Plants, like people, have a circadian clock and they sense seasonal changes to light and temperature. Plants that bloom in the spring use the longer days and warmer temperatures as seasonal cues that it’s time to bloom.
Author: UW News staff
Mosquitoes are increasingly becoming resistant to current insecticides, leading to a pressing need for new methods to prevent mosquito bites — and the potential transmission of disease. New research by an international team, including researchers at the UW, reveals that Aedes aegypti mosquitoes use a specific sensory receptor to detect and avoid borneol (pronounced “bor-nee-ohl”), an organic compound found in several aromatic plants, including camphor trees, rosemary and other aromatic herbs.
Spring is here, which in Seattle, means cherry blossoms. The UW’s iconic display — featuring 29 Yoshino cherry trees — is set to peak around March 20 this year. Check out the cherry blossom visitors’ website to learn more.
Description of Proposal: The proposed University of Washington Chemical Sciences Building is intended to create a new academic building in Central Campus for student and faculty laboratories, collaboration spaces, and classrooms. Location of proposal: 3919 West Stevens Way NE. The site is generally bounded by Okanogan Ln to the north and east, Benson Hall to the south, and West Stevens Way NE to the west. Title and description of document being adopted: University of Washington 2018 Seattle Campus Master Plan…
A statement from the University of Washington regarding gross misdemeanor trespassing charges being filed Tuesday against the 33 individuals who were arrested in connection with occupation of the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building in May 2025.
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory has issued its first real-time alerts of changes in the night sky. The ultrafast alerting system, developed at the UW, will eventually detect up to seven million changes in the cosmos every night and notify scientists around the world.
Five University of Washington faculty members have been awarded early-career fellowships from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
The University of Washington was awarded $2.5 million from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to fund 16 postdoctoral fellows in a number of fields across the College of Arts & Sciences, the College of Engineering and the College of the Environment.
New research supported by Yingjie Cheng, a University of Washington postdoctoral researcher in astronomy, uncovered a contender for one of the earliest observed spiral galaxies containing a stellar bar — a notable visual feature that can play an important role in the evolution of a galaxy.
A team led by University of Washington astronomers has discovered the fastest-ever spinning asteroid with a diameter over half a kilometer.
The Arboretum Foundation and the University of Washington Botanic Gardens will combine operations under a single nonprofit organization: Seattle Botanic Gardens.
University of Washington President Robert J. Jones and Provost Tricia R. Serio announced that Jason Campbell will become the chief financial officer and senior vice president of finance, planning and budgeting effective Jan. 1.
A web-based method was shown to mitigate political polarization on X by nudging antidemocratic and extremely negative partisan posts lower in a user’s feed. The tool, which is independent of the platform, has the potential to give users more say over what they see on social media.
The University of Washington is proud to announce that 56 faculty and researchers who completed their work while at UW have been named on the Highly Cited Researchers 2025 list from Clarivate.
The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute on Monday awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly to Mary E. Brunkow — an alum of the University of Washington — along with Frederick J. Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi “for groundbreaking discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance that prevents the immune system from harming the body.”
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 move into campus housing this week, beginning on Tuesday, September 16. Move-in occurs at various locations on the University of Washington campus during the following…
The positive impact of Big Ten universities across the Pacific Northwest and around the nation will be highlighted in a new 30-second ad that will air during sporting events featuring conference members, starting with this week’s season-opening football games. The ad – entitled “We Are Here” – will air alongside the fan-favorite “Maps” spot. The new spot focuses on how the University of Washington and other Big Ten universities make America healthier, safer and more prosperous in a variety of…
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.
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 and to follow up on an anonymous concern submitted to USDA alleging unfair treatment of a researcher by the UW Institutional Animal Care and Use…
University of Washington President Robert J. Jones announced the appointment of Heather Horn to serve as the next vice president for Human Resources beginning Oct. 1.
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.
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 departure of Sarah Norris Hall. “We appreciate Jason stepping into this interim role. I’m confident he will provide excellent support to both incoming President Jones…
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. Her interdisciplinary research focuses on global health and conservation. Brian Riley earned a degree in Economics from the US Air Force Academy, and served nearly…
University of Washington Provost Tricia R. Serio announced the appointment of Danny Barrow to serve as the vice provost for Enrollment Management beginning July 28.
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.
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.”
Four University of Washington researchers have been selected as Fulbright Scholars for 2025-2026 and will pursue studies in Spain, Taiwan, Poland and Japan.
Seven UW students and recent alumni were awarded Fulbright U.S. Student Program scholarships for the 2025–2026 academic year, joining about 2,000 students and recent graduates from around the country to pursue graduate study, conduct research and teach English abroad.
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.
Brain-computer interfaces, or BCIs, can help people with severe injuries or impairments regain the ability to communicate or move their arms and legs through robotic substitutes. The devices, which are about the size of a dime and are implanted on the surface of a person’s brain, serve as a communication link between the brain’s neural activity and an external device, such as a computer or a robotic limb. In this episode, Sara Goering, a University of Washington professor of philosophy,…
Imagine sitting in a movie theater watching a film you’ve been anticipating for months. Suddenly, the screen goes blank. It only lasts a second, but that’s long enough to disrupt the experience. It’s also long enough, says Mal Ahern, to remind you of the physical infrastructure behind what we so often see as an immaterial experience. Ahern, a University of Washington assistant professor of cinema and media studies, researches glitches in everything from printers to projectors. In this episode, she…
Ken Yocom has been named the next John and Rosalind Jacobi Family Endowed Dean of the University of Washington College of Built Environments, Provost Tricia Serio announced today. His appointment, effective July 1, is subject to approval by the UW Board of Regents. Yocom has served as interim dean since October 2024 and is a professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture, where he previously served as department chair. A longtime member of the UW faculty, Yocom brings deep institutional…
Virtual assistants, such as Apple’s Siri, can perform a range of tasks or services for users — and a majority of them sound like white women. Golden Marie Owens, assistant professor of cinema and media studies at the University of Washington, says there is much to learn about a person from how they sound. The same holds true for technology. In this episode, Owens discusses her research into why a white woman is the default voice for virtual assistants in…
Imagine an art class where you only did paint by numbers, or a music class where you weren’t allowed to play a song until you practiced scales for 20 years. This is often what it’s like to take a math class, where students spend most of their time learning to solve problems that have already been figured out. But while the basics are important in any subject, so is creativity. In this episode, Jayadev Athreya discusses mathematics as the language…
Since 2014, The European Union has been crafting policy on the rights of disabled people with “independent living” as a key element. Officials noticed the law wasn’t being followed in countries like Malta, so they moved these young people into their own apartments. But these were pretty much the only people in their 20s who weren’t still living at home. This is an example of Western bias in disability studies, says Stephen Meyers, a UW associate professor of law, societies…
On June 3, scientists working on the Muon g-2 experiment (pronounced “mew-on gee-minus-two”) released the third and final measurement of the muon magnetic anomaly. This result agrees with the published results from 2021 and 2023 but with a much better precision of 127 parts per billion, surpassing the original experimental design goal of 140 parts per billion.
The study revealed that iron released from industrial processes, such as coal combustion and steelmaking, is altering the ecosystem in the North Pacific Transition Zone, an area just north of Hawai’i that’s important for Pacific fisheries.
Notice is given under SEPA, RCW 43.21.C.080, that the University of Washington took the action described below on May 30, 2025. Any action to set aside, enjoin, review or otherwise challenge such action on the grounds of non-compliance with the provisions of chapter 43.21C RCW (State Environmental Policy Act) shall be commenced on or before June 30, 2025. Description of the proposed action: Approval of the UMWC-Northwest Major Institution Master Plan by the Seattle City Council in Clerk File 314511….
The kingdom of Aksum was one of the most powerful empires in the world in the fourth century. It played a major role in the histories of Egypt, Persia and Rome, as well as the early days of Christianity and Islam. But Aksum’s accomplishments have long been overlooked because they are recorded in the ancient African language of Ge’ez. Like Latin, Ge’ez is rarely spoken today. It’s taught at just three universities in the Western world, including by Hamza Zafer…
There is more to literature than the text itself. Anything that surrounds the text — from the cover to chapter headings and author bios — is known as paratext. This is what transforms text into a book. Richard Watts’s research focuses on this under-examined aspect of literature. In this episode, Watts, an associate professor of French at the University of Washington, explains how everything we read comes with accompanying discourse. Decisions have already been made about how readers should…