UW News

The latest news from the UW


January 6, 2015

Mark Pagano selected as chancellor of UW Tacoma

University of Washington President Michael K. Young and Provost Ana Mari Cauce announced today the selection of Mark Pagano, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at Montana State University Billings, as the next chancellor of the University of Washington Tacoma, effective March 16. The appointment is subject to approval by the UW Board of…

New open-source program aims to help parents of children in foster care

The first time Alise Hegle saw her daughter again after her birth was 11 months later at a court-ordered, supervised visit. Newly out of jail and treatment for drug addiction, Hegle was riddled with anxiety. She had no idea how to parent her only child and worried about the visitation supervisor who sat silently observing,…

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January 5, 2015

What singles should look for in a city

When deciding where to live, single people should choose cities with affordable housing, interesting job opportunities, vibrant neighborhoods and abundant sports activities. That was the advice of Pepper Schwartz, a UW sociology professor who was among experts consulted for personal finance website WalletHub’s recent ranking of 2014’s Best & Worst Cities for Singles. The site…

January 2, 2015

Board of Regents — Jan. 8 meeting

The Board of Regents will hold their Regular Meeting at 12:45 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 8, in the Petersen Room of Allen Library. The full schedule and agendas are available online.

December 29, 2014

William P. Gerberding, 27th president of the University of Washington, dies at 85

William P. Gerberding, the 27th and longest-serving president of the University of Washington, died Saturday. He was 85. Gerberding, who assumed the presidency in 1979 and retired in 1995, is credited for boosting the university into national prominence, navigating it through potentially devastating budget crises and significantly increasing private financial support. “We are all deeply…

December 23, 2014

Foreign power demands apology for insulting film — in 1930, that is

Cancel all screenings of that insulting movie you made, then burn all the prints, and formally apologize — and don’t do it again. Demands from North Korea, perhaps, about Sony Pictures’ controversial James Franco-Seth Rogen film “The Interview”? No, that’s off by about 85 years. It was the Chinese Nationalist government’s reaction to a film…

UW prof: Handwriting engages the mind

High-tech companies are seeking to capitalize on the power of handwriting, but there are other reasons to value the practice, says UW educational psychology professor Virginia Berninger. “Writing is the way we learn what we’re thinking,” said Berninger, who studies the effect of handwriting on the human brain. “The handwriting, the sequencing of the strokes,…

December 22, 2014

Silent slapstick: UW Libraries now has streaming video of silent films

For those who love the silent film antics of Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Charlie Chaplin and others, UW Libraries has something new that’s as good as a Christmas present: the Silent Film Online database. It’s a streaming service administered by Alexander Street Press that includes more than 500 silent films, serials and shorts produced from…

December 19, 2014

UW architecture students to design, build public pavilion on Seattle’s waterfront

UW architecture students will design and build a new temporary event pavilion and Internet hub for the Seattle waterfront.

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December 18, 2014

Oceanography undergrads blog from Vancouver Island

Twenty-four UW oceanography students are aboard the UW’s large research vessel, the Thomas G. Thompson, taking measurements off Canada’s west coast for their senior-level research projects. They left Thursday, Dec. 11 and will get back Sunday, Dec. 21. The trip takes them to Nootka Sound, a complex inlet off the west coast of Vancouver Island….

Survey shows hope, optimism among homeless Alaska Native elders

Mention homeless people and words like optimistic, hopeful and happy are typically not what spring to mind. More likely, said Jordan Lewis, an assistant professor in the University of Washington’s School of Social Work, the stereotypes are negative — “that they’re chronic alcoholics, depressed, they steal, they’re thieves. They don’t have hope. They’ve just given up.”…

December 17, 2014

Improving forecasts for rain-on-snow flooding

Many of the worst West Coast winter floods involve heavy rains and melting snow, and UW hydrology experts are using the physics of these events to better predict the risks.

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UW moves to 11th on Kiplinger’s in-state ‘best value’ list

The University of Washington moved up to the 11th spot in the latest ranking of best value for in-state students among public universities by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. The ranking includes measures of economic value and educational quality. The UW placed 13th in the same ranking a year ago and was 17th two years ago. Kiplinger…

Memorial planned for longtime editor of UW Press

A celebration of life for Naomi Brenner Pascal, the longtime editor-in-chief of the University of Washington Press, is being planned for February. She died Dec. 5 at the age of 88. Colleagues at UW Press remember Pascal as a model of grace, good humor and high standards. Her wide-ranging knowledge, integrity and commitment to diplomacy…

December 16, 2014

Advisory council recommends UW medical school expansion in Spokane, increased residencies in rural areas

The University of Washington’s expansion of its medical school in Spokane and an increase in residency positions are among the ways to best meet the economic and health care needs in Spokane and throughout the state, according to an advisory council chairman’s report released Dec. 16.

UW English Professor David Shields’ views debated in The New Yorker

David Shields, UW professor and New York Times best-selling author, was at the center of a Dec. 2 article by Adelle Waldman in The New Yorker titled “An Answer to the Novel’s Detractors.” Waldman places Shields among those detractors, but does not entirely disagree with him. “It’s no coincidence that many of the most exciting…

December 12, 2014

Fearn-Banks’ African-American TV dictionary gets second edition

Kathleen Fearn-Banks, UW associate professor of communication, drew upon her 21 years of experience as a publicist in network television to write her 2005 “Historical Dictionary of African American Television.” This fall, an expanded second edition of the book was published. Banks was NBC’s first African-American publicist and second-ever female publicist when hired there in…

Online tool lets Washington residents calculate carbon tax impacts

University of Washington computer scientists have partnered with members of the Carbon Washington grassroots campaign to create an online tool that lets residents calculate how a state carbon tax swap proposed by the organization would impact them financially. The calculator offers information users can’t find elsewhere and is meant to be a neutral, unbiased tool….

December 10, 2014

Arts Roundup: Exhibitions, drama — and ‘An Appalachian Christmas’

As autumn quarter comes to a close, Arts Roundup begins a holiday hiatus. But first we offer some final suggestions of campus art activities, including Mark O’Connor and his band performing ”An Appalachian Christmas.”

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Art exhibit on polar field research opens Friday

Marine mammal expert Kristin Laidre, a polar scientist at the UW Applied Physics Laboratory and in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, studies Arctic mammals in their native habitat. She focuses on polar bears and narwhals, an Arctic whale with a distinctive spiral tusk. In spring 2013 she invited Seattle watercolor artist Maria Coryell-Martin…

I-LABS co-director part of White House Summit on Early Learning

The co-director of the UW’s Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences is among officials from around the country participating in today’s White House Summit on Early Education. Patricia Kuhl, a world-renowned scientist in early language and brain development, joins state and local policymakers, school district superintendents, community leaders and others for the summit. Participants are…

December 9, 2014

New book by José Alaniz studies superheroes through the lens of disability studies

Superheroes are generally assumed to be healthy and virtually immortal, tending their superpowers as they save the planet time and again. But a new book by José Alaniz, UW associate professor of Slavic languages and literatures, seeks to redefine the contemporary image of the superhero. “Death, Disability, and the Superhero: The Silver Age and Beyond,”…

Warmer Pacific Ocean could release millions of tons of seafloor methane

Water off Washington’s coast is warming a third of a mile down, where seafloor methane shifts from a frozen solid to a gas. Calculations suggest ocean warming is already releasing significant methane offshore of Alaska to California.

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December 5, 2014

‘Music from the War to End All Wars’: A student performer’s view

Jane Heinrichs is a doctoral student in piano performance at the UW School of Music and will perform in two of the three concerts that comprise the three-part series “Music from the War to End All Wars.” The series begins Sunday, Dec. 7, in Brechemin Auditorium, and continues on March 3 and May 8, 2015….

UW chemistry faculty member snags NSF early career award

Andrew J. Boydston, a UW associate professor of chemistry, has received a Faculty Early Career Development Award from the National Science Foundation. The award is intended to support junior faculty who “exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research,” according to the NSF. Boydston received the…

December 3, 2014

Join a Google+ hangout on Southern Ocean climate

Join some of the world’s leading experts on the Southern Ocean for a webinar on Thursday, Dec. 4, from 11 a.m. to noon Seattle time. Viewers can log on here with a Google account, or watch on YouTube. “UW-built sensors to probe Antarctica’s Southern Ocean” UW Today | Sept. 11, 2014 The Southern Ocean Carbon…

Music meets history in three-concert series on World War I

The creative spirit “does not hunker down or hide” in difficult times, Robin McCabe, UW professor of piano, was reminded as she researched the three-concert series she organized, “Music from the War to End All Wars.” The School of Music presents this series starting Dec. 7 and continuing March 8 and May 3, 2015.

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Competitive award to fund new approaches to artificial intelligence work

Four University of Washington researchers have received the Allen Distinguished Investigator award for their work in artificial intelligence research. The awards, totaling about $2.7 million to the UW from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, will fund early stage research in several areas of artificial intelligence. The recipients from the UW are Jeffrey Heer, an…

Arts Roundup: Lectures, music — and UW Symphony and Opera Theater

This week there are lots of events to keep students, staff and faculty busy before finals. Don’t miss “Idleness,” the second Factory Showroom exhibit at the Jacob Lawrence Gallery, or the UW Symphony and UW Opera Theater performing a version of Puccini’s opera “Gianni Schicci.”

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December 2, 2014

‘Mirage Earth’ exoplanets may have burned away chances for life

Planets orbiting close to low-mass stars are prime targets in the search for life. But new research led by an astronomy graduate student at the UW indicates some such planets may have long since lost their chance at hosting life because of intense heat during their formative years.

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December 1, 2014

School of Law to host discussion of Michael Brown case Dec 2

Seattle-based criminal defense attorney Jeff Robinson will join the University of Washington School of Law in a discussion of factual, ethical and legal issues relating to the use of deadly force by law enforcement officers in communities of color. He will be joined by Washington Supreme Court Justice Sheryl Gordon McCloud. The event is titled…

Next Green Seed Fund proposal deadline Dec. 11

The Green Seed Fund – a grant fund for campus environmental research projects – is accepting proposals through Dec. 11 for the next round of grants. The Green Seed Fund aims to promote and fund research projects that advance sustainable research while contributing to the university’s sustainability goals. The fund was launched in 2013, and…

‘What is HCDE?’ New comics class aims to answer the question

A new class at the University of Washington is using comics to explain what, exactly, the field of human-centered design is all about.

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Renowned educator and author John Goodlad dies

Influential educator and former University of Washington professor John Goodlad died Nov. 29 at his Seattle home. He was 94. Goodlad came to the UW in 1984 after serving as dean of the Graduate School of Education at the University of California at Los Angeles. He created the Center for Educational Renewal at the UW…

November 26, 2014

Dan Evans to visit Evans School for public conversation Dec. 3

The University of Washington Evans School of Public Affairs will host its namesake, former Washington governor and senator Daniel J. Evans, for a conversation from noon to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 3, in the Parrington Hall Forum. Evans served as governor from 1965 to 1977, then moved on to the presidency of Evergreen State College….

Arts Roundup: Exhibitions, music — and ArtBreak with Barbara Ciega

The holiday season is officially upon us and the arts host a lineup of events to get you in the festive spirit. The School of Music paves the way with performances ranging from the Percussion Ensemble to CarolFest. If you’re looking for an exhibition to explore, the Burke Museum’s recently opened “Here & Now: Native Artists Inspired” will be the perfect option after the Thanksgiving bustle.

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Event focuses on militarized policing and protests

“Militarized Policing and Public Protest: From the WTO Protests to Ferguson” is the topic of a documentary video screening and panel discussion at the University of Washington on Tuesday, Dec. 2. The event, from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center, starts with a screening of “This Is What Democracy…

November 25, 2014

‘Subirdia’ author urges appreciation of birds that co-exist where we work, live, play

Surprisingly, the diversity of birds in suburban areas can be greater than in forested areas, according to John Marzluff’s new book “Welcome to Subirdia.”

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November 24, 2014

Last chance to donate: UW Combined Fund Drive ends Dec. 5

UW faculty and staff have until Dec. 5 to contribute to this year’s UW Combined Fund Drive, part of Washington state’s workplace giving campaign. Donors can choose from more than 4,000 nonprofits operating locally and globally. You can give a one-time donation or give all year through payroll deduction. Donations are tax-deductible. The UWCFD has…

Black prison activism, organizing explored in new book ‘Captive Nation’

Dan Berger, assistant professor in the UW Bothell School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, discusses his new book, “Captive Nation: Black Prison Organizing in the Civil Rights Era.”

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