UW News
The latest news from the UW
May 21, 2015
Students put GIS skills to use on social justice projects
Geography professor Sarah Elwood sits at the front of a University of Washington classroom on a recent afternoon, listening and making suggestions as students discuss the data challenges they’re having. Some are wondering how to put data in a particular format. Others are muddling through the process of mapping data, or figuring out where to…
Tag(s): Department of Geography • GIS • Sarah Elwood • UW Center for Human RightsMay 20, 2015
“Student Voices Making Change” symposium May 27 at HUB
More than two hundred high school students from four area high schools will visit the campus for a daylong seminar in the HUB May 27 as part of Teachers and Texts, which in turn is part of the UW in the High School program, sponsored by Professional and Continuing Education. The event is called the…
Public hearing notice
Notice is hereby given that a public hearing will be held at Noon on Friday, May 29, 2015, in Room 142 of Gerberding Hall, on the UW Seattle campus. The purpose of the hearing is to allow all interested persons an opportunity to present their views, either orally or in writing, on the proposed amendments…
Burke Museum paleontologists discover the first dinosaur fossil in Washington state
Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture paleontologists have documented the first dinosaur fossil from Washington state. The fossil was collected by a Burke Museum research team along the shores of Sucia Island State Park in the San Juan Islands.
Tag(s): Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • Christian Sidor • dinosaurs
UW-led network seeks to reframe poverty locally and globally
Two University of Washington geography professors are leading an effort with what might be considered a staggeringly ambitious goal — to reframe how poverty is perceived and studied around the world. Victoria Lawson and Sarah Elwood are the co-founders of the UW-based Relational Poverty Network, a coalition of academic institutions and organizations around the United…
Tag(s): Department of Geography • Relational Poverty Network • Sarah Elwood • Victoria LawsonMay 19, 2015
Former Gov. Christine Gregoire to be UW commencement speaker
Christine Gregoire, who served as Washington’s 22nd governor from 2005 to 2013, will be the featured speaker at the University of Washington’s Commencement exercises June 13. Gregoire, a 1969 graduate of the UW, was named director of the Washington Department of Ecology in 1988. Four years later, she became the first woman elected to the position of attorney…
UW’s Deborah Kelley publishes atlas of seafloor volcanoes and deep-ocean life
Oceanographer Deborah Kelley is one of the lead authors of a first-of-its-kind atlas of the deep sea, titled “Discovering the Deep.”
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Deborah Kelley • Lost City hydrothermal vents • oceanography • School of OceanographyMay 18, 2015
David Shields’ book — now a James Franco film — to screen at Hugo House
“I Think You’re Totally Wrong: A Quarrel,” a film directed by James Franco based on UW English Professor David Shields‘ latest book, with former student Caleb Powell, will be shown at Seattle literary venue Hugo House at 7 p.m. May 30, 31 and June 1. The screenings will be U.S. premiere for the film, which…
Runstad Center graduate student team wins low-income housing challenge
An interdisciplinary team of UW graduate students and its proposal for a 69-unit affordable housing development in Tacoma’s Wedge neighborhood has won the 24th annual Bank of America Low-Income Housing Challenge, held May 14 in San Francisco. The team was organized by the Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies, which is in the UW College…
Study: 44 percent of parents struggle to limit cell phone use at playgrounds
A new University of Washington study finds that cell phone use at playgrounds is a significant source of parental guilt, and that caregivers absorbed in their phones were much less attentive to children’s requests.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Computing for Healthy Living and Learning Lab • Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering • Julie KientzMay 15, 2015
Washington Sea Grant’s Ed Melvin wins presidential award for seabird-saving streamer lines
A Washington Sea Grant staff scientist is sharing top honors for developing gear that nearly eliminates seabird bycatch in long-line fisheries from the West Coast to South Africa.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Ed Melvin • School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences • Washington Sea Grant
Chemical tags in ear bones track Alaska’s Bristol Bay salmon
A chemical signature recorded on the ear bones of Chinook salmon from Alaska’s Bristol Bay region could tell scientists and resource managers where they are born and how they spend their first year of life.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Daniel Schindler • salmon • School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences • Sean Brennan
David Ferry to give annual Theodore Roethke reading May 28
Poet David Ferry will give the 52nd annual Theodore Roethke Memorial Poetry Reading at 8 p.m. Thursday, May 28, Kane Hall’s room 130, also known as the Roethke Auditorium. The event is free and the public is invited. Ferry is the author of eight books of poetry, including “Bewilderment: New Poems and Translations,” which won…
May 14, 2015
UW Regents vote to divest from coal companies
The University of Washington Board of Regents on Thursday voted to prohibit direct investment of endowment funds in publicly traded companies whose principal business is the mining of coal for use in energy generation. The Board also reaffirmed the importance of the University’s wide-ranging sustainability efforts. The vote is the culmination of a process that…
UW Regents appoint Presidential Search Advisory Committee, authorize Chair to contract with national search firm
The University of Washington Board of Regents took another critical step in selecting its next president Thursday by naming the members of its Presidential Search Advisory Committee and selecting a national search firm to assist in the process. Kenyon Chan, chancellor emeritus and professor at UW Bothell, will chair the committee comprising 27 additional members,…
UW Regents approve new name for Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs
The Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington has a new name following approval by the university’s Board of Regents during a meeting Thursday. Effective July 1, the university’s largest graduate degree program will be known as the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy and Governance. “The Regents’ action…
May 13, 2015
Arts Roundup: Dance, music — and a barnyard fungus
This week the MFA Dance Concert and Pilobolus take the lead. The School of Music also has a busy week, presenting the Voice Divisional Recital as well as Jazz Innovations and an evening of music from Zimbabwe with visiting artists Paul Mataruse and Clair Jones.
Tag(s): ArtsUW • Ethnomusicology Program • Jazz • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • School of Music
Friday Harbor Labs event May 16 features marine science, scuba demos
If you’re looking for an escape this weekend, hop a ferry to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island and check out UW marine science research ranging from invertebrates and plankton to quirky fish and ocean acidification. The UW’s Friday Harbor Laboratories will host its annual open house Saturday, May 16, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m….
May 12, 2015
UW wave expert to appear tonight on TV’s ‘The Deadliest Catch’
The lead-up to the 11th season of The Deadliest Catch, the hit reality TV show about crab fishing in Alaska, is “The Bait,” in which captains of crab boats discuss some of the elements featured on the program. Tonight a University of Washington oceanographer will talk to the captains about one of the main reasons…
Top student climate change films to screen May 15 at Town Hall
Short clips ranging from Claymation and music videos to documentary and animated shorts that tell the story of what climate change means to local high school and college students will be shown in a first-ever video contest put on by the UW’s School of Environmental and Forest Sciences. Update: Watch the winning videos Ten of the…
Housing market strong, affordability issues linger in first quarter of 2015
Washington state’s housing market was strong in the first quarter of 2015, according to the UW’s Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies.
Tag(s): Alon Bassok • Runstad Department of Real Estate • Stephen O'ConnorMay 11, 2015
Atmospheric scientist Bob Houze awarded Symons Gold Medal
The Royal Meteorological Society has awarded Robert Houze, a UW professor of atmospheric sciences, the Symons Gold Medal. The London-based society awards this international honor every two years to recognize distinguished work in meteorology, and it is considered one of the most prestigious awards in the field. Houze will deliver the society’s Symons Gold Medal…
UW author reads from ‘The Unending Hunger’ at Kane Hall May 14
Mention Santa Barbara, California, and many people might envision beaches, celebrities and ritzy homes in the so-called “American Riviera.” But Megan Carney saw a much different side of the area while attending graduate school at the University of California’s campus there. Through her work on food justice advocacy initiatives, Carney learned that the Santa Barbara…
May 8, 2015
May 19 lecture: How ‘The Terminator’ could change 3-D manufacturing
The metallic shapeshifting villain from “The Terminator” movies has inspired innovations in 3-D printing to be featured in UW Bioengineering’s annual Robert F. Rushmer Lecture on Tuesday, May 19, 4:30 p.m. Joseph M. DeSimone, a prolific inventor, serial entrepreneur, renowned scholar and CEO will discuss “Breakthroughs in Imprint Lithography and 3-D Additive Fabrication” that could…
New book celebrates work, legacy of UW landscape architect Richard Haag
Thaisa Way, associate professor of landscape architecture in the UW College of Built Environments, discusses her book, “The Landscape Architecture of Richard Haag: From Modern Space to Urban Ecological Design.”
Tag(s): books • College of Built Environments • Department of Landscape Architecture • Richard Haag • Thaisa Way • University of Washington Press
UW Press launches new food-focused book series
From the popularity of farmers markets to greater awareness about obesity, Americans are more interested than ever in what they eat and where it comes from. Once simply a question of what’s for dinner, food has become a focal point for concerns about health, sustainability and the environment. Recognizing food’s increased importance in popular culture…
May 7, 2015
UW researchers hack a teleoperated surgical robot to reveal security flaws
University of Washington researchers easily hacked a next generation teleoperated surgical robot — one used only for research purposes — to test how easily a malicious attack could hijack remotely-controlled operations in the future and to make those systems more secure.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering • Howard Chizeck • UW BioRobotics Laboratory
Anthropologist Ruth Behar to deliver 40th annual Stroum Lectures May 18, 20
Ruth Behar, professor of anthropology at the University of Michigan, will deliver the 40th annual Samuel and Althea Stroum Lectures at 7:30 p.m. May 18 and 20, in room 220 of Kane Hall. Together, the lectures are titled “Dreams of Sefarad: Explorations of Modern Sephardic Identity, from Istanbul to Havana and Seattle.” They are presented…
May 6, 2015
Arts Roundup: Art, artifacts — and ‘The Magic Flute’
May starts strong, bursting with arts events for the community to enjoy. The School of Art + Art History + Design begins the month with the Painting + Drawing BFA graduation show, followed by the Kollar American Art Lecture featuring Kenneth Haltman. The School of Music starts its run of “The Magic Flute,” co-presented with Pacific MusicWorks, and the Burke Museum hosts the annual Artifact ID Day.
Tag(s): ArtsUW • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • DXARTS • 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
Catherine Brazil named UW director for Spokane and Eastern Washington relations
Catherine Brazil, who brings more than two decades of public affairs experience in Eastern Washington, has been appointed director of government and community relations for Spokane and Eastern Washington at the University of Washington, effective May 26, 2015. In this new role, Brazil will represent the UW and coordinate government, business and community relations from…
Fishermen, communities need more than healthy fish stocks
The Fishery Performance Indicators are the most comprehensive, global tool that considers social factors in addition to the usual biological measures when gauging a fishery’s health.
Tag(s): Chris Anderson • College of the Environment • School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
UW mapping app turns art into a sharable walking route
The Trace app turns a digital sketch that you draw on your smartphone screen — heart, maple leaf, raindrop — into a walking route that you can send to a friend. The recipient of the “gift” receives step-by-step walking directions that eventually reveal the hidden shape on a map.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Daniela Rosner • Department of Human Centered Design & EngineeringMay 5, 2015
Documents that Changed the World: The Exaltation of Inanna, 2300 BCE
In the latest installment of his Documents that Changed the World podcast series, Joe Janes looks back more than 4,000 years at the Exaltation of Inanna, and what might be the first-ever claim of authorship.
Tag(s): Documents that Changed the World • Information School • Joe JanesMay 4, 2015
UW lecturer joins Farm Sanctuary president for May 8 talk on ethics of eating meat
Bill Clinton and Prince have embraced it, as have Moby, Ellen DeGeneres and Alec Baldwin. Veganism has moved from the foodie fringes into the mainstream in recent years, as celebrities and others are adopting a plant-based diet over concerns about health, animal welfare and the environment. Vegan celebrity chefs, meat-free products in grocery stores and…
Puget Sound’s clingfish could inspire better medical devices, whale tags
Researchers at the University of Washington’s Friday Harbor Laboratories are looking at how the biomechanics of clingfish could be helpful in designing devices and instruments to be used in surgery and even to tag and track whales in the ocean.
Tag(s): Adam Summers • College of Arts & Sciences • College of the Environment • Department of Biology • Friday Harbor Laboratories • Petra DitscheMay 1, 2015
UW, academic student employee union reach tentative agreement on new contract
After months of negotiations, and just hours before the current collective bargaining agreement expired, the University of Washington and UAW 4121, representing nearly 4,500 academic student employees (ASEs) including teaching assistants, research assistants, readers, graders and tutors, reached a tentative agreement Thursday for a new three-year contract. A ratification vote by union members on the…
UW biologist wins Saruhashi Prize for top woman scientist
Keiko Torii, a UW professor of biology, this month was awarded the 35th annual Saruhashi Prize, given each year to a female researcher in the natural sciences. Each year, one woman scientist receives the award recognizing both exceptional research accomplishments and mentoring of other women scientists. “I am especially pleased that the selection committee recognized…
April 30, 2015
Seafloor sensors record possible eruption of underwater volcano
Sensors on the ocean’s floor installed by UW researchers show that late on April 23, a seismic event took place on the 3,000-foot underwater volcano off Oregon’s coast.
Tag(s): Axial Seamount • John Delaney • Ocean Observatories Initiative • volcanoes
Sustainability progress should precede seafood market access, researchers urge
A team of researchers has evaluated fishery improvement projects, which are designed to bring seafood from wild fisheries to the certified market while promising sustainability in the future. In a policy paper appearing May 1 in Science, they conclude these projects need to be fine tuned to ensure that fisheries are delivering on their promises.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Edward Allison • School of Marine and Environmental Affairs
Engineering a better solar cell: UW research pinpoints defects in popular perovskites
A new UW study demonstrates that perovskite materials — superefficient crystal structures that have recently taken the scientific community by storm — contain previously undiscovered flaws that can be engineered to improve solar cells and other devices even further.
Tag(s): Clean Energy Institute • clean or renewable energy • College of Arts & Sciences • David Ginger • Department of Chemistry« Previous Page Next Page »
