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Three University of Washington faculty members have been awarded early-career fellowships from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The new Sloan Fellows, announced Feb. 18, are Amy L. Orsborn, the Clare Boothe Luce assistant professor of electrical & computer engineering and bioengineering, Dianne J. Xiao, an assistant professor of chemistry in the College of Arts & Sciences, and Amy X. Zhang, an assistant professor of computer science in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering. 

Thousands of grasshopper specimens from mountains in Colorado show trends in how the insects changed in size over 65 years. With earlier emergence of spring greenery and earlier summer drought, grasshopper species that emerged early in the year grew larger, while grasshopper species that emerge later in the year grew smaller in size. The study, led by UW biologist Lauren Buckley, shows that changes in insect size can be predicted based on lifecycles and environmental conditions.

The Hubble Space Telescope has generated the most comprehensive survey yet of the Andromeda galaxy, the nearest galactic neighbor to the Milky Way. The new mosaic of about 2.5 billion pixels yields new clues to the galaxy’s history. UW astronomers presented the findings Jan. 16 at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society.

Magical moments and memorable events — from a baby sea stars to a cherry trees blooming — happen all year round at the University of Washington, and our videos help people understand what it looked like, what happened and who was involved. Here’s a glimpse at 2024 from around the University of Washington and beyond.

UW oceanographer Robert Morris and a collaborator at UCLA are going out with students to collect the most abundant bacteria in the oceans to understand how its relationship with marine viruses changes depending on the place or the season. They leave Dec. 16 aboard UW School of Oceanography’s small research vessel, the RV Rachel Carson.

Since 2018 the Zwicky Transient Facility, an international astronomical collaboration based at the Palomar Observatory in California, has scanned the entire sky every two to three nights. As part of this mission, the ZTF’s Bright Transient Survey has been counting and cataloguing supernovae — flashes of light in the sky that are the telltale signs of stars dying in spectacular explosions. On Dec. 4, ZTF researchers — including astronomers at the University of Washington — announced that that they have identified more than 10,000 of these stellar events, the largest number ever identified by an astronomical survey.

The University of Washington’s annual Veterans Day ceremony, held on Monday at the Medal of Honor Memorial near Parrington Hall, honored those who have served and featured music by the Husky Marching Band. The Monday ceremony kicked off a number of events during Veteran Appreciation Week at UW. UW alum Dr. Dana Covey, ’84, U.S. Navy, was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Veteran Award by Provost Tricia Serio. Covey is considered one of the world’s leading authorities on battlefield care…

A team led by scientists at the University of Washington and the University of Aberdeen attached tiny “backpack” trackers to hummingbirds in the Colombian Andes to learn more about their movements. As they report in a paper published Oct. 10 in the journal Ecology and Evolution, the tracking system will aid conservation efforts in this region by revealing the previously hidden movements of hummingbirds and other small animals.

As Earth faces unprecedented climate change, a look into the planet’s deep past may provide vital insights into what may lie ahead. But knowledge of the natural world millions of years ago is fragmented. A 15-year study of a site in Bolivia by a joint U.S.-Bolivia team has provided a comprehensive view of an ancient ecosystem when Earth was much warmer than it is today, and changed how we look at the Andes.

NASA has awarded a five-year, $2.5 million grant to establish a regional scientific consortium based at the University of Washington, in partnership with Washington State University and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The consortium will use an interdisciplinary approach to explore how the space environment — both in low-Earth orbit and beyond — affects living things.

Across its three campuses, the University of Washington generated a total impact on the state’s economy of $20.9 billion in fiscal year 2023, according to an economic contribution analysis released today. The study further concludes that the economic activity of the UW system supported or sustained 111,951 jobs statewide. 

Pursuant to the provisions of WAC 197-11-340 and WAC 478-324-140, the University of Washington hereby provides public notice of adoption of an existing document, the UW 2018 Seattle Campus Master Plan Final EIS, and DETERMINATION OF NON-SIGNIFICANCE. The adopted document is available at: https://facilities.uw.edu/files/media/uw-cmp-final-eis-volume-1.pdf Project Name: Laurel Village Proponent/Lead Agency: University of Washington–Seattle Campus Comment Period Closes: October 4, 2024 Description of Proposal: The proposed UW Laurel Village redevelopment is intended to create additional student housing in East Campus on…

Pursuant to the provisions of WAC 197-11-340 and WAC 478-324-140, the University of Washington hereby provides public notice of adoption of an existing document, the UW 2018 Seattle Campus Master Plan Final EIS, and DETERMINATION OF NON-SIGNIFICANCE. The adopted document is available at: https://facilities.uw.edu/files/media/uw-cmp-final-eis-volume-1.pdf Project Name: Blakeley Village Proponent/Lead Agency: University of Washington–Seattle Campus Comment Period Closes: October 3, 2024 Description of Proposal: The proposed UW Blakeley Village redevelopment is intended to create additional student housing in East Campus on…

Mild fall temperatures this week helped welcome the first group of students who moved into University of Washington residence halls and apartments. More than 10,000 students are expected to live in UW housing this year, including more than 77.5% of the freshman class. This year’s incoming class is expected to be around 7,150, according to preliminary information.

Pursuant to the provisions of WAC 197-11-340 and WAC 478-324-140, the University of Washington hereby provides public notice of: DETERMINATION OF NON-SIGNIFICANCE Project Name: ASUW Shell House Renovation Proponent/Lead Agency: University of Washington–Seattle Campus Comment Period Closes: September 26, 2024 Description of Proposal: The proposed University of Washington ASUW Shell House project is intended to provide select interior and exterior renovation to further preserve the historic building and improve building systems (mechanical, electrical, plumbing, heating, ventilation, and structural), and ADA…

The following is a statement from outgoing UW Board of Regents Chair David Zeeck and Incoming Board of Regents Chair Blaine Tamaki on today’s meeting disruption and adjournment: The UW Board of Regents adjourned its meeting today after disruptions made orderly conduct of the meeting impossible. Speakers addressing labor issues and those calling for divestment from Israel had spoken without interruption, but when Jewish speakers opposed to divestment and concerned about antisemitism on campus began their comments, protestors repeatedly interrupted…

Ashleigh Theberge, associate professor of chemistry at the University of Washington, has been named to the Schmidt Sciences Polymath Program, entitling her to grants of up to $2.5 million over five years to “pursue risky, novel theories that would otherwise be difficult to fund,” according to a Sept. 10 announcement from Schmidt Sciences. Theberge — one of six awardees this year — was selected from an applicant pool of 117, and is the first UW faculty member selected for the program, which is in its third year.

NASA’s upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will look for “fossils” of galaxy formation by conducting high-resolution imaging studies. Through a grant from NASA, astronomers are designing a set of possible observations called RINGS — the Roman Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey — that would collect these images, and the team is producing publicly available tools that the astronomy community can use once Roman launches and starts collecting data.

The overlap between humans and animals will increase substantially across much of the planet in less than 50 years due to human population growth and climate change, according to a collaborative study by scientists at the University of Michigan, the University of Washington and University College London. By 2070, the overlap between humans and more than 22,000 vertebrate species will rise across nearly 57% of Earth’s land, according to the team.

The University of Washington, the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians and others held collaborative listening sessions with Northwest coastal Tribes to hear their experiences in adapting to climate change. A new report summarizes those experiences, while an upcoming grant program hopes to help address barriers identified in the report.

After more than two decades with the University of Washington, Vice President Randy Hodgins announced today that he will step down from his role leading the UW Office of External Affairs and retire at the end of the 2024-2025 academic year. During his upcoming final year as Vice President, Hodgins said he will remain committed to advancing the University’s mission and ensuring a smooth transition.

UW doctoral student Joel Eklof has been investigating which environmental factors contribute to permafrost thaw and the release of methane into the atmosphere. For years, Eklof has traveled to a field site southwest of Fairbanks, Alaska.

A UW atmospheric scientist will participate in a campaign to study winter storms and snowfall in northwestern Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. Like Seattle, this area depends on winter snow for its summer water supplies, so improving mountain snow forecasts will improve projections for summer drought and wildfire risks.