Some of the stories below, marked with , may require a third-party
subscription. Please contact UW Tacoma News uwtnews@uw.edu if you have any questions or concerns.
In an editorial, the News Tribune extols the farsightedness of community leaders who supported the creation of UW Tacoma 30 years ago, and predicts that the campus will continue to "forge a path forward."
UW Tacoma's Maureen Kennedy is quoted on conditions that make wildfire an ongoing concern even for the 'wet side' of the Cascades such as drought and human presence in wild lands.
Accounting junior Troy Saunders, football standout at Bremerton High School, has risen above adversity to achieve his goals. He has "always been a measured guy. He knows exactly what he wants."
Christopher Schell's new paper in Science describes how "underlying drivers of economic inequality, like systemic racism and a legacy of racial segregation, add missing details to the scientific picture of urban landscapes."
A study led by Milgard School economist Margo Bergman is asking Puyallup restaurant owners and diners how concerns about public health and the economy are colliding.
Christopher Schell's Science paper finds that "systematic inequality leads to a horror show not just for communities of color, but for surrounding wildlife and biodiversity."
Maureen Kennedy, assistant professor of quantitative fire ecology and forest management, is quoted on how increased variability of rain due to climate change, coupled with past practices of fire suppresion, is increasing the likelihood of major fires.
Infectious disease experts are denouncing the practice of outdoor spraying of disinfectant in urban areas in an attempt to fight the spread of COVID-19. Chris Schell, urban ecologist, is quoted on concerns that the practice harms wildlife as well as human health.
Social Work & Criminal Justice Assistant Professor Ken Cruz admonishes three of the four white male Tacoma City Council members for not taking part in a mid-July Tacoma City Council Community Forum, the first since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Prof. Turan Kayaoglu is quoted on the role of Saudi Arabia in determining who can and cannot participate in the annual Hajj pilgrimage, an important rite in the life of Muslim adherents.
The School of Education is partnering with the Muckleshoot Tribe and the Northwest Indian College to expand UW Tacoma's doctoral program in educational leadership. A cohort of 15 students will study at the College's Muckelshoot campus.
Carolyn West, professor of psychology, is co-author on an opinion piece harshly critical of the hypocrisy of the porn industry as it has rushed to put out public statements that condemn racism.
Dr. Joel Baker, director of the Puget Sound Institute and environmental science professor at UW Tacoma, describes impacts of PCBs and why they are so hard to remove from contaminated locations.
Luther Adams, associate professor of history, is quoted on the attitudes and actions of Pierce County's namesake, former U.S. President Franklin Pierce.
Enviironmental scientist Jim Gawel is quoted on the U.S. Forest Service's plans to build a road across the Pumice Plain, an environmentally-sensitive region at the base of Mount St. Helens.
Student Bengisu Cicek co-organized a vigil attended by more than 200 people (observing COVID-19 hygiene practices) to "remember and honor the lives of our Black brothers and sisters."
Associate Professor Robin Evans-Agnew is co-author of an op-ed calling on government to recognize the role science-based advocacy organizations play in public health.
Curtis Ashby and Saiyare Refaei describe the murals they have painted on the plywood-covered windows of Bleach, Stocklist, Channing Baby & Co. and London's Salon, retail tenants of UW Tacoma.
Assistant Professor and urban ecologist Christopher Schell is quoted on his research into behavior of coyotes in urban areas and how it may be affected by human responses to COVID-19.
Students Kalayah DeGregory and Elijah Henry organized Stand With Me/Stand Up Protest to Protect Tacoma, which included a "die in" by several hundred participants in a Tacoma street intersection.
Professors Katie Baird and Turan Kayaoglu describe the history of scapegoating vulnerable groups for pandemics, citing the Black Death, the 1918 influenza epidemic, AIDS and reactions to COVID-19.
Student Benjamin Fredell provides a frank glimpse into his life playing in an elite youth hockey league. His experiences of self-hatred and homophobia led him to quit to find happiness.
Assistant Professor David Reyes is quoted on data showing the incidence of sickness and death related to COVID-19 is higher among people of color in Pierce County.
A new salad cafe will open on Pacific Avenue in space leased from UW Tacoma. The location was formerly occupied by Savor Creperie, which closed in March (for reasons unrelated to COVID-19).
This biographical profile of Dr. Altaf Merchant, interim dean of the Milgard School of Business, features a visual look at events that make up a typical (pre-COVID-19) day in his life.
Stan Emert, director of the new sports enterprise management program at the Milgard School of Business, describes the new program, supported in part by a $1M gift from the Tacoma Rainiers.
The Swiss, a retail tenant of UW Tacoma, is offering to-go service during COVID-19-related closure, and is participating in Downtown Tacoma Partnership's Hero Meals program.
Emeritus Professor Robert Crawford says that "public protest should always be protected as an exercise of free expression, but aspects of these continuing demonstrations should raise alarm."
For this long thought piece which has elements of a memoir, the author interviews Assistant Teaching Professor Tony Perone on the benefits of weaving imaginative play into one's life.
Tacoma's RAIN Incubator, led by David Hirschberg, principal investigator at the Center for Urban Waters, is testing Tacoma sewage for the presence of COVID-19 virus.
Robin Evans-Agnew and Denise Drevdahl of the School of Nursing & Healthcare Leadership warn of regional and national nursing shortages that are being exacerbated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Eric Barone, '11, created 'Stardew Valley' all by himself over a four-year period after graduating from UW Tacoma. Now the game has sold over 10 million copies.
Faculty and staff have access to Zoom for meetings and instruction, but faculty are encouraged to focus on asynchronous activities. UW Tacoma director of digital learning Darcy Janzen is quoted.
Robin Evans-Agnew and co-authors argue that the crisis in U.S. public health long pre-dates COVID-19, and that our already-marginalized communities will bear the brunt of the pandemic.
Professor Turan Kayaoglu calls for better understanding of the sources of anti-Muslim hate, and proposes that the solution is "not Muslims getting better at liberal Islam, but at liberal democracy."
Siyasa: A Forum on Islamic and Middle Eastern Politics
To help small businesses cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, UW Tacoma is providing rent relief to retail tenants along its Pacific Avenue campus frontage.
Jim Gawel is researching the surprisingly fast recovery of Spirit Lake since the eruption of Mount St. Helens. He and his students are examining floating log mats to see what role they play.
Ali Modarres notes that, just when we need more labor migration to ensure an adequate work-force, the global pandemic is revealing weaknesses in our social and healthcare infrastructure.