"Studying biochemistry has allowed me to pursue my dream of making positive contributions to the medical field. I attribute so many of my successes and opportunities to the professors and mentors who have helped bolster my love for science."

--Anne d’Aquino, Western Alum

More Biochemistry

Students in Dr. Lina Dahlberg's lab use gene editing technology to explore fundamental scientific concepts. They look at how different genes function in roundworms, which breed quickly and are easy to examine. What they discover about roundworms gives us insight into how our own genes and systems function.

Dr. Dahlberg's Research

Neuroscience students get to work right alongside Dr. Jeff Carroll, a leading Huntington's disease researcher, at Western.

Dr. Carroll once published a paper with nine student co-authors in Scientific Reports – an online, open-access journal from the publishers of Nature. Getting your name on research as an undergraduate puts you a step ahead!

Dr. Carroll's Research

Sarah O'Sell was part of a team of eight Western students who developed the first completely transparent solar window, which went on to earn many prizes and awards.

"Western is unique in providing cross-program collaboration opportunities tied to solving real-world problems. While an Industrial Design Engineering undergrad with a passion for sustainability and entrepreneurship, I was able to help lead a government-backed grad student's emerging technology through prototyping and pitching, and am happy to see it's now helping the NASA Mars Missions and the agriculture industry. This experience provided the foundation for a career in deep tech business development for the Circular Economy!"

When Western's Junior Industrial Design has asked to develop a new housing solution, they came up with 
Cube3: adaptable housing built with people in mind. Cube3 is modular; it can be changed, rearranged, and combined to create housing that changes with the occupant's needs. Their project won three prestigious design awards, including a Gray Award and two IDA Design Gold Awards.

Outstanding Student Work

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Industrial Design students Keaton LoCicero  and Wylie Jacoy discovered that long periods of time sitting in one position was bad for the body and mind. They sought to give the user some control of their environment and encourage change in position. The desk has two distinct heights, one for sitting and one for standing.

Their classmates created other work-from-home-inspired furniture, such as customizable partitions and dual-purpose desks, to help people solve immediate, tangible problems.

More Furniture Designs

It's one thing to create an animated masterpiece, it's quite another to display it on a building! 

Western's fine arts students project their animations onto one of the most iconic buildings in downtown Bellingham every year so the entire city can experience their work.

As a student, Graphic Design major Zach Becker won an Adobe Design Achievement Award for ISS – Isolation, an interactive, digital publication inspired by the literal and metaphorical exploration of space. Today, Zach is working as a contract designer for Microsoft and is interested in continuing to explore motion design and virtual reality.

Experience ISS Isolation

Brynn Hofer danced in more than 20 productions at Western, one of which she also choreographed. She also wrote and received a grant that fully funded research in biomechanics, examining how dancers learn new movement styles. When she graduated, Brynn already had a job lined up at Polaris Dance Theatre, a professional dance company in Portland, Oregon.

"The Dance faculty give so much of themselves to the dancers. They have an innate ability to help their students that is quite inspiring – I hope to be that way with my students one day."

In 2012, TJ won an Academy Award for the documentary "Undefeated," which he co-directed – he was the first director of African-American descent to win an Oscar for a full-length feature film. In 2017, he won an Emmy for his National Geographic documentary “LA 92.”  Both documentaries address issues of race and class. Martin was a student at Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies, one of Western’s seven colleges.
 

“You’ll fail a million times before you make one success. Fairhaven and WWU created a comfortable environment for that to happen. It was a good stomping ground where I could experiment a lot and felt comfortable making mistakes.”

Even though they excelled in different academic fields—Knight in Physics and Mills in Graphic Design—the duo shared a musical connection. Shortly before graduating in 2012, they formed ODESZA. The electronic group quickly grew in popularity. They were nominated for a Grammy 2016 and again in 2018.

Both bands returned to Bellingham in 2019 to put on the Double Major concert, an event that brought the entire city together for a fun party.

Western is home to six student-run newspapers, literary and art journals, and magazines, including the completely student-run Western Front. Any student enrolled at Western can pitch stories, columns, and photos to the Western Front's student editors!

Read the Western Front

Jeopardy Magazine ia a student-run publication that showcases the unique talents of the WWU community. It features poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction and visual art. First published in 1965, it has a long legacy of presenting contemporary joys and anxieties, as well as themes that transcend decades.

Check out Jeopardy #56

For the aspiring DJ or the curious radio lover, Western's student-run radio station, KUGS 89.3, provides the opportunity to run your own radio show. If you prefer television, Western Window provides first-hand experience with video production.

Listen to KUGS Online