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Author: UW News staff

July 11, 2025

Pat Tillman Foundation names Stephanie Mitchell and Brian Riley in class of 2025 scholars

Block W

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…

June 26, 2025

Seven UW students receive Fulbright exchange awards for study, research and teaching positions around the world

collage of seven students

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.

June 17, 2025

‘Ways of Knowing’ Episode 8: Ethics of Technology

Sara Goering

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,…

June 12, 2025

‘Ways of Knowing’ Episode 7: Glitches

Mal Ahern

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…

June 10, 2025

Ken Yocom appointed dean of UW College of Built Environments

Ken Yocom

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…

‘Ways of Knowing’ Episode 6: Sound Studies

Golden Marie Owens

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…

June 5, 2025

‘Ways of Knowing’ Episode 5: Abstract Pattern Recognition, or Math

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…

June 3, 2025

‘Ways of Knowing’ Episode 4: Global Disability Studies

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…

Muon g-2 announces most precise measurement of the magnetic anomaly of the muon

a giant magnetic ring in a research facility. Inside the ring are towers and people are working on them.

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.

May 30, 2025

Notice of Action: UMWC-Northwest Major Institution Master Plan

Official Notice image

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….

May 28, 2025

‘Ways of Knowing’ Episode 3: Ge’ez

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…

May 22, 2025

‘Ways of Knowing’ Episode 2: Paratext

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…

May 20, 2025

‘Ways of Knowing’ Episode 1: Digital Humanities

English, philosophy and comparative literature aren’t typically subjects that come to mind when thinking about big datasets. But the intersection between literature and data analysis is exactly where Anna Preus works.   Preus, a University of Washington assistant professor of English and of data science, digitally streamlined the process of documenting the number of non-British poets published in early 20th-century Great Britain. The number was enormous, but these poets are still absent from the literary canon — a discrepancy that…

April 14, 2025

Tina Pamintuan selected as next president and CEO of KUOW

Tina Pamintuan

The University of Washington and KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio are pleased to announce the appointment of Tina Pamintuan as KUOW’s next President and CEO, effective Aug. 1, 2025. Pamintuan is a distinguished figure in public media, known for her bold leadership and extensive experience as a journalist and educator. Pamintuan currently serves as the CEO of St. Louis Public Radio (STLPR), a role she assumed in December 2021. She has been an NPR Board member since November 2020 and chairs its DEI committee. 

March 21, 2025

Determination of non-significance: Husky Soccer Field Renovation

Official Notice image

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: Husky Soccer Field Renovation Proponent/Lead Agency: UW–Seattle Campus Comment Period Closes: April 4, 2025 Description: The proposed University of Washington Husky Soccer Field project is intended to renovate the field turf to further level the field for drainage and replace light fixtures for energy efficiency and better directional lighting to the field while reducing off-field lighting….

March 7, 2025

Video: Predicting when cherry trees will bloom on UW campus

[April 4] UPDATE:  Our iconic cherry trees are in bloom. Plan your visit to campus using this map, which highlights the locations of different cherry trees on the University of Washington campus, including the Yoshino blossoms in the Quad. [March 31] UPDATE: The majority of the blossoms are in peak bloom, a developmental phase which usually lasts about 10 days.  This phase can last longer if the weather is cool, calm and dry. [March 25] UPDATE:  There are three developmental…

February 25, 2025

The UW once again is a Fulbright top producer

campus photo

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 18, 2025

Three UW scientists named Sloan Fellows

Three professors

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. 

February 3, 2025

Grasshopper size changes suggest how to predict winners and losers under climate change

closeup of grasshopper on dry dirt

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.

January 16, 2025

Panorama of our nearest galactic neighbor unveils hundreds of millions of stars

Andromeda Galaxy

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.

December 18, 2024

Video highlights: From sea stars to sound waves, a look back at an eventful 2024 at the UW

A student in purple high fives other students flooding onto the field at Husky Stadium.

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.

December 13, 2024

In the Field: UW oceanographers and undergrads pursue tiny viral prize in Puget Sound waters

people on ship with two tanks filled with water in foreground

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.

December 6, 2024

More than 10,000 supernovae counted in stellar census

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.

November 11, 2024

UW recognizes Veterans Day with ceremonies and events

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…