Tacoma, Wash. — Professor Stacey Weiss, associate chair of biology and William L. McCormick Professor of Natural Sciences at the University of Puget Sound, has been honored with the prestigious 2023 Lynwood W. Swanson Scientific Research Award by the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust. The award was presented to Professor Weiss at the Murdock College Science Research Conference in Vancouver, Washington, on Nov. 10.
If you wander through the city of Tacoma, you’ll likely come across a small garden tucked into the corner of a neighborhood, on the edge of a park, or behind a church, overflowing with tomatoes, peas, and zucchini. These community gardens, tended by volunteers, aren’t just for show. They’re a critical piece of Pierce County’s food network and could be a powerful tool in reducing food insecurity.
Professor of Biology Leslie Saucedo is on a mission to understand what causes unregulated cell growth in the body—a hallmark of cancer. She’s been sharing her passion for cellular biology with students at Puget Sound for 21 years. Her new book, Getting to Know Your Cells (Springer), was published in July 2023.
Payscale, a technology company that analyzes compensation data and technology, has ranked the University of Puget Sound fourth for Best Colleges in Washington in its 2023 College Salary Report. The report is based on a comprehensive database of alumni salary data from 3.5 million respondents representing over 2,400 universities across the U.S. The report provides valuable insights into which fields of study offer the most income potential and which are most transferable to different career paths.
Artists, professors, and students from various universities will gather at the University of Puget Sound November 3–4, 2023, for a two-day symposium, Flow: Art and Ecology in the Time of Global Warming. This event, supported by a Northwest Five Mellon Engage Grant, aims to explore the connections between art, ecology, and place-based knowledge in the context of climate change while fostering community engagement and collaboration.
The word “sustainability” gets tossed around a lot and has many different meanings. How do we define it at Puget Sound?
From my perspective, when I look at the history of this institution in addressing sustainability and environmental justice, I think we approach this from the common understanding of the term: We look to meet our present needs without compromising future generations. We focus on three central pillars: environmental conservation, social responsibility, and promoting economic development and growth.
Just south of campus, Erik Waterland DPT’05 runs Waterland Performance, a physical therapy practice he founded in 2019. Waterland has been practicing physical therapy for nearly 20 years; he also works with Puget Sound students as an adjunct professor in the School of Physical Therapy. We asked him what older adults can do to stay in shape.
For Stephanie Cox, books are an essential teaching tool. This spring, not long after the “interim” tag was removed from her title as the head women’s soccer coach, she held a book club with her players. They discussed Brené Brown’s The Gifts of Imperfection, to better understand how they needed to rely on each other and embrace their vulnerabilities.
Professor of Computer Science David Chiu taught his first class at age 22, in grad school, and immediately fell in love with teaching. Since coming to the university in 2014, he’s taught everything from introductory to advanced classes, and in 2022, he received the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. We talked with Chiu about the golden age of dial-up internet, his research on data management, and creating an inclusive, student-centered classroom experience.
