Dean Leslie Cornick inaugural STEM autumn newsletter, The Quarterly Crossroads

Welcome to the inaugural edition of The Quarterly Crossroads newsletter from the University of Washington Bothell School of STEM! As the new dean of the School of STEM, I look forward to sharing my musings with you each quarter, as well as spotlights of our faculty, students, staff, STEM Industry Advisory Board, community partners, and alumni.

Writing this first Musings column on National Native American Heritage Day, I find myself reflecting on many crossroads, which inspired me in naming this newsletter.

• I’m reflecting on a year of loss for so many. Loved ones lost to the coronavirus pandemic is approaching 260,000 today in the United States alone and likely will be well beyond 300,000 by the time you read this.
• I’m also reflecting on the painful loss to communities with so many unemployed and with local businesses large and small shuttered, many forever.
• I’m reflecting on the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on America’s First Peoples*, on whose sacred lands we all reside, and on the black, brown, and low-income communities across the country. The pandemic has magnified an already broken and inequitable health care system.
• I’m reflecting on the frontline workers who risk their own lives and families every day to provide care to the sick and many other essential services.
• I’m also reflecting on a divided political landscape in the aftermath of an election that is still not resolved in the eyes of almost half of the electorate — and on the impacts of that division as we come to the crossroads of the peaceful transfer of power, a hallmark of our fragile democracy.

Much as the pandemic has amplified cracks in the healthcare system, so has it amplified the disparities in our systems of justice, the economy, and, yes, education. We must come to terms with the continued impacts and deep trauma of systemic racial injustice, the unacceptable taking of black lives like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, among so many others, and the continued assault on voting rights and the blatant attempted disenfranchisement of black and brown voters.

In all of these systems, some have access while others are left behind. Higher education — and STEM in particular — is at its own crossroads as we work to dismantle systemic racism and sexism in the disciplines that create new knowledge, foster the development of the very breakthroughs that will get us to the other side of the pandemic, and provide pathways out of poverty for entire generations and communities.

When I learned early this spring that I would be honored with the opportunity to serve as the next Dean of STEM at UW Bothell, I knew it would be a challenging time to start a new job. I’ve still only been on campus a few times! Many of our students and even some faculty and staff have never been on campus at all.

STEM students, faculty, and staff are all reflecting on what’s most important as we continue to work and learn remotely, navigating a world of Zoom backgrounds, synchronous or asynchronous courses, remote labs, and missing coffee on the quad, the hallway conversation, club meetings, a firm handshake, or a compassionate hug — all of the things that help us create community and belonging.

Over the course of the coming year and beyond, I will use the Musings column to continue to reflect and ponder. But I will also use The Quarterly Crossroads to share with you what we’re doing to move the School of STEM forward, to dismantle broken systems and replace them with the healthy ecosystem we need to succeed.

My first act to this end has been to create the UW Bothell School of STEM DEI Excellence Fund, which will support initiatives to create a truly diverse, equitable, and inclusive School of STEM. I invite you to participate by giving online.

In this issue of The Quarterly Crossroads, we’re also linking you to a few recent highlights of the amazing work of our STEM faculty and students.

Watch for other features in coming editions of The Quarterly Crossroads, including Division, Faculty, Staff and Student Spotlights as well as a Community Partner Spotlight and an Events Calendar.

I look forward to sharing with you all of the exciting things happening in the School of STEM, and when we are able to be back together on our beautiful campus, I look forward to meeting each and every one of you in person!

In the meantime: Wear Your Mask, Wash Your Hands, and Watch Your Distance.

GO DAWGS!

Dr. Leslie Cornick, Dean
School of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
Professor Biological Sciences