Honors galore. A room designed to honor Robert Rushmer, a pioneer in multidisciplinary collaboration, is earning honors of its own. The permanent art exhibit in room 3 of the new EE/CSE building was created by two University of Washington art faculty members, Louise St. Pierre, left, and Karen Cheng. As part of the exhibit, they created 44 tiles, which were mounted on the desk fronts of the laboratory/classroom. Some tiles contain quotes from individuals ranging from Sherlock Holmes to Louis Pasteur; others are layered combinations of images. There are several two-part, hinged tiles, some of which pose a question, then reveal an answer. Other tiles consist of cast bronze artifacts from engineering, medicine and design. The proportion of the tiles was taken from an ordinary four-socket electrical outlet. A quote from Rushmer rings the room: “As societies become more complicated and interactive, emerging problems have become so complex that their solutions demand the convergence of many different areas of knowledge and competence.” Cheng and St. Pierre are assistant professors of design. The exhibit was published in the Communication Arts Design Annual and is included in the American Center for Design 100 Show, a selection of the best design works in the United States. Rushmer is a retired UW biotechnology professor who, along with a team of engineers, redesigned sonar technology to examine in detail the cardiovascular system. His work ultimately led to the creation of a new industry: medical ultrasound imaging. David Auth, a former colleague of Rushmer’s and founder of a biotechnology firm specializing in cardiac surgery instruments, donated the exhibit.

Mary Gates Hall commons is taking shape. This sky-lit area will be an informal meeting space for students and faculty with smaller nooks designed for meetings and studying along the sides. Construction and renovation on the undergraduate facility is about 90 percent complete with a March 2000 opening date expected. Mary Gates Hall will house the Office of Undergraduate Education, an Undergraduate Computing Center, 30,000 square feet of general assignment classrooms and surge space for temporary tenants.

With the Olympic Mountains in the background, a University of Wyoming Super King Air 200T leaves Paine Field in Everett. The photo was taken last spring as a research team headed by Dan Jaffe left on a research flight to track Asian air pollution approaching Washington. (Photo by Larry Oolman, University of Wyoming)

University of Washington Police Chief Vicky Peltzer stands by as a group of protesters prepare for a demonstration against the World Trade Organization.

William Curtis

Photos identified by number may be ordered from uphoto@u.washington.edu.