UW News
The latest news from the UW
December 11, 2017
Q&A: UW’s Shuyi Chen on hurricane science, forecasting and the 2017 hurricane season
New faculty member Shuyi Chen answers some questions about hurricane science, hurricane forecasting and the 2017 storm season.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Department of Atmospheric Sciences • Q&A • Shuyi Chen • weather
Thoughts on macroeconomics by UW’s Fabio Ghironi among Bloomberg columnist’s ‘must-reads’ of 2017
Bloomberg News columnist Noah Smith has listed a paper by UW economist Fabio Ghironi as among “must-read” papers and books on economics in the year 2017.
Tag(s): Department of Economics • Fabio GhironiDecember 7, 2017
UW announces ambitious public commitment to educate more high-achieving low-income students
UW is among the first schools to announce public commitments through the American Talent Initiative. The UW aims to graduate an additional 125 low- to low-middle-income students per cohort by 2025.
A literary view of the human era: ‘Anthropocene Reading’
The Anthropocene epoch — the proposed name for this time of significant human effect on the planet and its systems — represents a new context in which to study literature. A new book of essays co-edited by Jesse Oak Taylor, UW associate professor of English, argues that literary studies, in turn, also can help us better understand the Anthropocene.
Tag(s): books • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of English • Jason Groves • Jesse Oak Taylor • Simpson Center for the Humanities
New research shows hydropower dams can be managed without an all-or-nothing choice between energy and food
The University of Washington, Arizona State University and other collaborators have proposed a method in the Dec. 8 issue of Science that allows hydroelectric dam operators to generate power in ways that protect — and possibly improve — food supplies and businesses throughout the Mekong river basin in Southeast Asia.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Gordon Holtgrieve • Julian Olden • School of Aquatic and Fishery SciencesDecember 6, 2017
Martin Luther, Steve Jobs and aspirational faith: Q & A with UW sociologist Steve Pfaff on ‘The Spiritual Virtuoso’
Alongside the political polarization that has permeated seemingly every issue in American life, there is a similar dichotomy in religion.On one side are those who suggest religion is dying, that’s it’s irrelevant, a force for ill and oppression, explains University of Washington sociology professor Steve Pfaff. On the other are those who say religion is…
Tag(s): books • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Sociology • Q&A • Steve PfaffDecember 5, 2017
Living cell membranes can self-sort their components by ‘demixing’
Scientists at the University of Washington show for the first time that the complex distribution of molecules within a membrane of a living yeast cell arises through demixing.
Tag(s): Alex Merz • cell biology • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Biochemistry • Department of Chemistry • Sarah Keller • School of Medicine
Making humanity’s challenges smaller and smaller: UW launches Institute for Nano-Engineered Systems
The University of Washington has launched a new institute aimed at accelerating research at the nanoscale: the Institute for Nano-Engineered Systems, or NanoES. The institute will pursue impactful advancements in a variety of disciplines — including energy, materials science, computation and medicine. Yet these advancements will be at a technological scale a thousand times smaller than the width of a human hair.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Institute for Nano-Engineered Systems • Karl Bohringer • Washington Clean Energy Testbeds
Rooftop wiretap aims to learn what crows gossip about at dusk
An interdisciplinary team is using a covert sound-based approach, worthy of an avian CSI, to study the link between crows’ calls and their behavior.
Tag(s): biology • Douglas Wacker • Shima Abadi • UW Bothell
In first, 3-D printed objects connect to WiFi without electronics
UW engineers have developed the first 3-D printed plastic objects that can connect to other devices via WiFi without using any electronics, including a laundry bottle that can detect when soap is running low and automatically order more.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering • Shyam Gollakota • Vikram IyerDecember 3, 2017
Kim Nasmyth — a UW postdoctoral alumnus — wins Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences for discoveries in cell biology, genetics
Kim Nasmyth, a professor of biochemistry at the University of Oxford and former postdoctoral researcher at the University of Washington, is one of five recipients of the 2018 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences. Nasmyth and other prize recipients were honored by the Breakthrough Prize Foundation at a ceremony December 3 at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California.
Tag(s): awards • Benjamin Hall • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Biology • Department of Genome Sciences • School of MedicineDecember 1, 2017
UW astrobiologists to discuss work, introduce IMAX film ‘The Search for Life in Space’ Dec. 6 at Pacific Science Center
Three University of Washington astrobiologists will discuss their research and introduce the new 3-D IMAX movie “The Search for Life in Space” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 6, in the PACCAR Theater of the Pacific Science Center.
Tag(s): Astrobiology Program • Brett Morris • College of the Environment • Department of Earth and Space Sciences • Erika Harnett • Marshall StyczinskiNovember 30, 2017
New textbook teaches Spanish language, culture through talk of food
Ana Gómez-Bravo created a class about Spanish food and culture a few years ago as a way to teach the language, but found no appropriate textbook for the material — so she wrote one herself. Her book “Comida y cultura en el mundo hispánico” — “Food and Culture in the Hispanic World” — was published in October by Equinox Publishing.
Tag(s): Ana Gómez-Bravo • books • Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies
Giant black hole pair photobombs Andromeda Galaxy
A cosmic photobomb found as a background object in images of the nearby Andromeda galaxy has revealed what could be the most tightly coupled pair of supermassive black holes ever seen.
Tag(s): astronomy & astrophysics • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Astronomy • Emily Levesque
Explore India’s ‘informal economies’ at symposium Dec. 1-2
The labor of India’s lower castes — in areas such as agriculture, transportation, construction and the sex trade — occupies about 90 percent of the country’s workforce. Many of these urban jobs draw workers from rural villages, people who struggle to make a living not only for themselves, but also for the relatives they’ve left…
Tag(s): Department of Gender Women and Sexuality Studies • Priti Ramamurthy • Simpson Center for the Humanities • South Asia Center • Sunila KaleNovember 29, 2017
Official notice: Determination of significance and request for comments on scope of EIS
Project Name: Husky Stadium Transportation Management Plan Proponent: University of Washington – Seattle Campus Description of Proposal: The University is updating the Husky Stadium Transportation Management Plan (TMP). The University’s goal is to prepare a TMP that accommodates a maximum crowd of 70,000 people; modifies mode goals and operational logistics for hosting smaller events than football games…
University of Washington fall 2017 entering class sets record for diversity, resident students
The University of Washington welcomed the most diverse class of new students across all three campuses, and the largest number of Washington residents in UW history, according to the finalized Fall 2017 census of enrolled students released by all three campuses.
Arts Roundup: Monstrosity, an epic play; Opera Workshop: Ravel’s L’enfant et les Sortilleges — and Carolfest
This week in the arts, watch The School of Drama undergraduates perform an epic tale, see voice students in a one-act opera, sit in on a pre-concert lecture with the the Dean of Humanities Michael Shapiro, listen to six choral ensembles at Carolfest, and hear the Montrose Trio at their Meany Center debut.
Tag(s): Meany Center for the Performing Arts • Meany Hall for the Performing Arts • School of Art + Art History + Design • School of Drama • School of MusicNovember 28, 2017
There’s a deeper fish in the sea
The ocean’s deepest fish doesn’t look like it could survive in harsh conditions thousands of feet below the surface. Instead of giant teeth and a menacing frame, the fishes that roam in the deepest parts of the ocean are small, translucent, bereft of scales — and highly adept at living where few other organisms can….
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Friday Harbor Laboratories
UW students win Amazon’s inaugural Alexa Prize for most engaging socialbot
A team of University of Washington students and faculty has won Amazon’s inaugural Alexa Prize, a university competition designed to produce an artificial intelligence agent capable of coherent and sustained conversation with humans.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering • Mari Ostendorf • Noah Smith • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering • Yejin Choi
Two UW professors elevated to IEEE Fellows
Two faculty members in the University of Washington College of Engineering have been elected as 2018 fellows of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Tom Furness, professor of industrial and systems engineering, was honored for “leadership in virtual and augmented reality” and Siddhartha “Sidd” Srinivasa, professor in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, was recognized for “contributions to robotic manipulation and human-robot interaction.”
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering • Siddhartha Srinivasa • Tom FurnessNovember 27, 2017
Less life: Limited phosphorus recycling suppressed early Earth’s biosphere
The amount of biomass – life – in Earth’s ancient oceans may have been limited due to low recycling of the key nutrient phosphorus, according to new research by the University of Washington and the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
Tag(s): Astrobiology Program • College of the Environment • Department of Earth and Space Sciences • Eva Stüeken • Michael Kipp • NASA Astrobiology Institute • Roger Buick • Victoria Meadows • Virtual Planetary Laboratory
UW’s Doorway Project kicks off services for homeless youth
Seattle’s homeless crisis isn’t confined to one part of town – nor does it hinge on one solution. The University District community includes as much as one-third of King County’s homeless youth over any given year. It’s a neighborhood where a food bank and youth shelter are available, and where young people on the…
Tag(s): Carlson Leadership and Public Service Center • Charlotte Sanders • Josephine Ensign • Lisa Kelly • School of Law • School of Nursing • School of Social Work • Thaisa Way • Urban@UWNovember 22, 2017
AAAS names 8 UW researchers as fellows in 2017
Eight University of Washington researchers are among the 396 new fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, announced this week.
Tag(s): Adam Geballe • Gail Jarvik • James J. Champoux • James Riley • Lisa M. Frenkel • Matt Kaeberlein • Stanley C. Froehner • Usha Varanasi
Two UW professors named to the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare
Edwina Uehara, dean of the University of Washington School of Social Work, and social work professor Karen Fredriksen Goldsen have been named fellows of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare. The two are among 14 new fellows to be inducted by the organization, which honors scholarship, leadership and high-impact work in the…
Tag(s): Edwina S. Uehara • Karen Fredriksen-Goldsen • School of Social WorkNovember 21, 2017
Pitch imperfect? How the brain decodes pitch may improve cochlear implants
Picture yourself with a friend in a crowded restaurant. The din of other diners, the clattering of dishes, the muffled notes of background music, the voice of your friend, not to mention your own – all compete for your brain’s attention. For many people, the brain can automatically distinguish the noises, identifying the…
Tag(s): Bonnie Lau • I-LABSNovember 17, 2017
When to fish: Timing matters for fish that migrate to reproduce
A new University of Washington study points to yet another human factor that is hampering the ability of fish to reproduce: the timing of our fishing seasons. The study considers how the timing of fishing efforts might disproportionately target certain fish and change the life history patterns of entire populations.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences • Tom QuinnNovember 16, 2017
UW receives top honors from CleanTech Alliance for research and support in energy innovation, industry partnerships
The CleanTech Alliance has presented the University of Washington with the organization’s 2017 CleanTech Achievement Award. The honor recognizes the UW’s dedication to research and development of transformative clean energy technologies, facilities, pipelines for startups and industry partnerships. The award was announced on Nov. 8 at the annual meeting and 10th anniversary of the CleanTech…
Tag(s): awards • Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship • Clean Energy Institute • clean or renewable energy • College of Arts & Sciences • College of Engineering • Foster School of Business • Molecular Engineering & Sciences Institute • Molecular Engineering Materials CenterNovember 15, 2017
Arts Roundup: Monstrosity, an epic play; Jonty Harrison’s Voyages and performances by the Chamber Singers and University Chorale
This week in the arts; watch an epic play, Monstrosity, where girls are the heroes; experience new works of sonic and visual art through Jonty Harrison’s “Voyages,” enjoy student piano performances in Brechemin Auditorium, and listen to the UW’s top auditioned choir perform in their fall quarter concert.
Tag(s): DXARTS • School of Art + Art History + Design • School of Drama • School of Music
Salt pond in Antarctica, among the saltiest waters on Earth, is fed from beneath
One of the saltiest bodies on Earth, an analog to how water might exist on Mars, shows signs of being one piece of a larger aquifer.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Department of Earth and Space Sciences • geology • Jonathan Toner • polar science
Are petite poplars the future of biofuels? UW studies say yes
A University of Washington team is trying to make poplar a viable competitor in the biofuels market by testing the production of younger poplar trees that could be harvested more frequently — after only two or three years — instead of the usual 10- to 20-year cycle.
Tag(s): Bioresource Science and Engineering Program • College of the Environment • Fernando Resende • Renata Bura • Rick Gustafson • School of Environmental and Forest Sciences
What counts as nature? It all depends
Think, for a moment, about the last time you were out in nature. Were you in a city park? At a campground? On the beach? In the mountains? Now consider: What was this place like in your parents’ time? Your grandparents’? In many cases, the parks, beaches and campgrounds of today are surrounded…
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Psychology • Peter Kahn • Thea WeissNovember 14, 2017
2 UW engineering students make Forbes ’30 under 30 in Energy’ list
Two University of Washington engineering students were selected by Forbes magazine for its list of the top 30 people in the world under age 30 working in energy.
Tag(s): Clean Energy Institute • College of Engineering • Department of Chemical Engineering • Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
With launch of new night sky survey, UW researchers ready for era of ‘big data’ astronomy
The first astronomers had a limited toolkit: their eyes. They could only observe those stars, planets and celestial events bright enough to pick up unassisted. But today’s astronomers use increasingly sensitive and sophisticated instruments to view and track a bevy of cosmic wonders, including objects and events that were too dim or distant for their…
Tag(s): astronomy & astrophysics • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Astronomy • DIRAC Institute • Eric Bellm • Mario JuricNovember 13, 2017
New tool quantifies power imbalance between female and male characters in Hollywood movie scripts
UW researchers who used machine learning tools to analyze language in 800 Hollywood movie scripts found subtle but widespread gender bias in the way male and female characters are portrayed.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering • Yejin ChoiNovember 7, 2017
With climate change, Mount Rainier floral communities could ‘reassemble’ with new species relationships, interactions
An unseasonably warm, dry summer on Mount Rainier in 2015 caused subalpine wildflowers to change their bloom times and form ‘reassembled’ communities, with unknown consequences for species interactions among wildflowers, pollinators and other animals.
Tag(s): climate change • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Biology • ecology • Janneke Hille Ris LambersNovember 6, 2017
‘Smart’ paper can conduct electricity, detect water
A University of Washington team wants to simplify the process for discovering detrimental water leaks by developing “smart” paper that can sense the presence of water.
Tag(s): Anthony Dichiara • College of the Environment • School of Environmental and Forest SciencesNovember 2, 2017
Washington Sea Grant receives $1.1 million in federal funding for aquaculture research
Three federal grants announced this week will provide total funding of $1.1 million to Washington Sea Grant, based at the University of Washington’s College of the Environment, for research that will sustainably further shellfish and finfish aquaculture in the state
Tag(s): Washington Sea Grant
Frances McCue meditates on changing city in new poem collection ‘Timber Curtain’
Frances McCue, a senior lecturer in the UW Department of English, has a new book of poetry out, “Timber Curtain,” published by Seattle’s Chin Music Press.
Tag(s): books • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of English • Frances McCue
How air pollution clouds mental health
There is little debate over the link between air pollution and the human respiratory system: Research shows that dirty air can impair breathing and aggravate various lung diseases. Other potential effects are being investigated, too, as scientists examine connections between toxic air and obesity, diabetes and dementia. Now add to that list psychological distress,…
Tag(s): Anjum Hajat • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Epidemiology • Department of Sociology • Kyle Crowder • School of Public Health • Victoria Sass« Previous Page Next Page »
