UW News blog
September 29, 2025
UW announces Katherine and John Simpson deanship in the College of Arts & Sciences
The University of Washington announced a transformative gift that solidifies the importance and vitality of the arts, humanities, natural sciences and social sciences. It recognizes the legacy of former Dean John Simpson, his late wife Katherine, and the Simpson family by creating a namesake deanship for the College of Arts & Sciences. The Katherine and…
September 23, 2025
More bees please: 8 new-to-Washington species identified
Bee experts wouldn’t have previously expected to find the likes of Osmia cyaneonitens, Dufourea dilatipes and Stelis heronae in Washington. But this year, while collecting pollinators in Chelan County to study how climate and wildfires affect native bee populations, Autumn Maust, a University of Washington research scientist of biology, discovered eight bee species never recorded in Washington.
September 21, 2025
UW’s incoming classes welcomed by President Robert J. Jones at New Student Convocation
The University of Washington’s incoming classes were welcomed Sunday at the University’s 42nd annual New Student Convocation inside Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. The ceremony was attended by thousands of students, family and friends. Welcome, Huskies! Thousands of incoming @uofwa.bsky.social students gathered for an annual 'W' formation today after kicking off the school…
September 20, 2025
President Jones to welcome incoming class at New Student Convocation on Sunday
The University of Washington’s incoming classes will be welcomed on Sunday by President Robert J. Jones at the University’s 42nd annual New Student Convocation inside Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. The ceremony is expected to be attended by thousands of students, family and friends. Preliminary figures show the incoming freshman class will be…
September 19, 2025
Q&A: UW professor’s book explores how ‘technology is never culturally neutral’
In her new book, Katharina Reinecke explores how “digital culture shock” manifests in the world, in ways innocuous and sometimes harmful.
September 17, 2025
VIDEO: UW welcomes incoming students to on-campus housing
This week the University of Washington campus is once again buzzing with energy as students begin to move into the residence halls and participate in annual fall activities for incoming undergraduates. A majority of the UW freshman class has signed up to live on campus for Autumn 2025, and thousands of students are expected to…
University of Washington breaks ground on ASUW Shell House renovation
University of Washington President Robert J. Jones, author Daniel James Brown, and other members of the ASUW Shell House community gathered for a groundbreaking ceremony at the historic building, which is undergoing final stages of adaptive reuse. Spanning approximately 12,000 square feet, the historic ASUW Shell House is located just feet from the northeast edge…
September 16, 2025
Q&A: From TVs to the future of computing, UW professor explains what makes quantum dots shine
Quantum dots, which are 10,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair, are unique materials that generate very specific colors of light. Researchers, including Brandi Cossairt, UW professor of chemistry, hope that quantum dots can one day be useful for more than just illuminating TV screens. UW News asked her to compare the quantum dots in QLED TVs with the ones her lab makes.
September 15, 2025
UW School of Dentistry shows its commitment to service through free clinics across Washington state
UW dental students, faculty members and community volunteers provide free care to communities across Washington, serving hundreds of patients each academic quarter.
August 26, 2025
Princeton Review: UW in top 10 of ‘Best Value Colleges’
The University of Washington is one of the top 10 U.S. public universities as ranked by return on investment, according to The Princeton Review.
August 21, 2025
Statement affirming University’s commitment to animal welfare following USDA inspection
The University of Washington is committed to upholding the highest standards of animal welfare and regulatory compliance in all of its research programs. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) conducted an unannounced inspection of UW’s animal research program in July 2025 as part of its routine annual process…
August 19, 2025
UW research shows Fresh Bucks program improves fruit and vegetable intake, food security
A new study from the University of Washington shows that households enrolled in the City of Seattle’s Fresh Bucks program experience a 31% higher rate of food security and consume at least three daily servings of fruits and vegetables 37% more often than those assigned to a program waitlist. Fresh Bucks, a $40 a month benefit, works with local partners to help residents access fresh food.
August 4, 2025
Integrating human and animal health care increases access to services for homeless youth
At the One Health Clinic, a nurse practitioner and veterinarian, often accompanied by veterinary students, provide primary care services while UW students volunteer as patient navigators, helping to coordinate care and address shared health needs such as extreme weather, environmental contaminants and zoonotic disease. The clinic also helps clients document their pets as emotional support animals, which enables them to access a wider range of housing and other services.
July 30, 2025
Video: UW aeronautics professor goes for ride-along with the Blue Angels
UW professor of aeronautics and astronautics Jim Hermanson took a ride Wednesday morning aboard a U.S. Navy Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet — better known as one of the Blue Angels.
July 21, 2025
In the field: UW researchers bound for Alaska’s earthquake-impacted marshlands
Kendall Valentine, an assistant professor of oceanography at University of Washington, along with collaborators from the University of Rhode Island and the Desert Research Institute are traveling to Anchorage and the Copper River Delta to study marshes that formed in the years following the 1964 earthquake.
July 14, 2025
President Cauce names Jason Campbell interim senior vice president for Finance, Planning and Budgeting and chief financial officer
University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce has announced that Jason Campbell will serve as interim senior vice president for Finance, Planning and Budgeting and chief financial officer, effective Aug. 2. Currently the vice president for Finance and Budget Strategy and deputy senior finance officer, Campbell will step in to the interim position following the…
July 11, 2025
Pat Tillman Foundation names Stephanie Mitchell and Brian Riley in class of 2025 scholars
The Pat Tillman Foundation this week announced the 2025 Class of Tillman Scholars, which included two University of Washington students who exemplify the values Pat Tillman stood for: leadership, service, scholarship and impact. Stephanie Mitchell is a third-year doctoral student in the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS) and a military spouse….
June 30, 2025
Joel Thornton named interim dean of the College of the Environment
University of Washington Provost Tricia R. Serio announced that Joel Thornton has agreed to serve as interim dean of the College of the Environment, effective July 1, until a new permanent dean is selected.
UW computational neuroscientist and physicist among newly elected National Academy of Sciences members
Adrienne Fairhall and David Hertzog are among 120 new members and 30 international members elected “in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.”
June 18, 2025
UW is the No. 8 university in the world, according to new US News & World Report rankings
The University of Washington is No. 8 on the 2025-26 U.S. News & World Report’s Best Global Universities rankings, released on Tuesday. The UW maintained its No. 2 ranking among U.S. public institutions.
May 30, 2025
Atlantic Ocean current expected to undergo limited weakening with climate change, study finds
The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC, is a system of ocean currents that plays a crucial role in regulating Earth’s climate by transporting heat from the Southern to Northern Hemisphere. Climate models have long predicted that global warming will cause the AMOC to weaken, with some projecting what amounts to a near-collapse relative to the AMOC strength in observations today. But a new study from a team of researchers that included the University of Washington shows that the AMOC is likely to weaken to a much lesser extent than current projections suggest.
May 22, 2025
Q&A: What universities can learn about navigating ideological tension from the history of same-sex domestic partner benefits
A new study from Abhinav Gupta, professor of management in the University of Washington Foster School of Business, examines how public universities decided whether to offer same-sex domestic partner benefits in the early 1990s and 2000s. The research offers timely lessons on how universities can navigate politically charged issues without abandoning their core commitments.
May 7, 2025
Statement on federal Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism review
The University of Washington has received a notice that the federal Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism has initiated a review of federal grants and contracts at the University. This follows a several-hour building takeover on May 5 involving significant damage to the building and equipment inside it, setting dumpsters on fire outside the building, and delaying emergency responders. Thirty-four individuals were arrested subject to criminal prosecution and University disciplinary processes. The 21 students who were arrested have been suspended and banned from the all UW campuses. Non-student participants will be banned from the UW’s Seattle campus.
May 6, 2025
Statement on occupation of Interdisciplinary Engineering Building
The UW is committed to maintaining a secure learning and research environment, and strongly condemns this illegal building occupation and the antisemitic statement that was issued by a suspended student group Monday. The University will not be intimidated by this sort of offensive and destructive behavior and will continue to oppose antisemitism in all its forms.
April 29, 2025
Q&A: Hybrid policies can divide workplaces
When employees follow a three-day office schedule but choose different days to come in, certain team members naturally work together more often. New research from Michael Johnson, professor of management in the University of Washington Foster School of Business, found that, over time, these patterns create “co-location imbalance,” which divides teams into subgroups with stronger internal relationships.
April 21, 2025
Q&A: UW researchers examine mental impact of Girl Scouts’ interactions with nature
New research from the University of Washington, recently published in the Journal of Environmental Education, examined whether children’s interactions with nature that are embodied, rather than just visual, are associated with feeling connected to something beyond the self. Exploratory analyses found that participants who had embodied interactions reported a greater sense of presence in nature than those who reported only visual interactions.
April 7, 2025
Statement on UW students having visas revoked without notice
The University of Washington has learned that, as of this posting, five current UW students plus four recent graduates participating in post-graduation training have had their visas unilaterally cancelled by the federal government without prior notice to the University or the students. We are deeply concerned about the well-being of these students and graduates and are working to support them.
March 31, 2025
Discovery of Quina technology challenges view of ancient human development in East Asia
Ben Marwick, a University of Washington professor of archaeology, was part of a team of researchers that uncovered a complete Quina technological system in the Longtan site in southwest China. The discovery challenges the widely held perception that the Middle Paleolithic period was mostly static in East Asia.
March 26, 2025
Video: A look at UW Libraries’ rare 1544 edition of Dante’s ‘Divine Comedy’
Bound in calfskin and detailed in gold, a rare 1544 edition of Dante’s Divine Comedy was added to UW Libraries’ collection this year. The book is nearly 500 years old, and has likely lasted so long because its pages are made of durable linen fiber, not wood pulp. The handmade leather cover and sturdy binding also helped preserve the book. When librarian Julie Tanaka handles the book today, she knows that there is something here to pique anyone’s interest.
March 25, 2025
OS-CONNECT data set helps pedestrians find accessible routes all over Washington state
A new data set called OS-CONNECT maps sidewalks and other pedestrian paths statewide, from Forks on the Olympic Peninsula to Clarkston in the southeast. In House Bill 1125, the Washington State Legislature assigned the UW’s Taskar Center for Accessible Technology to build the data set, which was completed well ahead of its projected 2027 goal.
March 23, 2025
UW President honors life and impact of Rep. Frank Chopp
University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce issued this statement following the passing of Rep. Frank Chopp, former speaker of the Washington House and a 1975 UW graduate:
March 14, 2025
Ranking: UW library and information management best in the country, second best in the world
The University of Washington is the best in the U.S. and No. 2 in the world for library and information management, according to the QS World University Rankings by Subject released Wednesday. Four other UW subject areas placed in the top 10.
March 13, 2025
Statement: UW Regents vote not to convene ACSRI on divestment proposal
A statement from Blaine Tamaki, Chair of the UW Board of Regents, following the UW Board of Regents vote this week not to convene an Advisory Committee on Socially Responsible Investing (ACSRI) related to investments in companies doing business with or providing materials to Israel.
February 25, 2025
The UW once again is a Fulbright top producer
The University of Washington has been recognized once again as one of American higher education’s top producers of Fulbright students and scholars. This recognition is given to the U.S. colleges and universities that had the highest number of applicants selected for the 2024-25 Fulbright U.S. Student and Fulbright U.S. Scholar Programs – the federal government’s flagship international exchange program.
February 3, 2025
Q&A: UW researchers are designing cancer therapeutics that can kill cancer cells and restore healthy tissue
Two University of Washington researchers are developing treatments that aim to simultaneously treat cancer and improve patients’ quality of life. For World Cancer Day, UW News asked them to discuss their novel materials and how these materials can treat both the cancer and the patient.
Q&A: UW-led research identifies migration, housing quality as risk factors in earthquake deaths
Workers from small, rural communities often move into the outer edges of cities, which offer greater economic opportunities but often have low-quality housing that is likely to suffer greater damage during an earthquake. The risk grows even more when migrants come from low-income or tribal villages.
January 31, 2025
Report: UW No. 7 in the world powering global innovation
The University of Washington is No. 7 in the world on a list of the top universities in the world powering global innovation, according to the Institute for Scientific Information at Clarivate.
January 27, 2025
Q&A: How rate of CO2 rise can affect a global ocean current
How fast the level of atmospheric carbon dioxide — and with it, the temperature — goes up matters for the ability of humans and ecosystems to adjust. A slower increase gives humans time to move away from low-lying coasts and animals time to move to new habitats. It turns out the rate of that increase matters for non-living systems, too. Camille Hankel, a postdoctoral researcher at the Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean and Ecosystem Studies, talks about her research on the Atlantic Ocean circulation.
December 18, 2024
UW welcomes Tent City 3 back to campus
The organized tent-city community will return to the UW’s Seattle campus for 90 days during winter quarter 2025.
December 17, 2024
Q&A: Will the next generation of AI be agents that can shop autonomously?
Chirag Shah, a UW professor in the Information School, discusses what AI agents are and what might impede a near future where people can simply get AI bots to shop for them.
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