UW News


November 20, 2013

Study shines light on what makes digital activism effective

Protestors hold up a Facebook placard in Tahrir Square

Digital activism is usually nonviolent and tends to work best when social media tools are combined with street-level organization, according to new research from the University of Washington.


December deadlines approach for Awards of Excellence nominations

Nominations are due in December and coming months for this year’s University of Washington Awards of Excellence categories.


November 19, 2013

Paddlers spread pump-out ‘gospel’ to recreational boaters

Washington Sea Grant’s “Pumpout Paddlers” are readying their kayaks for winter paddling to deliver more adapters so boaters have a cleaner, easier way to pump their sewage-holding tanks.


November 18, 2013

Documents that Changed the World: the Zapruder film, Nov. 22, 1963

A moment from the film show by Abraham Zapruder on Nov. 22, 1963.

He only came to get the iconic footage through a series of coincidences and later regretted what he had done. It was the last film Abraham Zapruder would ever shoot.


Post-shutdown, UW Arctic research flights resume

researchers in plane

UW researchers this month are on missions to fly above the Arctic Ocean to measure glacier melt, polar storms and Arctic sea ice.


Faculty Senate chair Jack Lee charts course for year

Jack Lee

Faculty & Staff Insider asked this year’s Faculty Senate chair, Jack Lee, professor of mathematics, to discuss some of the the issues it is likely to tackle in the coming year.


November 14, 2013

FDA-approved immune-modulating drug unexpectedly benefits mice with fatal mitochondrial defect

Leigh mouse and normal mouse

Rapamycin, an anti-rejection drug for organ transplant patients, has now been shown to increases survival in and delayed symptoms of Leigh’s syndrome. The drug appears to cause a metabolic switch that bypasses the mitochondrial deficiency.


A decline in creativity? It depends on how you look

Recent research suggests that young Americans might be less creative now than in decades past, even while their intelligence — as measured by IQ tests — continues to rise. But new research from the UW Information School and Harvard University hints that the dynamics of creativity may not break down as simply as that.


November 13, 2013

Arts Roundup: Music, drama — and the Hall Health Artwalk

Robin McCabe, piano (left) Maria Larionoff, violin.

It’s a packed week in the arts, with an event option for every day. DXARTS and the School of Music offer an electro-acoustic concert, the UW World Series presents “Café Variations” in collaboration with the School of Drama, the Burke Museum of History and Culture has its Meet the Mammals day, and more.


2014-2015 Faculty Senate Vice Chair Nominations

Nominations for Vice Chair of the Faculty Senate are being sought.


Snow melts faster under trees than in open areas in mild climates

A mounted hunting camera captures snow in a forest gap, while snow appears to have melted under the trees in dense, second-growth forest behind the gap site.

University of Washington researchers have found that tree cover actually causes snow to melt more quickly in warm, Mediterranean-type climates. Alternatively, open, clear gaps in the forests tend to keep snow on the ground longer into the spring and summer. Their findings were published this fall in Water Resources Research.


November 12, 2013

Grant will support interdisciplinary, data-intensive research at UW

wordle image of words from the UW's proposal

The UW, along with the University of California, Berkeley, and New York University, are partners in a new five-year, $37.8 million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation that aims to accelerate the growth of data-intensive discovery across many fields.


November 8, 2013

Board of Regents — Nov. 14 Meeting Announcement

The Board of Regents will hold a Regular Meeting on Thursday, Nov. 14, at 1 p.m. in the UW Tower Board Room (22nd Floor).


Forest fires and fireside chats: UW students learn about management challenges

Students uses hand lens to examine moss on rock

An intensive two week field course helped 20 University of Washington students learn firsthand about the challenges of managing dry, fire-prone forests of the Pacific Northwest.


November 7, 2013

Cost-effective method accurately orders DNA sequencing along entire chromosomes

human chromosomes

The method may help overcome a major obstacle that has delayed progress in designing rapid, low-cost — but still accurate — ways to assemble genomes from scratch. It also may validate certain types of chromosomal abnormalities in cancer.


Arts Roundup: Music, lectures — and the School of Drama’s ‘Fifth of July’

This week there is a smattering of events with a highlight being the School of Drama’s “Fifth of July,” directed by Professor Valerie Curtis-Newton. Also, if Mongolian music suits your fancy, you’re in luck because the vibrant young ensemble, AnDa Union makes their Seattle debut on the Meany stage. JewDub Talks 7 p.m., Nov. 7…


November 6, 2013

Floods didn’t provide nitrogen ‘fix’ for earliest crops in frigid north

Trees, sediments in floodplain

Floods didn’t make floodplains fertile during the dawn of human agriculture in the Earth’s far north. Turns out early human inhabitants can mainly thank cyanobacteria. It raises the question of whether modern farmers might reduce fertilizer use by taking advantage of cyanobacteria that occur, not just in the floodplains studied, but in soils around the world.


News Digest: TEDx talk on brainy crows, Town Hall ‘rocks’ tonight

Crow perches on man's hand

Brainy crows subject of TEDx talk Saturday || Town Hall talk “Stories from My Pet Rocks” tonight


Washington home sales surged, affordability declined in third quarter

A home with a for-sale sign in front. Story says: Washington state's housing market remained strong in the second quarter of 2016.

Washington state’s housing market continued to strengthen in the July-September quarter, registering the fifth consecutive quarterly improvement in home sales activity, according to the UW’s Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies.


Brain may play key role in blood sugar metabolism and diabetes development

diabetes research

Future diabetes treatment approaches might target regulatory systems in both the brain and the pancreas to achieve better blood glucose control, or even put the disease into remission.


UW scholars offer short takes on Shakespeare Nov. 14 at ACT Theatre

The UW English Dept will hold "Shakespeare Ever After," a series of short presentations on the Bard, Nov. 14 at ACT Theater.

Ten Shakespeare scholars, students and actors, most from the University of Washington, will discuss the Bard’s life and work at Seattle’s ACT Theatre on Nov. 14 — and verily, they’ll be quick about it.


A shot in the dark: Detector at UW on the hunt for dark matter

Physicists examine components of the axion detector at the University of Washington.

Physicists are using a detector at the UW to search for a particle called an axion, which would be the first physical evidence of the universe’s dark matter.


November 5, 2013

‘Music is an infinite thing’: Jazz great Bill Frisell joins School of Music

Guitarist and trumpet player rehearse

The School of Music has lured Bill Frisell, one of modern jazz’s premier guitarists, to a position on the faculty.


November 4, 2013

More wildfires, earlier snowmelt, coastal threats top Northwest climate risks

mountain and snow

A new comprehensive report co-authored by the UW’s Climate Impacts Group looks at what climate change will mean for Washington, Oregon and Idaho.


UW Bothell prof, students present crowd-funded study of coal train emissions

Atmospheric scientist Dan Jaffe tonight will present the first results of a crowd-funded study of train emissions, conducted with four undergraduates from the Seattle and Bothell campuses and funded by public donations.


November 1, 2013

Documents that Changed the World: The Rosetta Stone

The Rosetta Stone in the British Museum.

The latest installment of Information School Professor Joe Janes’ podcast series takes a look at the 2,200-year-old Rosetta Stone.


UW surgical robot featured in 2013 movie ‘Ender’s Game’

A close-up shoot of the UW’s Raven II robot as it simulates brain surgery on actor Moisés Arias during the filming of “Ender’s Game.”

A University of Washington surgical research robot appears in the sci-fi movie “Ender’s Game” starring Harrison Ford. Two UW students operated the robot during the filming of the movie, which opens Nov. 1 in theaters across the country.


October 31, 2013

Epilepsy film to be screened Nov. 9 at Harborview Medical Center

Epilepsy film man in the street

Independent film producer Louis Stanislaw will present “Living on the Edge” at 10 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 9, in the Harborview Medical Center Research & Training Building. The showing will be followed by a panel discussion of individuals living with epilepsy and UW Medicine professionals who treat seizure disorders.


October 30, 2013

Arts Roundup: Faculty performances — and the Earshot Jazz Festival

MOMIX

As we head into November, the UW offers an array of events to get you out of the rain and into a museum or performance. If jazz is your flavor, make sure to check out the Earshot Jazz Festival with special performances by UW music professors and other local jazz favorites.


A first step in learning by imitation, baby brains respond to another’s actions

child plays pat-a-cake with an adult

Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery for adults, but for babies it’s their foremost tool for learning. Now researchers from the University of Washington and Temple University have found the first evidence revealing a key aspect of the brain processing that occurs in babies to allow this learning by observation.


Institute of Medicine issues report today on youth concussions

UW injury expert Dr. Fred Rivara was vice chair of the committee. Its report recommends actions to reduce the occurrence and consequences of youth concussions in sports and in the military, and stresses the need to better understand their nature and treatment.


October 29, 2013

Crashing rockets could lead to novel sample-return technology

An artist's conception shows a sampling rocket, with a tether linking a return capsule inside the rocket to a recovery craft.

This year, in an annual trek to the Nevada desert, UW students deliberately launched rockets from altitude directly into a dry lakebed. These were early tests of a concept that eventually could be used to collect and return samples from an erupting volcano, a melting nuclear reactor or even an asteroid in space.


John Schaufelberger appointed dean of the UW College of Built Environments

John Schaufelberger

University of Washington President Michael K. Young and Provost Ana Mari Cauce have announced that they are appointing interim dean John E. Schaufelberger to be the next dean of the UW College of Built Environments.


Redwood trees reveal history of West Coast rain, fog, ocean conditions

redwoods in fog

Scientists found a way to use coastal redwood trees as a window into historic climate, using oxygen and carbon atoms in the wood to detect fog and rainfall in previous seasons.


October 28, 2013

Much of rural India still waits for electricity

An electric transmission tower in Asia.

UW work contributes to largest international study of Alzheimer’s genes

damaged brain cell Alzheimer's

Eleven regions of the human genome have been newly discovered to influence the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. The UW was one of 145 academic centers worldwide participating in this research, which involved analyzing genes from more than 74,000 people.


New musical theater degree begins with outreach, talent search

Student Annmarie Morro caught in motion during a class in advanced jazz and theater dance taught by Wilson Mendieta. Morro was accepted into the new musical theater degree program.

The first order of business for the UW’s new degree in musical theater is not greasepaint or tap shoes but public outreach and finding talented, committed students.


UW hosts series of events for Veterans Appreciation Week Nov. 5 to 11

Sun shining through the U.S. flag, with a UW logo.

The University of Washington is planning a number of events that will be held during the week preceding Veterans Day.


Columnist: Crowdfund UW computer-science expansion

The Computer Science and Engineering building at UW.

October 25, 2013

Patient case takes health care students on an interprofessional learning journey

Interprofessional training three students

Students from the various health sciences schools worked together on a fictional case to solve the patient’s list of problems from different perspectives.



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