UW News

The latest news from the UW


August 2, 2018

UW books in brief: Urban diaries, battling Jim Crow on campus and more

Recent notable books by University of Washington authors tell of the struggle to break free of racism in higher education, taking an “urban diary” approach to documenting city life and more.

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August 1, 2018

Harmful dyes in lakes, rivers can become colorless with new, sponge-like material

A team led by the University of Washington has created an environmentally friendly way to remove color from dyes in water in a matter of seconds.

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July 31, 2018

Lou Cariello named vice president for UW Facilities

Lou Cariello has been named vice president of UW Facilities, University of Washington Executive Vice President Jeff Scott announced earlier this month. Cariello is scheduled to start in mid-August.

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July 30, 2018

Sea-level rise report contains best projections yet for Washington’s coasts

A University of Washington report provides the best projections yet for sea-level rise due to climate change at 171 sites along Washington’s coasts.

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July 25, 2018

And then there was (more) light: Researchers boost performance quality of perovskites

In a paper published online this spring in the journal Nature Photonics, scientists at the University of Washington report that a prototype semiconductor thin-film has performed even better than today’s best solar cell materials at emitting light.

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July 23, 2018

Study shows why eastern U.S. air pollution levels are more stagnant in winter

Observations over the eastern U.S. show why emissions reductions haven’t achieved the same results in winter as they have in summer.

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July 19, 2018

UW Oceanography ranks No. 1 in global ranking; more than two dozen areas in top 40

The University of Washington’s School of Oceanography is ranked No. 1 in the world on the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects list for 2018. The ranking, released this week, was conducted by researchers at the Center for World-Class Universities of Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

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UW Nurse Camp provides high school students with exposure to the promise of a nursing degree

As a middle school student, Srinya Sukrachan spent a lot of time in hospitals. She had juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and her father was battling colon cancer.

When she was 17, her personal health care experience led her to participate in the University of Washington School of Nursing’s first Nurse Camp. Now, a decade later, Sukrachan is one of the student leaders for the camp’s 10-year anniversary session and she’s become an advocate with a passion for teaching, equity and inclusion. The recent School of Nursing graduate already also has a job lined up at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle.

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July 18, 2018

Atlantic Ocean circulation is not collapsing – but as it shifts gears, global warming will reaccelerate

New research suggests the Atlantic Ocean is transitioning back to its slower phase, which means average global air temperatures will go back to rising more quickly.

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July 17, 2018

14 UW professors elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences in 2018

Fourteen scientists, physicians and engineers from the University of Washington have been elected this year to the Washington State Academy of Sciences.

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July 16, 2018

Dr. Gary Chiodo named interim dean at UW School of Dentistry

Dr. Gary Chiodo of Oregon Health & Science University has been appointed interim dean of the University of Washington School of Dentistry, effective Aug. 1, UW President Ana Mari Cauce and Provost Mark Richards announced Monday.

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Chronicle of Higher Ed: UW a ‘Great College to Work For’

The University of Washington has been recognized as a “Great College to Work For” by The Chronicle of Higher Education for the fifth consecutive year. The UW received accolades in five categories.

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July 13, 2018

Battling STEM stereotypes, UW’s Sapna Cheryan helps Barbie evolve

Sapna Cheryan, a University of Washington associate professor of psychology, has spent her career researching the stereotypes surrounding STEM. Now she’s serving on Mattel’s Barbie Global Advisory Council, lending her expertise as the company looks ahead to the toy’s future.

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July 9, 2018

Oxygen levels on early Earth rose and fell several times before the successful Great Oxidation Event

Earth’s oxygen levels rose and fell more than once hundreds of millions of years before the planetwide success of the Great Oxidation Event about 2.4 billion years ago, new research from the University of Washington shows.

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Pucker up, baby! Lips take center stage in infants’ brains, study says

  A typically developing 2-month-old baby can make cooing sounds, suck on her hand to calm down and smile at people. At that age, the mouth is the primary focus: Such young infants aren’t yet reaching for objects with their hands or using their feet to get around, so the lips – for eating, pacifying…

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July 2, 2018

Study identifies which marine mammals are most at risk from increased Arctic ship traffic

Regions of Arctic water are becoming ice-free in late summer and early fall. A new study is the first to consider potential impacts on the marine mammals that use this region and identify which populations will be the most vulnerable to ships.

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Q&A: What can we learn from the hidden history of technology design?

University of Washington assistant professor of human centered design and engineering Daniela Rosner explores some hidden histories in technology design in her new book “Critical Fabulations.” The book highlights the idea that design stories from the past can show today’s designers how to create more inclusive technology.

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June 28, 2018

UW professor and Clean Energy Institute director Daniel Schwartz wins highest U.S. award for STEM mentors

Daniel Schwartz, a University of Washington professor of chemical engineering and director of the Clean Energy Institute, received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Science Foundation this week.

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UW President Ana Mari Cauce named ‘Great Immigrant’ on 2018 Carnegie list

University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce has been named one of 38 great immigrants by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

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June 27, 2018

To tell the sex of a Galápagos penguin, measure its beak, researchers say

In a paper published April 5 in the journal Endangered Species Research, scientists at the University of Washington announced that, for a Galápagos penguin, beak size is nearly a perfect indicator of whether a bird is male or female.

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Vintage editorial cartoons by Oregon’s Howard Fisher in UW Libraries exhibit ‘Captured in Ink’

UW Libraries Special Collections has a new exhibit called “Captured in Ink: Historical Cartoons and Caricatures.” The exhibit features the editorial cartoons of Howard Fisher, who worked and drew for decades for the Oregon Journal, a Portland newspaper that folded in 1982. Many other historical caricatures are included as well in the display, which stays up until October 19.

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June 25, 2018

UW part of NASA network coordinating search for life on exoplanets

Researchers with the UW-led Virtual Planetary Laboratory are central to a group of papers published by NASA researchers today in the journal Astrobiology outlining the history — and suggesting the future — of the search for life on exoplanets, or those orbiting stars other than the sun.

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June 21, 2018

Q Center’s Jen Self a grand marshal at 2018 Seattle Pride Parade

The University of Washington’s Jen Self will be one of three grand marshals of Sunday’s 2018 Seattle Pride Parade.

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NASA, NSF expedition to study ocean carbon embarks in August from Seattle

More than 100 scientists and crew from more than 20 U.S. research institutions, including the UW, will depart in August for a month-long expedition to study how the ocean absorbs carbon from the atmosphere.

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June 20, 2018

Why 9 to 5 isn’t the only shift that can work for busy families

    For the millions of Americans who work “nonstandard” shifts – evenings, nights or with rotating days off – the schedule can be especially challenging with children at home. But a new study from the University of Washington finds that consistent hours, at whatever time of day, can give families flexibility and in some…

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Ali Mokdad named chief strategy officer for Population Health

Ali Mokdad has been named the chief strategy officer for Population Health at the University of Washington, President Ana Mari Cauce announced today. In this new role he will be responsible for collaboratively setting and executing the UW’s vision and strategy for the Population Health Initiative, a 25-year effort to create a world where all people can live healthier and more fulfilling lives.

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June 18, 2018

Evans School faculty to study Fauntleroy ferry concerns for Washington State Ferries

The Washington State Legislature has commissioned faculty members with the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy & Governance to study ticketing and loading procedures at the West Seattle ferry dock and suggest ways to improve terminal operations. Evans School professor Alison Cullen and associate professor Stephen Page will lead the study, which begins…

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Great white sharks dive deep into warm-water whirlpools in the Atlantic

Tracking of two great white sharks reveals for the first time that in the open ocean they spend more time deep inside warm-water eddies.

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June 15, 2018

Study: Undergrad research experiences make a noticeable difference

A new analysis suggests the value of structured research programs for undergraduates extends to society as a whole by encouraging participants to seek advanced degrees in scientific and technological fields.

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June 14, 2018

‘Teachers are brain engineers’: UW study shows how intensive instruction changes brain circuitry in struggling readers

    The early years are when the brain develops the most, forming neural connections that pave the way for how a child — and the eventual adult — will express feelings, embark on a task, and learn new skills and concepts. Scientists have even theorized that the anatomical structure of neural connections forms the…

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Key ocean fish can prevail with changes to farmed fish, livestock diets

Anchovies, herring, sardines and other forage fish play an essential role in the food web as prey for seabirds, marine mammals and larger fish like salmon. When ground into fishmeal and oil, they are also a key food source for farmed seafood and land-based livestock such as pigs and poultry. As seafood consumption outpaces the…

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June 12, 2018

Anthropology professor focuses book on the bonds between humans, animals

Radhika Govindrajan’s book “Animal Intimacies” started attracting attention before it was even available to readers. A University of Washington assistant professor of anthropology since 2015, Govindrajan specializes in animal studies, and in the politics and culture of the Central Himalayas, where much of the research for this book was conducted. “Animal Intimacies,” published in May…

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June 11, 2018

Warmer climate will dramatically increase the volatility of global corn crops

A study of global maize production in 2100 shows dramatic increases in the variability of corn yields from one year to the next under climate change, making simultaneous low yields across multiple high-producing regions more likely, which could lead to price hikes and global shortages.

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Choice matters: The environmental costs of producing meat, seafood

A new study led by the University of Washington considers which food type is more environmentally costly to produce: livestock, farmed seafood or wild-caught fish.

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June 6, 2018

GIX team competes for $1 million XPRIZE for women’s safety

A team from the University of Washington’s GIX program are competing to win the $1 million Anu & Naveen Jain Women’s Safety XPRIZE.

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Distinguished pediatrician Dr. Benjamin Danielson to speak at UW’s 143rd commencement Saturday

About 5,900 graduates, along with 50,000-plus family members, friends, faculty and other observers, are expected to attend the 143rd University of Washington commencement ceremonies at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, June 9, at Husky Stadium.

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Washington state Supreme Court takes up court-fee reform, considers UW data at sold-out Wednesday symposium

  African-Americans in Washington state are 2.3 times more likely than whites to be sentenced to fines and fees, and carry about three times the debt in unpaid monetary sanctions. In all, said University of Washington sociology professor Alexes Harris, legal financial obligations represented nearly $2.5 billion in debt in Washington in 2014, the most…

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June 5, 2018

UW’s Allen School to expand direct freshmen admissions in computer science

In an effort to improve the student experience and provide certainty for prospective computer science majors, the University of Washington’s Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering is expanding its direct to major admissions program for incoming freshmen. Beginning with the class of fall 2019, direct admission from high school will be the primary pathway into computer science for the majority of UW undergraduates.

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Ocean warming, ‘junk-food’ prey cause of massive seabird die-off, study finds

A new University of Washington-led paper pinpoints starvation as the cause of death for hundreds of thousands of Cassin’s auklet seabirds in late 2014 to early 2015.

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June 4, 2018

Polar scientist Kristin Laidre documents perspectives of polar bear hunters in East Greenland

Twenty-five polar bear hunters in East Greenland were interviewed before the first formal assessment of this subpopulation, one of 19 subpopulations of polar bears in a changing Arctic.

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