UW News

The latest news from the UW


March 14, 2024

UW researchers taught kids to code with cultural research and embroidery machines

University of Washington researchers taught a group of high schoolers to code by combining cultural research into various embroidery traditions with “computational embroidery.” The method teaches kids to encode embroidery patterns on a computer through a coding language called Turtlestitch.

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March 13, 2024

Q&A: UW expert on the rising rates of immunosuppression among U.S. adults

A new UW study places the prevalence of immunosuppression at around 6.6% of American adults — more than twice as high as previously understood. That rise could have broad implications for how we navigate the late stages of COVID-19 and prepare for future pandemics.  

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March 12, 2024

AI analysis of historical satellite images show USSR collapse in 1990s increased methane emissions, despite lower oil and gas production

An AI-powered analysis of 25 years of satellite images yields the surprising finding that methane emissions in Turkmenistan, a former Soviet republic and major oil-producing region, actually increased in the years following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

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March 11, 2024

Video: Admissions director answers six commonly asked questions about applying to the UW’s Seattle campus

Six of the most commonly asked questions about how competitive it is to get into the UW and how admissions decisions are made are answered in this video featuring Paul Seegert, Director of Admissions on the Seattle campus.

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Q&A: How Instagram influencers profit from anti-vaccine misinformation

New research from the UW examines how three wellness Instagram influencers profited from anti-vaccine misinformation.

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March 8, 2024

UW cherry blossoms set for peak bloom in late March

Cherry trees on the University of Washington’s Seattle campus are waking up and getting ready to say hello. For the 29 iconic Yoshino cherry trees in the UW Quad, peak bloom will likely begin after March 20. But cherry tree fans don’t have to wait for peak bloom to visit campus.

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March 7, 2024

ArtSci Roundup: Mark Morris Dance Group, Psychology Seminar, Screening Queer Hong Kong, and more

This week, head to Meany Hall for The Look of Love performance by the Mark Morris Dance Group, learn about recent research at a clinical seminar hosted by the Department of Psychology, tune into a book talk with the Japan Studies Program, and more. March 12, 11:30 am – 12:50 pm | Psychology Cross-Area Clinical…

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March 6, 2024

Scientists CT-scanned thousands of natural history specimens, which you can access for free

Natural history museums have entered a new stage of discovery and accessibility — one where scientists around the globe and curious folks at home can access valuable museum specimens to study, learn or just be amazed. This new era follows the completion of openVertebrate, or oVert, a five-year collaborative project among 18 institutions to create 3D reconstructions of vertebrate specimens and make them freely available online. The team behind this endeavor, which includes scientists at the University of Washington and its Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture, published a summary of the project March 6 in the journal BioScience, offering a glimpse of how the data can be used to ask new questions and spur the development of innovative technology.

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March 1, 2024

Public Notice: UWMC-Northwest Major Institution Master Plan Final EIS

Project Name: UWMC-Northwest Major Institution Master Plan (MIMP) Final EIS Proponent & Lead Agency: University of Washington Description of Proposal: The UW Medical Center – Northwest Major Institution Master Plan update will allow for space on the campus to accommodate projected population growth and corresponding increase in healthcare demands. It would also allow for replacing…

February 29, 2024

ArtSci Roundup: First Wednesday Concert Series, Book Talks, Ethnomusicology Visiting Artist Concert and more

This week, enjoy the First Wednesday Concert Series in Allen Library, be awed by Ethnomusicology Visiting Artist Concert with Shoji Kameda, attend book talks, and more. March 4, 2:30 – 4:30 pm | Annual Graduate Student Invited Lecturer | Know Your Place, Know Your Calling: Geography, Race, and Kant’s ‘World-Citizen’, Denny Hall Graduate students in the…

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Q&A: How a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s disease could also work for Type 2 diabetes

Alzheimer’s disease and Type 2 diabetes are part of a family of amyloid diseases that are characterized by having proteins that cluster together. UW researchers have demonstrated more similarities between the two diseases.

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February 28, 2024

UW graduate receives prestigious Gates Cambridge scholarship

Sonia Fereidooni, who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Washington, was selected for the prestigious Gates Cambridge Scholarship. Fereidooni, 22, will receive a full-cost scholarship to pursue doctoral work in Digital Humanities at the University of Cambridge, England. The highly competitive scholarship brings recognition of accomplishments and future promise. This year, 26 students…

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80 mph speed record for glacier fracture helps reveal the physics of ice sheet collapse

New research documents the fastest-known large-scale breakage along an Antarctic ice shelf. In 2012, a 6.5-mile crack formed in about 5 and a half minutes, showing that ice shelves can effectively shatter, though the speed of breakage is reduced by seawater rushing in. These results can help improve ice-sheet models and projections for future sea level rise.

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Vision Zero road safety projects in Seattle are unlikely to have negative impacts on local business sales, UW study finds

An analysis of seven safety projects across Seattle found they had no negative impact on the annual revenues of nearby businesses for three years after construction began.

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February 27, 2024

Q&A: Decline in condom use indicates need for further education, awareness

New research from Steven Goodreau, University of Washington professor of anthropology, shows that condom use has been trending downward among younger gay and bisexual men over the last decade, even when they aren’t taking pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP.

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February 22, 2024

ArtSci Roundup: War in the Middle East Lecture Series, Dance Majors Concert, Borden Lecture in Theoretical Chemistry, and more

This week, attend the War in the Middle East Lecture Series, check out the Dance Majors Concert, listen to the Weston and Sheila Borden Endowed Lecture in Theoretical Chemistry, and more. February 26, 7:30 pm | Baroque Ensemble: Telemannia, Brechemin Auditorium The UW Baroque Ensemble, led by director Tekla Cunningham, will perform works by Telemann…

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Admitted students to the UW now have until June 1 to commit, a result of FAFSA delays

The University of Washington is extending the confirmation date for newly admitted freshman undergraduate students from May 1 to June 1 for the 2024-25 academic year. June 1 is now the date when admitted students must confirm their acceptance and place a deposit to hold their spot in the fall 2024 entering class. 

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February 20, 2024

UW computer scientists and chemist named Sloan Fellows

Three University of Washington faculty members have been awarded early-career fellowships from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The new Sloan Fellows, announced Feb. 20, are Simon S. Du and Adriana Schulz, both assistant professors in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, and Alexandra Velian, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry in the College of Arts & Sciences.

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February 16, 2024

Video: Bringing stars back to the sea 

Scientists at Friday Harbor Laboratories, a University of Washington facility in the San Juan Islands, are working to help sunflower stars — a type of sea star — grow and thrive once again after their populations along the West Coast were devastated by a mysterious disease called sea star wasting syndrome.

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February 15, 2024

ArtSci Roundup: The Big Read, DXARTS Winter Concert, LOVERULES Exhibition and more

This week, attend the “Big Read” conversation with Dr. Joy Buolamwini, visit the Henry Art Gallery for Hank Willis Thomas’ LOVERULES Exhibition, head to the Seattle Art Museum for “Tides of Times: A Conversation On Maritime Asia in Art and Trade” and more. February 20, 1:00 pm | The Big Read: Keynote Conversation with the…

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First-ever atomic freeze-frame of liquid water

In an experiment akin to stop-motion photography, an international team co-led by University of Washington scientists has isolated the energetic movement of an electron in a sample of liquid water — while “freezing” the motion of the much larger atom it orbits.

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UW’s Tateuchi East Asian Library celebrates recent renovations, reopening

While visiting Seattle five years ago for a wedding, Chad Westra toured the University of Washington. He made his way to the third floor of Gowen Hall and discovered the Tateuchi East Asian Library with its sculpted, curved ceiling and bright, big windows. The library was “enchanting.”

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Q&A: What is the best route to fairer AI systems?

Mike Teodorescu, a University of Washington assistant professor in the Information School, proposes that private enterprise standards for fairer machine learning systems would inform governmental regulation.

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February 14, 2024

The UW once again is a Fulbright top producer

The University of Washington is proud to be included on the list of U.S. colleges and universities that produced the most 2023-24 Fulbright U.S. students and scholars. This recognition is given to the U.S. colleges and universities that had the highest number of applicants selected for the 2023-24 Fulbright U.S. Student and Fulbright U.S. Scholar Programs.

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February 13, 2024

UW is among the top universities worldwide, ranked by reputation

The University of Washington was No. 26 in the world on the Times Higher Education annual reputation ranking, released on February 12.

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February 8, 2024

ArtSci Roundup: Journeys of Black Mathematicians, Circa Performance, Building Scyborgs Lecture, and more

This week, head to Kane Hall for the film screening of Journeys of Black Mathematicians: Forging Resilience, attend K. Wayne Yang’s discussion on scyborgs and decolonization, enjoy next level circus by the Australian contemporary circus group Circa, and more. February 12, 3:30 – 5:00 pm | Black Soldiers and the Racial Debilitation of Slavery and…

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Foul fumes pose pollinator problems

Scientists at the University of Washington have discovered that nighttime air pollution — coming primarily from car exhaust and power plant emissions — is responsible for a major drop in nighttime pollinator activity. Nitrate radicals (NO3) in the air degrade the scent chemicals released by a common wildflower, drastically reducing the scent-based cues that its chief pollinators rely on to locate the flower. The findings, published Feb. 9 in Science, are the first to show how nighttime pollution creates a chain of chemical reactions that degrades scent cues, leaving flowers undetectable by smell. The researchers also determined that pollution likely has worldwide impacts on pollination.

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February 7, 2024

Q&A: Helping robots identify objects in cluttered spaces

Robots in warehouses and even around our houses struggle to identify and pick up objects if they are too close together, or if a space is cluttered. This is because robots lack what psychologists call “object unity,” or our ability to identify things even when we can’t see all of them. Researchers at the University of Washington have developed a way to teach robots this skill.

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UW-developed smart earrings can monitor a person’s temperature

University of Washington researchers introduced the Thermal Earring, a wireless wearable that continuously monitors a user’s earlobe temperature. Potential applications include tracking signs of ovulation, stress, eating and exercise. The smart earring prototype is about the size and weight of a small paperclip and has a 28-day battery life.

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February 6, 2024

Nancy Allbritton elected to National Academy of Engineering

Nancy Allbritton, the dean of the University of Washington College of Engineering and a UW professor of bioengineering, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering.

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Parents’ conversational approaches about Black Lives Matter differ by race

A new study from the University of Washington professor Andrew Meltzoff and Northwestern University showed key differences in the language Black parents and white used to explain Black Lives Matter.

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February 1, 2024

ArtSci Roundup: The Big Read, Guest Pianist Recital, Neuroinclusive Teaching Strategies, and more

This week, check out the Guest Pianist Recital with Alexandre Dossin, learn about neurodiverse teaching strategies with Hala Annabi, attend The Big Read hosted by the College of Arts and Sciences, and more. February 6, 7:30 pm | Guest Pianist Recital: Alexandre Dossin, University of Oregon, Brechemin Auditorium The School of Music has invited pianist…

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January 31, 2024

Determination of non-significance: Anderson Hall Renovation

Pursuant to the provisions of WAC 197-11-340 and WAC 478-324-140, the University of Washington hereby provides public notice of: DETERMINATION OF NON-SIGNIFICANCE Project Name: Anderson Hall Renovation Proponent/Lead Agency: University of Washington–Seattle Campus Comment Period Closes: February 14, 2024 Description of Proposal: The proposed University of Washington Anderson Hall project is intended to provide interior…

Determination of non-significance: Lot E18 Solar Canopy Project

Pursuant to the provisions of WAC 197-11-340 and WAC 478-324-140, the University of Washington hereby provides public notice of: DETERMINATION OF NON-SIGNIFICANCE Project Name: Lot E18 Solar Canopy Project Proponent/Lead Agency: University of Washington–Seattle Campus Comment Period Closes: February 14 2024 Description of Proposal: The University is proposing to install an approximately 4,820 SF solar…

January 30, 2024

Using computers to design proteins allows researchers to make tunable hydrogels that can form both inside and outside of cells

New research led by the UW demonstrates a new class of hydrogels that can form not just outside cells, but also inside of them. These hydrogels exhibited similar mechanical properties both inside and outside of cells, providing researchers with a new tool to group proteins together inside of cells.

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January 29, 2024

Q&A: How ‘slow slip’ earthquakes may be driven by deep hydraulic fracturing

New research confirms the cause of slow slip along the Cascadia Subduction Zone and other faults that is accompanied by intermittent tremors or “pops” at the surface. Co-authors Marine Denolle and Joan Gomberg discuss the role of fluid-driven fracturing deep underground.

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January 28, 2024

UW community mourns passing of civic leader Nancy Evans

The University of Washington community is mourning the passing of Nancy Bell Evans – a supporter of education, health care, and arts and culture, and someone who brought energy, grace, and passion to public and nonprofit service.

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January 25, 2024

ArtSci Roundup: Katz Distinguished Lecture, Book Talks, Michelle Cann Piano Performance, and more

This week, listen to the Katz Distinguished Lecture series led by Sasha Su-Ling Welland, join a book talk event with Dr. Alexander Bubb, be awed by Michelle Cann’s piano performance, and more. January 26, 10:00 – 11:00 am | 18/19 GRC Book Talk: Asian Classics on the Victorian Bookshelf with Dr. Alexander Bubb, Zoom UW…

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January 23, 2024

Report on Washington’s Extended Foster Care program shows successful ways to support more young adults

The state of Washington’s Extended Foster Care program — in which young adults ages 18-21 can continue to receive some support — could help even more people by expanding participation, providing greater flexibility in eligibility criteria, and extending benefits, according to a new report from the University of Washington.

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January 22, 2024

Shallow soda lakes show promise as cradles of life on Earth

Field observations from an unusual lake show that in environments known as “soda lakes” phosphate can concentrate at the very high levels needed for the basic molecules of life to emerge. A shallow, salty lake in western Canada gives new support to Charles Darwin’s idea that life could have emerged in a “warm little pond.”

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