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UW stories

From student journeys to global impact — stories about the people and programs that make the UW a force for good.

Secrets of the stars

Discovery & Explorations
How UW astronomers, the world’s largest survey telescope and a revolutionary new view of space will upend what we thought we knew about the universe.

Pulling together

Athletics
A photograph of the UW men's rowing team of 1936
The “Boys in the Boat” UW rowing team beat the odds to win Olympic gold in 1936 — setting a legacy in motion.

Scene of change

Environment
Wild dog with sunset in background
As climate change heightens conflict between humans and wildlife, UW professor Briana Abrahms is using data to help people and animals cope — and coexist.

String theory: Math and music in the UW Symphony

Arts
UW Symphony string section practices
Take a look inside the UW Symphony Orchestra, from auditions to rehearsals to first performance — and hear about the fascinating connection between studying STEM and pursuing music.

Sea change

Community
Diver in the water by the sound seawall
Seattle is reimagining and creating a living urban waterfront — building a healthy future for the city’s people, sea life, culture and economy. The UW has been part of the project from the start.

What leadership looks like

Diversity Equity & Inclusion
Noah Stringer
As the UW’s Brotherhood Initiative grows — and now welcomes a counterpart Sisterhood Initiative — students of color like senior Noah Stanigar continue to soar.

Ever forward

Philanthropy
Looking up at the outside the Shell House
Pulling together to preserve the historic ASUW Shell House, once home to the famed ‘Boys in the Boat.’

Believe the hype

Athletics
Woods on campus
MaKayla Woods came to the University of Washington to be accepted for who she was. What she found was a place where she could become her best self.

Breaking barriers

Diversity Equity & Inclusion
Person stands next to orange airplane
Professor Cecilia Aragon vanquished fear to become the first Latina pilot on the U.S. Aerobatic Team — and the first Latina full professor in the UW College of Engineering.

Dinosaur dreams

Discovery & Explorations
Person wearing sun hat superimposed on map
Zeke Augustine, ’23, has sifted through soil for microscopic fossils and helped dig up a Triceratops. The Burke Museum has been at the heart of it all.

Chasing the cretaceous

Discovery & Explorations
Kelsie Abrams portrait at Hell Creek
Kelsie Abrams and the UW’s Burke Museum hunt for dinosaur fossils and solve mysteries in the Hell Creek Formation.

Planet protectors

Environment
Collage of five UW alum portraits
How five UW alums’ diverse career paths are helping improve our environment.

The pack is back

Community
Collage of Move-in Days
UW campuses burst back to life after 18 months of remote work and study. 2021 year in photos.