UW News

UW and the community


June 17, 2021

Researchers discover yessotoxins, produced by certain phytoplankton, to be a culprit behind summer mass shellfish mortality events in Washington

dying clams on the beach

Back in the summers of 2018 and 2019, the shellfish industry in Washington state was rocked by mass mortalities of its crops. Now, researchers think they have figured out why: high concentrations of yessotoxinss, which are produced by blooms of certain phytoplankton. The researchers’ findings were published last month in the open-access journal Harmful Algae.


June 16, 2021

UW Ocean Voices program, seeking equity in ocean science, gets key approval from United Nations

Ocean Voices, a program of the University of Washington-based Nippon Foundation Ocean Nexus Center to advance equity in ocean, science has been named among the first group of actions taken in a United Nations-sponsored, decade-long program of ocean science for sustainable development. "The human relationship with oceans under modern market systems is unsustainable, unstable and inequitable," writes Yoshitaka Ota, director of the center.

Ocean Voices, a program of the UW Nippon Foundation Ocean Nexus Center to advance equity in ocean science, has been named among the first group of actions taken in a United Nations-sponsored, decade-long program of ocean science for sustainable development.


June 15, 2021

Video: Mobile health van student volunteers collaborate in service to the community

Student volunteers look at medical supplies inside a van.

This summer a UW mobile health outreach van will hit the road, bringing some basic health care services to people without housing who might have a hard time getting to a doctor’s office.


Video: UW commencement 2021 highlights

screen grab from the virtual ceremony

The University of Washington’s second virtual commencement was held June 12, 2021. The online ceremony, the second in the school’s 161-year history, celebrated the Class of 2021 with graduates and their families and friends watching the ceremony from more than 30 countries with translations in nine languages.


June 8, 2021

English professor, author Shawn Wong honored by Association of University Presses

Shawn Wong, UW professor of English and longtime advocate for Asian American literature, has received the 2021 Stand UP Award from the Association of University Presses.

Shawn Wong, UW English professor and longtime advocate for Asian American literature, has received the 2021 Stand UP Award from the Association of University Presses.


June 1, 2021

Faculty/staff honors: Allen School’s Shyam Gollakota, Anna Karlin honored by Association for Computing Machinery

Associate professor Shyam Gollakota has received the association's 2020 Grace Murray Hopper Award, given annually to the most outstanding young computer professional of the year by the Association for Computing Machinery

Two professors with the UW Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering — Shyam Gollakota and Anna Karlin — have received 2020 honors from the Association for Computing Machinery.


May 27, 2021

Video: Suzzallo bonsai a symbol of peace, resilience and inclusiveness

Close up of man with mask working on small delicate branches

The potted junipers on the steps of Suzzallo Library are undergoing a transformation. Flanking the entrance to one of UW’s most beloved buildings, they are viewed by hundreds of people walking through Red Square each week. Bioengineering postdoctoral researcher Le Zhen is transforming these shrubs into bonsai — miniature trees that are pruned, nurtured and trained with wire to look like their much older, full-sized counterparts living in nature. He hopes this prominent display of bonsai will signal to members of the AAPI community that UW is safe and welcoming.


May 26, 2021

Faculty/staff honors: Theoretical computer science award, early career faculty innovator in environmental studies, fellowship in Jewish history

Recent honors for UW faculty include the 2021 Presburger award for theoretical computer science, an Early Career Faculty Innovator research grant for a collaboration in environmental studies with the Karuk Tribe in California, and a fellowship to explore war regulations and raiding norms among early Arabian Jewish communities.


May 4, 2021

Urbanist Charles Wolfe publishes new book, ‘Sustaining a City’s Culture and Character’

In his latest book, "Sustaining a City's Culture and Character: Principles and Best Practices," Charles Wolfe asks: How can we create urban environments that are truly livable?

In his latest book, “Sustaining a City’s Culture and Character: Principles and Best Practices,” Charles Wolfe asks: How can we create urban environments that are truly livable?


May 3, 2021

UW announces COVID-19 vaccine requirement for students

A sculpture of the University of Washington W logo

The University of Washington on Monday announced it will require all students on all three of its campuses to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before the start of the autumn quarter. The announcement comes with six weeks remaining in the spring quarter to provide time for students who are in the area to get vaccinated before summer.


April 29, 2021

Faculty/staff honors: Golden Apple, Leading the Narrative awards

Patricia Shehan Campbell, professor and chair of music education in the UW School of Music, has been given a 2021 Golden Apple Award by Seattle public television station KCTS for her work on the musical education of children. The annual awards honor successful teaching models and programs in Washington state.

Recent honors to UW faculty include a Golden Apple Award for teaching innovation from Seattle television station KCTS and a Leading the Narrative award for community engagement from the Society of Behavioral Medicine.


April 28, 2021

UW Spokane Center to move into historic SIERR Building

inside of a warmly lit brick building

The University of Washington’s Spokane Center will soon serve the community and its constituents from new offices in Spokane’s historic Spokane Inland Empire Railroad (SIERR) Building, located in the heart of Spokane’s growing University District. The UW Spokane Center will relocate May 1, 2021, to new offices at 850 E. Spokane Falls Blvd. from its office at 201 West Main, where it has been housed since 2015.


April 22, 2021

UW biology professors Jeffrey Riffell, David Perkel awarded research grants from Human Frontier Science Program

UW biology professors Jeffrey Riffell and David Perkel have received grants from the Human Frontier Science Program.


April 20, 2021

Oral history project captures Washingtonians’ pandemic experiences

Masked people walking on a city street.

Manuel S. Martinez, a lifelong campesino, trabajador and community organizer, recalls the beginning of the pandemic. Interviewed by UW student Adriana Martinez.  Zoom, masks, family and politics — these are some of the lasting memories shared by participants in a University of Washington student oral history project. Undergraduate seniors in the Public Health Global Health major at…


April 9, 2021

Divided America needs ‘new, more viable history’: A talk with Dan Chirot

A root cause of America’s sharp division, UW international studies professor Dan Chirot says, is that the visions of the left and right are based on “drastically different histories.”


April 5, 2021

Retiring Alaska Airlines CEO, proud Husky Brad Tilden, honored with updated UW aircraft livery

Brad Tilden, a UW alum who retired as CEO of Alaska Airlines on March 31, looks at a Horizon Air Q400 aircraft with a special UW-themed livery.

The retirement of Alaska Airlines CEO Brad Tilden after a 30-year career with the company – at least in one way – had the University of Washington written all over it. Horizon Air recently unveiled a special Huskies-themed livery on a Q400 (tail number #N435QX) in honor of Tilden, who earned his MBA at the UW and has maintained a strong partnership with the University for several years. Tilden retired March 31.


April 1, 2021

John Schaufelberger to receive 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award from national Associated Schools of Construction

John Schaufelberger, UW professor of construction management, is a respected teacher, engineer, administrator and former officer in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He is dean emeritus of the College of Built Environments. Now he is also recipient of the 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Associated Schools of Construction.

John Schaufelberger, UW professor of construction management and dean emeritus of the College of Built Environments, has received the 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Associated Schools of Construction.


March 25, 2021

Video: Tasty options as researchers tap a new forestry product

Maple syrup is being poured on a round waffle on a white plate.

Scientists from the University of Washington are testing the viability of making maple syrup in the Pacific Northwest. Long associated with Canada or Vermont, this sweet forest product that has graced many a breakfast table may be part of this region’s future.


March 24, 2021

Faculty/staff honors: Energy-efficient computing, Cottrell Scholar, Google Inclusion Awards

An Intel Corporation award for work to make computers more energy-efficient, a Research Corporation for Science award for chemistry research and education, and two Google inclusion awards to create technology for underrepresented populations.


March 17, 2021

‘Forgetting Nature’: Peter Kahn offers warning in short documentary film

The message of “Forgetting Nature,” a new documentary film featuring Peter Kahn, is short but powerful: We humans are losing our connection to the natural world, at our great peril.


March 16, 2021

‘Telling Stories’: Imagined tales of artificial intelligence presented by the UW Tech Policy Lab

Photo of authore -- Authors of "Telling Stories: On Culturally Responsive Artificial Intelligence" are Dennys Antonialli, InternetLab, Brazil; Chinmayi Arun, National Law University, Delhi, India; Joanna Bryson, University of Bath, England; Darren Byler, UW; Ryan Calo, UW; Jeff Cao, Tencent Research Institute, China; Jack Clark, OpenAI, United States, Batya Friedman, UW; Sue Glueck, Microsoft; Sabine Hauert, University of Bristol, England; Alejandro Hevia, University of Chile; Ian Kerr, University of Ottawa, Canada; Tadayoshi Kohno, UW; Lisa Nathan, University of British Columbia, Canada; Joseph Nkurunziza, Never Again Rwanda, Rwanda; Nnenna Nwakanma, World Wide Web Foundation, Côte d’Ivoire; Amir Rashidi, Center for Human Rights in Iran; Rohan Samarajiva, LIRNEasia, Sri Lanka; Jeroen van den Hoven, Delft University of Technology, Netherlands.

Tales of artificial intelligence and its effects on future life are gathered in “Telling Stories: On Culturally Responsive Artificial Intelligence,” presented by the UW Tech Policy Lab.


March 15, 2021

New Stroum Center podcast series ‘Jewish Questions’ explores anti-Semitism, features UW faculty

“Jewish Questions,” a podcast from the Stroum Center for Jewish Studies, explores issues of Jewish life, politics, history and culture


March 10, 2021

Helpful behavior during pandemic tied to recognizing common humanity

Woman gives a box of masks to a donation drive at a UW parking lot.

A new University of Washington study finds that an identification with all humanity, as opposed to identification with a geographic area like a country or town, predicts whether someone will engage in “prosocial” behaviors particular to the pandemic, such as donating extra masks or coming to the aid of a sick person.


March 9, 2021

Dr. Anne McTiernan releases memoir, ‘Cured: A Doctor’s Journey from Panic to Peace’

Balancing motherhood and medical school is a challenge, but panic attacks and memories of childhood trauma make the path all the more difficult. With therapy, Dr. Anne McTiernan found her way through. Now she discusses her experiences in an intimate memoir, “Cured: A Doctor’s Journey from Panic to Peace.”


March 8, 2021

Watch the UW cherry blossoms virtually this year and avoid coming to campus due to COVID-19

up-close shot of blossoms on a cherry tree

The University of Washington once again is asking people to enjoy the iconic campus cherry blossoms virtually this year to promote physical distancing and safety during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.


March 4, 2021

A year with COVID-19: A chronology of how the UW adapted — and responded — to the pandemic

collage of photos in a timeline format

On March 6, 2020, the University of Washington became the first university in the U.S. to announce a move to remote instruction and work in an effort to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. Here’s a look back at the past year, from the perspectives of how the UW community adapted and the impact the…


Video: UW students join the front lines of the vaccination effort

Woman in scrubs pats woman rolling up shirt sleeve

By the end of February, around 350 UW students had signed up to be volunteer vaccinators in clinics from Tacoma to Marysville.


March 2, 2021

Faculty/staff honors: Field research grant, staffer’s play streams, cartoon remembrance

Recent honors and achievements by UW faculty and staff include a grant for field research in the Middle East, a staffer’s play being streamed by a Seattle theater and a professor’s cartoon remembrance of a relative lost to COVID-19.


February 18, 2021

Faculty/staff honors: Polymer Physics Prize, anthropology dissertation award

The Polymer Physics Prize from the American Physical Society and a dissertation award from the Society for American Archaeology.


February 16, 2021

UW books in brief: Historian Anand Yang explores British ‘penal transportation’; world music textbooks by Patricia Shehan Campbell

Historian Anand Yang writes about the British history of shipping of convicted criminals to other continents; and new world music education books from ethnomusicologist Patricia Shehan Campbell.


February 10, 2021

List of 1,000 inspiring Black scientists includes seven from UW

collage of portraits

Seven University of Washington scientists are included in Cell Mentor’s list of 1,000 inspiring Black scientists, published in December 2020. Cell Mentor is a collaborative resource between Cell Press and Cell Signaling Technology.


February 9, 2021

Faculty/staff honors: Holocaust commemoration, new compositions, a top local album of 2020

Recent honors and achievements by UW faculty include a keynote address at a national Holocaust commemoration event, an album of new compositions and a best-of-2020 musical nod from the Seattle Times.


February 2, 2021

‘Making Amends’ podcast explores remorse, intention among men at Oregon prison

outside of prison, surrounded by razor-wire fence

“Making Amends,” a new podcast by University of Washington professor Steve Herbert, explores themes of atonement among men incarcerated at the Oregon State Penitentiary.


February 1, 2021

UW books in brief: African American political theory, philosophy and migration, data science for health

Notable recent books written or edited by UW faculty include an exploration of African American political theory, a book on philosophy and migration and a textbook on health data science.


January 28, 2021

Official notice: UW determination of non-significance adoption of existing document

Official Notice image

The UW Bothell Husky Village Redevelopment project is being proposed in Development Area D of the campus to provide residence halls, apartments, dining, gathering and office space.


January 25, 2021

Nicolaas Barr translates powerful Dutch coming out memoir ‘Djinn’

Nicolaas Barr of the UW’s Comparative History of Ideas Department talks about his translation of “Djinn,” a memoir by Tofik Dibi, who served for six years as a member of the Dutch Parliament.


Emeritus professor Robert Edmonds pens history of forestry science at the UW

A talk with Robert Edmonds, professor emeritus in the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, who has written a new history of UW forestry research and education called “Saving Forest Ecosystems: A Century Plus of Research and Education at the University of Washington.”


January 20, 2021

‘Oxford Handbook of Electoral Systems,’ co-edited by UW’s Robert Pekkanen, out in paperback, online

"The Oxford Handbook of Electoral Systems," published in 2018, is coming out in paperback in February from Oxford University Press. The entire book is already available online through UW Libraries.

A book co-edited by Robert Pekkanen of the UW’s Jackson School of International Studies brings together top scholars to study the origins and effects of electoral systems in the United States and other democracies.


January 13, 2021

Soundbites & B-roll: Detecting COVID-19 in wastewater

Man in hard hat and gloves in small room holding large vial with clear light brown fluid in it.

When someone has the coronavirus, some of it is shed in their fecal matter. So what people flush has become useful material to University of Washington researchers who are developing a new testing method for COVID-19 in sewage.


January 4, 2021

Faculty/staff honors: Distinguished educator, historic preservation planning award — and a film documentary appearance

Ann Bostrom, professor in the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, has received the 2020 Distinguished Educator Award from the Society for Risk Analysis.

Recent honors to and awards for UW faculty and staff members include a documentary film appearance, a distinguished educator award and an honor for historic preservation planning.



Previous page Next page