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The latest news from the UW

Month: November 2015

November 30, 2015

UW researchers estimate poverty and wealth from cell phone metadata

The northern and western provinces are divided into cells (the smallest administrative unit of the country), and the cell is shaded according to the average (predicted) wealth of all mobile subscribers in that cell. The southern province is overlaid with a Voronoi diagram that uses geographic identifiers in the call data to divide the region into several hundred thousand small partitions, which each may be as small as a household or a microvillage.

In developing or war-ravaged countries where government censuses are few and far between, gathering data for public services or policymaking can be difficult, dangerous or near-impossible. Big data is, after all, mainly a First World opportunity. But cell towers are easier to install than telephone land lines, even in such challenged areas, and mobile or cellular phones are widely used among the poor and wealthy alike. Now, researchers with the University of Washington Information School and Computer Science and Engineering…

UW sociology professors part of White House, DOJ events on criminal justice reform

President Obama has been leading the charge for criminal justice reform in recent months, calling for sweeping changes to reduce mass incarceration and commuting sentences for non-violent offenders. This week, the White House and Department of Justice are bringing together researchers, legal system practitioners and advocacy organizations at events focused on criminal justice system reform — and two University of Washington sociologists are among the participants. Alexes Harris and Hedwig (Hedy) Lee, UW associate professors of sociology, will be at…

November 25, 2015

UW law student researches industry gender inequity, calls for reforms

Women routinely outperform men in university classrooms across the United States and are invited more often than men to join student honors societies — yet women continue to be paid far less than similarly qualified male colleagues. Adding to that inequity, women also fare poorly when suing to recover damages for workplace sex and gender discrimination in the courts, with only 6 percent of such cases going to trial and then only one-third of even those cases being successful. These…

Documents that Changed the World: FDR’s Thanksgiving Proclamation, 1939

The U.S. Senate voted to set Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday in November on Dec. 9, 1941, two days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. You’d think they would have had more important things to talk about. Not Nov. 26, as George Washington had it or the last Thursday in the month as Lincoln had it, but November’s fourth Thursday — as Franklin Delano Roosevelt had it. FDR’s 1939 turkey-themed presidential proclamation making this so, and its back story,…

November 23, 2015

Public talk Nov. 24 urges solidarity with Syrian refugees

Interested in the Syrian refugee crisis? A public discussion at the University of Washington Tuesday, Nov. 24 aims to provide information about how local residents and communities can help advocate for Syrian refugees. Sponsored by UW Law’s Immigrant Families Advocacy Project, the “Social Justice Tuesday” event will be held from 12:30 to 1:20 p.m. in Room 127 in William H. Gates Hall, with a reception and snacks afterward in Room 115. Speakers are: Rahaf Baker, who migrated from Syria to…

November 20, 2015

Last chance to donate: UW Combined Fund Drive ends Dec. 4

A large 'W' is at the north entrance to the UW campus.

Faculty and staff have until Dec. 4 to contribute to this year’s UW Combined Fund Drive, the UW’s workplace giving campaign. Donors can pledge a one-time donation or give all year through payroll deduction to support local programs and global nonprofits. There are more than 5,000 vetted organizations to choose from, and donations are tax deductible. The UWCFD has raised $1,935,834 so far, and organizers hope to surpass $2.2 million in pledges this year. Thousands of UW community members support…

November 19, 2015

After Nobel win, neutrino endeavors snag Breakthrough Prize in Physics

Neutrinos may be small, but when it comes to prizes, they pack quite a punch. In October, it was announced that two scientists who headed international projects to study these miniscule, seemingly ephemeral subatomic particles will share the Nobel Prize in Physics. On Nov. 8, these same scientists joined five of their colleagues from other neutrino projects to accept the 2016 Breakthrough Prize in Physics. The $3 million prize will be shared among the over 1,300 scientists, including University of…

November 18, 2015

University of Washington signing White House climate pledge

The University of Washington has joined schools across the country in signing on to a White House climate pledge. The pledge is part of the Nov. 19 White House and Higher Education Climate Day of Action. The White House and the State Department will bring together leaders from higher education institutions to call for action on climate change and encourage a strong agreement at the upcoming Paris Climate Change Conference of world leaders. The UW is strongly committed to a…

Arts Roundup: DXARTS, improv – and pianist Yulianna Avdeeva

Don’t miss DXARTS’ fall concert – a chance to immerse yourself in groundbreaking electroacoustic music. The School of Drama opens two new productions: dark farce “Loot” and improv show “Beginnings: First Breath.” At Meany Hall, enjoy performances by pianist Yulianna Avdeeva and the University Chorale & Chamber Singers, or head over to Brechemin Auditorium to catch the talented Daana Quartet. Music of Today: DXARTS 7:30 p.m., November 20 | Meany Theater The School of Music and DXARTS present groundbreaking new…

Cousteau’s ‘Acid Apocalypse’ to feature Washington youth in ocean acidification project

Ocean acidification is top of mind for many Pacific Northwest scientists, shellfish farmers and even seafood chefs, but a new initiative seeks to know how an unsuspecting audience — kids and teenagers in the Northwest’s urban and rural areas — is impacted by this issue. EarthEcho International, Philippe Cousteau, Jr.’s environmental education and youth leadership nonprofit, has launched an expedition — called “Acid Apocalypse” — around Washington state to explore the growing threat of ocean acidification and meet with students…

November 17, 2015

Availability of Final Environmental Impact Statement: North Campus Student Housing Project

Official Notice image

Project Name: North Campus Student Housing Project Proponent: University of Washington Description of Proposal: The proposed North Campus Student Housing Project represents Phase IV of development identified in the Comprehensive Housing Master Program and would include the replacement of McCarty and Haggett Halls with four new student residence halls, as well as the development of one new student resident hall on the site of the existing tennis courts surrounding Denny Field. Hansee Hall and McMahon Hall would remain in their…

Charles Johnson’s story ‘The Weave’ chosen for 2016 Pushcart anthology

Ieesha, the young African-American woman at the center of Charles Johnson’s short story “The Weave,” takes an unusual action in response to her abrupt, sneeze-caused dismissal from Sassy Hair Salon and Beauty Supplies in Seattle’s Central District — where hair is straightened as well as styled and cut. “The Weave” has been selected for the prestigious 2016 Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses anthology, the 40th installment in that series. Johnson is a University of Washington professor of English,…

Microbes that are key indicators of Puget Sound’s health in decline

Paleontologists with the University of Washington’s Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture find that tiny organisms called foraminifera have a big story to tell about the health of Puget Sound. Two recent studies about the health of Bellingham Bay and inlets in the Bremerton area found the diversity and number of foraminifera — single-celled marine organisms that live on the sea floor — deteriorated significantly. The decline of these microscopic organisms is consistent with the deterioration of snails and other larger marine animals, even though analysis showed a reduction of chemical pollutants in Bellingham Bay and Bremerton over the same period of time.

November 13, 2015

Industry leaders gather at first ever University of Washington Innovation Summit in Shanghai

Speakers at the University of Washington’s inaugural Innovation Summit, held November 13 in Shanghai, China. From left: Adina Mangubat, Jiande Chen, Chris Gregoire, Ralph Haupter, Ana Mari Cauce, Yuan Ming, Vikram Jandhyala, Shwetak Patel, Gina Neff and Ben Waters. (Not pictured: Wang Jian)

The University of Washington held its first ever Innovation Summit today in Shanghai, China. The event brought together industry leaders from China and the United States, who discussed how they are turning ideas into impact, connecting academia to industry and helping solve the world’s most pressing problems.

November 12, 2015

David Shields addresses New York Times coverage in new book ‘War is Beautiful’

War photography in The New York Times entranced David Shields for years as a daily reader, but that attraction in time evolved into “a mixture of rapture, bafflement and repulsion,” he writes in the introduction to his latest book, “War is Beautiful: The New York Times Pictorial Guide to the Glamour of Armed Conflict.” “Over time,” Shields wrote, “I realized that these photos glorified war through an unrelenting parade of beautiful images whose function is to sanctify the accompanying descriptions…

Oceans — and ocean activism — deserve broader role in climate change discussions

When President Barack Obama visited the shrinking Exit Glacier in September, he pointed to a very obvious sign of our warming planet literally at his feet. Less visible, but perhaps more indelible, signs of changing climate lie in the oceans. A University of Washington researcher argues in the journal Science that people — including world leaders who will gather later this month in Paris for global climate change negotiations — should pay more attention to how climate change’s impacts on…

From garden to gut: New book from UW’s David Montgomery explores an unfolding scientific revolution

A new book by University of Washington geologist David Montgomery weaves history, science and personal challenges into an exploration of humanity’s tangled relationship with microbes, perhaps the least loved and most misunderstood creatures on Earth — and in you. “The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health” comes out Nov. 16 from W.W. Norton & Co. Montgomery, a UW professor of Earth and space sciences, co-wrote the book with his wife, Anne Biklé, a biologist and…

November 10, 2015

Arts Roundup: Akram Khan Dance Company, meet the mammals – and Beethoven back-to-back

Get your fill of Beethoven in three back-to-back days of concerts at the School of Music – and in a recital by cellist Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir, newly appointed artist-in-residence. DXARTS presents its fall concert of electroacoustic music, and the Henry hosts two public lectures. Plus, don’t miss three nights of Indian classical dance with the Akram Kahn Company. Akram Khan Company 8 p.m., November 12 – 14 | Meany Theater The Akram Khan Company makes its Seattle debut at Meany Hall…

UW School of Music talents, influence featured in book ‘Classical Seattle’

"Classical Seattle: Maestros, Impresarios, Virtuosi, and Other Music Makers," by Melinda Bargreen, published by University of Washington Press.

Melinda Bargreen is a Seattle-based freelance arts writer who spent 31 years as classical music critic for The Seattle Times. She is the author of “Classical Seattle: Maestros, Impresarios, Virtuosi, and Other Music Makers,” published this fall by University of Washington Press. Bargreen is a University of Washington alumna, with a bachelor of arts in English and a master of arts in music. Dave Beck of Seattle classical radio station KING FM said, “No other book provides such a well-informed…

UW psychology professor Anthony Greenwald receives award for social cognition work

University of Washington psychology professor Anthony Greenwald is one of two researchers chosen to receive the most prestigious award of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues. Greenwald and Mahzarin Banaji, a social psychologist at Harvard University, recently were named joint recipients of the 2016 Kurt Lewin Award for distinguished research on social issues. The pair is best known for their work on implicit social cognition, the unconscious attitudes and beliefs that humans bring to their social interactions. They…

November 9, 2015

Documents that Changed the World: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, 1982

Visitors touch names and leave gifts at the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C., in 2006.

The Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C., is many things to many people. To Joe Janes of the Information School, the son of a World War II veteran and creator of the Documents that Changed the World podcast series, the memorial, the discussions it sparked and the hearts it helps heal — “the totality of the wall” he says – together comprise an important document.

November 6, 2015

Swartz Foundation grant to boost UW research in computational neuroscience

Two University of Washington faculty members have been awarded a grant from The Swartz Foundation to support research in theoretical neuroscience. The award establishes the UW as the latest of the Swartz Foundation-supported centers for innovation in this growing field, which spans mathematics, statistics, physics and biology. “This award is a recognition of what is happening here at the UW in theoretical neuroscience research,” said Adrienne Fairhall, a UW associate professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics. “It is…

UW women studies department marks 45th anniversary

Nancy Kenney came to the University of Washington in 1976 with a joint appointment in psychology and women studies. The arrangement was typical — women studies professors at the UW then had joint appointments, Kenney said, because the program wasn’t expected to be around long. “Women studies was not expected to be a viable academic department,” Kenney said. “There was an expectation that issues like those covered in women studies would be brought into mainstream departments. We all had to…

November 4, 2015

Arts Roundup: UW Symphony, Don Quixote — and ArtVentures

The School of Drama wraps up its first play of the year this week, and pays tribute to one of the great theaters of Seattle’s past. In Meany Theater, catch the UW Symphony’s first concert of the year or explore Indian classical dance with the Akram Kahn Company. Visit the Henry for an exploration of Cervantes’ classic tale, “Don Quixote,” or an ArtVenture with the whole family. UW Symphony with Violinist Maria Larionoff 7:30 p.m., November 6 | Meany Theater…

Krispy Kreme crack and luxury food fever: new book links overeating to consumer culture

In an era of Fitbits, Skinnygirl margaritas and kale mania, isn’t overeating simply a failure of willpower, an unwillingness or inability to make good choices? It’s not that simple, says Kima Cargill, a professor of clinical psychology at the University of Washington in Tacoma. In her new book “The Psychology of Overeating,” Cargill places the blame for gluttony squarely at the feet of a culture gorged on consumerism. She contends that abundance of variety, lax regulation and sophisticated branding and marketing…

November 3, 2015

UW social work professor named among nation’s top 50 Influencers in Aging

University of Washington social work professor Karen Fredriksen-Goldsen is among 50 people nationwide named on the first Next Avenue Influencers in Aging list. Compiled by Next Avenue, a public media website aimed at older Americans, the list recognizes people “who are changing how we age and think about aging in America.” Fredriksen-Goldsen, director of the UW-based Healthy Generations Hartford Center of Excellence, is “shedding new light on the needs of LGBT elders,” Next Avenue noted in a release. Fredriksen-Goldsen’s research…

November 2, 2015

Modern world learns from ancient civilizations in Scott Montgomery’s history of science

Scott L. Montgomery, a lecturer in the Jackson School of International Studies, uses a range of case studies and the notion of “scientific culture” to trace the evolution of technical thought through eight major civilizations from ancient Egypt to Medieval and Renaissance Europe in his latest book, “A History of Science in World Cultures.” “A number of themes emerge,” said Montgomery. “The mobility of knowledge, the role of libraries, translation as a historical force, science and religion, science and art,…