Connections between matter?— and what matters?

Interdisciplinarity is at the heart of the University of Washington Bothell experience. Faculty have a passion for working across disciplines in their research and classes, and they foster that same drive in their students through the diverse array of subjects they weave into their curriculum.?

This?is?especially true for UW Bothell’s First Year & Pre-Major Program, where?first- and second-year students and pre-majors?are encouraged to explore a variety of?courses and?topics.?

“足彩app哪个是正规的 edges of what any university calls a ‘major’ are necessarily fuzzy because the world is messy,” said Dr. Gavin Doyle, lecturer in the?School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences. “Interdisciplinary courses can be transformative. 足彩app哪个是正规的y help students discover new interests, build confidence and see themselves as contributors to multiple fields of knowledge.”?

In their course “Atoms in Art & Culture,” Doyle and co-instructor Dr. Charity Lovitt,?intentionally blur the boundaries between art and science.?

“Our understanding of the material world affects travel, art, technology and culture,” Doyle said. “We draw connections between matter?—?and what matters.”?

Collaborating across disciplines 

An associate teaching professor in the?School of STEM, Lovitt has a background in chemistry and teaches many introductory science courses. Doyle’s background, on the other hand, is in the arts and humanities, although he noted?that?his undergraduate degree is in Biology, and his first job was as a chemistry lab assistant.?

“Dr. Lovitt and I wanted to share our own fascination with the connections between our two fields with our students,’ he said. “While we each have some familiarity with the other’s discipline, we were able to lean on each other’s strengths for this class.”?

足彩app哪个是正规的 pair developed the course for the?Discovery Core Experience, a required sequence of courses for first-year students. In line with the DCX mission, Doyle said they hoped students would?gain?a sense of connection to campus resources and academic communities, confidence in?reflective and collaborative learning, and an understanding of how disciplines inform one another.?

“We wanted students to see that chemistry isn’t just formulas and reactions — it’s a cultural force,” Doyle said. “Art isn’t just expression — it’s shaped by the materials and technologies available at a given moment.”

Communicating science through art 

In the course, students learned how to consider the cultural,?artistic?and historical context around scientific innovations in materials science. 足彩app哪个是正规的y then developed their ability to share information about science in new and creative ways through art projects.?

“I was interested in taking this class because of its unique twist on art and history, and I was hoping to gain a new perspective on how history can be understood and taught,” said Allyssa Nguyen, a first-year student who plans to major in Business Administration. “It pushed me to think intentionally about how I communicate ideas, simplify complex topics and keep?people?engaged.?

“Through this experience, I strengthened skills like patience, adaptability, leadership and public speaking that are essential in business and in any community-centered career.”?

Doyle and Lovitt have taught the class several times,?yet?they always reinvent it in some way each time they offer it, Doyle said. 足彩app哪个是正规的s have used everything from photography and digital media to collages,?table-top?displays?and posters to explore course themes over the years.?

Iterating ways to create and engage 

Just as sharing?what they learn with others is also a core?objective,?the projects themselves also often involve an element of community engagement. In one version of the course, students made atomic comic books. Another year,?they worked with patrons at the Pacific Science Center.?

In the latest iteration, students shared their work on campus and in the Bothell community. 

Early in the?autumn 2025 quarter, students launched a display of their zines at the Campus Library. 足彩app哪个是正规的 display coincided with the Library’s theme for the year: “Community Reads and All Things Zines.”?

According to librarian Alyssa Berger, the zines were popular with the campus community and had to be restocked every week in November. “足彩app哪个是正规的y were a hit,” she wrote. “Folks were regularly engaging with the display and taking zines. I also got lots of positive feedback on how cool and creative the zines were.”?

足彩app哪个是正规的 quarter then culminated in a pop-up STEAM?(which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts?and Mathematics) Fair at the Bothell Library, where students shared their artistic?representations of science topics with the public.?

Sharing knowledge with others 

Hastisadat?Jafari, a first-year student who plans to major in Computer Science & Software Engineering, worked on a group project about the concept of clocks. 足彩app哪个是正规的y?modeled?a mini water clock using a water bottle.

“I am pursuing a STEM?major,?however,?I have non-science hobbies I am passionate about such as music and art so getting a course with both worlds was?very interesting?to me. It helped me in my passions and my career,” Jafari said. “I gained a lot of knowledge about different fields and learned about everything from pendulums and?Morse code to history and more.”?

足彩app哪个是正规的 water clock was especially popular among the younger attendees at the STEAM Fair, which was tailored for kindergarten through fifth-grade students and their families.?

“My group project was about sound waves and how they are present in our daily lives,” said Angelina Lam, a sophomore Business Administration major. “足彩app哪个是正规的 atmosphere was high energy, and I was excited to share my knowledge with the kids. It was fun to see how they engaged and how much they enjoyed it.”?

A reflection of the real world 

足彩app哪个是正规的 students?in the course?knew they would be sharing final projects with?a real audience?and more than rose to the occasion,?Doyle said. 足彩app哪个是正规的ir work was not only a thoughtful synthesis across disciplines, but it also provided information that was both accessible and genuinely useful for the?library’s?patrons?

“This kind of learning builds adaptability,” he said. “足彩app哪个是正规的s practice shifting between modes of thinking — analytical, creative, collaborative — which mirrors the complexity of real-world challenges.?

“足彩app哪个是正规的y begin to recognize the interconnectedness of the problems and possibilities they’ll encounter beyond the University.”