Anyone can start a nonprofit. It’s easy: Just pick a cause, file with the IRS, and register with your state government. "Next thing you know, you're a 501(c)(3) and you have no idea how to sustain yourself," said Ruth Bernstein, who runs the Nonprofit Studies program at UW Tacoma. "You may not even know how to effectively deliver your service."

Magic and mysticism. Angels and demons. It's hard to find a dull moment in Mika Ahuvia's syllabus. The assistant professor of Jewish Studies teaches a class called Heroes, Heretics, and Radicals: The Beginnings of Judaism and Christianity.

When Alexes Harris read a recent Seattle Times article about being black on a college campus, she was reminded of her undergraduate days at the UW. The sociology professor took to Twitter to share her thoughts.

We tend to think of the workplace as transactional: we show up, we get paid, we leave. But that model misses something. "We’re still human beings when we go to work," said Ryan Fehr, an assistant professor in the Foster School of Business. "We still have emotions. We still care about our connections. Being appreciated still feels good in the workplace, just like it does everywhere else."

Math professor Jennifer Quinn loves to count her steps. Her goal is 10,000 a day, the number recommended by the American Heart Association. "We worry about so many things in our lives — our families, our students — that taking care of ourselves comes last," said Quinn, the interim associate vice chancellor for academic affairs at UW Tacoma. "It's so important to value yourself and your health and to make that time. Whatever you enjoy doing in life, you want to make sure you enjoy it for a long time, right?"

Leslie Ashbaugh, who joined the UW Bothell campus in 1998, passed away last week after a two-year battle with cancer. She was 52. When diagnosed with melanoma, a form of skin cancer, Leslie chose to remain in her role as assistant vice chancellor of academic achievement. Before taking a position in leadership, she taught in the [...]

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Doomsday stories are easy to find at the box office these days. Biology professor Dee Boersma wants to see more movies about saving the world. In her class Science Communication: Video Storytelling, students produce educational films about the natural sciences. Viewers get tours of the coral reefs of Hawaii and the forests of Washington, and explore topics like endangered animals, food waste, and water pollution.

Markets are meant to be disrupted. That's what you'll walk away thinking after a chat with Professor Charles Hill. "Disruption is the nature of a capitalist economy, and you've got to argue that disruption is fundamentally a good thing," said Hill, who’s taught in the Foster School of Business since 1988.

From Ebola and Zika to malaria and dengue fever, there seems to be a global health crisis around every corner. If you haven’t witnessed an outbreak in person, you’ve seen the images on TV: Patients struggle to survive, doctors cross borders to treat them, and researchers rush to develop vaccines. But there’s a tireless group of frontline caregivers that often get overlooked — both by daily news coverage and high-level decision-makers.

When Mount St. Helens erupted in the spring of 1980, over 200 miles of plants and trees were wiped away by wind, lava, and rock. Nearby buildings were buried, and 57 people were killed. A serene and picturesque landscape had turned terrifyingly barren. But researchers have since found a silver lining: the eruption created a great natural experiment. The federal government designated the mountain a national monument, which allowed plants and animals to return naturally — rather than being placed there by people.

When the president of China sojourned in Seattle last fall, political and business leaders lined up to welcome the head of Washington’s biggest trade partner. Meanwhile, politicians and talking heads in Washington, D.C. were accusing China of manipulating its currency and ripping off the American economy.

This laboratory experiments on people, places, and things. Freaked out? Don’t be. They’re studying storytelling. The News Lab is a newsroom for journalism students. "From Woodinville to Federal Way to Everett, our students put important news in front of people," said Andrea Otanez, who's teaching the lab this quarter.