Huskies

UW Medical Center announces successful artificial heart transplant

The University of Washington’s medical center has been a strong contender for advanced heart care in the United States. Now, UW medicine has another achievement to add to its list of accomplishments.

UW Medical Center is now the first hospital in the Pacific Northwest to implant a patient with a Total Artificial Heart, and successfully discharge him after the procedure.

On February 6th, surgeon Nahush Mokadam implanted his patient, Chris Marshall, with the artificial heart after the hospital gave Chris the ok to switch to an artificial heart while waiting for a donor heart.

Dr. Mokadam successfully removed Chris’s left and right ventricles and all four of his heart’s valves, replacing these with synthetic chambers that flow both in and out. The device is not battery operated or electrically charged. Instead the heart is run by a pneumatic driver which has two hoses connected that exit through the patient’s abdomen and connect to a portable machine that can be carried by the patient. Although the device seems cumbersome now, it is not a long term solution. Chris will have to remain in the hospital with his artificial heart until a donor heart arrives.

Patients who are on the donor list awaiting hearts, lungs, or other parts can sometimes wait years for their healthy parts to arrive. About 79 percent of patients will survive this wait and receive their new heart, lungs etc. For Chris, his chances of survival are almost 100 percent now and he will almost certainly live to see a new fully functioning heart.

UW helps build park in the International District

Chairman of the University of Washington’s Department of Landscape Architecture, Jeff Hou, and eighteen of his students have worked with locals living in the International district to clean up and re-design a community park.

The International Children’s Park is now located on the corner of Seventh Avenue and South Lane. This plot, which only constitutes about one fifth of an acre had been overrun with vegetation and included a haphazard pile of rocks and soggy grass for the past thirty years. It was definitely not a welcoming park for both adults or children.

But that all changed when Hou, and his team of 18 students, began to collaborate with local artists, architectural designers, and community members living in the International district. Because this district of Seattle has seen an increasing number of residential and commercial developers, and many more visitors flocking to the Wing Luke Asian Museum, it was time that the run down community park was restored and developed to meet the recreational needs of its community.

Hou and his students held an intergenerational design workshop that allowed individuals and families living in the International district to share their own design ideas. It was important for the team to include the ideas and suggestions of the community in which the park would most likely be used by.

Karen Kiest, the lead landscape architect, finalized a park design that included a large children’s area with a play set that accommodates about a dozen children. Also, Gerard Tsutakawa restored an old and rusting dragon sculpture which is now placed in the park as well. For adults, there is a steel pagoda, which they can sit, relax, and visit while their children play nearby.

The International Children’s Park is considered the first park in Seattle that has received so much community involvement. It cost around $750,000 but much of the bill was covered by Parks and Green Spaces Levy, King County, Neighborhood Matchind Funds, and private donors.

Who better to teach Pavlovian conditioning than a dog?

I remember an introductory course I enrolled in my first quarter at the University of Washington. It was a survey course of ancient western civilizations and the professor teaching the course would bring in his dog to wander the classroom aisles for treats. I don’t remember much from the course but I remember luring the professor’s shaggy dog to my seat everyday and slipping him a snack. Well now, another instructor has incorporated “man’s best friend” in her Psychology 101 course. However this time, the pup is teaching UW students a little something.

UW assistant professor Chantel Prat was looking for a way to actively engage all 440 students in her introductory psychology course. What better way to teach Pavlovian conditioning practices than to use a real dog. Prat first brought her four year old mutt, Cocco, into Kane’s biggest lecture hall last year. She decided to bring Cocco along again this year in order to teach just how dogs can be conditioned to perform certain tasks and behaviors.

Cocco was a rather shy doggie and Prat decided to work on socializing the dog around her students in order to demonstrate the lesson. At first, Prat began to train the dog to respond to a “clicking” noise. Whenever the dog heard the noise and returned to her owner she received a cheese cube treat. Prat taught that Cocco’s ability to learn to respond to the clicking noise was called “shaping”.

Next, Prat had student volunteers come in from of the classroom and take turns standing next to Cocco. As the dog became more relaxed with each student, they were able to pet her. Cocco received a treat or her favorite toy in order to reinforce the behavior of being friendly and social with strangers.

Prat strongly believes in the use of real life material in order to engage and get her students excited about learning. It seems Cocco will be a regular guest when it comes time to teach students about Pavlovian conditioning.

UW's Doctor Chocolate

Kristy Leissle has earned the title “Dr. Chocolate” by her friends and colleagues, as she continues her search for the world’s best chocolate.

Dr. Chocolate is a lecturer at the University of Washington’s Bothel campus and teachers incoming freshman about history, economics, literature, and culture using chocolate as her medium. Her class is called Chocolate: A Global Inquiry and obviously is a hit with students.

Leissle, 37, claims she’s been a chocolate addict from birth. Her grandfather used to feed her chocolate to keep her quite as a baby, and now, Leissle continues to eat chocolate everyday, multiple times a day, usually dark chocolate. She even keeps a blog called Mostly about Chocolate to catalog her experiences with the sweet treat.

Leissle turned her addiction into an academic pursuit during her graduate career studying in the women, gender, and sexuality studies department at the UW. She first explored the global chocolate trade and the injustices that were linked to unfair trade practices surrounding the production of cocoa. She traveled to Hawaii, Malaysia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, India, South Africa, Finland, Austria, Ghana, and the U.K. all in order to analyze the conditions that farmers are exposed to as they produce cocoa and the industry that has flourished due to the world’s obsession with the dark stuff.

She’s found that as the chocolate industry has moved from a purely standard white and milk chocolate to higher quality dark chocolate and exotic flavors, farmers are being exploited in order for companies to turn a profit.

Leissle also argues that in areas where chocolate production is highest (West Africa), high end chocolate companies are less willing to do business. Although many claim that cocoa from this part of the world is less tasty, Dr. Chocolate says it’s not about taste but about people’s fears of buying chocolate from a place they associate with conflict, poverty, and AIDS. Her research continues to examine fair trade between chocolate companies and the farmers they buy from and is shedding new light on the chocolate industry, revealing the injustices that farmers go through, in order for us to enjoy a single bar of chocolate.

Emeriti professors donate 1 million to UW

A gift of 1 million dollars given to the University of Washington means the Spratlen legacy will live on long after Thaddeus and Lois Spratlen are gone, and hopefully ensure that their personal legacies, and the barriers they broke down during their lives, will live on forever.

In the 1970s, Thaddeus Spratlen, a professor of marketing, began his project-based research at the University of Washington, with the goal of supporting minority-owned businesses. He went on to found the Business and Economic Development Center (BEDC), one of the few centers to exist at a nationally recognized public university. It was also the first center of its kind to exist at a university that was not historically all black and because of this its impact has been critical.

BEDC educates minority owners of businesses along with supporting and helping them gain additional revenue. Since its inception in the 1990s, the BEDC has helped bring 85 million dollars in revenue to minority owned businesses and helped over 6,000 people find find work. The 1 million dollar gift will go to the BEDC at the UW and ensures the center will flourish long after the Spratlens are gone.

Thad’s wife, Lois Spratlen has also over come her own obstacles and paved the way for women in higher education. Although first denied admission to the University of Virginia because the color of her skin, Lois went on, with the support of her community, to get her bachelor’s degree in nursing at Hampton University (a historically all black school). While there she initiated a policy to allow students to marry while in school, which was unheard of before then. Lois went on to receive a master’s in community mental health from UCLA and her doctorate in urban planning from the UW. Lois was a nursing professor at the UW for 30 years and during that time she was a significant figure in establishing policies that protected women in the work force from sexual harassment.

Both Thad and Lois broke down barriers for minority individuals and their legacy and generous donation will continue to benefit the UW for years to come.

UW's midwifery program under threat of elimination

The University of Washington’s midwifery, neonatal, and perinatal programs are under threat of being discontinued due to a recent assessment of the overall School of Nursing’s future.

The Sustainable Academic Business Pan Group has assessed the School of Nursing in order to make changes that will secure its future. As a result of its report, a vote was taken (25 to 19) that declares the midwifery, neonatal, and perinatal programs should be ousted from the School.

Director of Midwifery program, Ira Kantrowitz-Gordon and declared her obvious opposition to the decision. She states that the program and the professions that students gain after completing the three year degree are essential. She says she understands that budget cuts are necessary in order to reduce programs but completely eliminating a program is quite drastic. Kantrowitz-Gordon defends her position due to the fact that care for pregnant women has been on the decline, while pregnancies in Washington state are increasing. From the early 00s to 2008, births have risen 13 percent in the state while professionals in the field of obstetrics has fallen 13 percent. Because of these realities, the midwifery, prenatal, and neonatal programs are very relevant.

The SABP was brought in to gather data in the School of Nursing and produce a sustainable business plan. Now that professors in the School have voted on the plan, it will move to the dean and then UW’s provost. The provost will vet the measure again according to the Reorganization, Consolidation, or Elimination of Programs (RCEP). This process includes additional reviews by committees unaffiliated with the School of Nursing.

The entire process will take some time. The School is already accepting applications for the program for Fall of 2012. If the program is eliminated, this will be the last graduating class. This Midwifery program is one of only two programs of its kind in the entire Northwest region of the country. An official petition has been set up on Change.org and has already gained 3,500 signatures against the proposed elimination.

UW's Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs reflects on the legacy of his mother and MLK

Ed Taylor is the Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs and he takes a minute to reflect the life of his mother, Dr. King, and how this has influenced his own life’s work.

With the recent passing of his mother, Mildred Taylor, in December 2011, Taylor wanted to take a moment to remember his mother’s small but impacting contributions to the Civil Rights movement. Taylor noted that his mother was a kind and humble woman who was not one for speeches and recognition during her life. Although Mildred never spent time in the Birmingham jail or protested with others during the March on Washington, she played significant roles in the advancement of African Americans in her time. Mildred was the first African American woman to work at Moore’s Department store in Lompoc California. She became a well known a loved member of this community over the years. Mildred’s friend Dorothy Jackson was the first African American school principal in the community and responsible for the education of thousands of children in her life.

Taylor also remembered his mother hold him as a young boy after hearing the news of Martin Luther King’s murder. Taylor says he never saw his mother cry before this day and it was a significant moment he still holds close in his memory.

During his mothers funeral, Taylor witnessed countless members of the community, bankers, gas station attendants, store owners, etc stand up and relate stories about his mother. He realized at this point what a kind, compassionate, and decent life his mother had lived saw first hand how many people she was able to touch. Taylor stated that although the Civil Rights Movement was characterized by sit-ins, marches and publicized acts, his mother “did great things in [her own] small way”.

Ed Taylor carries these values that his mother demonstrated her whole life. He now wants to live up to her standards, by being a decent, kind and caring man who’s dedicated to providing quality education to the next generation of leaders at the University of Washington.

2012 is a good year for in-state students hoping for UW admission

2012 is shaping up to be a promising year for Washington state high school students looking to get into the University of Washington (Seattle campus).

Because of a new state requirement, more in-state residents will be accepted into UW. This year, 4,000 Washington state residents will become freshman, which is up about 150 students from last year. Why? The legislature has passed this requirement in response to UW’s decision last year to cut the number of in-state resident admissions and increase both out-of-state and international admissions. The UW’s decision to increased non-resident students is due to the fact that their tuition is almost triple that of what resident students and helps subsidize the cost of Washington state students.

However, because of the UW’s decision, many high school students in Washington have become increasingly discouraged from applying to the UW. Last year UW’s admission rate was 53 percent and reports of students with perfect SAT scores and high GPAs being turned away from the school was extremely disappointing. Although this year seems to be a better year for in-state residents to apply and become accepted into the Husky community, the word has already spread that UW is a difficult school to obtain admission and they do not respect high performing students. Already, Washington State University has seen a 13 percent spike in admissions of in-state students this year. Their admissions rate is 83 percent and it seems students discouraged from attending UW seek WSU instead.

Hopefully the legislature’s new law will stimulate the influx of Washington residents applying and reestablish high school student’s faith in UW and their ability to become Huskies.

UW is awarded greenest university in the country

The UW has another honor to add to their extensive list of achievements, already including national championships, Nobel Prizes, Peace Corps volunteers, and Medal of Honor recipients. The Sierra Club has recently recognized the UW as the number one environmentally conscious university in the country. How has UW come to earn this distinction?

Buildings and Campus Grounds

First, UW is a hydro-powered campus which allows energy to be drawn from a nearby and sustainable source. Also, since 2006, all new buildings projects on UW’s Seattle campus adhere to strict new environmental regulations. The UW has continuously achieved LEED Gold, the highest honor issued by the U.S. Green Building Council. Also, factors such as the number of bike racks on campus, the native species of plants on campus ground, and access to transportation, are all factors that help UW’s rating.

On-Campus Farms and Greenhouses

There are several farms and greenhouses located on UW’s Seattle campus. Students are able to learn about sustainable practices by working on these small farms, planning, planting, and producing food for local buyers.

Trash and Composting

Any UW student who has walked from the HUB to Odegaard Library is aware of the trash and composting system spread across campus. Special bins are set up around the campus and in buildings, making it easy for people to dispose of their trash, recyclables, and compostable materials in environmentally conscious way.

To see a list of all the areas in which UW is making a difference in the environment, check out this article.

Law students want to use skills to help build their nation

Ethiopia is one of Africa’s most populous countries with 90 million people, 80% of which work in agriculture. It is also one the poorest nations in the world. However, 5 Ethiopian students have recently traveled to Seattle to study law at the University of Washington and when they have completed their masters in law degree they will bring these skills back to their country in order to help develop their nation.

The group, which consists of four men and one woman, are working with UW’s law school, a non-profit called Landesa, directed by UW professor Roy Prosterman, and Ethiopian Haramaya University College of Law in order to achieve land rights for Ethiopian citizens as well as improve health care and sustainable development in the country.

The students are able to study abroad here in the states and are receiving full tuition coverage thanks to funds collected from the Ethiopian government, UW donors, and the strong Ethiopian community that resides here in Seattle. They also are living with Seattle host families and learning first hand the cultural differences between America and Ethiopia.

Also, valuable connections will be made between the American and Ethiopian students. Those studying international development law at UW now have the opportunity to forge conversations and connections with these visiting students and learn about the services that are needed in Ethiopia and other countries, and the impediments that keep nations from thriving.

This past year, Ethiopia gross domestic product increased at a staggering 8% while many western countries remained stagnant. In late spring, these five students will finish their degrees and return to Ethiopia in order to help ensure their nation’s economic trend continues to increase.

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