Department Life
Clubs, Organizations, and Events
These activities are open to all interested members of the department.
Faculty-Led Outings
Starting in Spring 2022, our faculty have led outings, including bird watching and bike rides, in and around Seattle. These typically take place on Saturday or Sunday and all are welcome to participate. These are posted to the GS events calendar as scheduled.
COGS (Community Organizers of Genome Sciences) is an organization of members of the University of Washington Department of Genome Sciences to foster engagement, enable change, and support the diverse members of our community. COGS was formed from prior organizations in GS: Women in Genome Sciences (WiGS) and Genome Sciences Association for the Inclusion of Minority Students (GSAIMS).
COGS / GSAIMS Free Library located in Foege S340. Read and return.
GS Book Club
The GS Book Club is open to all department members and their family. We read one standalone book every two months, picked by a book club member.
The books can be of any topic and genre. Currently we meet on Zoom (https://washington.zoom.us/j/965864904), and have a mailing list in Google Groups (https://groups.google.com/g/uw-gs-book-club,
[email protected]). We also have a list of books we have previously read
(https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10014xh9hIfpWzhEI6ZZoOAEr4AC_xVNz5mPxKDJTI5o/edit?usp=sharing) and a calendar for our meetings (https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=ss1k4f6247v8lvali869tn3sto%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America%2FLos_Angeles).
Contact: Skylar Thompson ( skylar2 [ a t ] uw.edu
)
GS Garden Club
We grow flowers, herbs, and produce in three beds next to our building at the south end of 15th Ave NE, as well as on the 4th floor decks. You can find us getting our hands dirty March-November. Come grow with us! No experience needed!
Contact: Lisa Border ( lborder [ a t ] uw.edu)
Social Hour
Held Fridays at 4:30 after Research Reports in the Foege third floor lounge. All are welcome! Social hour is facilitated by the admin group.
Foege Building Art
Double Helix
by James Mhyre
Jim is a graduate of the University of Washington, Department of Chemistry, and the University of Washington, School of Medicine. After his retirement from Evergreen Hospital in Kirkland where he worked as a General Surgeon, Jim created his very first sculpture, entitled Double Helix, which he donated to Genome Sciences in 2015.
DNA occupies the central position in biology. This sculpture is an artistic representation of DNA meant to capture the imagination and inspire those who understand its subject matter. The double helix form grabs the eyes demanding attention. The four nucleotides are depicted in padauk, Peruvian walnut, leopard wood, and zebra wood. They are made with a clasping theme suggestive of the Yin Yang symbol using a maple strip joining the two sides. There are 31 pairs in the sculpture that makes four revolutions.
Genomic Journey
by James Mhyre
The upper panel is an abstract mashup of biological information, both DNA and RNA and a cell in mitosis. The smaller molecules depict different nucleotides. Genetic information spills into the middle panel and is represented as digital code, 0’s and 1’s.
The middle panel contains 10 circles representing the most common genetic model organsisms used for research starting with Mendel’s peas on the left, thale cress, yeast, E. coli, frog, protozoa, worm, zebra fish, fruit fly, and mouse. The human figure represents humans studying the biological processes before us. The back of her head is open, exposing her occipital lobes and cerebellum, emphasizing that we too are the biology that we are studying.
The lower panel depicts the central dogma of biochemistry, translating DNA into proteins. DNA is unwound and copied by the RNA polymerase into messenger RNA. It is then modified and leaves the nucleus for the endoplasmic reticulum where it is read by the ribosomes to produce the encoded proteins. Also in the lower panel is a mitochondrion, the cellular powerhouse, and a molecule of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP), the currency of cellular energy.
Plum Tango
by Bonny Brewer and Janet Kurjan
Spice Islands
by Bonny Brewer and Janet Kurjan