December 23, 1997
How to keep up with those New Year’s resolutions, researchers find commitment is the secret of success
In the next week or so, about 100 million Americans will venture down a well-traveled path paved with bold and sometimes hastily conceived New Year’s resolutions. All are not necessarily broken promises. According to a new University of Washington survey, 63 percent of the people questioned were still keeping their number one 1997 New Year’s resolution after two months.
December 22, 1997
In 17 days at sea, four UW undergraduates help investigate ocean’s ability to absorb greenhouse gas
Two days after their most recent research piece appeared in the journal Nature, University of Washington oceanography professors Steve Emerson and Paul Quay set sail on the UW’s Thomas G. Thompson to seek more answers about subtropical oceans and how they absorb carbon dioxide, one of the so-called greenhouse gases.
December 15, 1997
UW astronomer to show spectacular pictures of distant stars in the final stages of death
What do the “Siamese squid,” the “double Hubble,” the “blinking planetary” and the “Saturn nebula” have in common? All are distant, dying stars, whose images have been captured by the Hubble Space Telescope.
December 10, 1997
Asian industrial smog: it’s increasingly blowing in the wind across the U.S. West Coast
A new study indicates that about 10 percent of the ozone and other pollutants are arriving from the industrialized nations of East Asia.
December 9, 1997
Researchers puzzle over the source of mysterious, high-energy X-rays recorded above the Earth
What was found by three graduate students — Kirsten Lorentzen of the University of Washington and Robin Millan and Jason Foat of the University of California at Berkeley — has scientists scrambling for an explanation: an intense stream of X-rays, occurring in seven bursts, each separated by only a few minutes and lasting for a total of half an hour. The evidence was clear that the high energy bursts came not from outer space, but from the Earth’s upper atmosphere.
December 4, 1997
UW president appoints advisory committee to help search for new dean of School of Public Health and Community Medicine
University of Washington President Richard L. McCormick has appointed a committee to advise him in the search for a new dean of the School of Public Health and Community Medicine.
Student evaluations don’t get a passing grade: Easy-grading professors get too-high marks, new UW study shows
Just as millions of American college students are about to rate the teaching abilities of their professors this month, a pair of University of Washington researchers say such evaluations are flawed and often misused.
December 3, 1997
Researchers identify asbestos, beryllium, noise exposure in former nuclear site workers
Many former workers at the Hanford nuclear site in Washington state may be affected by asbestos, beryllium and noise pollution exposure that occurred during their employment.
December 1, 1997
Wake up during surgery? Chances are reduced with innovative new brain wave monitors at UW Medical Center
It’s every patient’s worst nightmare: the thought of undergoing surgery with inadequate anesthesia; of feeling the cut of the surgeon’s knife, but being unable to tell anyone that you’re not completely unconscious
November 26, 1997
New role for brain receptor in control of body weight – research findings identify pathway for development of drugs to treat obesity
People who are resistant to the hormone leptin may become obese due to difficulties receiving bloodborne messages that tell their brain to reduce food intake or burn off excessive weight.
UW engineering students exploring ‘distant planet’ with robots
For the past three weeks, engineering students at the University of Washington have been exploring the “distant planet” of Sram using remote-controlled robots.
November 25, 1997
Health Source: Medical News from the University of Washington
Medical News from the University of Washington
November 21, 1997
How little gray cells process sound: they’re really a series of computers
Individual neurons, or brain cells, do not just relay information from one point to another, according to a group of researchers from across the United States who discussed new insights into the process of hearing at a symposium held last month at the Society for Neuroscience’s annual meeting in New Orleans. Instead, they said, each neuron could be compared to a tiny computer that compiles information from many sources and makes a decision based on that information
November 20, 1997
Coping with twins, triplets — and more: UW Medical Center offers special classes for expectant parents
The impact of multiple births on a family is not additive, it’s exponential. Few parents are prepared for the enormous emotional, physical and financial demands that accompany this phenomenon. To help couples deal with this huge change in their lives, University of Washington Medical Center hosts “Expecting Multiples,” a series of classes for families expecting twins or more.
UW to establish Center for Molecular Genetic Pathology, using $3.25 million in federal and university funds
Reflecting the emergence of a new research discipline combining human genetics and pathology, the University of Washington School of Medicine will establish a Center for Molecular Genetic Pathology.
UW physicist earns highest government award
Experiments to understand single-bubble sonoluminescence — where a pinpoint of light and extreme temperatures are created inside a tiny bubble when liquids are bombarded with high-pitched sound waves — have earned the University of Washington’s Tom Matula a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.
November 19, 1997
For street kids the streets are mean, but they may be better than home
It isn’t pretty on the streets of Seattle, or any big city, if you are a homeless adolescent. But recent research shows life on the street may be an improvement over what many children face at home.
New simulator technology to give surgeons ‘feel’ of really operating
Surgical students soon will be able hone their skills with simulators that for the first time present a realistic feel of performing surgery thanks to a research project under way at the University of Washington. The project also could improve patient care by leading to the development of instruments that enhance surgeons’ sense of touch.
November 18, 1997
Engineer behind Mars Sojourner rover to speak at UW
This presentation will cover the highlights of the Mars Pathfinder mission and the design and control of the Sojourner vehicle. It will include pictures taken by the lander and rover, video clips of mission operations, a video containing eight rover movies showing sojourner navigating its way across the Martian surface and a 3-D animated playback of data collected by Sojourner.
November 13, 1997
First annual “Health of Hanford” conference — scientists gather to report, discuss research findings
The latest research on thyroid disease, wildlife populations, beryllium exposure and Columbia River contamination in the Hanford reach area are among topics to be addressed during a two-day conference Dec. 3 and 4 in Richland, Wash.
State colleges and universities unite to propose higher education endowment
All 38 of Washington’s public colleges and universities have proposed that the state establish a $500 million public-private partnership to enhance the quality of higher education in Washington.
The Earth’s mysterious inner core is turning independently, but more slowly than previously thought
The proposition that the Earth’s little understood inner core is a frozen yet white hot globe of curiously laid out iron crystals, spinning independently of the rest of the planet, has been given a boost by a University of Washington researcher.
November 12, 1997
Drug shows promise in keeping cardiac arrest patients alive until they reach the hospital
A clinical trial performed by University of Washington researchers shows that administering an anti-arrhythmia medication, amiodarone, offers considerable promise in helping to resuscitate cardiac arrest victims.
November 10, 1997
New endowed professorship will enhance community-focused teaching and research in family medicine.
A newly established endowed professorship — the first for the University of Washington Department of Family Medicine — will further enhance the already strong links between the academic department and practicing physicians throughout the region.
University of Washington geneticist clones gene for an inherited form of deafness
A postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of University of Washington geneticist Dr. Mary-Claire King has succeeded in cloning a gene which, when mutated, causes an inherited form of deafness.
November 6, 1997
UW professor to coordinate National Science Foundation’s external year 2000 efforts
The National Science Foundation has appointed University of Washington Professor Mark Haselkorn to coordinate its external efforts to address the year 2000 computer problem.
November 5, 1997
The world’s most detailed weather system gives forecasters a “dramatic” view of local conditions
First it was the Chinese, then the Egyptians who more than 3,000 years ago began studying and predicting the weather. Then in the 16th and 17th centuries meteorology became a science with the invention of instruments to measure the elements. Now a supercomputer is ushering in a new era of high-precision local weather forecasting.
October 31, 1997
Drug-free depression treatment study looking for Seattle volunteers
Seattle adults seeking a drug-free treatment as an alternative for dealing with depression are needed for a University of Washington study testing two new psychological treatments to deal with the disorder.
October 29, 1997
Tree-ring study enables researchers to link massive American earthquake to Japanese tsunami in January 1700
Stumps of long-dead western red cedar trees are revealing new details of a cataclysmic earthquake along North America’s west coast more than 100 years before the arrival of the first European occupants.
October 28, 1997
Health Source: Medical News from the University of Washington
Medical News from the University of Washington
Parts of male sparrow brains grow when birds paired with females
A new study indicating that portions of bird brains enlarge in response to social, as well as other environmental, factors adds to the mounting evidence showing that the brains of higher animals change over time.
Overfeeding normal infant rats affects three generations: Overfeeding normal infant rats affects three generations:
Some women who become glucose intolerant late in pregnancy may develop gestational diabetes and give birth to larger than normal babies with a tendency to become obese. Now a new study of genetically normal rats indicates that the effect of overfeeding extends for at least three generations and may explain health trends beginning to be seen in human populations in the American Southwest, Japan, Australia and some Pacific islands.
October 27, 1997
Hutchinson Center, University of Washington, and Children’s Hospital forming new alliance in the fight against cancer
Seattle-based world leaders in the fight against cancer today announced that they are forming a new, combined clinical cancer program. The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, the University of Washington (UW), and Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center are creating the new program, called the “Cancer Care Alliance,” to speed the development of new knowledge of, and treatment for, various cancers.
October 20, 1997
School of Nursing’s Nancy Woods receives Vivian O. Lee Women’s Health Award from U.S. Public Health Service
Dr. Nancy Woods, associate dean for nursing research and director of the University of Washington School of Nursing’s Center for Women’s Health Research, is the first recipient of the Vivian O. Lee Women’s Health Award.
October 17, 1997
Biracial siblings sought for study that explores differing racial identities
Maria Root, a psychologist and associate professor of American Ethnic Studies, is looking for 60 pairs of adult siblings in Washington state and the Portland, Ore., area to participate in a study that will explore how people of mixed ancestry develop their racial identity and how they viewed themselves when they were growing up.
October 14, 1997
1997 Autumn Quarter enrollments at University of Washington
The University of Washington’s main campus 1997 Autumn Quarter enrollment is 35,367, including 853 students in the Evening Degree Program instituted in autumn 1990.
October 13, 1997
UW cystic fibrosis researcher receives 928-ton accolade – an oil barge christened in her name
It may well be the “biggest” honor ever bestowed upon a UW researcher: A Seattle-based shipping company will christen its newest vessel, a 25,000-barrel oil barge, the “Bonnie R.” in honor of Dr. Bonnie Ramsey, professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine and director of the Cystic Fibrosis Center at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center.
Move over El Niño, a major new climate cycle has been discovered, and it lasts for decades
It looks like El Niño, it feels like El Niño, and if you are watching fish stocks, reservoir levels or farm production, you would say it is El Niño.
October 9, 1997
Washington Council for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, UW to launch statewide series of workshops for youth sport coaches
The Washington Council for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect and a University of Washington sport psychologist are teaming up to hold a series of 10 workshops across Washington to train at least a thousand coaches and make participation in youth athletics a more positive experience for youngsters, parents and coaches.
Washington Council for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, UW to launch statewide series of workshops for youth sport coaches
Youth sports should be a rewarding, positive experience for children. But all too often these activities aren’t and become a childhood nightmare filled with emotional abuse and negativity.
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