UW News
The latest news from the UW
December 18, 2018
Salmon may lose the ability to smell danger as carbon emissions rise
New research shows that the powerful sense of smell Pacific salmon rely on for migration, finding food and avoiding predators might be in trouble as carbon emissions continue to be absorbed by our ocean.
Tag(s): Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences • Evan Gallagher • salmon • School of Public HealthDecember 17, 2018
American Talent Initiative shows increased college access for lower-income students
The American Talent Initiative, a nationwide alliance comprising the University of Washington and more than 100 other colleges and universities, has made significant progress in improving opportunities for low- and moderate-income students, according to a new report.
Tag(s): Ana Mari Cauce
UW Evans School study of Fauntleroy ferry service proposes improvements to technology, engagement
Suggested upgrades to technology, training and communication — and funding them appropriately — lie at the heart of recommendations to the state from UW Evans School researchers after a study of service at the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal in West Seattle.
Tag(s): Alison Cullen • Evans School of Public Policy & Governance • Stephen Page
How a workshop about getting along became a story stoking division
A small study about a workshop to bring together students of different political persuasions found that workshop participants were able to better understand their fellow students as individuals, but their attitudes about opposing beliefs, in general, did not change.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Psychology • Jonathan Kanter • Katherine ManbeckDecember 14, 2018
Statement from UW President Ana Mari Cauce on Governor’s proposed 2019-2021 biennial budget
The following is a statement from University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce in response to Gov. Jay Inslee’s proposed 2019-2021 biennial budget
Tag(s): Ana Mari Cauce
UW glaciologist gets first look at NASA’s new measurements of ice sheet elevation
UW glaciologist Ben Smith shared a first look at the NASA ICESat-2 satellite’s view of Greenland and Antarctic glaciers at the American Geophysical Union’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
Tag(s): Applied Physics Laboratory • Benjamin Smith • College of the Environment • Department of Earth and Space SciencesDecember 13, 2018
Underwater sensors for monitoring sea life (and where to find them)
A UW team created a mechanical eye under the ocean’s surface that could live near renewable-energy sites and use a series of sensors to watch nearby animals. On Dec. 13, the researchers put the newest version of the AMP into the waters of Seattle’s Portage Bay for two weeks of preliminary testing before a more thorough analysis is conducted in Sequim, Washington.
Tag(s): Brian Polagye • College of Engineering • Department of Mechanical Engineering
Hark! UW talents — on page and disc — for the good Dawgs on your holiday shopping list
As the year comes to a close and festivities abound, some UW faculty creations can make great gifts for the thinking Dawg on your giving list.
Tag(s): Amaranth Borsuk • Applied Physics Laboratory • books • Charles Johnson • College of Arts & Sciences • College of Built Environments • Craig Sheppard • Cuong Vu • Dana Manalang • David Shields • Department of Architecture • Department of Biology • Department of English • Jackson School of International Studies • Jim Kenagy • Kathryn Rogers Merlino • Kenneth Pyle • Michael Honey • Michael Partington • Pimone Triplett • School of Music • University of Washington Press • UW Bothell • UW TacomaDecember 12, 2018
Arts Roundup: Visit the Henry Art Gallery, see Clotilde Jiménez’s exhibition, and attend the last event of the year at the Burke
End 2018 artfully by visiting the Henry Art Gallery, seeing Clotilde Jiménez’s “Apple of My Eye” before it closes, and ringing in the new year and at the same time – saying goodbye – to the old Burke Museum! Visit the Henry Art Gallery The Henry is internationally recognized for bold and challenging exhibitions, for pushing…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • Henry Art Gallery • Jacob Lawrence Gallery • School of Art + Art History + Design
Teens get more sleep, show improved grades and attendance with later school start time, researchers find
In 2016, Seattle Public Schools pushed back the start times for the district’s 18 high schools by 55 minutes, from 7:50 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. And as hoped, teenagers used the extra time to sleep in.
Tag(s): circadian rhythms • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Biology • education • Horacio de la Iglesia
Attention, please! Anticipation of touch takes focus, executive skills
A study by the University of Washington and Temple University examines what happens in children’s brains when they anticipate a touch to the hand, and relates this brain activity to the executive functions the child demonstrates on other mental tasks.
Tag(s): Andrew Meltzoff • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Psychology • I-LABSDecember 11, 2018
What social stress in monkeys can tell us about human health
A new University of Washington-led study examines one key stress-inducing circumstance — the effects of social hierarchy — and how cells respond to the hormones that are released in response to that stress.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Psychology • Noah Snyder-Mackler
Researchers create first sensor package that can ride aboard bees
Farmers can already use drones to soar over huge fields and monitor temperature, humidity or crop health. But these machines need so much power to fly that they can’t get very far without needing a charge. Now, engineers at the University of Washington have created a sensing system that is small enough to ride aboard a bumblebee.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering • Department of Mechanical Engineering • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering • Sawyer Fuller • Shyam Gollakota • Vikram IyerDecember 10, 2018
Ancient whale named for UW paleontologist Elizabeth Nesbitt
A new species of whale discovered in 33-million-year-old Oregon rock has been named for Elizabeth Nesbitt, a curator at the Burke Museum and faculty member in the UW’s Department of Earth and Space Sciences.
Tag(s): Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of the Environment • Department of Earth and Space Sciences • Elizabeth Nesbitt • paleontology
Frank Hodge named dean of the Foster School of Business
Frank Hodge has been named the next Orin and Janet Smith dean of the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business, Provost Mark A. Richards announced today. His appointment, set to begin July 9, 2019, is subject to approval by the UW Board of Regents.
Tag(s): Foster School of Business • Frank Hodge
Q&A: New Washington Sea Grant director brings love of learning, experience across sectors
Russell Callender began as Washington Sea Grant’s new director this fall, and UW News sat down with him recently to learn more about what he hopes to bring to the organization.
Tag(s): Q&A • Russell Callender • Washington Sea GrantDecember 7, 2018
UW is top U.S. public institution for federal research expenditures
The University of Washington is the top public institution in the country when ranked by 2017 fiscal year (FY) federal research expenditures according to data recently released by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Tag(s): University of WashingtonDecember 6, 2018
Two-dimensional materials skip the energy barrier by growing one row at a time
A new collaborative study led by a research team at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Washington could provide engineers new design rules for creating microelectronics, membranes and tissues, and open up better production methods for new materials.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • College of Engineering • Department of Chemistry • Department of Materials Science & Engineering • James De Yoreo • Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Biggest extinction in Earth’s history caused by global warming leaving ocean animals gasping for breath
New research from the University of Washington and Stanford University combines models of ocean conditions and animal metabolism with published lab data and paleoceanographic records to show that the Permian mass extinction in the oceans was caused by global warming that left animals unable to breathe. As temperatures rose and the metabolism of marine animals sped up, the warmer waters could not hold enough oxygen for them to survive.
Tag(s): climate change • College of the Environment • Curtis Deutsch • paleontology • School of OceanographyDecember 3, 2018
‘Carbon accountability’: UW architecture professor Kate Simonen sees progress in work to reduce embodied carbon in construction materials
Kate Simonen, architect, engineer and UW associate professor of architecture, discusses recent work by her and the Carbon Leadership Forum toward reducing embodied carbon in construction materials.
Tag(s): College of Built Environments • Department of Architecture • embodied carbon • Kate Simonen • Q&A
ARTSUW Roundup: Arts and Engagement in Early Postwar Japan, UW Symphony with Robin McCabe, and More
This week in the arts, learn about the history of art and its politics in Japan post-1945, see the final performances of Fefu and Her Friends, take a workshop at the Henry Art Gallery, and more! Art and Engagement in Early Postwar Japan December 7, 3:30 PM| Thomson Hall Justin Jesty, associate professor at the…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Asian Languages & Literature • Henry Art Gallery • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • Meany Hall for the Performing Arts • School of Art + Art History + Design • School of Drama • School of Music
UW’s Havana McElvaine selected as prestigious Marshall scholar
University of Washington alumna Havana McElvaine, Class of 2017, has been selected as a Marshall scholar, one of the highest honors available to college graduates in the U.S. She plans to attend the London School of Economics and Oxford University.
Tag(s): Alexes Harris • Marshall ScholarNovember 30, 2018
UW professors Terrance Kavanagh, Jay Shendure elected as fellows of the AAAS
Two University of Washington researchers, Terrance Kavanagh and Jay Shendure, are among the 416 new fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, announced in November.
Tag(s): Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences • Department of Genome Sciences • Jay Shendure • School of Medicine • School of Public Health • Terrence KavanaghNovember 29, 2018
Forests, human health, Northwest outlook: UW researchers involved in Fourth National Climate Assessment
University of Washington researchers contributed to the Fourth National Climate Assessment that considers impacts, risks and adaptation across the United States.
Tag(s): climate change • Climate Impacts Group • College of the Environment • David Butman • David Peterson • forests • Kristie Ebi • Q&A • School of Environmental and Forest Sciences • School of Public Health
Why culture is key to improving the ‘interpretive power’ of psychology
Three researchers from the University of Washington Department of Psychology say existing practices overlook the importance of culture, and suggest how individuals and institutions can be more inclusive.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Psychology • Laura Brady • Stephanie Fryberg • Yuichi ShodaNovember 28, 2018
UW-led philosophy team receives $1.5M grant to study the ethics of neurotechnology research
University of Washington researchers in the Center for Neurotechnology are studying how brain-computer interfaces affect whether patients feel they are in charge of their own actions.
Tag(s): Center for Neurotechnology • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Philosophy • Eran Klein • Sara GoeringNovember 27, 2018
Threatened tropical coral reefs form complex, ancient associations with bacteria, researchers say
In a comprehensive study of healthy corals published Nov. 22 in the journal Nature Communications, a team of scientists from the University of Washington Bothell, Pennsylvania State University and Oregon State University report that coral bacteria are a surprisingly diverse bunch — and that different sections of the coral body can host unique communities of bacteria.
Tag(s): conservation • Jesse Zaneveld • marine microbiology • microbes and viruses • UW BothellNovember 26, 2018
Papyrus scrolls to Kindle and beyond: UW professor pens meditation on ‘the book’
What is a “book” in the digital age — and what will it become? Amaranth Borsuk, assistant professor in the UW Bothell School of Interdisciplinary Studies, discusses the idea of “the book,” from clay tablets and papyrus scrolls to the hyperlinked, multimedia format of the digital age. She has her own new book out on the topic, titled “The Book.”
Tag(s): Amaranth Borsuk • UW Bothell
ArtsUW Roundup: Opening Night of Fefu and Her Friends, Music of Displaced Peoples, Donna Haraway Film Screening, and more!
This week in the arts, attend María Irene Fornés’ most celebrated, realistic and feminist works, go to opening night of Clotilde Jiménez’s “Apple of My Eye”, learn about the restoration of the miraculous image of the Madonna del Baraccano, listen to a 100-voice gospel choir, and more. Fefu and Her Friends November 28 to December…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • exhibits & exhibitions • film • Henry Art Gallery • Jacob Lawrence • Jacob Lawrence Gallery • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • Meany Hall for the Performing Arts • School of Art + Art History + Design • School of Drama • School of Music • UW Drama
UW, Tableau create interactive tool to explore more than a century of Pacific Northwest weather observations
A new, free tool with temperature and precipitation records across Washington, Oregon, Idaho and western Montana as far back as 1881 lets users play around to discover significant trends. It also includes historical snow records for Washington state.
Tag(s): climate • Climate Impacts Group • College of the Environment • Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean and Ecosystem Studies • Heidi Roop • Karin Bumbaco • Office of the Washington State Climatologist • weather
Parents learn, babies talk: How coaching moms and dads leads to better language skills among infants
A new study from the University of Washington’s Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS) shows that parents who learn how and why to speak “parentese” can have a direct impact on their children’s vocabulary.
Tag(s): Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences • I-LABS • Naja Ferjan Ramirez • Patricia KuhlNovember 20, 2018
Mobile health has power to transform HIV/AIDS nursing
The abundance of personal smartphones in southern African countries got University of Washington professor Sarah Gimbel thinking: What if these phones were used by front-line health workers — namely nurses — to collect and analyze data on patients living with HIV or AIDS to improve their care?
Tag(s): Department of Global Health • HIV and AIDS • sarah gimbel • School of Medicine • School of Nursing • School of Public Health
Study brings new climate models of small star TRAPPIST 1’s seven intriguing worlds
Not all stars are like the sun, so not all planetary systems can be studied with the same expectations. New research from a University of Washington-led team of astronomers gives updated climate models for the seven planets around the star TRAPPIST-1.
Tag(s): Andrew Lincowski • Astrobiology Program • astronomy & astrophysics • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Astronomy • Jacob Lustig-Yaeger • Victoria Meadows • Virtual Planetary LaboratoryNovember 19, 2018
UW political scientist Mark Smith asks: How do we know what’s true?
A timely new University of Washington political science class asks: How do we separate fact from fiction these days? How do we know what is true?
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Political Science • Mark A. Smith
UW’s Marina Alberti to lead new NSF-funded research network to study impact of cities on Earth’s evolutionary dynamics
Here in what is called the Anthropocene era, humans and our urban environments appear to be driving accelerated evolutionary change in plants, animals, fungi, viruses and more — changes that could affect key ecosystem functions and thus human well-being. These interactions between evolution and ecology are called “eco-evolutionary feedback.” The National Science Foundation has awarded…
Tag(s): books • College of Built Environments • evolution • John Marzluff • Marina Alberti • Urban Ecology Research Laboratory
The ‘Swiss Army knife of prehistoric tools’ found in Asia, independent of ancient African or European influence
A study by an international team of researchers, including from the University of Washington, determines that carved stone tools, also known as Levallois cores, were used in Asia 80,000 to 170,000 years ago. With the find — and absent human fossils linking the tools to migrating populations — researchers believe people in Asia developed the technology independently, evidence of similar sets of skills evolving throughout different parts of the ancient world.
Tag(s): Ben Marwick • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of AnthropologyNovember 18, 2018
UW joins with WSU to promote affordability of public higher education
Public higher education is not just possible, it is easily within reach for Washington residents. That’s the message behind a new joint public-awareness campaign of the University of Washington and Washington State University to promote the affordability of higher education in the state of Washington.
Tag(s): University of Washington • Washington State UniversityNovember 14, 2018
ArtsUW Roundup: A Library of Black Lies, Power and Pleasure in Indian Painting, and more!
This week in the arts, shop for hand-printed gifts, attend a sonic-theatrical performance, dive into lectures about Indian Painting in Mewar and Marwar, and more! Print Sale November 14 to 15, 8:00 AM–7:00 PM | Art Building Hand-printed artwork, cards, soft goods, and more! UW student members of the UW Printmaking Association and UW printmaking alums…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • College of Arts & Sciences • exhibits & exhibitions • Henry Art Gallery • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • Meany Hall for the Performing Arts • School of Art + Art History + Design • School of Music
First tally of U.S.-Russia polar bears finds a healthy population
The first assessment of polar bears that live in the biologically rich Chukchi Sea region that spans the U.S. and Russia, finds that the population is healthy and not yet suffering from declining sea ice.
Tag(s): Applied Physics Laboratory • biology • climate change • Eric Regehr • polar science • Polar Science Center
Gold standard: UW wins recognition as bike friendly campus
The University of Washington has won a Gold Bicycle Friendly University award from the League of American Bicyclists in recognition of its achievements in promoting safe, accessible bicycling on campus.
Tag(s): Transportation Services« Previous Page Next Page »