Steve MacFarlane

Steve MacFarlane

Class Year: 1982
Current City/State: Seattle, WA
Major: Biology
Email Address: stephenamacfarlane@gmail.com

Why I Wanted to Serve on the Alumni Council:

My experience at Grinnell was seminal in allowing me to look at the world through a wider lens. My interest in serving on the Council is to better understand and support the efforts by the College to provide each student with a similar experience via a phenomenal education, both in and out of the classroom. My goal is to support and to be involved in a continuously developing, engaged alumni network that is committed to what Grinnell stands for in lifelong learning and critical thinking.

A Quote I Like:

“(A sonnet) is a very strict form of poetry…..But within this strict form the poet has complete freedom to say whatever he wants….You’re given the form, but you have to write the sonnet yourself. What you say is completely up to you.”

―Madeleine L'Engle, A Wrinkle in Time

A Little Bit About Me:

I currently work for Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle as an Electron Microscopist supporting researchers striving to understand and solve cancer. I have loved the art and the technology of peering into the insides of cells since my first Biology class at Grinnell. It has been a job that doesn’t get old for me. I also have a semi-professional career as a studio artist, focused primarily on drawing and printmaking. I have maintained an art studio for over 30 years and have shown and taught art continuously alongside my career in science. I currently happily reside in the heart of Seattle with my partner, now husband, of 22 years.

Other Alumni Involvement: Regional Planning Committee Coordinator; 40th Class Reunion Committee; GRASP Volunteer