Headline News - page 15

SEATTLE – January 22, 2019 – Brotman Baty Institute for Precision Medicine (BBI) today announced the launch of the Seattle Flu Study (SFS) to better understand how influenza and other contagious diseases spread and to gather information about how they might be better detected, monitored and controlled. The SFS will recruit 10,000 Seattle residents and visitors who show influenza-like symptoms in the current flu season to create a first-of-its-kind citywide network for early detection and tracking of influenza.

Volunteers who agree to participate at one of the study’s designated kiosks will be asked to provide a simple nasal swab as well as basic personal and health information to facilitate project analysis. Pathogens found in the samples will undergo genetic sequencing and be compared genetically and geographically to better understand how illnesses spread throughout the community.

The following kiosk sites are open:

• University of Washington Hall Health Center, 4060 East Stevens Way University of Washington Campus
• University of Washington Magnuson Health Sciences Center, 1959 NE Pacific St.
• University of Washington Husky Union Building, 4001 E Stevens Way NE
• UW Medicine Pioneer Square Clinic, 206 Third Ave. S
• St. Martin’s De Porres Shelter, 1561 Alaskan Way S
• Hutch Kids Child Care Center, 1210 Valley St.

“A century after the great flu pandemic that sickened one third of the world’s population and killed more than 50 million people, influenza remains a potent threat to global health,” said Dr. Trevor Bedford, Fred Hutch’s research and lead data scientist for the study. “The Seattle Flu Study will provide a more detailed understanding than we have today of how the flu virus spreads, allowing us to develop guidance and tools to curb or even prevent transmission.”

Dr. Helen Chu, lead clinician of the study added, “Our hope is the study will also help inform efforts by public health officials to prepare for potential pandemic threats.”

SFS is made possible by the unique cooperation between the Brotman Baty Institute’s co-founders at UW Medicine, Seattle Children’s and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

“BBI was created for projects like these that demand deeper levels of cooperation between Seattle’s major research institutions,” said Dr. Jay Shendure, Scientific Director of the Brotman Baty Institute and professor of genome sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine. “Together, we are making real strides in precision medicine research and public health.”

To find out more about the study, visit the Seattle Flu Study website or read frequently asked questions about the study.

A map of Seattle Flu Study kiosk locations is here. The kiosk sites will run through the conclusion of the current flu season, approximately at the end of April.

ABOUT THE BROTMAN BATY INSTITUTE

The Brotman Baty Institute combines the research strengths and capabilities of UW Medicine, Fred Hutch and Seattle Children’s to accelerate both the basic sciences of precision medicine and the delivery of benefits to patients. For more information, visit the Brotman Baty Institute online at https://brotmanbaty.org.

People who are truly creative are a rare breed.  There are numerous people that try and fail to make it in Hollywood. It is a tough town to make a living in and for most people their dream dies soon after they make an attempt. Scores of screenwriters flock to the epicenter of the entertainment desperately hoping to be successful. For screenwriters, getting a chance to write for a major television show is a dream come true. The odds of two screenwriters making it as a writing team together in Hollywood are almost unheard of. The creative team of Aaron Harberts and Gretchen Berg, often times just know as Berg and Harberts, is one of those rare success stories in Hollywood. These two have a long history together and one fateful meeting let to one of the most imaginative duos in the industry.

These two individuals could not be more different in their dispositions and upbringings but their creative and imaginative natures brought them together. A chance meeting while both were in college through a creative writing program led the pair to become one of the most sought after writing and producing teams in entertainment. It was not creativity at first site but their relationship grew over a period of time and ultimately led to such iconic episodes in popular shows like 90210, Roswell, Star Trek Discovery, Reign, Off the Map and many more. Their producing credits included some very popular shows on channels like CBS, NBC, and ABC. They have a total of 14 producer credits to their names.

They have worked on numerous shows that have included medical dramas, comedies, science fiction and teen dramas. Their creativity has spanned multiple genres and they have won such awards like the Peabody Award Nomination, the Saturn Award, the GLAAD Award Nomination and the NewNowNext Award from Logo. It’s no surprise that this dynamic duo has racked up the awards and praise for their writing and producing. So what’s the story behind these two?

Gretchen J. Berg is from the east coast of the United States. A native to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she loved growing up during the 70’s and being able to spend so much time outdoors in the woods. You can see from her Instagram page that she is a huge Steelers Fan. She loved to wander through the woods with friends, daydreaming and expanding her imagination. She credits this time spent as a child daydreaming and making up stories as the beginning of her long journey into creative writing. Her imagination would run wild during her childhood and that was the very beginning of her desire to create fantastical stories and characters.

Growing up as a daydreaming child who loved to be creative didn’t make her super popular once she got to High School. She was more of a loner at her high school, North Allegheny High, than anything else. The school had a very intense focus on athletics and being a non-athlete, she did not fit in as well as some of her peers. She soon, however, found her passion for acting when she joined the drama club. The school also had a TV studio that she definitely took advantage of during her time at North Allegheny High. She found her calling and other likeminded individuals who helped her to grow and become the talented individuals she is today. She was able to stretch her creative wings during her time at North Allegheny High and ultimately it led her to Northwestern.

Most people when looking to break into the entertainment industry end up moving to Los Angeles or New York. Colleges like New York University and USC have excellent media programs and are the most popular among future screenwriters.  People flock there with their hopes and dreams to become a famous screenwriter. Gretchen Berg decided to take the path less traveled and decided to attend Northwestern University. It was here that her whole life trajectory would take a fantastic turn.

Aaron Harberts had a very different upbringing than Gretchen. He was also born in the early 70’s just like Berg but was born and raised in Iowa. He spent most of his childhood in the church listening to her father’s sermons since his father is a Presbyterian minister. Like Berg, he writing was greatly influenced by childhood spent in the pews of his father’s church daydreaming about stories and characters. He traveled often between three different states to spend time with his family.

He would create imaginative and inventive stories that he would later write down. His thoughts would run wild during the service and he believes that this is the beginning of his long career in writing. Even from a young age, Harberts was writing stories. He even wrote books that focused on a variety of themes. Harberts would later work on such amazing shows like Roswell, Beverly Hills 90201, and Revenge. Also, as a gay man, he incorporated LGBTQ characters into his shows, which is something he is very proud of. After high school, he then attended Northwestern University which is where his career would get it’s beginning.

Berg had already been at Northwestern for almost four years when she met Harberts. He was just ending his first year at the university when she was directing a student film. He started work on that film as a P.A. and ultimately they worked closely on a variety of projects that didn’t necessarily bring them closer together. They worked together on multiple projects during the two- year program called the Creative Writing for the Media. During this time spent together, they both learned each other’s creative styles. They meshed well together in that way but their friendship did not actually take off until after Berg had graduated from Northwestern.

Berg left the university and moved to the west coast to the hub of the entertainment, Los Angeles. Harberts soon followed after he graduated but his original housing plan fell through so he moved in with Berg. He reached out to her when he realized that he didn’t have a place to live. When he first moved in her she was in the middle of writing a sitcom spec. She was struggling with the rewrites. She then asked Harberts if he could help her write the script as a team. She remembered how much she enjoyed his sense of humor and she felt like his creative humor would be the perfect fit for this script. And this was the defining moment of not only their professional career but also their friendship.  The Team is known today as Berg and Harberts.

Six months later, they finished the script. It was not their favorite but it was the beginning of something amazing. They took as many assistant jobs as they could in Hollywood hoping to try to make the right connections. They wrote constantly during this time and spent hours watching all different genres of films and TV shows to help sharpen their analytic skills and writing. They were broke and did what they could to get by. They sent their scripts to multiple agents and got lucky when one of their scripts got in front of the right agent at the right time. The agent signed the duo in a matter of weeks and soon their career as a writing team took off.

It was not long before they had numerous hit television shows under their belts and became one of the most sought after creative teams in Hollywood. From very humble beginnings, the two worked hard and was ultimately able to come out on top. From the first script together (that they ended up burning) all the way to 90210, these two have come together to create scripts, characters and story lines that are thought provoking, inventive, and progressive.

Hope you enjoyed this story of Hollywood’s two lifelong friends Berg and Harberts.

Seattle Center Winterfest

November 23rd-December 31st in the Seattle Center, join along as Seattleites bring in the holiday cheer. Festivities, performances, arts, and activities flood the levels of Seattle Center and ground areas surrounding. The Winterfest website holds access to the Winterfest 2018 Handbook– entailing every event’s details. Highlights of the 2018 Winterfest include the winter train and village, ice rink, student showcases, ice sculpting, and musical performances. Dozens of free events are available to the public, as well as a few low-cost activities. 

Woodland Park Zoo Wildlights

Woodland Park Zoo’s WildLights exhibit lights up the Puget Sound this holiday season. Friends and family are welcomed to stroll around the zoo’s grounds, decorated all in lights, and holiday decorated animal exhibits. This picturesque scape sponsored by Sound Credit Union, includes a carousel, indoor snowball fights, 700,000 LED lights, food, drinks, and a holiday gift shop. Wildlights runs November 23rd, 2018-January 5th, 2019 from 5:30-8:30pm. Tickets are available for purchase here. More information regarding events and details of Woodland Parks Zoo’s WildLights exhibit can be found on their website. 

Snowflake Lane 

Bellevue’s annual Snowflake Lane parade runs November 23rd-December 24th, 2018. One of the Northwest’s most famous holiday festivities parades through the streets from NE 4th to NE 8th between Lincoln Square and Bellevue Square at 7pm nightly. Dancers, drummers, snow flurries, musical performances, and a meet and greet are available to the public at no cost or entry fee. This year’s meet and greet showcases the Snowflake Lane princesses. New this year, Santa will be attending every evening parade along the streets of Bellevue. Be sure not to miss the Jingle Belles Dance Line that is even bigger and better this year than ever before. 

Nutcracker 

The Pacific Northwest Ballet’s production of George Balanchine’s, “The Nutcracker” runs November 23rd-December 28th at McCaw Hall in Seattle. This performance includes world renowned scoring by Tchaikovsky, choreography by George Balanchine, and beautiful costume design by Ian Falconer. The Nutcracker has a run time of approximately 2 hours and 5 minutes with one 25 minute intermission. Make it dinner and a show by stopping by the Prelude in the McCaw before settling down to watch the ballet. 

Volunteer Park Conservatory 

Seattle’s Volunteer Park’s Poinsettia Display and Holiday Express Train have arrived. Within the conservatory located within the park’s grounds, holds rooms filled with poinsettias of all kinds, decked out in holiday lights, with tracks winding through as the train display makes its rounds. Conservatory hours for the Poinsettia Display and Holiday Express Train are 11:00am-3:00pm, Tuesday-Sunday. This display is set in the Conservatory’s Seasonal House, November 16th through January 1st. Admission is $4 for adults, $2 for youth, and free for children under 12. This relaxing and traditional scene makes for an easy breezy last minute holiday event perfect for all ages. Community members can even sign up to be a Volunteer Train Engineer. 

A modern retelling of Alexander Dumas’ classic novel The Count of Monte Cristo, the hit ABC television show Revenge has captivated millions with its tale of conspiracy, family secrets, and vengeance. Nominated for multiple awards such as the People’s Choice Awards and the Golden Globes, this series has built a large fan base and a dedicated following thanks to its masterful storytelling and production.

At the helm of Revenge from the premiere of its third season in 2013 to its finale in 2015, the writing and production team of Berg and Harberts guided the show’s storyline to its thrilling conclusion. But how exactly did Berg and Harberts gain their expert narrative skills and become the production powerhouses they are today – and how have their careers been shaped by Revenge?

The Story of Berg and Harberts

Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts, the dynamic duo of Berg and Harberts met when they were undergraduates at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Situated right outside of Chicago, Berg and Harberts gained invaluable skills in television writing and production through Northwestern’s Creative Writing for the Media program, honing skills in writing for movies, television, and the stage. However, their passion for television didn’t begin at Northwestern.

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Gretchen Berg grew up dreaming of stories while playing in the woods with her friends. She dabbled in poetry and theater in high school, describing herself as a loner amidst a sports-focused student body. Berg found a creative outlet in her school’s TV studio, where she was able to turn her daydreams into reality. She chose to attend Northwestern to obtain a well-rounded education, and it was there that she met Aaron Harberts, a P.A. on her student film project.

Harberts entered Northwestern in 1991, when Berg was a junior. An openly gay man who grew up in a religious family, Harberts was born in Waterloo, Iowa, and split his childhood between Iowa, South Florida, and Indiana. During his father’s sermons, Harberts would daydream fantastical stories, much like Berg had in the woods. At Northwestern, Berg and Harberts were colleagues, but not particularly close until Harberts moved to Los Angeles in 1995.

Having lost his housing, Harberts moved in with Berg, who had moved to Los Angeles after her graduation from Northwestern in 1993. There, Berg and Harberts grew closer, sharing work and eventually writing their first scripts together. It took tenacity, hard work, odd jobs, and cheap tacos, but in 1998 the hit TV show Beverly Hills, 90210 hired them as staff writers.

Rise to Revenge

After writing several episodes for 90210’s final two seasons, the cult classic science fiction series, Roswell,offered Berg and Harberts production roles. After the series ended in 2002, Berg and Harberts went on to work on the television series Wonderfalls, where they met elite television producer Bryan Fuller. Enamored of their writing and production talent, Fuller offered Berg and Harberts executive producer positions on his hit television show Pushing Daisies.

Berg and Harberts worked on Pushing Daisies from 2008 to 2009. Between Wonderfalls and Pushing Daisies, they also filled several writing and production roles on shows such as Women’s Murder Club. They also wrote and launched their own television show, Pepper Dennis, which only ran for one season. In 2010, Berg and Harberts signed a two-year deal with ABC to work on television shows such as the medical drama Off the Map and GCB.

Breaking Into Revenge

In 2013, Berg and Harberts got another major project: executive producers on the hit ABC television series Revenge. The series was entering its third season and the show’s creator, Mike Kelley, had left his role as showrunner. Executive producer Sunil Nayar was taking the reins from Kelley, and the show required a new production team. In May 2013, ABC announced that Berg and Harberts would fill Revenge’s executive producer slots.

Throughout their time on Revenge, Berg and Harberts penned three episodes for its third season: “Dissolution,” “Hatred,” and “Impetus.” They also served as writers for other episodes in the series as well. Throughout the show’s final two seasons, Berg and Harberts served as executive producers for 45 episodes. They also served as consulting producers for seven episodes in the second season.

A captivated audience of 4.8 million United States viewers watched the conclusion of Revenge on May 10^th, 2015. The ABC drama, which centered on the revelation of the long-lost daughter of a wealthy, but dangerous, family, reached a shocking conclusion with its final episode “Two Graves.” The story of the Clarkes was finally laid to rest for Revenge’s dedicated fanbase, providing a sense of closure for the heroine, Emily Thorne, and those who had followed the series from the beginning.

Berg and Harberts were behind some of the most shocking moments of Revenge’s final two seasons: the resurrection of a character thought to be long dead, a riveting confession, and the clearing of innocent names. Captivating storytellers and skilled producers, Berg and Harberts will surely continue to entrance American audiences for years to come.