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Rodriguez, Maddie

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Seattle University

Spring/Summer 2025

Editors of The Spectator

Spectator 2025-12-04

Christensen, Victoria

Cox, Lochelle

Ibrahim, Hibaq

Omer, Feruz

Riley, Lekasia

Ude, Destiny

Uyeki, Nicholas

Nursing at the Front Line: Improving Sepsis Outcomes Through Nurse-Led Protocols

Cordova, Mara

Fletcher, Sarah

Huang, Xinyi

Johnson, Amelia

Massoudi, Mariam

Millard, Isabelle

Pearson, Kaila

Beyond the Standard:Rethinking Pain Scales for Hospitalized Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

El-Sherbeeny, Abdullah

Seattle University 
ScholarWorks @ SeattleU 
The Spectator Online Newspapers 
2-12-2025 
2025-02-12 Shen Ren Works With Cryopreservation In Hopes For 
A Better Future 
Abdullah El-Sherbeeny 
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.seattleu.edu/spectator-online 
The Spectator • February 12, 2025 • https://seattlespectator.com/2025/02/12/dr-shen-ren-works-with-
cryopreservation-in-hopes-for-a-better-future/
Shen Ren Works With
Cryopreservation In Hopes For A
Better Future
Abdullah El-Sherbeeny, Staff Reporter
An innovative professor at Seattle University has been
trailblazing and making history in his research about organ
preservation.   
Shen Ren, an assistant teaching professor in the
department of mechanical engineering at Seattle
University, has collaborated with the University of
Washington’s Center for Dialysis Innovation and
Northwest Kidney Centers to create a single-mode
electromagnetic resonance (SMER) system in hopes of
furthering organ preservation technology.
AE: What is the SMER system? 
SR: We call that sort of an advanced microwave oven, and
the reason for that is that cryopreservation is
fundamentally utilized at low temperatures to reduce or even pause biological and chemical reactions. So that’s how we can stop
the biological time on the biomaterials or biological samples. That’s the foundation of how we can extend viability and biological
functionalities.
AE: What sparked your interest in cryopreservation and organ preservation research? 
SR: I was having a face-to-face conversation with a kidney failure patient who was a young dad, 26 years old, and had a six-month
[old] baby girl. He basically just let me know he would love to do anything, anything possible, just to survive and to witness his little
one grow up. That’s the conversation that changed my entire career because I realized I could do something to help them. I can do
something to support this desperate community, and maybe I can save some lives.
AE: What do you think is the current state of organ preservation technology? And where do you think it will be, perhaps in the next
decade?
SR: Yeah, it’s actually, like, is this happening? If you asked me this question 10 years ago when I started this project, I would say, well,
that sounds like science fiction, and on the fiction end. This is something that might be happening probably before I die. But now, if
you ask me the same question, is organ preservation happening? Yes, it is. It is still science fiction at the moment. But this time, it’s
on the science part because we have so many consistent and repeatable scientific results that we have been producing, not just
from us but also from our collaborators and other scientists in this field. There’s a very established and amazing group of scientists
Eve Labriola
at the University of Minnesota and MIT [Massachusetts Institute Of Technology], and they have already used a rat model to prove
the concept that they can freeze and successfully rewarm a rat kidney and complete the transplantation. So this is definitely going
to work.
AE: What are some challenges that cryopreservation still faces?
SR: Well, that’s basically back to that conversation I had with the kidney failure patients. Back then, I was working on the portable
artificial kidney. That project was later highlighted by an article in the newsroom and resulted in a King 5 TV interview. That video is
still available online and on YouTube and apparently, a lot of kidney failure patients watch that video. Even to date, I still receive
emails from random patients every other week, sometimes multiple emails a week. They were checking in. “Hey?” “How’s your
progress?” “Is your device available soon? Because my doctor told me I only have 3 months. I would like to try for anything that will
possibly work for me.” So, when you get a phone call or email like that, you don’t need anything else to continue pushing you. That’s
where the power comes from.
AE: So, what are more success stories that help you on the way?
SR: There’s not really a success story until we can make it happen. Right? I mean, we keep hitting different milestones, but the job is
not done yet. We’ll celebrate when we have the first prototype that’s working on a human organ, a cryopreserved human kidney
transplanted into a patient. That’s when we can finally say we made it, and now we’re ready to get it to the other people. There’s no
success story like that yet.
AE: What would you say to someone going into this field of organ preservation? 
SR: Don’t give up. It’s probably harder than you think, but it’s going in the correct direction and will happen. This is something not
happening for a reason because it’s not something easy to do. But if more people are involved in this area and more effort is put into
this field. We will make it quicker to the market. Again, it’s still science fiction, but no longer just fiction, it’s scientific now. 
Ren has committed his time and energy toward cryopreservation in hopes of helping those in need. He hopes to continue his
research as well as have a lasting and continuous impact on his field.
Ren will hold an event about his research at the Discovery Series Feb. 14 at Perkins Coie LLP in downtown Seattle. 


English

2025-02-12 Shen Ren Works With Cryopreservation In Hopes For A Better Future

Thompson, Kate

Seattle University 
ScholarWorks @ SeattleU 
The Spectator Online Newspapers 
2-12-2025 
2025-02-12 Encouraging the Next Generation of Art Curators 
Kate Thompson 
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.seattleu.edu/spectator-online 
The Spectator • February 12, 2025 • https://seattlespectator.com/2025/02/12/encouraging-the-next-
generation-of-art-curators/
Encouraging the Next Generation
of Art Curators 
Kate Thompson, Volunteer Reporter
The art exhibits “Fresh Perspectives” and “Journey Through
Life and Beyond” opened last week on the top floor of King
Street Station, a large, open industrial area with a welcome
desk and inviting lounge space. 
The area has colorful ambient lighting, exposed brick,
strategically placed art pieces and a steady thump of an
amplified heartbeat, making the space feel alive.     
The opening consisted of three different displays: “Fresh
Perspectives,” a collection of art pieces from various
mediums curated by youth; Mohamed Abdullahi’s “Journey
Through Life and Beyond,” which includes several
interactive pieces centered around themes of morality and
the human experience; and live jazz. 
Abdullahi’s exhibit focused on video and interactive pieces and had the constant sound effect of an amplified heartbeat. While
“Fresh Perspectives” included several different types of art such as paintings, quilts and photography. 
This combination of different art mediums and exhibits in one space, paired with ambient lighting and jazz music, set an atmosphere
of creativity and artistic energy for the opening. 
Aunna Stubblefield, a second-year biology major who attended the exhibit opening, liked the variety of artwork in the collections. 
“The one that I absolutely adored was an interactive art piece [from “Journey Through Life and Beyond’”] where it was an old Mac
computer with a bunch of files on it and it was about life and death, and it just was beautiful. You could definitely see that this was
picked by younger people who clearly added what they want from an art gallery into this,” Stubblefield said.
The “Fresh Perspectives” exhibit is the result of a program with Seattle City Light. The 50 pieces curated for the exhibit were all
selected by youth and will become part of the Seattle Civic Art Collection.
The Seattle Civic Art Collection is an accumulation of around 4,000 works of art owned by the city. Its pieces are displayed and
rotated throughout the City of Seattle at various locations. 
“We’ve been collecting since the late 70s, and so a lot of the collection is older and it’s traditionally white and male. So with this
group, the youth were largely BIPOC young adults, and we really focused on wanting that fresh perspective to build and diversify
the collection,” Maija McKnight, the public art project manager for the collection, said.
Lilka Clocksin
Live Jazz band playing for the opening of the exhibits
The program was designed to diversify the city’s art collection by teaching teens and young adults about art curation. Its goal is to
introduce arts administration and curation as a legitimate career option for youth. 
The work for this specific collection started last year under Hasaan Kirkland, a teacher and artist who has led similar projects
centered around art education for young adults. Kirkland developed this program due to the lack of diversity in the art selection
process. 
“Fresh Perspectives” was curated by 10 young adults under Kirkland’s instruction. From the 30 artists selected by youth curators,
the group went to studios, selected pieces, wrote the labels and created the whole experience of the exhibit. 
It’s clear the project that developed the Fresh Perspectives” exhibit is focused on diversity education and supporting local artists,
with their initiative to include younger Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) youth in their project about art
administration and curatorship.
The exhibits also go beyond just a location for art and strive to be spaces for community. When viewers arrive, there are couches,
snacks, books and a welcoming vibe. 
“I think that one of our goals here for [ARTS at] King Street Station is to be a community space and to get the word out and get
people to know this is a place they can come and find a community, hang out, and have a cup of tea or listen to jazz or eat a snack,”
Tesla Kawakami said, visitor services coordinator and contracts coordinator. 
ARTS at King Street Station’s efforts to create a welcoming space for art education and appreciation show its commitment to being
a community space for young people. 
Stubblefield recommends that other Seattle University students go. 
“It’s free! Like there might be little snacks out front; everyone is calm and inviting, and you just get to experience something that I
don’t think people would know is there,” Stubblefield said.


2025-02-12 Encouraging the Next Generation of Art Curators

Ahmed, Hadia Noor

The Spectator • February 12, 2025 • https://seattlespectator.com/2025/02/12/kendrick-lamars-super-
bowl-halftime-show-was-a-performance-of-culture-and-revolution/
Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl
Halftime Show Was A
Performance of Culture and
Revolution
Hadia Noor Ahmed, Staff Reporter
This past weekend, Kendrick Lamar delivered a genius
performance of symbolism at the Super Bowl halftime
show uplifted by artistry. There’s a lot to unpack from the
hidden messages and larger political culture embedded into
the show. 
Samuel L. Jackson appeared on screen as Uncle Sam.
Choosing a Black man to portray a traditionally white,
symbolic figure of America was a bold choice.
Jackson introduced the show by welcoming everyone to
the “Great American Game.”
Kendrick opened the show with lyrics from an unreleased
song tentatively titled “Bodies.” The lyrics act as a
disclaimer— “Everybody must be judged” / “Twenty years
in, still got that pen dedicated to bare hard truth.” Kendrick was not performing for entertainment, but to speak up because that’s
what his career is for. 
Starting off strong, Kendrick played with lyrics from a Gil Scott Heron song, “The revolution about to be televised, you picked the
right time but the wrong guy.” 
Heron fused his music with activism: Kendrick’s play on the words from “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” is a clear message
that he is bringing the change starting on that stage. The line was even more powerful considering President Trump in the audience. 
Next was “Squabble Up,” a song about identity and self-determination. Kendrick embraced facing challenges head on while Uncle
Sam dismissed his performance as too “ghetto.” 
This reflects the relationship between rappers and America—rappers are seen as too loud, too raw, not the patriotic show expected
at a Super Bowl halftime show. 
Zam Ortega
The next song performed was “HUMBLE,” with the background dancers creating an image of the American flag, Kendrick splitting it
down the middle. “HUMBLE,” paired with a divided flag made up of Black men reflects Kendrick’s dual identities; being a famous
rapper in a fake industry pushing for a more truthful society. The imagery of the flag is intentional, representing a nation divided
between its American image and reality. 
Before “Peekaboo,” Uncle Sam interrupts, unhappy with the “ghetto” performance. He then faces the camera and says,
“Scorekeeper, deduct one life.” This chilling line mirrors how America reacts when Black communities get “too loud”—a direct callout
to police brutality and systemic racism.
At the end of Peekaboo, Kendrick teased performing “Not Like Us,” sparking speculation. In classic Kendrick style, he shaded Drake
with, “I wanna perform my favorite song / But you know they love to sue.”
Instead, Kendrick pivoted and performed “Luther” and “All The Stars” with SZA. These songs still added to Kendrick’s stage of
revolution. 
From the Black Panther soundtrack, Kendrick chose lyrics such as “Confrontation ain’t nothin’ new to me,” showing he isn’t afraid of
fighting for justice. “Oh, you important? You the moral to the story? You endorsin’?” calls out the American political figures watching.
They try to control the narrative but failed—Kendrick took to the stage with a delivery of revolution.
Uncle Sam responds with praise to the duo’s performance, “That’s what America wants,” but walks away frustrated when the track
for “Not Like Us” interrupts him. 
Kendrick’s smile during “Not Like Us,” wasn’t for the camera, it went straight for Drake as he called him out; “Say Drake, I hear you
like em young” on national television and had the whole stadium screaming “A minor.” 
Marisa Sexsmith, a fourth-year communication and media student at Seattle University said that Kendrick’s performance of “Not
Like Us” was iconic. 
“I don’t think that the performance would have been as newsworthy if he hadn’t [performed Not Like Us],” Sexsmith said.  
Serena Williams popped up dancing the crip walk, the same way she celebrated winning the 2012 London Olympics. Kendrick wants
people to understand the larger picture with his performance and Williams’ cameo, with her wearing a tennis skirt, is a shout out to
the strained history of colored women in sports, specifically for Williams who had to climb a mountain of prejudice to succeed. 
Kendrick signs off with “tv off,” altering his lyrics; “Super Bowl made you a feat, you die, I bet it,” marking his triumph. The stage goes
dark, with “GAME OVER” displayed from the stands, wrapping up the notion that his performance was a symbol of the larger
American game. 
Tyrah Majors, an adjunct professor of communication at Seattle U wrote to The Spectator that she wasn’t surprised at Kendrick’s
message-packed performance. 
“Whether you agree or not with the choice of the music, choreography, cameos, etc., it’s hard to ignore the impact a moment like
that can have on the collective thinking of millions of people,” Majors wrote.
She also acknowledged his skill as a versatile artist. 
“Kendrick isn’t afraid to blur the lines between personal, cultural and universal issues. It wasn’t just about making a statement; it
was about reminding us that entertainment is always intertwined with the larger social fabric,” Majors wrote. 
Posts on social media have shown a moment—which was not aired during the show or intended as part of the performance—of a
backup dancer holding up a flag with “Sudan” and “Gaza.” While unintentional, this forms an obvious statement of censorship and
silence from the “Great American Game.” The performer was tackled, handcuffed and removed from the field by security. 
In an interview with Apple Music, Kendrick spoke about how he sees his role as a musician. 
“I can truly say it’s to express myself and express things that people can’t necessarily say on the daily.” 
Kendrick honored this at the Super Bowl Halftime show; he showed up for the people and now it’s time to see how the people
respond. 



2025-02-12 Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime Show Was A Performance of Culture and Revolution