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Category: General

UW Hosts NSF Director & Rep. DelBene for “Opportunity Everywhere” Forum

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This week, the UW hosted the National Science Foundation (NSF) Director Panchanathan, Representative DelBene, and higher education leaders from across the state for the CHIPS and Science “Opportunity Everywhere” Forum. The forum brought together researchers, university leaders and students to discuss how Washington will be competing for Chips and Science funds, including plans to bring chip manufacturing to the U.S., train the workforce, and expand Washington’s leadership in AI and quantum.

To kick off the day, Director Panchanathan met with young UW faculty followed by an AI and machine learning roundtable to discuss recent research developments. The group then made their way to tour the Rachel Carson research vessel where they discussed marine science research made possible through NSF and NOAA funding while onboard. Washington Representative DelBene, staff from Senator Cantwell’s office, as well as leaders from Washington State University, Bellevue College, Central Washington University, Western Washington University and several community and technical colleges joined later in the day for important discussions around the future of CHIPS funding followed by a tour of the UW’s quantum facilities. Director Panchanathan concluded the day with a discussion about diversity in STEM, moderated by UW’s Dean of Engineering Nancy Allbritton. The UW looks forward to continuing our partnership with the federal government to accelerate transformative scientific research.

Read more about the forum here and here.

 

Open House at UW’s Washington Nanofabrication Facility

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Earlier this month, the Office of Federal Relations & the Office of State Relations hosted an open house at the UW’s Washington Nanofabrication Facility (WNF). Congressional staffers and local industry partners joined UW faculty to tour the facility and learn more about its importance to researchers and engineers in the Pacific Northwest. The WNF is a shared user facility that provides open access to leading-edge and traditional micro and nanofabrication processing equipment. WNF is an integral part of the UW Institute for Nano-engineered Systems (NanoES) and NSF’s Northwest Nanotechnology Infrastructure. Located on UW’s Seattle campus, the facility has 15,000 square feet of cleanroom and laboratory space that is open to academic and industry researchers to use for a wide range of applications including Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems, quantum computing, biosensors and more.

 

 

 

House Passes Omnibus, FY22 Chart Now Available

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Yesterday the House passed an omnibus appropriations package for FY22, following negotiations between House and Senate appropriators. The final package includes modest increases for key scientific and higher education accounts. The Senate is expected to vote on the package quickly to send it to the President’s desk. Current government funding is set to expire on Friday, so another short continuing resolution will be necessary to allow the Senate to clear procedural steps.

A chart tracking key accounts relevant to UW is available here. Our office will post detailed updates as information becomes available. We will also discuss appropriations in more detail during our town hall on March 24th at noon PT (register here).

2022 Federal Agenda Now Live

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The University of Washington has published our 2022 Federal Agenda reaffirming our commitment to a robust partnership with the federal government. You can view the agenda here.

On March 24th at 12pm PT, Director of Federal Relations Sarah Castro will participate in a Town Hall highlighting the key elements of our federal agenda. Members of the UW community can register here.

Eric Lander Resigns as OSTP Director

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Dr. Eric Lander, the President’s Chief Science Advisor and Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, has reportedly submitted his resignation effective February 18th. The resignation comes amidst several reports that he bullied subordinates. Read more here.