This paper considers capitalist agricultural development in the Philippines and the emergence of a transpacific proletariat across two colonial regimes. Specifically, capital’s reorganization of landscapes for the production of sugar introduced a new way of structuring power relations through the ownership of land and the private exploitation of natural resources.

The paper begins with an historical analysis of the commodification of the land, which defined the scope of legitimate forms of social reproduction reinforced by state violence during the late Spanish and early American periods. The remainder of this paper explores how the displacement and dispossession of Filipino peasants worked hand-in-hand with American colonial education and agricultural development efforts to remake Filipinos into “free labor.”

This working paper seeks to develop an argument about how the capitalization of land and the proletarianization of labor, under the guise of land distribution and paternalistic tutelage, produced the Philippine colony and generated a mobile population of labor.

We will distribute Roneva’s paper by the end of this week. Light lunch and coffee will be provided. Please RSVP to hbcls@uw.edu.

The Institute for Hazards Mitigation Planning and Research (IHMP) will be holding a series of workshops bringing planners, scientists, emergency managers, student and faculty together to improve communication and exchange ideas.  We hope these discussion will also lead to increased understanding along with student theses, dissertations and research.

These “Bridging the Gap” sessions are being promoted through the University of Washington, College of the Built Environments, Department of Urban Design and Planning’s Institute for Hazards Mitigation Planning and Research.

Our first workshop will address:

Topic: “Opportunities to address Hazards Mitigation through the Growth Management Act”.

Panel: Opportunities will be introduced by John D. Schelling MPA, Emergency Management & Safety Administrator; and Mark McCaskill AICP, Managing Director, Growth Management Services, Local Government Division Washington Department of Commerce.

University of Washington input will be by Himanshu Grover PhD and Bob Freitag CFM, Directors of the Institute for Hazards Mitigation Planning and Research; and Joe Tovar FAICP, Project Manager, The William D. Ruckelshaus Center.

Maximilian Dixon, MUP, MIPM Earthquake Program Manager will be our facilitator.

Abstract
Many new theoretical challenges have arisen in the area of gradient-based optimization for large-scale statistical data analysis, driven by the needs of applications and the opportunities provided by new hardware and software platforms. I discuss several recent, related results in this area: (1) a new framework for understanding Nesterov acceleration, obtained by taking a continuous-time, Lagrangian/Hamiltonian/symplectic perspective, (2) a discussion of how to escape saddle points efficiently in nonconvex optimization, and (3) the acceleration of Langevin diffusion.

Don Setiawan from UW APL will speak on “Python and R via JupyterHub and server RStudio”.

Background

In recent years, the Python programming language has emerged as a popular choice for geoscientists. Python is an easy to learn, easy to read, fast to write, open source, multi-platform platform language. Accompanying the Python language is a large community of free, open source projects that have facilitated rapid scientific development and data analysis. This informal seminar series focuses on new and existing Python tools and applications within the geoscience community and aims to connect Python users across the UW campus.

This seminar series was started in Fall 2015 by Joe Hamman (formerly at UW-CEE, now with NCAR) and Emilio Mayorga (UW-APL), and is currently coordinated by Emilio with help from Anthony Arendt (UW-APL & eScience Institute) and Don Setiawan (UW-APL). Thanks go to the eScience Institute for their support in hosting the seminars from the start!

Mailing list

We use the python_for_geoscience[at]uw.edu list to announce seminars. But if you’re subscribed, feel free to send an email on a relevant topic! You may subscribe, unsubscribe or change your settings, at this link.

APPLICATION CYCLE
Open: February 20, 2018
Close: March 30, 2018 at 5:00 PM PST

Fund Eligibility

The Peter Mack and Jamie Mayerfeld Fund provides financial resources to benefit graduate students to study and/or conduct research about human rights. In 2018, we anticipate having approximately $5000 to distribute. Available funds may be issued in a single award or split between multiple awardees. The number of awards and amounts will vary depending on the number and quality of applications. The committee may combine this fellowship with the Lisa Sable Brown fellowship to make a more substantial award.

• Any graduate student who is currently enrolled and will be enrolled in the upcoming academic year is eligible to apply.
• This award is open to graduate students at all three branches of the University of Washington (Seattle, Bothell, or Tacoma).
• The award may be used towards tuition, research, travel, books, materials, or equipment.
• US citizenship or permanent resident status is NOT REQUIRED.

Application Materials

To be considered, apply between February 20, 2018 and March 30, 2018 at 5:00 pm (Pacific Standard Time) via the Jackson School Fellowship and Scholarship Application System.

You will be asked to provide the following information:

1. Biographic information, status as student, contact information, GPA, etc.
2. CV/Resume with current contact information.
3. Proposal that answers the following questions (approx. 1000 words):
   • A description of the research/study and the goals of the travel, if any travel is included.
   • What experiences do you have (if any) in the field of human rights?
   • Outline the purpose of your research/study and its relevance to the study of (or practice of promoting) human rights.
4. A detailed budget describing how the funds would be used and, if applicable, how this support would supplement other funds, fellowships, and grants.
5. Unofficial transcripts.
6. A letter of recommendation from the student’s primary advisor or committee member. (Incoming students may provide letter of recommendation from most recent faculty member who is familiar with the student’s work).
7. The names and full contact information (campus address, phone, and email) of two University of Washington (or past non-UW) faculty members who are familiar with your work.

If you have any questions about the application process, please do not hesitate to contact us at uwchr@uw.edu.

APPLICATION CYCLE
Open: February 20, 2018
Close: March 30, 2018 at 5:00 PM PST

Fund Eligibility

The Dr. Lisa Sable Brown Fund provides financial resources to benefit graduate students to study and/or conduct research about human rights. In 2018, we anticipate having approximately $1800 available to distribute; the entire amount may be issued in a single award or split between multiple awardees. The number of awards and amounts will vary depending on the number and quality of applications. The committee may combine this fellowship with the Mack and Mayerfeld fellowship to make a more substantial award. Priority will be given to graduate student research that identifies acts of oppression of an individual’s human rights and advocates abolishing such practices that may be viewed as a form of “slavery.”

• Any graduate student who is currently enrolled and will be enrolled in the upcoming academic year is eligible to apply.
• This award is open to graduate students at all three branches of the University of Washington (Seattle, Bothell, or Tacoma).
• The award could be used towards tuition, research, travel, books, materials, equipment.
• US citizenship or permanent resident status is NOT REQUIRED.

Application Materials

To be considered, apply between February 20, 2018 and March 30, 2018 at 5:00 pm (Pacific Standard Time) via the Jackson School Fellowship and Scholarship Application System.

You will be asked to provide the following information:

1. Biographic information, status as student, contact information, GPA, etc.
2. CV/Resume with current contact information
3. Proposal that answers the following questions (approx. 1000 words)
   • A description of the research/study and the goals of the travel, if any travel is included.
   • What experiences do you have (if any) in the field of human rights?
   • Outline the purpose of your research/study and its relevance to the study of (or practice of promoting) human rights.
4. A detailed budget describing how the funds would be used and, if applicable, how this support would supplement other funds, fellowships, and grants.
5. Unofficial transcripts.
6. A letter of recommendation from the student’s primary advisor or committee member. (Incoming students may provide letter of recommendation from most recent faculty member who is familiar with the student’s work)
7. The names and full contact information (campus address, phone, and email) of two University of Washington (or past non-UW) faculty members who are familiar with your work.

If you have any questions about the application process, please do not hesitate to contact us at uwchr@uw.edu.

APPLICATION CYCLE
Open: February 20, 2018
Close: March 30, 2018 at 5:00 PM PST

Fund Eligibility

The Osheroff and Clark fund provides financial resources for undergraduate and graduate students to support human rights projects that promote social change through direct action. In 2018, we anticipate having approximately $4500 available to distribute; the entire amount may be issued in a single award or split between multiple awardees. The number of awards and amounts will vary depending on the number and quality of applications.

All hands-on human rights projects aiming to achieve real-world impact — in other words, to improve human rights — are eligible, whether the work is to be carried out in the United States or elsewhere in the world. In keeping with Abe’s and Gunnel’s belief that accountability begins at home, priority will be given to projects that speak to the particular roles and responsibilities of United States institutions (including government, private sector entities, and the university itself) in human rights.

• All undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Washington (Bothell, Seattle, Tacoma) are eligible to apply.
• US citizenship/permanent resident status is NOT REQUIRED.

Selection Criteria

Preference will be given to projects with the following characteristics:

• Feasibility: The project has clearly specified objectives, a specific and realistic work plan (including tasks and timelines if appropriate), and the candidate possesses the skills and resources to carry out the work required.
• Hands-on engagement: The project will have a practical human rights benefit. While it may be appropriate to also receive degree credit for this work, this is not a necessary component. The award places primary emphasis on real-world impact.
• Partnership: The project will be undertaken in conjunction with an established organization working in the topical or geographic area where the project is to be carried out. This ensures that the student’s work is viewed as productive and positive contribution by groups that are already active in the field, and that the student will benefit from the guidance of experienced leaders.
• Vision: The project clearly reflects the legacy of Abe Osheroff, in particular his insistence on accountability for the role of our own institutions (including government, private sector entities, and the university itself) in human rights.

Application Materials

To be considered, apply between February 20, 2018 and March 30, 2018 at 5:00 pm (Pacific Standard Time) via the Jackson School Fellowship and Scholarship Application System.

You will be asked to provide the following information:

• Biographic information, status as student, contact information, GPA, unofficial transcripts, etc.
• CV/Resume with current contact information (phone, address, and email).
• Proposal that answers the following questions:
  • Statement of purpose describing the project, your qualifications to execute this proposal, and the project’s timeline. (approx. 500 words)
  • Keeping in mind Abe’s and Gunnel’s commitment to accountability, how will your project bring about greater accountability for US institutions? (approx. 250 words)
  • Are you, or have you been involved with any campus or off-campus organizations working for human rights? Which ones and what is/was the nature of your involvement? (approx. 250 words)
• A detailed budget describing how the funds would be used and, if applicable, how this support would supplement other funds, fellowships, and grants..
• A letter of support from the primary organization with which you will be partnering.
• The names and full contact information (campus address, phone, and email) of two University of Washington faculty members who are familiar with your work.

If you have any questions about the application process, please do not hesitate to contact us at uwchr@uw.edu.

Gathering the information contained in the databases of several hospitals is a step toward personalized medical care as it increases the chances of finding similar patient profiles and therefore provinding them better treatment. However, there are technical (computations and storage issues) and social barriers (privacy concerns) to the aggregation of medical data. Both obstacles can be overcome by turning to distributed computations so that hospitals only share some intermediate results instead of the raw data. As it is often the case, the medical databases are incomplete. One aim of the project is to impute the data of one hospital using the data of the other hospitals. This could also be an incentive to encourage the hospitals to participate in the project. In this talk, we will describe a single imputation method for multi-level (hierarchical) data that can be used to impute both quantitative, categorical and mixed data. This method is based on multi-level simultaneous component analysis (MLSCA) which basically decomposes the variability in both a between and within (hospitals) variability and performs a SVD on each part. The imputation method can be seen as an extension of matrix completion methods. The methods and their distributed versions are implemented in an R package.