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The latest news from the UW

January 30, 2017

Artists in the lab: Talk will highlight a creative partnership between art and science

Jennifer Nemhauser leads a research laboratory of scientists, all immersed in the complex world of plant hormones. But last year, the University of Washington professor of biology boosted her lab’s roster with some unexpected talent. Claire Cowie — an artist, UW alumna and lecturer — spent three months in 2016 as a part-time artist-in-residence in Nemhauser’s lab. On Feb. 3, Cowie will deliver a talk to share her experiences and help spread the word about the benefits both she and Nemhauser see…

Meany Center joins visiting Step Afrika! dance troupe to honor 100th anniversary of artist Jacob Lawrence’s birth

Meany Center for the Performing Arts and the School of Art + Art History + Design celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of artist Jacob Lawrence along with the Seattle Art Museum.

January 25, 2017

Arts Roundup: A trio, a quartet, and a chamber recital

It’s a musical week here at the UW!  Attend the faculty-student chamber recital and performances by the Escher String Quartet and the Evergreen Trio.   Undergraduate Theater Society: New Works Festival 7:30 p.m., January 27 through January 29 | Hutchinson Hall Cabaret Theater A long standing UTS tradition, the New Works Festival highlights work shopping new scripts, putting new work on its feet, and giving undergrads opportunities they can’t find elsewhere.  All three plays featured will have been written by, directed…

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation boosts vital work of the UW’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) announced today the foundation’s commitment to invest $279 million in IHME to expand its work over the next decade.

January 24, 2017

Prized fossil find — the oldest, most complete iguanian in the Americas — illuminates the lives of lizards in the Age of Dinosaurs

Paleontologists picking through a bounty of fossils from Montana have discovered something unexpected — a new species of lizard from the late dinosaur era, whose closest relatives roamed in faraway Asia.

January 18, 2017

Arts Roundup: Maple and Vine, a dance faculty concert, and Russian music of the 1960s

This week in the arts, take a trip in time with Maple and Vine, view choreography by nationally and internationally recognized faculty, and hear collaborative musical works at Meany Hall. Maple and Vine January 17 through January 22 | Jones Playhouse Written by Jordan Harrison and directed by Sean Ryan, this darkly funny and provocative investigation of the modern condition asks us to consider how much mobility we’d sacrifice for the chance to just stand still next to someone we love. More info….

January 12, 2017

UW law professor leads group defending ‘aural tradition’ of creativity in famous ‘Blurred Lines’ copyright case

UW School of Law professor Sean O’Connor has filed a brief in the famous “Blurred Lines” music copyright case, arguing for full composition credit for those who worked in the “aural tradition” and did not use traditional musical notation.

Big data to help homelessness: Topic of UW, City of Seattle event Jan. 17

Using big data to address human services ― including health, foster care and the challenges of homelessness ― will be the focus of a workshop next week at Seattle City Hall hosted by the University of Washington and City of Seattle along with MetroLab Network, a recent White House initiative to improve cities through university-city partnerships.

January 11, 2017

Arts Roundup: UW Tower exhibits, a lecture-recital, and a Littlefield Organ performance

This week, two new exhibits featuring local artists are on display in the UW Tower through March, a lecture-recital at Brechemin Auditorium, and a UW vocal performance highlighting scenes from Mozart’s operas. UW Tower Exhibit: Don Silverstein January through March 2017 | UW Tower The illustrative work and abstract paintings of prolific artist Donald Silverstein will be on display on the Mezzanine Level of the UW Tower this quarter.  More info. Lecture-Recital: Dainius Vaicekonis, Piano 7:30 p.m., January 12 | Brechemin Auditorium UW alumnus and…

January 10, 2017

Two UW professors win Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers

Two University of Washington professors have received the 2017 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor given by the U.S. government to early career scientists and engineers.

Zillow Group pledges $5 million for new UW Computer Science & Engineering building

Zillow Group, the Seattle-based company that houses real estate and home-related brands on mobile and web, has committed $5 million toward the development of a second Computer Science & Engineering (CSE) building on the UW Seattle campus.

January 5, 2017

UW President Ana Mari Cauce on board first West Coast commercial flight to Havana

UW President Ana Mari Cauce, the first Cuban-born president of a major American university, was on board the first West Coast commercial flight to Havana on Thursday. Cauce left Cuba with her family when she was 3 years old. “I’m thrilled at this new spirit of openness and the opportunity for us to build greater ties with the people of Cuba,” said Cauce. “We have much to share and learn about the Cuban people’s work in health care and education. This…

January 4, 2017

Arts Roundup: ArtVenture, JACK Quartet, and Louis Lortie

This week, bring the whole family for an ArtVenture at Henry Art Gallery to discover how Paul McCarthy transformed small objects into giant sculptures, or catch performances from JACK Quartet and pianist Louis Lortie. ArtVenture: Toy Transformation! With Michelle Hagewood 1 p.m., January 8 | Henry Art Gallery How do toys reflect who we are? Bring a toy or dig through a collection of oddities to build a new doll, vehicle, or inventive plaything. We will explore how artist Paul McCarthy transformed…

December 27, 2016

Year in review: 2016 news from the University of Washington

The research happening here at the University of Washington — across all three campuses — is exceptional and selecting only a handful of stories to feature from the hundreds, if not thousands, that came out this year is a monumental task. Using UW Today’s page view data, social media reach and news coverage, we have narrowed it down to these highlights showcasing the impact and ambition of the UW’s work regionally and around the world — listed here in chronological order.

December 22, 2016

New UW law course focuses on presidential power in the Trump era

Donald Trump’s promises on the campaign trail have generated confusion and consternation around the country, as many wonder not only what the president-elect actually intends to do, but what is within his power to accomplish. Will Trump follow through on his threat to deport millions of undocumented immigrants? Could he pull the U.S. out of the Paris climate agreement? And what of Trump’s promise to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act? Such questions will be the focus of new…

Study: Children can ‘catch’ social bias through nonverbal signals expressed by adults

Most conscientious adults tend to avoid making biased or discriminatory comments in the presence of children. But new research from the University of Washington suggests that preschool-aged children can learn bias even through nonverbal signals displayed by adults, such as a condescending tone of voice or a disapproving look. Published Dec. 21 in the journal Psychological Science, the research found that children can “catch” social bias by seeing negative signals expressed by adults and are likely to generalize that learned…

December 20, 2016

Researchers model how ‘publication bias’ does — and doesn’t — affect the ‘canonization’ of facts in science

In an article published Dec. 20 in the journal eLife, researchers present a mathematical model that explores whether “publication bias” — the tendency of journals to publish mostly positive experimental results — influences how scientists canonize facts. Their results offer a warning that sharing positive results comes with the risk that a false claim could be canonized as fact. But their findings also offer hope by suggesting that simple changes to publication practices can minimize the risk of false canonization.

December 19, 2016

UW researcher pursues synthetic ‘scaffolds’ for muscle regeneration

Miqin Zhang, a professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Washington, is looking for ways to help the body heal itself when injury, disease or surgery cause large-scale damage to one type of tissue in particular: skeletal muscle. Her goal is to create a synthetic, porous, biologically compatible “scaffold” that mimics the normal extracellular environment of skeletal muscle — onto which human cells could migrate and grow new replacement fibers.