Name of Company: BlueKai

Location: Bellevue, WA

Name of Employee: Robert Bale

Title: Taxonomist

Position description:

At BlueKai, the classification team constructs and maintains proprietary taxonomies that are focused on identifying consumer intent in advertising. Our team also works to construct custom taxonomies with clients that are implementing our data management platform. I am involved with managing the taxonomy governance processes for our team, and I also help determine best practices for our partners.

Can you describe a typical day for you at BlueKai?

A typical day usually begins with the idea that I’ve got everything lined up to roll straight through my tasks. That is, until I get to work. There is a steady stream of tasks that might be considered rote (such as reviewing the data being sent by a provider for classification), but there is an equally rapid flow of tasks that are unexpected or are more of a troubleshooting nature (How can we better address this provider’s needs? Does taxonomy actually achieve their goals?). Sometimes the number of unexpected tasks feels daunting, but our team takes things in stride. I’d like to think that the normal day is the one where I start off working on one project, but I find myself delving into several new ones.

What three words would you use to describe the culture at BlueKai?

Smart, empowering & sharing

What is the most memorable experience or accomplishment you have had as an employee at BlueKai?

I think some of the more memorable experiences are those where I’ve demoed a mock taxonomy to a high profile client and they’ve responded by saying, “Ah, that’s what we could do there….” Sometimes they can be critical. Other times they’re enthusiastic. But, in all cases, they’re interacting with the taxonomy that I’ve had a hand in putting together for them.

What would you describe as the best part about working for BlueKai?

I think one cool aspect is that the company, while it continues to grow, is made up of people who are intelligent, savvy and very personable. I like the fact that everyone tries to connect and share information—the culture is very much based on increasing information flow through the company. This is found top-to-bottom here at BlueKai.

Any advice for current students looking to enter your field?

Take time to realize that we each have skills that can be honed whether or not you’re a “taxonomist.” We can all learn to do technical things. Still, the soft skills are equally important to hone. Don’t forget to listen to people or look for ways to improve something. This is the stuff that helps make it simpler to get into this field.

In many ways, management of information tends to boil down to being attentive to context or helping provide context. My career path to date doesn’t look like it was authored in a straight line. However, within the different industries and job titles I’ve touched, it’s all been about being attentive to detail and remembering that, in the end, it’s about exploring something that will make a practical difference for someone (or something).

While a student at UW, was there a particular class or experience that led you to explore opportunities at X Company or the overall field that X Company is in?

I really enjoyed the processes I learned while in my “Organization of Information Resources” (IMT 530) and “Metadata Design Studio” (INFX 538) courses. These were the lead-in courses that helped give me insight into taxonomy.

What is your favorite memory of the UW iSchool?

Of the many memories that I have of the iSchool, there is a series of mental snapshots I have from the Capstone experience. It’s probably cliché to call out that memory, but it’s still pretty visceral for me. I can still see us designing the poster and picking it up from the print shop. I had flashes of nervousness as we presented our talk during the event, yet felt a sense of relief when I could explain our poster to bystanders. Finally, I remember being happy when it dawned on me that our team really had accomplished what we’d set out to do.

Name of Employer/Company: Pariveda

Location of Headquarters: Dallas, TX

Name: Stefan Mai

Location: Bellevue, WA

Title/Position of Employee: IT Consultant

Can you give us a brief description about position?

Pariveda’s consultants are the bread and butter of our operations in IT consulting. Pariveda leans heavily into their consultants to gather requirements, plan projects, and ultimately implement solutions that realize business value.

Can you describe a typical day for you at Pariveda?

My day might start with a standup meeting discussing our product backlog followed meeting with internal client resources to find out the “why” of various requirements, perhaps making suggestions about ways that they can leverage technology to improve their work. After that, I might code for a block of time before meeting with some Pariveda folks for lunch. After lunch I’ll code a bit more, have a meeting to discuss processes with our VP (who is incredibly accessible, something I’ve learned is very rare) and finish the day with coffee with my mentor to discuss career goals and what I’m doing to achieve them.

What three words would you use to describe the culture at Pariveda?

Career-driven, egalitarian, and open.

What is the most memorable experience or accomplishment you have had as an employee at Pariveda? (ie- a project you worked on, deadline met , group initiative, etc)

Pariveda has a large, company-wide trip every year for a training event known as Finfest. Finfest is a time where all the employees of Pariveda can get together to have a good time, network, and learn a thing or two from the presentations. Two of my colleagues and I got together and spent a lot of time preparing and polishing a presentation on machine learning implementations and their upcoming value for our clients. We presented to the large group on the trip and were selected by our peers for an award that is 2 weeks off of client time to do independent work related to our topic of machine learning. Think Google 20% time for 2 weeks.

What would you describe as the best part about working for Pariveda?

-5 weeks of paid vacation
-Extremely career oriented mentoring and training: an integral part of the culture here
-Intelligent and helpful colleagues; a major effort is made to encourage cooperation

Any advice for current students looking to enter your field?

-Internships are a must. Find a way to demonstrate real-world competency in technical situations
-Given Pariveda is an IT Consulting company, find a way to work in some technical courses and experiences that showcase your ability to work with technology

7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. M-F.

Closed on Saturdays and Sundays unless there is a special event in the building.

Closed on Dec 26 and Jan 2 which are official UW holidays and the campus is closed on those days.

All MGH classrooms will be locked throughout the break.

After hour building permits:

If you requested an after-hours building permit and have not yet picked it up, please do so now in the Student Services Office, MGH 470.  This is particularly important if you plan to be in the building over the winter break.

If you did not request an after-hours building permit, but would like one, you may still request them at https://catalyst.uw.edu/webq/survey/acorboy/143434.  PLEASE NOTE:  Permits requested now will not be available until after winter break.

Project Coordinator (Speech and Literacy) – Job

Posted by: Temple University
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
http://www.idealist.org/view/job/TKfTZfXpT6BD/

11/30: From our Twitter feed: @WePAC2011 WPHLAlliance4Childrn

Foreign Language & Area Studies Fellowships (FLAS)

 November 17, 3:30-4:30, Thomson 217 

 December 6, 3:30-4:30, Denny 217

FLAS awards pay tuition and a living stipend as follows:

Academic Year Undergraduate: $10,000 tuition, $5,000 living stipend

Summer Graduate/Undergraduate: $5,000 tuition, $2,500 living stipend

The FLAS Fellowship is available to U.S. citizens and permanent residents. FLAS supports study of the following languages and their world regions: -Arabic -Bangla- Bulgarian -Burmese -Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian-Canadian First Nations -Chinese -Czech -Danish -Estonian -Filipino/Tagalog -Finnish -French -German -Hebrew -Hindi -Indonesian/Malay -Italian -Japanese -Kazakh -Khmer -Korean -Latvian -Lithuanian -Norwegian -Persian -Polish -Portuguese -Russian -Slovenian -Spanish -Swahili -Swedish -Tajik -Thai -Turkish -Uighur -Urdu -Uzbek -Vietnamese

Undergraduate awardees must be at the intermediate or advanced language level and cannot apply to study French, German or Spanish.

Academic Year FLAS awards are primarily for use at the UW. Awardees must take at least 3 credits in the language of the award and 3 credits of area/international studies or the area or international aspects of professional fields of study each quarter while receiving a FLAS award.

Summer FLAS awards are for intensive foreign language study and can be used at UW, another U.S. institution, or abroad.

Application due January 17, 2012. Questions: email flas@uw.edu

For more information, visit http://www.jsis.washington.edu/advise/flas/

The Center for Teaching and Learning and Undergraduate Academic Affairs invites nominations for the 2012 Distinguished Teaching Awards, Excellence in Teaching Awards, and the S. Sterling Munro Public Service Teaching Award.

Faculty, staff, students and alumni are invited to write.  Nominations of past candidates are welcome.  Self-nominations are not accepted.  Previous recipients are ineligible.

Distinguished Teaching Award – is given once during the individual’s lifetime, honors several instructors based on a number of criteria, limited to the extensive knowledge and mastery of the subject matter, ability to inspire, guide and mentor students through independent and creative thinking, and serves as a mentor, collaborator and consultant to other faculty and teaching assistants by helping to enrich the scholarship of teaching and learning.

Excellence in Teaching Award – is given to two graduate teaching assistants for their demonstration of extraordinary ability in the teaching and learning process as a gradaute teaching assistant.

S. Sterling Munro Public Service Teaching Award – thanks to generous gift from the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, is given annually to a faculty member who has demonstrated exemplary leadership in community-based instruction, including public service internships and community partnership projects.

Faculty within the University of Washington are eligible to receive this award.

Nominations are accepted via web only.  To begin the nomination process, we ask that you submit your online form at http://uw.edu/uaa/teachingacademy/awards.html.  The deadline for all submissions is Monday, December 12, 2011, 5pm.

For questions regarding the awards process, please email dta@u.washington.edu.

We are now accepting submissions for papers, lightning talks, posters, and discussion leaders for round tables. We would love to receive submissions from students at your university, and will be very appreciative if you can extend the call for submissions to your students. Submission Guidelines, outlining the requirements for each type of submission, are reproduced below, but can also be accessed on our website: http://3cs.ischool.utoronto.ca/

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Deadline: 15 December 2011

Submissions fall into three categories: Presentations, Posters, and Round Tables. A presentation may be either 15 or 30 minutes and should address a topic on which you have done substantial work, whether it be a completed paper or even progress toward a thesis. Lightning talks are seven minutes long, and are meant to showcase new ideas to be discussed and developed. Posters are for dynamic viewing and discussion, and address in-progress topics and new areas of research.

Submissions will be evaluated by a program committee made up of Faculty of Information students.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

1. Panel Discussions (Presentations, Lightning Talks): Submit an abstract for a lightning talk or full-length presentation (300 word maximum)

2. Poster Presentations: Submit an abstract (300 word maximum)

3. Round Tables: Submit an abstract (300 word maximum) answering the following questions: a) What is your topic? b) What expertise/experience do you have, and where did you gain it? c) List three relevant issues for discussion. d) How does this affect at least three areas of iSchool/LIS work (i.e. any combination of knowledge management, information systems and design, museums, libraries, archives, critical information systems or communities).

Email all submissions to 3cs.istudent.conference@gmail.com

Thursday —  November 17, 2011, from 3:45 to 4:45 pm
Roosevelt Commons Building

Fourth floor multi-purpose room

Conducted in 2009, the U.S. IMPACT Study provided evidence that use of public access technology services offered at U.S. public libraries has a profound and measurable impact on individuals and communities. The IMPACT Survey project aims to extend the benefits of the study by making its patron web survey component available for all public libraries to use in their local data collection, evaluation, and advocacy efforts. This TASHA Talk will report on the frameworks underpinning the web survey project, provide a progress update, and discuss design challenges and lessons learned.

About the presenter

Cortney is a research analyst with the U.S. IMPACT Study Research Group and holds a Masters of Public Administration and Masters of Library and Information Science from the University of Washington. Her research interests include design thinking, program evaluation, public

TASCHA Talks are bi-weekly sessions to share, discuss, and advance new ideas around topics related to technology and social change. Learn more at  tascha.uw.edu/tascha-talks

Admissions Workshop Weekend
November 19 and 20

The Dream Project is a student-initiated, student-led program that partners UW students with first-generation and low-income students from local high schools, as they navigate through the college admissions process. We also coordinate an annual event called Admissions Workshop Weekend at which high school students can come to our campus and receive help on their college application process, which will be taking place the weekend of November 19 and 20 this year. Ideally, students will have the opportunity to work one on one with a mentor/tutor to provide support and make sure they are on track with the college application process. These high school students will gain a strong understanding of the college application process and craft quality applications and essays. From years past, many of our students complete their entire college applications over the course of this weekend. You will find that this is a rewarding community experience when you witness the accomplishment of these students in one weekend. That is why we need your help! For further details please contact us at marcus08@uw.edu or thompt2@uw.edu.

If you’re interested in committing to this effort, please go to the following link to register:

www.dreamproject.washington.edu/workshop/help.

Sincerely,

Marcus Ramirez and Tayler Thompson

Volunteer Coordinators

James Billmaier, Author of Jolt! The Impending Dominance of the Electric Car

James Billmaier has devoted his professional life to predicting how emerging technologies
will impact our lives in the future. To his credit, he has been astonishingly accurate.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Presentation: 4:30– 6:00 p.m.

Mary Gates Hall 389

 For info:

Pam Tufts, ptufts@uw.edu

Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship

UW Michael G. Foster School of Business

ptufts@uw.edu | Phone: 206.685.3813

For a complete list of all speakers in the fall Environmental Innovation Speaker Series:

http://www.foster.washington.edu/centers/cie/eic/Pages/schedule.aspx

The Office of the President invites
UW faculty, students, staff and friends to attend
the 36th University Faculty Lecture:

The Democratization of Truth:
Communication and the Crisis of Contemporary Politics
By W. Lance Bennett

Wednesday, November 30, 2011
7 p.m.
Kane Hall, Room 130

The lecture is free and open to the public. A reception will follow in the Walker-Ames Room in Kane Hall.

About this lecture

The turn of the 21st century has been rocked by great changes stemming from the globalization of trade, production and finance. Many post-industrial democracies have witnessed a reorganization of society itself, as people relate differently to basic institutions of religion, political parties, the press, government, education, work life and family. Meanwhile, growing levels of inequality challenge the ideals of democracy.

Some citizens react to these changes with vocal defenses of fraying values, leaving public institutions embattled in culture wars and polarized politics. Other citizens embrace the new global order with its array of communication technologies that enable people to join together to address complex issues from climate change to corporate responsibility in a globalized economy.

However, the rise of social and political networks cannot compensate for the failures of institutions. As information gatekeeping moves away from institutions, social truths multiply. The resulting conflicts become immune to fact, reason or government authority.

The audience will be invited to consider the challenges to democracy these developments present.

About the University Faculty Lecture

Since 1976, members of the UW faculty have chosen a faculty peer who has made a demonstrable impact on his or her profession to deliver the University Faculty Lecture. This is the highest honor the University of Washington faculty can bestow on one of their own. The 36th University Faculty Lecturer, W. Lance Bennett, joins a distinguished roster of Nobel laureates, historians, artists, scientists and authors who have participated in this series. The University Faculty Lecture Award Selection Committee is administered by the Office of the Provost.

On Wednesday, Nov 16th the Libraries is hosting a day-long event for GIS Day in the Research Commons.

For further information regarding the location and the event:

http://commons.lib.washington.edu/events/gis-day

And here’s the website for the event:
https://depts.washington.edu/gisday/

This event should be of interest to any graduate student involved or interested in GIS (not just students in Environmental, Geography or CSDE).  There is a call for research posters, so grad students working with GIS may be interested in submitting a poster for the competition.

If yes, please join us for information meetings about The Washington Center Internship Program at the following times:

Monday, November 7

   1030-1120 GWN 1A (ground floor of Gowen Hall)

   1230-120  SMI 311

   130-220   MEB 237

   330-420   CMU 228

  Tuesday, November 8

   1230-120  SMI 311

   130-220   MEB 237

   330-420   CMU 228

The Washington Center (TWC) runs a full-time internship program in Washington, D.C. that is open to all UW students and provides comprehensive service, including internship placement and housing. Placements include government agencies, corporations, nonprofits and international organizations. Hundreds of UW students have participated in this program since UW’s affiliation in 1977, and many have made connections that led to post-degree employment.

At the informational meetings, a Washington Center representative and I will discuss the program, scholarships and the application process.

For 2012 the quarterly program cost is $5,850 and the housing cost is $3,790.

In addition, students pay UW registration, transportation, and personal expenses. Students may use financial aid for this program, UW tuition is charged at a reduced rate (because of this, the cost for nonresidents is comparable to a quarter at UW), and students may apply for scholarships (many UW students receive scholarships of $1-3000).

Upcoming application deadlines are:

Spring Quarter 2012, Regular: 1/13/12

Summer Quarter 2012, Competitive*: 2/17/12, Regular: 3/16/12

Autumn Quarter 2012, Early**: 1/20/12, Competitive*: 5/4/12, Regular: 6/15/12

Spring Quarter 2013, Early**: 5/21/12, Competitive*: 10/12/12, Regular:

1/11/13

* Deadline for eligibility for most scholarships (some scholarships available with regular deadline)

** See http://www.twc.edu/internships/dates-and-deadlines/early-deadlines for the list of organizations that require applications by the early deadline

Note that some established internship programs, such as the Congressional Black Caucus, may require earlier application submissions than the deadlines noted above.

Regardless of your major, there is an internship position for you. If you would like to know more, please come to an information session or contact me for an appointment. Information is also available online at www.twc.edu

Friday Nov 4th, 8:30am-1pm

Kane Hall, Walker Ames Room

Please join GPSS for our 5th Annual Higher Education Summit on Friday, Nov.

4th.  The theme of this year’s event is: *On Whose Shoulders: Who Pays For Higher Education in Uncertain Economic Times?  *We will examine Washington residents’ ability to attain an advanced degree at a public institution given rising student debt burden and less government support.  University of Washington President Michael K. Young will deliver opening remarks.

Free breakfast and lunch will be provided.  Can’t make the entire event?

Feel free to drop by for a panel – see schedule below.

Facebook event:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=243932658987928#!/event.php?eid=243932658987928

The event is free and open to everyone.  For more information:

gpsspa@uw.edu, (206) 543-8576

*

Summit Schedule:*

8:30am:    Breakfast and Registration

9:00am:    Welcoming Remarks: UW President Michael Young

*9:15am:    Panel 1:  State and federal assistance for advanced degree

production at Washington’s public universities*

*Panelists:  *

- Rep. Reuven Carlyle, Vice-Chair, Higher Education Committee

- Ethelda Burke, Chair, Higher Education Board Chair

- Paul Jenny, Vice Provost for Planning and Budgeting, University of

Washington

Moderator:  UW Impact Director Courtney Acitelli

*10:10am  Panel 2:  What is the future for Washington’s public research universities in an era of shrinking state assistance?*

Panelists:

- Elson Floyd, Washington State University President

- Kellye Testy, Dean, University of Washington Law School

- Doug Wadden, Interim Provost, University of Washington

Moderator:  GPSS President Aaron Naumann

*11:10am  Panel 3:  Attaining an advanced degree:  Has student indebtedness reached the tipping point?*

Panelists:

- Kay Lewis, Financial Aid Director, University of Washington

- Susan Terry, Career Center Director, University of Washington

- Julia Carlson, Director, Graduate Enrollment Management Services, The

Graduate School, University of Washington

Moderator:  Gerald Baldasty, Dean, The Graduate School, University of Washington

*12:05pm:  Comments in Memory of Senator Scott White*

- Adam Sherman, GPSS Vice President

- Margaret Shepherd, Director of State Relations, University of

Washington

*12:15pm:  Closing Remarks*

Senator Derek Kilmer, Vice-Chair, Ways and Means Committee

*12:30pm:  Lunch and Open Discussion*

Within a certain grade level, how can we choose books that are easier for some students and that will challenge more advanced readers?

And how are we going to organize our library collections??

These are some questions that teachers and volunteers are asking in the first weeks of school, and one of our Longstreth volunteers shared a leveled book list that might serve as a helpful guideline (thank you, Becky Birtha!).  This was created by Nancy Giansante, based on some guidelines from education consultants:

http://home.comcast.net/~ngiansante/index.html

Happy organizing!

On Facebook?  You can check out our iSchool Student Services Facebook page at:  http://www.facebook.com/uwioss

We’ve just posted an article on tips for finding jobs with Twitter there.  Enjoy!

The Student Technology Fee was established to improve technology and access to technology for UW students.  This committee determines the expenditure of the fee and helps manage a multi-million dollar budget.  The Graduate and Professional Student Senate (GPSS) appoints well-qualified students to this committee to ensure your student fees are being well spent.

To apply for a seat on the Committee:  Send your resume and a letter of interest to:  gpssom@u…  Please include your academic program, expected graduation date, and relevant experience.

*Deadline:  August 25th.*

**

*GPSS represents graduate and professional students to the University and the Legislature, funds graduate programming, and hosts regular social events.*

See the attached flyer on the FLAS for more information on the program:  FLAS Flyer for 2012-13

Best regards,
Robyn Davis
Fellowships Coordinator
Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies
Thomson Hall, Room 126, Box 353650
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195 USA
Tel: 206-616-8679
Email: rldavis@u…

Honors Program International Direct Exchange
Opportunities – APPLICATION DEADLINE ~  September 5th

The Honors Program facilitates three unique direct exchange programs which permit  you to pay your UW home tuition, yet study abroad!

You are not required to be an Honors Program student to participate.

• Universidad de San Andrés: Buenos Aires, Argentina (instruction in Spanish)
• University College Utrecht: Utrecht, The Netherlands (instruction in English)
• University College Maastricht: Utrecht, The Netherlands (instruction in English)

Now is the time to set up an appointment to get your questions answered if:

• You are seeking to better understand the difference between
  all other study abroad opportunities and the unique experience a direct
  exchange provides
• You want to learn more about the specific exchange programs
  we offer
• You want to learn how these opportunities may impact
  and support your Honors experience and requirements
• You want more information about the application &
  selection process

If you already know you want to participate, please proceed
to the application:

Honors Direct Exchange Application

Application deadline for spring semester study is September 5, 2011

For more information, or to setup an appointment, contact Wendy Durant @ wdurant@u…