UW News and Information Web     |     UW News     University Week UW News+Community     VOLUME 26, NUMBER 16   |   2/12/2009  –  2/18/2009  |   UWEEK.ORG UW to open second European campus in Leon, Spain A royal palace in Leon, Spain, will become the second European campus of the UW. A 10-year agreement signed Tuesday at the UW provides for a 9,000-square-foot facility, rent free, in the Palace of the Conde de Luna, which dates to the 10th century and has housed the royal families of Leon. Proposed 2009-11 UW budget cuts would cost 600-800 jobs If the budget cuts proposed in December by Gov. Chris Gregoire for 2009-11 were implemented, UW employment would be cut by about 600 jobs. If those cuts were 50 percent larger, employment would shrink by about 800, according to estimates from the UW Office of Planning and Budgeting. Information technology needs present challenge, interviews show Meeting the information technology needs of the UW’s research leaders is going to challenge the University to provide the right kinds of resources and sufficient resources, not just in traditional infrastructure but in human expertise. That’s the conclusion from detailed interviews with 125 UW research leaders. The results will be presented in a Catalyst Spark Session from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20 in 220 Odegaard. Preparatory work for light rail construction is under way Utilities work is under way near Husky Stadium in preparation for light rail construction scheduled to begin after the 2009 Husky football season. A funny look at the afterlife in Noel Coward’s ‘Blithe Spirit’ Charles doesn’t believe in communicating with spirits — that is, not until his late wife begins talking to him during a séance. Soon his current wife dies too, leaving Charles with two dead wives who can neither get along nor go away. The UW School of Drama’s production of Blithe Spirit opens Feb. 18. Pianist Angela Hewitt returns to Meany Hall Pianist Angela Hewitt will present a concert at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17, as part of the World Series at Meany Hall. The program includes Beethoven’s Piano Sonata in F major, Op. 10, No. 2, Faure’s Valse-Caprices Nos. 1 and 2 and Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin. Jacob Lawrence Gallery ‘OPEN’ exhibit features students The annual juried student exhibition, OPEN, includes works with no restrictions on size or medium. It will be in the Lawrence gallery Feb. 18-March 14. Javanese performing arts on display Feb. 20 at Meany Hall The UW School of Music and Southeast Asia Center will present an evening of Javanese performing arts showcasing shadow puppetry, gamelan music and dance at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20, in Meany Hall. Contemporary Group to perform new compositions Feb. 18 Students of the UW School of Music will perform new selections from the past 50 years in a program arranged by new faculty composer Huck Hodge. New state climate report indicates coming decades will be challenging The most detailed report ever on how climate change could affect Washington was released this week, and it paints a stark picture. But it should help the state avoid being surprised by climate-related changes coming down the road. College of Education’s Frances Contreras a rising voice on challenges of Latino education Professor seeks to document the state of Latino education in the nation, and finds it’s coming up short in multiple ways. Girls are more resilient than boys in overcoming family background including heroin addiction Growing up with a heroin-addicted parent exposes children to a variety of detrimental experiences before the age of 18 and new research indicates that girls are four times more resilient than boys in overcoming such adverse events, a new UW study shows. Cancer diagnosis: Now in 3-D UW researchers have helped develop a new kind of microscope to visualize cells in three dimensions, an advance that could bring great progress in the field of early cancer detection. The technique could also bridge a widening gap between cutting-edge imaging techniques used in research and clinical practices. Economic crisis impacts nation’s K-12 schools America’s severe economic crisis means less money for education and reductions in teaching and staff jobs, according to projections by Marguerite Roza, senior scholar at the Center on Reinventing Public Education, at UW Bothell, and research assistant professor in the College of Education. K-12 schools: Seniority-neutral layoff policy would save jobs K-12 school districts that lay off personnel according to seniority cause disproportionate damage to their programs and students than if layoffs were determined on a seniority-neutral basis. Etc.: Campus news & notes A dozen awards for UW Press, Alan Marlatt honored for “exemplary contribution” to clinical psychology, the UW Police raise money for the Special Olympics, the Evans School is honored by the Municipal League and thespian staffer G. Robin Smith portrays a “founding rascal.” Official Notices English language courses available for non-native speakers, grant opportunities in alcohol/drug abuse research and volunteers sought at Children’s Hospital. O'Donnell, Auth elected to National Academy of Engineering Matthew O'Donnell, dean of the UW's College of Engineering and professor in the department of bioengineering, and David Auth, a UW affiliate professor in bioengineering and consultant based in Kirkland, Wash. are among 65 new members and nine foreign associates announced by the National Academy of Engineering, making a total of nine active UW faculty who are academy members. Election to the academy is among the highest professional distinctions accorded an engineer. University of Washington undergraduate earns prestigious scholarship Undergraduate Honors student Sam Sudar is the most recent UW student selected for the prestigious Gates Cambridge Scholarship. The highly competitive scholarship supports graduate study at the University of Cambridge, England. UW Press, others, get collaborative grant from Mellon Foundation The UW Press and the presses at Fordham University, University of California (FlashPoints series), University of Pennsylvania and University of Virginia have been awarded a collaborative grant of $1.16 million from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to publish scholarly books on the literatures of the non-Anglophone world. Whose Arctic is it? Students investigate the question in Canada How can competing international claims for the Arctic be resolved? That's one of the items on a growing list of Arctic concerns -- concerns addressed in a UW class this quarter. One class, four universities: Professor seeks to launch research center, certificate program Statistics Professor Peter Guttorp is offering a class to students at four universities via videoconference this quarter. But his long-range plan is to develop a multi-site research center in environmental statistics, with a certificate program for students. Journalism students launch ‘Sound News’ The newest source of news about Puget Sound was launched last Friday by UW environmental journalism students and their instructor. Called Sound News, the site features a wide range of stories on the region’s environment. Sri Lankan human rights activist to speak Sri Lankan human rights activist and feminist Nirmala Rajasingam will speak at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20, in 120 Kane. A former member of the radical group the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Rajasingam currently works as a legal defender for refugees in Britain. ‘Home Movie Day’ features rarely-seen Special Collections films UW Special Collections Film Archivist Hannah Palin will introduce “Home Movie Day," an event of the Society of American Archivists UW Student Chapter, from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18, in the Allen Auditorium. The event is open to members of the UW community and will feature vintage films from Special Collections. How’s your hearing? Seminar slated March 2 The UW Speech and Hearing Department is offering a free seminar to learn about hearing loss, today’s hearing aid options and communication strategies, Monday, March 2, at the Speech and Hearing Clinic. POD to offer programs to help employees and leaders deal with coming budget challenges We all know tough budget times are coming. The folks at Professional and Organization Development are looking to help the campus community deal with the difficulty more smoothly with a series of programs. African great ape ancestor genome changed rapidly UW scientists lead international study that finds that the ancestral genome of present-day African great apes and humans underwent burst of DNA sequence duplications. Pharmacy students' outreach garners national acclaim The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy honors UW students with its first-ever Student Community Engaged Service Awards. School of Nursing’s annual public lecture features global health workforce expert Dr. Barbara Stilwell, an expert in global health nursing, will present the Elizabeth Sterling Soule Endowed Lecture on Feb. 19. Public Health's Distinguished Faculty Lecture, Feb. 26 Tom Fleming, UW professor of biostatistics and statistics, will present the School of Public Health's Winter Quarter Distinguished Faculty Lecture. Panel discussion of MS and neuro-degenerative diseases, Feb. 18 Medical Education Research & Scholarship Forum, March 2 Biology of aging pilot project applications due March 27 Breast cancer study seeks participants Eat, pray, love, listen. Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Eat, Pray, Love will share her thoughts on the writing life and some of her current projects. Followed by questions from the audience. (7:30 p.m., Meany Theater.) 'Real to Reel.' The final version of Masizakhe: Building Each Other, a film about spoken word poetry and hip hop in South Africa produced by Scott Macklin, the College of Education's chief technology officer, will be screened at the Real to Reel Film Festival. (6 p.m., Vera Project, Seattle Center.) 'Blithe Spirit.' This farce about ghosts and seances is an enduring classic even though its author, Noel Coward, claimed he wrote it in five days while on vacation. The School of Drama has fun with it through March 1. (7:30 p.m., Penthouse Theater.) Health care careers. Meet with industry experts about career options and the degree and certificate programs that will prepare you to start or advance your career in the health care and biomedical fields. Programs are offered in the evening or weekends to fit into your schedule. Come and learn more. (5:30-7:30 p.m., UW Tower, mezzanine level.) A reconfigured middle east. Joel S. Migdal, the Robert F. Philip Professor of International Studies, delivers a lecture in the 2009 Hot Spots series titled "Israel: Facing a Reconfigured Middle East and a New US Administration." (7-8:30 p.m., Walker-Ames Room, Kane Hall.) Can you guess where this photo was taken? Guess correctly, and you might win a gift certificate to the University Book Store!