When the University decided last summer to install portable air cleaners, or air purifiers, in small to medium-sized UW classrooms, labs, eating and work spaces, lunchrooms and just about everywhere people gather, Rod Worden, director of Maintenance & Construction for UW Facilities (UWF), gathered his team and began to plan.
In all, about 2,000 air purifiers would need ordering, unpacking, testing and documenting in a database so each could be tracked and maintained. They would then need to be delivered and installed to all three UW campuses (Seattle, Bothell, Tacoma) along with remote sites including Friday Harbor Labs, Olympic Natural Resources Center (Forks), classrooms and clinic spaces at Sand Point and beyond.
Editor’s note: UW Facilities counts on a number of student interns year round to contribute to our departmental success. This spring, Julie Ira interned with UW Recycling, and shares her experiences in this guest article. For more information about UW internships and positions, click here.
Windows and blinds so clean that they sparkle. Every upholstered seat in Meany Hall cleaned and disinfected. Stripped and waxed floors; fresh paint and new carpeting installed. These are the scenes across campus, from Architecture to Winkenwerder Halls and dozens of buildings in-between.
Patriotism. Comradery. Strength. Just some of the words that come to mind when we consider the meaning of Veterans Day. The 58 stately London plane sycamore trees that line Memorial Way to the flagpole were planted 100 years ago to honor UW students and faculty who died in World War I. Additional installations across campus honor those who served in other conflicts, and the University regularly honors distinguished alumni veterans.
It’s been said, “If you build it, they will come.”
But what if you’re in the middle of a pandemic? How do construction projects continue safely? What if you’re constructing a building for some of the very people who are fighting that pandemic?
By now, we’ve all become pseudo-experts in understanding face coverings and personal protective equipment lingo. Masks, hand sanitizer, gloves, N95 respirators and the like have become all-too familiar yet essential subjects on a daily basis.
But what is it really like for UW’s procurement experts to secure masks and PPE and ensure that staff have the supplies they need?
Elm Hall, an L-shaped dormitory, was constructed in 2012 and designed around a majestic American elm tree on the University of Washington’s west campus. The 65-foot tree, nestled in the crook of the dorm, was the area's crowning glory.
Normally, this first week of Summer Quarter would be buzzing with activity on campus. Instead, there’s a subdued, sparser setting in which students, faculty and staff traffic has been greatly reduced and kept home to help combat transmission of COVID-19.
“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” - Audrey Hepburn
UW Facilities staffers are a resilient, resourceful bunch. They say they’re getting through life’s new routines gradually, and many are turning to meditation, reading and gardening as sources of hope and promise for a brighter future. Here's how they're dealing with the challenges of living through a pandemic, in their own words:
With so many people staying home during this pandemic, we’re seeing footage of animals reclaiming all parts of the world. Bears have been spotted seemingly playing in Yosemite National Park, penguins stroll freely through Cape Town’s quiet city streets, and here on our campus, home to so many creatures, the Mallard ducks have returned to Drumheller fountain.
Five teams and eight individuals from UW Facilities will be honored at this year’s Distinguished Staff Award Reception, joining other nominees from across the UW in recognition of their outstanding contributions to their departments and the University.
60,304 miles. That’s how far UW Laboratory Medicine’s couriers have traveled in their new all-electric vehicles since receiving them from Fleet Services in June.
Although there were only five days this November in which it actually rained, Ride in the Rain participants seized the month-long challenge in great cycles as always.
The crisp fall temperatures and shorter days are a reminder that ice and snow could make an appearance anytime now. Some weather forecasts for the Puget Sound warn of heavy snow this winter, which may elicit memories of last February’s “Snowmageddon.”
If this November proves to be like most in Seattle, it’d be best to gear up for the weather with your galoshes and Gore-Tex. But at least for now, the UW’s 16th annual “Ride in the Rain” bike challenge, from Nov. 1-30 is beginning with plenty of sunshine and cool temperatures.
The UW Seattle campus is deceptively steep and sloped, rising from Lake Washington on the east to an elevation at the northwest corner equivalent to an 18-story building — almost the height of the UW Tower.
Faculty, staff and students interested in renting UCARs for short-term transportation needs while on official university business will find it even easier to go green now that UW Fleet Services has added more electric vehicles to its cadre of cars, minivans, SUVs and trucks.
