Campus Research Connections

Campus Research Connections was a quarterly event from 2017-2020 that provided an opportunity to hear from and talk with UW Bothell faculty who make advances in research, scholarship and creative practice. Check-out the latest research seminars being offered.

Past Events

Addressing Human Health Through Biotechnology

February 6, 2020, Advances in what we know about human biology due to the ever-increasing information available to us have revolutionized biotechnology and health care. The consequences are enormous and exciting, especially when applied to interventions in human health and in protecting health-related data . Join UW Bothell investigators to learn about their cutting edge research in this area.

Speakers

  • Geetha Thamilarasu, Ph.D., Assistant Professor., School of STEM, Computing & Software Systems
    Internet of Things is redesigning modern healthcare and transforming healthcare delivery by enabling real-time patient monitoring, improved diagnosis and treatment. Security attacks on Internet connected medical devices can however cause significant physical harm and life-threatening damage to the patients. Dr. Thamilarasu’s research highlights the security and privacy concerns in connected medical devices and examines how machine learning techniques can be used to detect the security breaches in this environment.
  • Salwa Al-Noori, Ph.D., Lecturer, School of STEM, Biology
    Dr. Al-Noori’s research addresses biological questions of relevance to human health using interdisciplinary perspectives and approaches. This research utilizes biotechnology applications as tools with which to develop and inform understanding of specific questions. One such project focuses on investigating aspects of the structure-function relationships in mammalian heart atrioventricular valve arrangements utilizing computer-based simulations and 3D modeling technologies.
  • Thelma Madzima, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, School of STEM, Biology
    Genetically identical individuals, should theoretically be predisposed to the same diseases. However, even individuals with the exact same DNA sequences can have different physical and health outcomes due to modifications superimposed onto DNA that are not caused by differences in DNA sequence. These “epigenetic” modifications are heritable and can be caused by diet and other environmental factors. Dr. Madzima uses plants to help understand how the ‘epigenetic memory’ of a stressful environment is passed on from parents to their offspring and how it affects the well-being of the offspring.
  • Kaibao Nie, Ph.D., Lecturer, School of STEM, Engineering & Math
    Hearing loss is an emerging health problem for all ages. For people with profound hearing loss, a cochlear implant-which directly stimulates the auditory nerve with electrical pulses-can help regain partial hearing. Dr. Kaobao’s research focuses on how to better improve hearing with cochlear implants through what we learn from the normal auditory system. Smart sound signal processing has been developed to address the issue of listening speech in noise with a cochlear implant.
  • Pierre Mourad, Ph.D., Professor, School of STEM, Engineering & Math, and Department of Neurological Surgery, UW Seattle
    Dr. Mourad has as his expertise the application of ultrasound to brain to inhibit or activate brain function. He will discuss examples of ultrasound’s effect on brain with an emphasis on its nascent therapeutic applications.

Environmental Surveys: Monitoring and Protecting Wildlife

Oct 18, 2019, Carefully observing our environment is crucial to understanding the health and diversity of species and key to effective conservation. Four presentations were provided that covered the methods UW Bothell investigators use to monitor changes in our local plant, bird, mammal and pollinator populations in the greater North Creek area and Puget Sound region.

Speakers

Sarah Verlinde-Azofeifa, B.S., Manager and Co-Founder, UW Bothell Herbarium
Washington State’s earliest plant records date back to the late 1800s, and even with 150 years of collecting there are incomplete records for Snohomish and Skagit Counties. For example, King County has 13,000 plant records, while Snohomish has 6,000 records and Skagit 7,700. She will be talking about how and where her team collects and how this provides valuable insights on plant species distribution and plant conservation.

Amy Lambert, Ph.D., Lecturer, School of IAS and Alexa Russo, B.A., Sustainability Coordinator, UW Bothell
The CCUWBee Research Initiative is a valuable opportunity for students, staff and faculty to work together to monitor long-term trends and baseline variability of native bees on campus. They explore patterns of bee diversity across different habitat types on campus and highlight the need for long-term monitoring amid widespread concerns of bee declines across the globe.

Ursula Valdez, Ph.D., Lecturer, School of IAS
Since its restoration, the North Creek Wetlands has been an ideal place to study the different species and ecological processes involved in this restoration. In particular, bird species have contributed greatly with seed dispersal, pollination, control of insect populations and other ecological services. Valdez is currently collecting seasonal bird population data to determine the bird species diversity, composition of the ecological roles of the species living and using the riparian forest, grasslands and aquatic ecosystems found in the area. The main goal is to conduct a long-term monitoring program for bird communities in the wetlands.

David Stokes, Ph.D., Prof., School of IAS
Urban green space can be more than a place for humans; it also has the potential to provide habitat for wildlife. However, many wildlife species are difficult to observe, and their presence in urban green spaces is poorly known. Stokes and his students use wildlife camera traps to monitor wildlife in and around local Eastside parks. Their results demonstrate a surprising diversity of wildlife, and offer insights into possible measures for increasing the habitat value of the urban environments we share with other species.

Cynthia Chang, Ph.D., Asst. Prof., School of STEM-Biology
It has been 39 years since Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980. How have ecological communities recovered since this major disturbance? Chang lab research examines how plants have recolonized, survived and adapted to this once barren environment. Their research highlights how this natural experiment has provided valuable lessons on ecological resilience in an era of major global change.

The Changing Role of Librarians and Libraries in STEAM Education

May 7, 2019, The image of librarians as knowledge holders and of libraries as holders of books is shifting as librarians take on roles as Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM) educators with the growing emphasis on STEAM and makerspaces in libraries.

Speakers: Carrie Tzou, Allison Hintz, Anony Smith, Mie-Mie Wu, and Ashley Braun, tackled ways to explore how reimagining partnerships and learning could help us imagine possible futures for libraries and librarians.

The Zeitgeist and Me – Jeanne Heuving, Ph.D.

March 6, 2019, The zeitgeist, loosely translated as “the spirit of the age,” was once a popular term to evaluate directions in experimental and avant-garde art, but now largely has fallen into disuse. In this talk, Dr. Heuving, resurrected this term, so steeped in the past that its nostalgia provides an apt platform for discussing her work—in step and out of step with defining ventures of her time.
Read about Jeanne Heuving, A scholar’s look at love poetry and culture.

The Present & Possible Futures of Brain Health

November 13, 2018, The health of our brain is on most of our minds. This most vital organ is prone to a variety of diseases and disorders, with a range of efficacy in their treatment. Speakers Pierre D. Mourad, PhD., Aaron E. Bunnell, MD., and Jesse Harper offered a brief review of brain problems and opportunities along with current and anticipated solutions. Read More about the 2018 Fall CRC…

Nursing & Public Health: Speed Networking Event

May 17, 2018, This event focused on providing a community platform for partners in nursing and public health. Moderated by DJ Wilson, there were short talks to follow by Sandra Solano-Huber and Shari L. Dworkin, Ph.D., M.S.. A networking session followed fostering collaborative partnerships, and a space to discover others’ talent and passions within the health field.

Facing a New Era of Cybersecurity

March 29, 2018, As large scale data breaches become more commonplace, what can you do to assess and improve your protection against loss both at home and at work? Addressing this societal problem will require individuals to examine their expectations of personal privacy. This event featured a moderated multi-media program with Scott David and research areas of four Assistant Professors researching areas in cybersecurity and the Internet of Things.
Read more about the 2018 March CRC…

A Sense of Place: Our Rapidly Urbanizing Environment

October 5, 2017, Warren Gold, with panelists Jennifer Atkinson, Caren Crandell and other longtime Bothell residents, discussed what it means to have a “sense of place” — both today and during the city’s early history.

The Story of Our Water

October 24, 2017, Robert Turner and community partners from the Sno-King Watershed Council and the City of Bothell talked about the health of the waters in our local streams. Communities and developers can reduce runoff quantity, protect water quality, and conserve water by developing compactly, preserving ecologically critical open space, and using green infrastructure strategies.

Rewilding* Northshore: Sharing the Habitat of Home

November 14, 2017, David Stokes, UW Bothell conservation biologist, presented a rewilding framework that focuses on the habitat value of the places we live, work, and play. By raising the prominence of habitat value in our community, we can recover the health of our environment and improve our own quality of life. Bruce Blackburn, Senior Planner with the city of Bothell, discussed legal, policy and planning mechanisms that can help bring about habitat conservation and restoration at the local level.