Spring 2016

A crowd of students cheering

The Great Rift Valley Cookout

Did volcanic activity help proto-humans cook food before they had mastered fire?

Huxley College's Michael Medler, an expert on fire and wildfire resistance, theorizes that volcanic activity in East Africa’s Great Rift Valley made cooked food more widely available to protohumans — and sparked a surge in human evolution.

HeART Work

The art of Western’s Sebastian Mendes honors his grandfather, whose courage saved 30,000 people from the Nazis.

A man writing on a large sheet of paper in an art studio.

Environmental Ed's 'Transition Trek' into the city

Why just drive to Bellingham when you can paddle, pedal and remember the trip forever?

The six trekkers are all on bikes with helmets and sunglasses on.

The Teachers They Need

Instructional assistants become teachers for bilingual classrooms through Woodring’s Pathways to Teaching program

First-year teacher Luz Lopez was a classroom assistant who got her teaching credential through Western’s Pathways to Teaching program. Lopez, who speaks English and Spanish, now teaches in a bilingual classroom at Allen Elementary in Burlington.

Western's 14th President: Sabah U. Randhawa

'As a first-generation student, I owe my career to education.'

Sabah U. Randhawa, right, will begin as Western's president on Aug. 1

2016 Distinguished Alumni Awards

Brian Griffin, Campus School Alumni Award recipient

What Western Accomplished Through Collaboration During Bruce Shepard's Presidency

A smiling man and woman walk past several students who are holding signs that say "Thank You."

'Hear My Story'

The Spratlens’ legacy at Western brings more voices and perspectives to campus

Lois and Thaddeus Spratlen both had long, distinguished careers at the University of Washington — but were always thankful for their family’s formative years at Western. Photo courtesy of the UW Alumni Association.

An old street with a new story

The Bellingham City Council renames Indian Street in honor of treaty rights activist

A bus passes a stop sign with a street sign atop: Billy Frank Jr. St.

Fulbright winners spending a year teaching and learning abroad

Alums are in Thailand, Taiwan, Spain and Germany

Polly Woodbury is working as an English Teaching Assistant in Thailand thanks to a Fulbright Fellowship. Photos courtesy of Polly Woodbury.

Bruce Shepard Timeline

Members of Western's men's basketball team are wearing t-shirts that read "national champions" and holding a trophy

The Difference Philanthropy Made

We'll feel the effects of the Western Stands for Washington campaign for years to come

Western's biz advisers give entrepreneurs a boost

Four people standing in front of a window with lettering that says "Small Business Development Center"

President's Message: Serving Western has been a life-changing opportunity. Thank you.

A man wearing academic regalia is smiling and clapping

NSF grant helps STEM faculty rethink their courses

Portrait of Ed Geary

Western alumni are near the top for earning doctorates

A pie chart illustrating the fields in which Western alumni earned doctoral degrees in 2014: 6 in education, 10 in humanities, 13 in social sciences, 27 in stem fields and 2 in other areas

Young alums fund scholarships they would have loved to receive

Deborah Dull (’07, Operations Management) asks those applying for the scholarship she funds to get creative and apply their knowledge to a real-world business problem.

How a Crowdfunding Appeal Became Bigger than Anyone Expected

A question for Blake Herrington (’07), author and mountain climber

How do you handle fear?

Blake Herrington (Economics/Environmental Studies), seen here on the first ascent of Gorillas in the Mist on Mount Stuart in 2009, is a mountain climber and author whose recent “Cascades Rock” guide-book covers 160 climbs in Washington and Southern B.C.

A question for Katherine Frankhauser (’03), e-transit entrepreneur

Think there’s a U.S. demand for short-rental e-bikes?

Katherine Frankhauser (Environmental Science) co-owns Spark Mobility, a Spokane-based company renting electric- and battery-powered bikes and cars in several European cities.

A question for Robyn Goldblatt (’11), trip-of-a-lifetime designer

What was your best worst day?

Robyn Goldblatt (Business - Management), a trip designer for Outside GO, with elephant and wildebeest skulls at the Chem Chem Conservancy in Tanzania.

A question for Rachel Alston (’03), doing good through diapers

How did you realize that diapers were your way to make the most difference in your community?

Rachel Alston (Human Services) is the founder and executive director of PDX Diaper Bank, which partners with community agencies to provide diapers to low-income families in the Portland area.

In memoriam: Former State Sen. Harriet Spanel

Former state Sen. Harriet Spanel at the dedication of the Leslie E. Spanel Planetarium in 2014.

Genocide Studies at Western

Restoration is underway at Aristides de Sousa Mendes’ former mansion, the Casa do Passal, now a National Monument in Portugal. Sebastian Mendes hopes someday Western faculty can take students there. Photo courtesy of the Sousa Mendes Foundation.

A Quick Look at Humans' Thorny Shrub of a Family Tree

Close up of a flame in a barbecue

Letter: The legendary John Miles inspired me, too

Letter: 'These things really did happen'

Steve McClure - 1993

Obituary

Steve McClure, 47, a former journalist who became a pastor in Moscow, Idaho, on Feb. 14, 2016.

Ryan Boser - 2012

Class Note

Ryan Boser (Plastics Engineering Technology) is a technical engineer at Toray Composites.

Jennifer Hahn - 1984

Class Note

Jennifer Hahn (Environmental Science; ’00, Writing, Literature and Ecology) is a writer, teacher and wilderness guide who spoke at Western’s Commencement ceremony in March and is working on her third Western degree, a master’s in Environmental Studies.