation systems depends on political decisions.

SM: Resilience is so important to infrastructure today that it is at the core of : “Create a resilient and sustainable world.” We build this idea into our teaching, and it forms the basis for a large amount of our research both in climate change adaptation, and as a response to natural hazards.

I think we have the technology and ability to address climate change with respect to pavements and a lot of other infrastructure. However, most of this adaptation will take effort and money. So, I think this is more a “people issue” than a technology issue. Specifically, are we, as a society, willing to spend money and time to address this?

For more information, contact Almeida at almeidan@uw.edu and Muench at stmuench@uw.edu.

91̽��graduate and professional disciplines have strong showing on US News’ Best Graduate Schools rankings

Jackson Holtz — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 04:03:21 +0000

The UW’s graduate and professional degree programs were widely recognized as among the best in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 Best Graduate Schools rankings. Photo: 91̽��

UPDATE:

On June 18, U.S. News & Report updated the rankings to include a number of engineering disciplines.��The College of Engineering was ranked No. 21 overall and nine subdisciplines ranked in the top 35. They include:

Engineering: Aerospace, Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering, 17th

Engineering: Chemical Engineering, 25th

Engineering: Civil Engineering,12th

Engineering: Computer Engineering, 12th

Engineering: Electrical, Electronic & Communications Engineering, 15th

Engineering: Environmental & Environmental Health Engineering, 18th

Engineering: Industrial Manufacturing & Systems Engineering, 29th

Engineering: Materials Engineering, 29th

Engineering: Mechanical Engineering, 33rd

Original story:

The 91̽��’s graduate and professional degree programs were widely recognized as among the best in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 Best Graduate Schools released late Monday.

While the 91̽��celebrates the success and impact of the programs recognized by U.S. News — and many applicants use these rankings to help them select schools and discover potential areas of study — the University also recognizes shortcomings inherent in the ranking systems.

The 91̽��School of Law and the 91̽��School of Medicine withdrew from the U.S. News rankings in 2022 and 2023, respectively, citing concerns that some of the methodology in the rankings for those specific disciplines incentivize actions and policies that run counter to the schools’ public service missions.

91̽��leaders continue to work with U.S. News and other ranking organizations — to the extent they are open to it — to improve their methodologies. And schools, colleges and departments continually reevaluate the benefits and potential shortfalls of participating in specific rankings.

“Across the UW, our world-class graduate and professional degree programs are not only expanding and creating knowledge and discovery, they are training the next generation of highly skilled professionals and Ph.D.s who are needed in our labs, classrooms and hospitals; in government and industry and everywhere that we face serious and urgent challenges,” said 91̽��President Ana Mari Cauce. “We’re happy to see the success of these programs be recognized.”

Dozens of 91̽��schools and departments placed prominently in the 2025 rankings — excluding the School of Law and the School of Medicine, more than 30 placed in the top 10, and more than 60 in the top 35.

In new rankings released this year, the 91̽��placed in the top 10 nationwide in public affairs, nursing, speech and language pathology, computer science, education, public health, social work and business, according to U.S. News.

The UW’s Evans School of Public Policy & Governance has maintained its top-10 ranking for more than a decade and placed eighth in the nation. The Evans School’s environmental policy program was ranked second, nonprofit management and social policy each ranking at No. 8, public finance and budgeting came in at No. 10.

This year’s rankings solidified 91̽��leadership in the health sciences: The 91̽��School of Nursing tied for third place for the doctor of nursing practice program, and nursing schools at 91̽��Bothell and 91̽��Tacoma are among the top 10 public institutions that offer a master’s degree. The School of Public Health tied for No. 7, and had three programs — biostatistics, environmental health sciences and epidemiology — in the top 10. The School of Social Work was ranked No. 7 this year and the School of Pharmacy placed third among public institutions on the West Coast. Dentistry programs are not ranked by U.S. News

The UW’s programs in speech and language pathology ranked No. 5, topping schools on the West Coast.�� Three programs from the College of Education placed in the top 10, and the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering this year tied for seventh place overall, and three programs ranked in the top 10, including artificial intelligence at No. 6, programming language at No. 8, and systems at No. 9.

U.S. News said it would release 2025 rankings for clinical psychology and other engineering programs at a later date.

In some cases, such as the College of Arts & Science and the Foster School of Business, U.S. News ranks several professional disciplines housed within academic units. The rankings below are based on preliminary data and may be updated. Information about U.S. News & World Report’s methodology can be found .

TOP 10:

Public Affairs (environmental policy): 2nd

Library and Information Studies (overall): Tie for 2nd (ranked in 2022)

Library and Information studies (digital librarianship): Tie for 2nd (ranked in 2022)

Library and Information Studies (information systems): 2nd (ranked in 2022)

Nurse practitioner (doctor of nursing practice): Two-way tie for 3rd

Physics (nuclear): Tied for 3rd (ranked in 2024)

Library and Information Studies (library services for children and youth): Tie for 5th (ranked in 2022)

Speech-language pathology: Four-way tie for 5th

Nurse practitioner (pediatric acute care): Tie for 5th (ranked in 2022)

Computer science (artificial intelligence): 6th

Nurse midwifery: Tie for 6th

Computer science (overall): Three-way tie for 7th

Education (secondary education): 7th

Education (elementary education): 7th

School of Public Health (overall): Tie for 7th

Public Health (biostatistics): 7^th

Public Health (environmental health sciences): 7th

School of Social Work (overall): 7th

Statistics: Tie for 7th (ranked in 2022)

Computer science (programming language): 8th

Education (curriculum/instruction): Three-way tie for 8th

Evans School of Public Policy & Governance (overall): 8th

Public Affairs (nonprofit management): 8th

Public Affairs (social policy): 8th

Computer science (systems): 9th

Earth sciences: Five-way tie for 9th (ranked in 2024)

Geophysics: Three-way tie for 9th (ranked in 2024)

Public Health (epidemiology): 9th

Public Affairs (public finance and budgeting): 10th

Business (part-time MBA): Three-way tie for 10th

Business (information systems): Two-way tie for 10th

TOP 25:

Biological sciences: Three-way tie for 23rd (ranked in 2022)

Business (marketing): Six-way tie for 23rd (ranked in 2024)

Business (analytics): Four-way tie for 19th

Business (entrepreneurship): Four-way tie for 21st

Chemistry (analytical): Four-way tie for 16th (ranked in 2024)

Chemistry: Three-way tie for 24th (ranked in 2024)

Chemistry (inorganic): Three-way tie for 22nd (ranked in 2024)

Computer science (theory): 11th

College of Education (overall): Two-way tie for 23rd

Education (administration/supervision): Two-way tie for 11th

Education (policy): Two-way tie for 19th

Education (special education): 11th

Mathematics (applied math): 21st (ranked in 2024)

Nursing master’s (overall): Two-way tie for 12th

Nurse practitioner (family): Three-way tie for 11th

College of Pharmacy (overall): Three-way tie for 12th

Physics (overall): 20th (ranked in 2024)

Public Health (health policy and management): Tie for 14th

Public Health (social behavior): 14th

Public Affairs (global policy): 14th

Public Affairs (leadership): Three-way tie for 11th

Public Affairs (public policy analysis): 13th

Psychology: Seven-way way tie for 23rd (ranked in 2022)

Library and Information Studies (school library media): Tie for 11th (ranked in 2022)

Sociology (overall): Three-way tie for 20th (ranked in 2022)

Sociology (population): Tie for 15th (ranked in 2022)

TOP 35:

Business (accounting): Four-way tie for 29th

Business (full-time MBA): Two-way tie for 27th

Business (supply chain management): Three-way tie for 21st

English: Seven-way tie for 32nd (ranked in 2022)

History: Four-way tie for 34th (ranked in 2022)

Mathematics: Three-way tie for 27th (ranked in 2024)

Political science: Three-way tie for 34th (ranked in 2022)