Office of the Vice Provost for Research
Welcome From the Vice Provost
Welcome, and thank you for your interest in research and the arts at Western.
I am so proud of our undergraduate and master’s research programs, which are among the strongest and most vibrant in the country. In a decades-long tradition, Western prioritizes experiential learning through collaborative, faculty-student scholarship, earning a national reputation for our student-centered approach to faculty research. Continue reading.
Student Research and Creative Activities
Graduate Student Research
Western’s research, creative, and scholarly programs are ranked #7 among all master's-granting institutions in the US in terms of total R&D spending, with scholarly resources in many fields rivaling those available at much larger universities.
Scholars Week
Scholars Week is an annual week-long celebration of outstanding student research and creative works. Past years have included a Poster Session, Three-minute Thesis (3MT®) presentations, MFA/MA Creative Writing Presentations, and Faculty/Student Group Collaborations, a presentation category featuring research, creative work, or other academic projects resulting from collaborative participation between students and their instructors.
Graduate Program Resources
Student Publications
Student Art Galleries
B Gallery
The B Gallery is a student run exhibition space within the Fine Arts Building, the B Gallery is run by a volunteer team of WWU students and a department faculty department advisor. It is a safe, professional space for Western students to independently and creatively exhibit their work. It is an ideal space for artists to organize what is often their first exhibition.
Viking Union Gallery
The Viking Union Gallery is a student-curated exhibition space sponsored by WWU's Associated Student Productions. The primary focus is to contribute to the artistic culture of Bellingham by displaying a diverse range of artworks to students and the local community.
Art Drop Mini
Art Drop Mini is a collaborative project conducted by the Art Department’s professional practices class, showcasing affordable, handmade art. The project makes available student artworks and in turn provides scholarship funding for Art Department students.
Research Facilities, Centers, and Institutes
Technical Facilities
WWU has state-of-the-art electron and optical microscopy instrumentation, materials characterization and mass spectrometry equipment, high performance computing infrastructure, and digital media, recording and communications facilities.
Western Libraries
Western’s libraries collections include over 1.5 million items, with an additional 26 million items available to scholars by request from 38 regional academic institutions. In addition to a broad general collection, particular strengths include Children’s Literature, East Asian and Pacific Northwest Studies.
Shannon Point Marine Center
A one-hour drive from Bellingham, in Anacortes, Shannon Point Marine Center offers state-of-the-art facilities, a fleet of research vessels, and access to a variety of marine habitats.
Innovation, Technology, and Creative Resources for Students
WWU provides many resources that give students the capability to explore and innovate beyond the classroom with tools emblematic of 21st century workplaces, develop entrepreneurial skills, and build community. Explore this webpage as a guide to resources available is a to all students and how students can use the equipment, technology, and facilities on campus to grow, innovate, and apply ideas in real world applications.
Core Scientific Facilities
Scientific Technical Services (SciTech or STS) is a department that supports research, scholarship and teaching across all colleges at WWU by providing access to advanced multi-user scientific instrumentation, machine and electronics shops, and equipment design, fabrication and repair services.
Advanced Materials Science & Engineering Center's (AMSEC) mission is to educate students in materials science, support interdisciplinary research, and enhance regional industry competitiveness and innovation. AMSEC brings together faculty and students from Biology, Chemistry, Engineering, Geology, Mathematics, and Physics to facilitate interdisciplinary collaborations and synergistic solutions to complex, multifaceted problems involving materials.
Performing Arts and Art Galleries on Campus
The Western Gallery features 5-6 temporary art exhibitions annually, concentrating on national and international art. The gallery has 4,500 square feet of exhibition space in a wing of the Fine Arts Building, and three smaller spaces in the Performing Arts Center, where Northwest art from the collection is shown. The Western Gallery also oversees the university campus collection of sculpture.
Performing and Fine Arts Events
Western’s College of Fine and Performing Arts provides the most comprehensive arts programming in the region, serving all of the creative disciplines. Supported by award-winning faculty and industry professionals, students become career-ready in studio arts, art history, dance, theatre, music and design.
Western Gallery
The Western Gallery is the art museum of Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA. It provides free access to a wide range of contemporary art. This serves primarily the North Puget Sound communities, Western Washington, Bellingham, Seattle, and Vancouver, B.C. With a point of reference to the national art scene, the Western Gallery creates an environment for learning.