News from the Office of Connected Learning
Visualizing Success: A Summer Internship in Data by James Chen, Digital Scholars 2025
Q&A with James Chen, Digital Scholars Intern 2025. What was your summer internship like? I worked with the University of Washington Bothell Advancement Team specifically in Alumni Engagement where I collaborated with the team to work on two major projects: employers for alumni and a breakdown of a past fundraising event. The first project, employers for alumni, we pulled from two separate UW databases and...
November 3, 2025
A Quick Guide to Things Not Discussed by Rayyan Salam
Rayyan’s study abroad experience in Rwanda revealed the often unspoken realities of studying abroad, from being constantly surrounded by people to the intensity of immersive research and reflection. Through deep academic engagement and everyday cultural connections, she began to see society, politics, and herself in new ways. The experience strengthened her confidence, challenged her identity,...
October 29, 2025
Rwanda-more than nation building by Kalkidan Kabeto
Kalkidan’s study abroad in Rwanda became one of the most meaningful experiences of her life. By learning about nation-building, reconciliation, and community healing after the 1994 Genocide, she saw how deeply psychology is connected to everyday life. Visiting organizations like Never Again Rwanda showed her how young people use conversation, education, and compassion to build...
October 23, 2025
What Germany Can Teach Us About Our Past by Charity Wangari
During her study abroad program in Berlin, she explored how the city openly confronts its difficult history through memorials, museums, and everyday sites of remembrance. These experiences made her reflect on how the U.S. often avoids similar acknowledgment, leading to unexamined patriotism and political pride. Walking through Berlin’s historical spaces showed her that remembrance doesn’t...
October 23, 2025
Using light to hear the whales
Researchers from UW Bothell’s School of STEM and the UW’s School of Oceanography are testing how existing underwater fiber optic cables can be repurposed to monitor endangered marine mammals, particularly Southern Resident orcas. Led by Dr. Shima Abadi and supported by a $1.5 million grant from Allen Family Philanthropies, the project aims to improve understanding...
October 15, 2025
Exploring Ecuador: our professor literally had class outside by Jenivee Marie Sarmiento
A first-gen, non-traditional student shares how studying abroad in Ecuador and the Galápagos transformed her perspective on health, community, and the environment. Through hands-on GIS research, cultural immersion, and exploring diverse ecosystems from Andean villages to the Galápagos Islands, she gained a deeper understanding of how land, people, and biodiversity are interconnected. The experience strengthened...
October 13, 2025
The harmful side of English holly
Elliott Church’s undergraduate research, which began with UW Bothell, revealed that English holly harms native forest plants, leading to Washington state listing it as a Class C noxious weed. His decade-long work, published in Natural Areas Journal, shows the lasting impact of student research and encourages others to pursue similar opportunities. Discover more opportunities through...
October 10, 2025
Internships channel student passion for the environment
UW Bothell students joined the first cohort of the Urban Stream Ecology Internship, partnering with the Lake Forest Park Stewardship Foundation to monitor the health of two urban watersheds in Northern King County. Guided by Dr. Dana Campbell and community mentors, students collected baseline water quality data, learned field techniques, and explored how human activity...
October 9, 2025
Exploring Learning and Life in León, Spain by Aelaph Elias
During her study abroad program in León, Spain, a UW Bothell student explored the intersection of technology and education through research on AI and Intelligent Tutoring Systems. Between academic collaboration and cultural immersion from historic streets in León to a meaningful weekend trip to Morocco, he learned adaptability, independence, and the value of global perspectives...
October 8, 2025
Familiarity in the Unfamiliar: Finding Community and Gratitude in Thailand and Cambodia by Valencia Jonson
During the CSR 490 Study Abroad Program in Thailand and Cambodia, Valencia Jonson, first-gen Filipina American student found her expectations transformed as meaningful cultural connections, acts of gratitude, and stories of resilience reshaped her understanding of Southeast Asia. Engaging with NGOs like the Labour Protection Network, visiting rural villages in Siem Reap and reconnecting with...
October 8, 2025
