When Carol Miu was a girl, her father, Patrick Miu, instilled in her a love of physics. Later in life, she returned to that interest as an adult learner at 56�Թ��� Bothell. &�Բ�����;

A shared love of learning

Patrick Miu was a lifelong learner and a renaissance man. He was born and raised in Hong Kong before moving to New York as an international student, where he completed degrees in computer science and statistics at Stony Brook University. He stayed in the United States and worked as a software engineer for various banks before becoming a stay-at-home dad to his three children. 

“I had a copy of Newsweek that came in the mail in fall 1989. I kept that issue for years and years, because I thought Neptune was so beautiful.” 

“He got me into all sorts of stuff when I was a kid,” Carol Miu said. “He had me reading the Wall Street Journal — the whole thing — by the time I was 8 years old. He taught me about the stock market, advanced math, circuits and electronics.” 

Miu said she was even taught how to solder by her father, and with his guidance, she learned computer programming in BASIC, Java, and R. 

One of her father’s main interests was physics and trying to understand what was left to learn about the universe, she recalled. He was fascinated by the research of Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking and shared his interest with his children. 

One memory that stands out to Miu is watching the science TV show NOVA on PBS in the late ’80s with her father. Together they learned about the Voyager 2 spacecraft and saw pictures of Neptune sent back through space. “I had a copy of Newsweek that came in the mail in fall 1989. I kept that issue for years and years, because I thought Neptune was so beautiful.”

A move away from science and back

A decade later, Carol Miu started college at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, still unsure of what path to follow. As part of the college’s requirements, all undergraduates had to take classes in physics. Despite doing well in those classes, Miu decided to pursue economics instead. At the time, Miu said, there was a lot of sexism in the hard sciences, and after being bullied by a teaching assistant, she believed the physics department wouldn’t be a welcoming place for her. 

After graduating from MIT, Miu pursued a career that included roles as a marketing lecturer, litigation consultant and product manager. This eventually led to her working for mobile games developer PeopleFun where she helped create the popular Wordscapes app.  

Then came a life-altering day in fall 2012 that Miu said she still remembers clearly: Her father had a brain aneurysm that left him physically and mentally impaired. The date — September  14 — continued to have significance for Miu as each year thereafter she and her father celebrated his survival. 

On that day in 2015, scientists detected gravitational waves in space at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory. By September of 2020, Miu was researching those same waves from LIGO.  

“I thought that was really significant because of the alignment of the dates.” Miu said. “One was a tragedy, and one was such an amazing scientific discovery exactly three years later. But also, he was the one who called it to my attention, and approximately five years after that I was doing computational physics to research that very phenomenon.

“Everything connected in a way that was harmonious.”

The winding journey to 56�Թ��� Bothell

Patrick Miu passed away in 2017, and when the COVID pandemic struck, Carol Miu was looking for a way to heal from his passing. She was stuck at home in Texas and missing her father. Learning physics seemed like the best way to honor him. 

She started with remote classes at a community college, but soon a friend, Jack Bayley (Physics ’20), introduced her to Joey Key, an associate professor at 56�Թ��� Bothell — and the connection made all the difference. 

Key told her: “No physics experience? No problem. No funding? No problem. Not enrolled? No problem. You can do data science. You can do Python programming. I’m going to put you in my gravitational wave research group!” 

By summer 2020, Miu had started working with Key and Ansel Neunzert on undergraduate research that would automatically flag line noise (narrow spectral artifacts) in LIGO data. Miu continued to work at PeopleFun, supporting the research in her spare time. Then in 2022, she was promoted to the firm’s CEO position.  

Miu said she enjoyed the challenge of running the company but wanted a change that would enable her to focus more on her own learning and growth. This led to her decision to resign from her position as CEO in 2023 to pursue physics full-time, moving across the country to enroll in 56�Թ��� Bothell’s Physics major. 

Physics research at 56�Թ��� Bothell

While pursuing her new undergraduate degree, Miu continued her computational research with Key and Neunzert. 

Key is “not only a trailblazer in gravitational wave astronomy,” Miu said, “but is the strongest advocate for students I have ever seen.” 

“[Joey Key] is not only a trailblazer in gravitational wave astronomy but is the strongest advocate for students I have ever seen.” 

And Neunzert, she said, is “the best science communicator I have ever met. They can think for 5 seconds and explain anything clearly. It’s really a gift.” 

Nearing the end of her degree work, Miu switched her research focus to electronics. She teamed up with fellow student Joey Del Gianni and lecturer Subramanian Ramachandran to design and build an open-source device that allows students to measure the speed of light. The speed of light lab kits are usually $10,000 each, Miu noted, but with their design science teachers can make their own version for under $200. 

Miu so appreciated Ramachandran’s mentorship that she nominated him for an Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor award, which he won in May 2025. As Miu recalled, he has the same experimental spirit that her father had. “I love his hands-on learning approach in which I was supposed to tinker and make mistakes while learning.”

An endowment for physics 

After graduating from 56�Թ��� Bothell in March 2025, Miu decided she wanted to give back to the University to honor her father’s love of physics and to show gratitude to the Division of Physics. She established the Miu Endowment for Physics in June 2025 in support of student education and research. 

When she wondered what her father would say about her getting a degree in physics, Miu said, “I think he’d be surprised and proud. I don’t think he would have predicted that I would have chosen this route or to honor him in this way. I think he would have had a very good, long, proud laugh over it.” 

Miu said that for her part she wants “to stuff as many lives as I can into this one life” and hopes to go to culinary school next — even while she keeps physics close to her heart. She has already passed on her love of science to her 10-year-old daughter who wants to be a “space chef” when she grows up. 

She said she also knows that, in her many “lives” still to come, 56�Թ��� Bothell will play a big part.  

“I think 56�Թ��� Bothell is just a part of my life forever now. I’m really feeling that sense of belonging here. I feel like we’re family.”

Support 56�Թ��� Bothell students as they research our universe by  &�Բ�����;

The post Honoring a father and his love of physics  appeared first on Give to 56�Թ��� Bothell.

When alumna Claire Truongdang, Biochemistry ’24, started at 56�Թ��� Bothell, she wasn’t sure what to expect from college.

Having moved from Vietnam years earlier, she and her family were unfamiliar with the application process. With help from someone at her high school, she applied to 56�Թ��� Bothell because it was close to home and easy for her family to access.

Once at 56�Թ��� Bothell, she started in psychology but changed course after her mother faced serious health issues. “I just wanted to understand what she was going through,” Truongdang said.

It was then a chemistry course with Dr. Brandon Finley that sparked a new passion. “He changed my life,” she said. “He made me want to spend my whole day thinking about chemistry.”

With his encouragement, she switched to biochemistry and found a new direction in college and in a career.

Doors to research and opportunity

Through 56�Թ��� Bothell, Truongdang gained access to resources across the University of Washington. She joined the Maternal-Fetal Research Lab at 56�Թ��� Medicine, mentored by Dr. Stephen McCartney and Dr. Raj Shree, where she studied how pregnancy may unlock new insights into diseases like cancer and knowledge about human parturition mechanisms.

“Pregnancy is often seen as an invasion — like a tumor — but the body tolerates it,” she said. “Understanding that could help us find cures.”

Even after graduation, she has continued research with Dr. McCartney and Dr. Shree, exploring her interest in both science and social impact, especially in reproductive health care. “Pregnancy research is so underexplored,” she said. “It’s more than just uteruses, vulvas and vaginas. It can teach us about cancer, cardiovascular disease and more.”

While her lab work as a student took place at the 56�Թ��� in Seattle, Truongdang said the foundation she built at 56�Թ��� Bothell was essential. “Our campus feels small, but it opens doors across the 56�Թ���,” she said.

She credited Dr. Finley for inspiring her academic shift, Dr. Marc Servetnick for helping her secure research funding from the Associated Students of the 56�Թ��� Bothell and Dr. Brian White for connecting underrepresented students (including her sister) to internship opportunities at 56�Թ��� Medicine and other labs in Seattle.

Support that shaped her future

Now working full time in the 56�Թ��� Medicine lab while preparing to apply to M.D.-Ph.D. programs, Truongdang said she hopes eventually to lead her own lab, advance research that improves lives and support patients through complex health decisions just like her current mentors.

In addition to the support of faculty, this path was made possible through financial support, including the 56�Թ��� Bothell Alumni Endowed Scholarship and the Worthington Scholarship.

When her mother was laid off, the extra support helped her continue her studies. “That summer, those scholarships reduced the financial burden on our family’s budget by not having the added expenses of school.”

To the alumni who fund scholarships through efforts like the 56�Թ��� Bothell Husky 5K, Truongdang offered heartfelt thanks. “It’s not about big, flashy gifts,” she said. “It’s about giving back to the communities we came from. That kind of awareness is the highest level of giving.”

Despite the challenges, Truongdang found her voice — and it is clear, focused and grounded in purpose.

Like Claire, every student has a story full of potential, challenges and discovery. Giving to 56�Թ��� Bothell helps unlock opportunities for students to find their path and pursue their future with confidence.

The post From 56�Թ��� Bothell to 56�Թ��� Medicine  appeared first on Give to 56�Թ��� Bothell.

The post Transforming classrooms through representation appeared first on Give to 56�Թ��� Bothell.

The post More support, more impact appeared first on Give to 56�Թ��� Bothell.

The post Lifting others through education appeared first on Give to 56�Թ��� Bothell.

The 56�Թ��� Bothell-led EERC makes use of the park as an outdoor classroom and living laboratory for research and learning. Community members, including K-12 students, also experience enhanced opportunities to connect with and learn from nature.  

Learning about the world — and herself

Carlson’s own love of the outdoors developed early in life, growing up in Ithaca, New York, and mid-coast Maine where nature was never far away. Her parents sent her to an outdoor preschool and as the oldest sibling, she was often pulled into her father’s adventures. Carlson remembers some of those experiences viscerally. “He would take me night sailing in the epic dark waters off coastal Maine, with the aurora borealis in the night sky above,” she said. “The boat stirred up the phosphorescent diatoms in the cold Atlantic below. It was so surreal and so emblematic of my father’s fluidity across science and spirituality.” 

While Carlson views her father as the philosopher in the family, her mother was more of an activist. She taught English as a Second Language to Cornell’s international faculty wives, helping them get a toe hold in Ithaca society. She also transformed abandoned lots into community gardens in Washington, D.C. Thrift, frugality and a Do-It-Yourself outlook on life was central to the family ethos. Challenges were often met with an “If not you, then who?” approach to getting a job done. 

While in elementary school, Carlson was deeply affected by her father’s explanation that the human population was growing exponentially while the earth’s resources remained finite. When Carlson asked what she could do, her father’s response, “If not you, then who?” motivated her to organize her first environmental organization — an ecology club made up of three friends who met in shrubs behind her house. They conducted “salamander monitoring expeditions” in the creeks and gorges of Ithaca.  

In high school, Carlson traveled to Cape Cod to clean up oiled birds after a major oil spill off the George’s Bank. By college, she was studying natural resource management at the University of Maine. She jumped at the chance to do an internship with The Wilderness Society in Washington, D.C. That internship evolved into a paid fellowship which ultimately launched a 30-year career with several national environmental NGOs in the district. 

Along the way, Carlson directed EnvironMentors, an environmental science mentorship program for diverse high school students interested in environmentally related college degree programs. Carlson helped scale the program to include chapters in 14 partner universities. Working with faculty and administrators to launch the EnvironMentors chapters at across the country kindled Carlson’s interest in the powerful role universities could play in the environmental education ecosystem, particularly related to high school to college bridging programs for diverse youth.  

A vision for environmental education and research

After 30 years in the nation’s capital, it was time to follow a dream to live closer to nature. Carlson and her husband, Eric, moved back to his hometown in the Puget Sound region, settling into a house in large part because of its proximity to Saint Edward State Park.  

She envisioned the park as a place for community connections to nature and potentially to fulfill a dream to help create a university-led environmental education center of which there are few nationally. Having just moved from the East Coast and knowing very few people, Carlson consulted with her father on how to get a campaign underway and who could help. His first words were, “If not you, then who?” His main advice was “to just get the right people in a room.” This set the stage for an upcoming three-year period of building support for the EERC. 

During this period, Carlson presented at community and state park commission meetings, met with state park leadership, North Shore legislators, and 56�Թ��� faculty and administrators. She played a central role in early fundraising and secured and helped to direct the EERC’s year-long planning process for community engagement. 

Soon, some of the larger features of the future EERC began to fall into place when the right people joined together. A lease between Washington State Parks and Daniels Real Estate included 2,000 square feet for the EERC; state Rep. Gerry Pollet sponsored a planning grant for the EERC’s programming; former senator David Frockt secured a capital construction grant to renovate a former gym annex for the EERC’s facility; former 56�Թ��� Bothell chancellor Wolf Yeigh awarded the EERC a three-year capacity building grant; the EERC’s Faculty Oversight Committee was formed, with professors Dr. Warren Gold and Dr. Santiago Lopez serving as the EERC’s faculty directors, and Lily Cason was hired as the EERC’s program manager.  

The years between 2017 and 2020 seemed like something of a windfall for the EERC. Then the COVID pandemic hit. Renovating the gym annex during the pandemic resulted in supply chain delays and cost overruns. The architect’s design for the EERC facility included a garage door that would open to an Outdoor Learning Area (OLA), yet construction funds were exhausted renovating the EERC’s interior. Carlson’s mother died, and what was to be an inspiring Outdoor Learning Area was instead a pile of rubble outside the garage door.  

Securing the facility’s finishing touches

In the wake of his wife’s passing, Carlson’s father created a small family foundation in her honor with a mission “to help ensure a cohesive democracy which thrives in an environmentally sustainable world.” The family believes there is no better way to achieve both aspects of this mission than to connect people to nature in ways that inspire stewardship and build community. 

A foundation contribution to 56�Թ��� Bothell to finish the OLA was among her father’s first major gifts. This too occurred during the latter part of the pandemic, and further cost overruns resulted in insufficient funds to complete the OLA as envisioned by the EERC’s architects. At this point, running out of resources, Susan’s architect husband volunteered to build the final details of a trellis, planters and bench supports in their garage. The now completed OLA is dedicated to Susan’s parents, Sam and Mary Lawrence, who made sure she spent her formative years outdoors, immersed in nature.

While Carlson will accept that these early-life influences may have lit the spark for the EERC, she is also quick to state the EERC is much less about her as an individual than it is a testament to the power of a positive vision which is shared by many. 

“I am in awe of the enormous patience, persistence and perseverance invested by so many 56�Թ��� Bothell faculty, staff and administrators to bring what started as an idea to life as a major new facility and academic center supporting student learning, research and community connections.”   

“I sincerely hope hundreds of 56�Թ��� Bothell students will benefit from the EERC and will be inspired to follow their own ideas and vision for the future they want to live in.” 

The post Inspiring communities to connect with nature appeared first on Give to 56�Թ��� Bothell.

The post Building campus connections for a day of giving appeared first on Give to 56�Թ��� Bothell.

The post Innovation Hall expands STEM pathways appeared first on Give to 56�Թ��� Bothell.

The post Supporting faculty who spark discovery appeared first on Give to 56�Թ��� Bothell.

Both within a few months of turning 80, Connie Niva and Jud Marquardt have left a powerful imprint on the communities in Snohomish and King counties they call home. This includes 56�Թ��� Bothell, which they have supported for many years and which now figures prominently in their estate plans.

When deciding where and how to give back, says Jud, people often “seek out an established connection — from their own or their children’s history — but it’s not required.” Neither he nor Connie attended the University of Washington. Only one of their combined six children did. But both saw an untapped opportunity in the young 56�Թ��� Bothell campus.

Supporting student access and opportunity

“When you look at Everett and Snohomish County, there were so many students, but they had been shortchanged,” says Connie, noting there was no easily accessible 56�Թ��� campus in the area before 56�Թ��� Bothell was founded. “Now, they make up a significant proportion of 56�Թ��� Bothell students, which provides needed engineers for Boeing, nurses for the region’s hospitals, and teachers and principals for local schools.”

Connie, who was a co-founder of the Center for Women in Democracy in Seattle, says she feels personally connected to the school’s commitment to educating women, especially in fields where they remain underrepresented. “You don’t have to go back that far,” she says, “to see that there were not many opportunities for us.”

From the very beginning, Connie says, 56�Թ��� Bothell was intentional about attracting students who were financially disadvantaged or the first in their immediate families to earn a four-year degree — students who have incredible drive and important dreams to realize.

As a first-generation college student, this resonates with Jud.

It’s all about putting the students first, he says. “You can see this with class size and teacher–student ratios. While these are easier to do as a young educational institution, even as it grows the Bothell campus consistently sets itself apart in this respect and is doing more than ever for the students.”

Imagining the possibilities

There is absolute clarity of purpose for both Connie and Jud when it comes to addressing the cost shift in public higher education from the state to students and families. Connie explains it was a very different financial picture when she and Jud attended college.

“We came through school for under $100 for a quarter because the state was funding school then,” she says. “We came out of college debt-free.”

Graduating without crippling debt made all the difference in what they could do with their lives — and how they could give back.

With an undergraduate degree in microbiology and a master’s degree in government relations — which she earned at age 53 — Connie took on a number of leadership roles in public service. She was a member of the Everett City Council and Everett Port Commission. She served on the Washington State Transportation Commission, for three years as its chair. For 12 years, she also was a member of Washington State University’s Board of Regents, twice serving as chair.

Jud co-founded a successful architecture firm, LMN Architects, which now has a 40-year legacy of projects across the country — including the Activities & Recreation Center on the 56�Թ��� Bothell campus. He also has been a dynamic member of the 56�Թ��� Bothell Advisory Board for the last 15 years, serving as chair for two of them.

On one point, Jud is unequivocal: Had it not been for the state school system, its funding and the doors that a four-year college degree opened, he and Connie would not have had the means to become the highly productive and engaged members in their respective communities. And they would not have been able to support 56�Թ��� Bothell among other noteworthy higher education institutions across the country.

“Students need to begin their lives without this overwhelming weight of debt,” Jud says.

Making a difference at 56�Թ��� Bothell

When asked why they support 56�Թ��� Bothell, the answer is simple: How could we not? They are quick to point with pride at the successes of the school, its students and alumni. Statewide, 56�Թ��� Bothell has an enviable graduation rate, says Jud. “Their highest average graduate starting salaries — the ROI of the cost of education — are an assurance that the time and donations we make are fueling success.

“These are powerful ways to say, ‘Don’t overlook 56�Թ��� Bothell,’” he adds, noting that 56�Թ��� Bothell has evolved to become a first-choice school.

This is a transformative moment for 56�Թ��� Bothell, Connie and Jud believe. “It’s a top-tier higher ed institution now and is continuing to evolve every day,” says Jud. “We know that our contribution will help ensure that today’s progress continues into the future.”

Another point of pride for the couple is the fact that 61% of 56�Թ��� Bothell undergraduate students and 54% of graduate students graduated debt-free in 2018-19. “As donors, these numbers tell us that there is a return on our investment,” Jud says.

In recognition of their service, philanthropy and inspiration, 56�Թ��� Bothell named Connie and Jud the recipients of the 2019 Legacy Award, the highest award for donors and supporters of the university.

“We are ready to support higher education wherever it’s being delivered with enthusiasm and success,” says Connie.

Staying in the game

Beyond their own personal contributions, Connie and Jud take a community view of philanthropy and believe in the collective power of giving. “It’s about creating a group force for change. You need bodies, and there’s nothing better than people working together to support students,” says Jud.

“A hallmark of 56�Թ��� Bothell is to honor all contributions,” he adds. “No gift is too small, and when you look at the board and alumni contributions, this is verifiable enthusiasm for the institution. It shows that everyone is in the game — including faculty and staff — and that’s powerful!”

Adds Connie: “Helping students thrive and live their dreams is the best investment in the future of our community and the school. We put 56�Թ��� Bothell in our estate plan,” she says, “and we want others to stay in the game with us.”

The post 2019 Legacy Award Recipients – Jud Marquardt & Connie Niva appeared first on Give to 56�Թ��� Bothell.