Seattle Audio Tour: Trailblazers, Mirrored Visions & Global Innovations

Stops on this tour

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   Mirall

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   If you look to your left, right outside the glass-walled Allen Institute building at the corner of Mercer Street and 9th Avenue North, you’ll spot two large white figures sitting…Read moreShow less

   If you look to your left, right outside the glass-walled Allen Institute building at the corner of Mercer Street and 9th Avenue North, you’ll spot two large white figures sitting quietly face-to-face, their bodies made out of a swirling mesh of letters. Standing in front of Mirall feels a bit like stumbling into a secret meeting between old friends who speak in silent riddles. Made by the artist Jaume Plensa, this sculpture isn’t just a pair of giant seated figures-they’re woven from the alphabet soup of eight different languages! Peer closely and you’ll find Arabic curves, Greek twists, Chinese brushstrokes, Hindu dots, Hebrew lines, Japanese brush flips, the stately Roman alphabet, and even Russian Cyrillic. It’s almost as if language itself got tired of being spoken and decided to take a seat right here in South Lake Union. Isn’t it wild to think these two are always mid-conversation, but you’ll never hear a sound? It’s a silent banter where every word is written but never spoken-sort of like texting under a strict librarian’s watch. Imagine all the stories-love letters, scientific ideas, jokes about Seattle rain-they might spell out if only they came to life for a minute! Take in the gleaming stainless steel, reflecting both the city’s energy and the soft gray skies above, and just for a second, wonder what you might say if you could join their mysterious, everlasting chat.

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   Center for Global Infectious Disease Research

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   You’ve arrived at the Center for Global Infectious Disease Research-where the hunt for the world’s nastiest bugs is more real than your last late-night horror movie marathon.…Read moreShow less

   You’ve arrived at the Center for Global Infectious Disease Research-where the hunt for the world’s nastiest bugs is more real than your last late-night horror movie marathon. Imagine standing in this part of South Lake Union, surrounded by sleek labs and flashing neon signs, but a few decades ago, none of this was here. Back in 1976, Dr. Ruth Shearer and Dr. Kenneth Stuart started this adventure, not in bustling Seattle, but out in Issaquah-yes, there were more hiking boots than lab coats back there. The first lab had a humble name: the Issaquah Group for Health and Environmental Research…a name so catchy it only lasted about as long as a pair of flimsy gloves in a chemical spill. Soon, they became the Issaquah Biomedical Research Institute, where the team began their legendary battle against parasites like the ones that cause malaria and African sleeping sickness. Let’s fast-forward-now it’s the ‘80s, big hair and bigger science. The growing team moved to Seattle to supercharge their research. As they settled into Emerald City, they adopted the name Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, or Seattle BioMed for short. Picture scientists peering into microscopes, racing against time, laughter echoing down the hallways as someone discovers the coffee pot’s finally working. By 2012, leadership had passed to Alan Aderem, with Kennedy Stuart moving into the wise elder role. The institute kept evolving, using the newest high-tech tricks-systems biology, collaborative science, you name it-to better understand infectious diseases. Malaria, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and all sorts of emerging and neglected illnesses-this is ground zero in the fight against the bugs that have haunted humanity for centuries. Around the turn of the millennium, with the help of a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Center ramped up its efforts against malaria. Their three-part mission: stop malaria in pregnant women, shield children, and tackle the liver stage-like those plot twists in a detective show, malaria has a few nasty surprises up its sleeve. By 2005, the team was winning big research grants. In 2010, Dr. Stefan Kappe and his crew developed a weakened form of the malaria parasite for a vaccine, a project so cool it ended up in clinical trials with the army. They didn’t stop there. Partnering with PATH's Malaria Vaccine Initiative, they built one of just four places in the world to safely test malaria treatments on humans in a “human challenge” model. No, that doesn’t mean you’ll get asked to volunteer today, I promise. All this isn’t just about the here and now. Training the next generation was always a top priority. Enter BioQuest Academy-a two-week, science-packed boot camp for 11th graders. Think Bunsen burners, petri dishes, and wide-eyed students hoping to be the next Nobel Prize winners. According to one study, 97% of these alumni headed to college, and several have already had their names in scientific journals. Not bad for “summer camp,” right? In 2018, the Center joined the Seattle Children’s Research Institute. By then, it wasn’t just the stuffy, white-coated lab of TV shows: 166 scientists, early-stage research on the front lines, and a legacy as the largest independent nonprofit in the US focused solely on discovering cures for infectious diseases. After all, fighting invisible villains is a team sport-though don’t expect team uniforms. Now, let’s see where the next chapter of this battle against the world’s tiniest troublemakers leads us.

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   Gates Foundation

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   Look ahead for two large, modern buildings with a striking green roof and plenty of glass walls-right across from the Seattle Center-those are the Gates Foundation…Read moreShow less

   Look ahead for two large, modern buildings with a striking green roof and plenty of glass walls-right across from the Seattle Center-those are the Gates Foundation headquarters. Alright, take a moment and let your eyes wander across those long, grassy rooftops and glassy facades. This isn’t your average office park. Here’s where philanthropy gets a Seattle twist-big, bold, and a bit high-tech, just like the city itself. Now, let’s step back in time for a second, because the story of this place is bigger than what you see in front of you. It started quietly back in 1994, when Bill Gates-yes, the computer guy with that “Windows” thing-and his wife, Melinda, decided they wanted to do more good with their mountain of fortune. But it wasn't until the year 2000 that things really leveled up: the Gates Foundation was officially launched. Imagine the buzz-people wondered; what would two of the world’s wealthiest do now? Build another tech giant? Nope. Instead, they set out to squish global poverty and wipe out diseases that most people here in Seattle only read about. Every year, this Foundation has to give away 5% of its assets-currently, over seventy billion dollars. That’s a lot of zeros. Their mission? It’s massive: better health for everyone, everywhere, along with more opportunities in education, and a world where everyone can have clean water and decent toilets-really, they even reinvent toilets here. Can you picture a toilet that turns waste into clean water? Bill Gates actually drank a glass of that water once for a TV audience. If that’s not commitment, I don’t know what is! But hold on. The story isn’t all smooth, echoing halls and happy board rooms. There’s been drama-big decisions, some controversy, even world-shaking moments. In 2006, Bill decided to leave his daily role at Microsoft. He wasn’t getting bored; he just wanted to focus all his brainpower here, fighting malaria, funding scholarships, and basically trying to outdo Santa when it comes to giving things away. Rubbing shoulders with him is a hall-of-fame team, including Warren Buffett-yep, that Warren Buffett-who pledged his own billions to the cause. In 2010, the Gateses kicked off a project to reimagine global health education. They even teamed up with Hillary Clinton on projects for women and girls, and when COVID-19 hit, the Foundation had already built relationships worldwide, making it possible to move fast in getting help where it was needed most. Now, the building you’re in front of-it’s not just stylish. When they opened these shiny headquarters in 2011, it was Seattle’s newest eco-friendly trophy, decked out with solar panels, a “living roof,” and rainwater pools. Even the land it stands on has a cool story-it used to be a city bus base. Now, instead of the hum of buses heading out, there are conference rooms buzzing with discussions about how to end polio, send girls to school, or create a rice that saves millions of lives from Vitamin A deficiency. Over the decades, they’ve weathered a few storms, too-public criticism, legal changes, and even the challenge of keeping the founders working together after their divorce. As of 2024, Melinda stepped down, but the Foundation kept on rolling-scheduled, believe it or not, to spend itself out of existence by 2045. No trust funds lingering for centuries-just an all-in push to give it all away within 20 years of Bill Gates’ passing. It’s like a superhero promising to retire once the world’s safe. So as you stand here, right at the edge of this campus, picture not just the dollars and the headlines, but the millions of lives changed-vaccines in remote clinics, life-changing scholarships at Cambridge, or a simple, clean toilet where there wasn’t one before. You’re in the presence of Seattle’s powerhouse for hope, a machine for optimism, and perhaps the most ambitious “give it all away” project the world has ever seen. I have to say, if these walls could talk, they’d be arguing about whether to fund a new malaria vaccine or build a better toilet. Not your usual office gossip! Ready to head to our final stop? Let’s walk-who knows what future trailblazer might have just walked past you! Yearning to grasp further insights on the activities, financials or the global development division? Dive into the chat section below and ask away.

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