General Stories

Geology's Jackie Caplan-Auerbach Spends Week at Sea Dropping Instruments Offshore of Kilauea Volcano

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The night scene as lava pours into the sea

Published Monday, July 23, 2018 - 11:21am

Requesting funding from research grants via the National Science Foundation (NSF) is usually a painstaking, yearlong process.

But when an extreme event occurs – such as the opening up of huge new vents in the southeastern flank of the Kilauea volcano on the big island of Hawaii, and the subsequent lava flows that have destroyed hundreds of homes in the communities of Leilani Estates and Kapoho south of Hilo – the NSF can bring funds to bear quickly, if scientists can be nimble enough to present a sound proposal.

College of Science and Engineering, faculty research, Geology Department, Graduate School, Jackie Caplan-Auerbach, student research

WWU's Josh Fisher Travels to Nicaragua to Study the Complex Web of City Life

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WWU's Josh Fisher talks with the owner of a recycling business near a city dump in Cuidad Sandino, Nicaragua.

Published Friday, July 20, 2018 - 7:58am

Cities are complex. Interwoven webs connect each aspect of a city to others, and together they form something that somehow functions as a society.

But how does it all work? Josh Fisher, an associate professor of Anthropology at Western, is figuring that out. He researches city environments to find out how pulling on one string of the web affects the others.

Anthropology Department, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Josh Fisher, sustainability

Governor appoints Citlaly Ramirez as WWU's new student trustee

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Published Thursday, July 19, 2018 - 11:30am

Citlaly Ramirez has been appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee to serve a one-year term as the student trustee at Western Washington University.

“Citlaly Ramirez is an outstanding student leader who will bring a valuable perspective to the WWU Board of Trustees,” Inslee said. “Her leadership and service on behalf of students will help ensure they continue to receive the excellent education for which Western is so well known.”

Ramirez will serve as student trustee on Western’s Board of Trustees from July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019

Board of Trustees

Journalism’s Brian J. Bowe receives Fulbright award to teach in Jordan

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Journalism's Associate Professor Brian Bowe - Photo by Kit Hipple

Published Tuesday, July 17, 2018 - 9:26am

Western Washington University Associate Professor of Journalism Brian J. Bowe has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award to Jordan and will be traveling there in January to begin teaching for five months. Bowe is one of 800 U.S. citizens selected who will teach, conduct research or provide expertise abroad for the upcoming academic year.

The Fulbright program is an international educational exchange program that is sponsored by the U.S. government. Its premise is to build long lasting connections between the U.S. and other countries.

American Cultural Studies, Arabic program, Brian Bowe, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Fulbrights, Journalism Department

Journalism Student Awarded Prestigious Gilman Scholarship to Study Abroad in Morocco

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Published Friday, July 13, 2018 - 10:05am

Western Washington University senior Zoe Buchli of Issaquah has been awarded a prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study abroad for the fall 2018 academic quarter.

The Gilman Scholarship is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and provides American students the opportunity to study in diverse cultures and languages around the world to further develop skills that are crucial to their future careers.

Arabic program, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Liberal Studies, Fellowships Office, Journalism Department, Modern and Classical Languages Department, student research, study abroad

L.K. Langley Hired as Western’s Inaugural LGBTQ+ Director

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Published Tuesday, July 10, 2018 - 12:53pm

L.K. Langley will serve as Western’s inaugural LGBTQ+ director, Melynda Huskey, vice president for WWU Enrollment and Student Services, announced today.

“I am very pleased to announce the appointment of L. K. Langley as Western’s inaugural LGBTQ+ director. Langley is well-known to the Western community, having served for six years in Western’s Equal Opportunity office,” Huskey said.

L.K. Langley, LGBTQ+, Melynda Huskey

Summer campus life photoblog

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Junior Michael Kennedy and Sophomore Lara Mangulabnan sit at an info desk outside Miller Hall. They were there to answer questions and help new students during summer orientation.

Published Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - 12:59pm

Western Today Visual Journalism Intern Kit Hipple will share her images of summer campus life here each weekday; check back for new images!

Sulkin Gift Benefits Middle Schoolers in Summer Science Program at WWU

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Published Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - 8:48am

A group of 20 to 25 middle school students will be the first class to take a new Western Washington University Youth Programs course this summer, thanks to the generosity of Shelley and Steve Sulkin of Bellingham.

Extended Education, Odyssey of Science and Arts, Shannon Point Marine Center, Summer Programs for Youth

WWU researchers lead international team to develop 3-D map of Orion

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Published Tuesday, June 26, 2018 - 9:52am

An international team of researchers from Western Washington University, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico (UNAM) and various other institutions in Chile, Spain and the U.S. have teamed up to create a very detailed model of the Orion Star Forming Complex.

The results of this work are reported in a paper soon to be published in the Astronomical Journal, which describes in detail how the team used data from multiple observatories to understand the makeup of the Orion complex and how objects within it move.

College of Science and Engineering, faculty research, Physics and Astronomy Department, student research

More than 2,000 new graduates exit Carver with degrees over the weekend

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Catherine Stimpson gets honorary doctorate from WWU

Published Monday, June 18, 2018 - 1:00pm

Catharine R. Stimpson, a graduate of the WWU Campus School and Dean Emerita of New York University’s Graduate School of Arts and Science, received an honorary doctorate from Western on Saturday before she spoke at one of the four commencement ceremonies over the weekend.

About 1900 undergraduate and 188 master’s students graduated; the other main speakers for the four ceremonies were real estate broker Lydia Bennett, urban project manager Ken Johnsen, and Port Angeles School Board member Bill Kindler.

Full-length video links for each of the ceremonies:

College of Business and Economics, College of Fine and Performing Arts, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Science and Engineering, Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies, Graduate School, Huxley College of the Environment, Woodring College of Education