Welcome to UW NewsLinks, a free, monthly e-newsletter for alumni and friends about the University of Washington. Prepared by the editors of Columns, it features the same mix of campus news and features as the alumni magazine but also provides links to fascinating (and unusual) UW-related Web sites and a monthly trivia contest. If you do not wish to receive UW NewsLinks or want to change your contact information, see details at the bottom of this e-mail about updating your preferences.

Contents

In This Issue

UW Regents Approve Proposed College of the Environment
On June 12, the University of Washington Board of Regents approved the creation of a College of the Environment, a unit with the potential to be one of the nation’s largest programs focused on environmental science, policy and management. Dennis Hartmann, professor and past chair of atmospheric sciences, has been named interim dean of the new college, subject to approval by the regents at their July meeting. Hartmann will help conduct discussions to formulate the new college’s mission, configuration and academic programs as well as determine which units want to join the new venture. Read more...

Space Dust Named for UW Astronomer
Donald Brownlee’s name certainly isn’t mud—but it is dust. In honor of his contributions to their field, a group of NASA scientists recently renamed manganese silicide, a mineral found in comet dust. “Brownleeite” isn’t the UW professor’s first interplanetary namesake. There’s already an asteroid and a class of space particle with his name on them. Read more...


Seattle High-Tech Leader Selected to Head UW TechTransfer
A veteran executive of Seattle’s high-tech community has been named to lead UW TechTransfer, the unit that commercializes the results of University of Washington research. Linden Rhoads, who has held senior management positions in Seattle-area companies for 20 years, becomes the UW's vice provost for technology transfer Aug. 14. Established in 1982, UW TechTransfer has helped create more than 235 companies, many of them in Washington, and manages more than 2,000 issued and pending patents around the world. In fiscal year 2007 the intellectual property licensed to industry through UW TechTransfer generated $38 million for the University. Read more...

Online Service Lets Blind Surf the Internet from Any Computer, Anywhere
Visions of future technology don’t involve being chained to a desktop machine. People move from home computers to work computers to mobile devices; public kiosks pop up in libraries, schools and hotels; and people increasingly store everything from e-mail to spreadsheets on the Web. But for the roughly 10 million people in the United States who are blind or visually impaired, using a computer has, so far, required special screen-reading software typically installed only on their own machines. New software, called WebAnywhere, lets blind and visually impaired people surf the Web on the go. The tool developed at the University of Washington turns screen-reading into an Internet service that reads aloud Web text on any computer with speakers or headphone connections. Read more...

Their Way? The Fairway: Legislators Look Into Golf Course as Potential UW North Campus Site
Two state legislators previously at odds over proposed locations for the UW North Sound branch campus have joined forces to investigate a compromise site: Legion Memorial Golf Course in Everett. Read more...

Castilleja victoriae, a new species of Indian paintbrush, recently discovered by Burke researchers.

Brush with Greatness: UW Botanist Describes New Species of Indian Paintbrush
Mark Egger, research associate at the Burke Museum, has described a new species of Indian paintbrush known only from the San Juan and Gulf Islands of Washington and British Columbia. The discovery of the new paintbrush resulted in part from a specimen collected by David Giblin (Burke Museum) and Peter Dunwiddie (The Nature Conservancy) during their ongoing botanical surveys of small islands in the San Juans. Read more...


The M’s, the Breaks: Husky Summer Celebration Night with the Mariners Offers Serious Discounts
Last year’s Husky Night with the Mariners was a smashing success on and off the field, as hundreds of Huskies gathered to watch J.J. Putz earn his 23rd save of the season in a 5-3 Mariners victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. Could the Huskies help propel the Mariners to victory again this year? Join the UW Alumni Association on July 18 at Safeco Field for Husky Summer Celebration Night with the Mariners, as the M’s take on the Cleveland Indians. University of Washington alumni, faculty, staff and students can get discounted tickets through an exclusive online ticket offer. Included with the purchase of these special tickets is a limited edition Huskies/Mariners t-shirt that can be picked up at the game. The first 25,000 fans get a Felix Hernandez bobblehead to boot. Read more...

Bears in the Burke, with a Discount for Dawgs
The biggest threat polar bears face isn’t poaching or declining seal populations: it’s global warming. This summer, the Burke Museum is helping to document this danger with a nationally touring photography exhibition, “The Last Polar Bear: Facing the Truth of a Warming World.” It features over 40 compelling polar bear images by esteemed wildlife photographer Steven Kazlowski, along with footage by documentary artist Art Smith. Card-carrying members of the UW Alumni Association receive a 50 percent discount on admission to the exhibition throughout its run. Read more...

LinkFest

Offbeat and/or outstanding UW-related links:

July 2008 UW NewsLinks Trivia Contest

Last month, UW astronomer Donald Brownlee had a mineral named after him. His other accomplishments include overseeing NASA’s Stardust project, which sent a research capsule to retrieve comet dust from the far side of Mars—the longest round trip for a space mission in history. About how far did the Stardust capsule travel between its launch in 1999 and its return to earth in 2006?

A. 771 million miles
B. 900 million miles
C. 1.55 billion miles
D. 2.88 billion miles
E. 4.08 billion miles

Answer this month's question

Last Month's Answer
In last month’s trivia question, we asked how much money Safeco saved the University of Washington by leaving behind all the office furniture in the former Safeco Tower, which is now owned and occupied by the UW. See the answer.

Trivia Contest Rules

About UW NewsLinks

UW NewsLinks is a free, monthly e-newsletter for alumni and friends about the University of Washington. Prepared by the editors of Columns, it features the same mix of campus news and features but also provides links to fascinating (and unusual) UW-related Web sites and a monthly trivia contest.

Photo credits:
*Donald Brownlee: Photo by Mary Levin.
*Castilleja victoriae: Photo courtesy of the Burke Museum.
*Polar Bears: Photo by Steven Kazlowski.

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