UW News blog
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.
December 13, 2024
In the Field: UW oceanographers and undergrads pursue tiny viral prize in Puget Sound waters
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 12, 2024
Surveys show full scale of massive die-off of common murres following the ‘warm blob’ in the Pacific Ocean
Colony surveys of common murres, an Alaskan seabird, show the full effects of the 2014-16 marine heat wave known as “the blob.” Analysis of 13 colonies surveyed between 2008 and 2022 finds that colony size in the Gulf of Alaska dropped by half after the marine heat wave. In colonies along the eastern Bering Sea, west of the peninsula, the decline was even steeper, at 75% loss. No recovery has yet been seen.
December 10, 2024
Social media highlights: UW News 2024
This year, the UW News social media team shared the inspiring stories of work being done by the University of Washington community with reporters, news outlets and our social media followers. We also shared special events happening around campus with our community. National Championship Game 2024 started off with the NCAA National Championship game between…
December 4, 2024
Video: Talking about climate and weather with the Office of the Washington State Climatologist
From a base at the southwest corner of the UW’s Seattle campus, the Office of the Washington State Climatologist’s Guillaume Mauger and Karin Bumbaco provide expertise, tools and resources on “all things climate” to partners and communities across the state.
November 21, 2024
UW among best universities in the world for interdisciplinary science
The University of Washington was ranked No. 15 in the world for interdisciplinary scientific research, according to a new list published earlier this month by the U.K.-based Times Higher Education. The UW placed in the top 10 among U.S. institutions. Among U.S. public institutions, the UW placed fifth.
Q&A: Promises and perils of AI in medicine, according to UW experts in public health and AI
UW News sat down with experts in public health and AI to discuss AI could enhance health care, what’s standing in the way, and whether there’s a downside to democratizing medical research.
November 18, 2024
Q&A: UW professor discusses how academia can help battery manufacturing in the US
Jie Xiao, University of Washington professor of mechanical engineering, talks about batteries and how academia can help support the growing domestic battery manufacturing industry.
November 4, 2024
NASA funds effort to study effects of the space environment on living organisms
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.
UW President, Provost commit to new processes, policies, training and more in response to antisemitism and Islamophobia task force reports
The University of Washington on Monday announced several improvements and new practices to address concerns of antisemitism and Islamophobia that were raised in a recent climate assessment and associated task force reports.
October 29, 2024
Q&A: After developing a better way to count homelessness, UW researchers discuss how more accurate data can help providers and people
America’s homeless services system relies on a massive amount of data, and at first glance, that data is exacting. Federal reports describe the country’s unhoused population in granular detail, listing precisely how many people are experiencing homelessness in each city along with detailed demographic data. Want to know how many people ages 55-64 slept outside…
October 23, 2024
Rocky planets orbiting small stars could have stable atmospheres needed to support life
A new study finds that rocky planets orbiting small stars do have the potential for stable, life-supporting atmospheres. The finding supports continued study of the TRAPPIST-1 system and other top candidates in the search for life outside our solar system.
October 22, 2024
Paws of polar bears sustaining ice-related injuries in a warming Arctic
Polar bears in some parts of the high Arctic are developing ice buildup and related injuries to their feet. The changes appear to be an unexpected consequence of climate change, related to changing conditions in a warming Arctic.
October 21, 2024
Sweetened beverage taxes decrease consumption in lower-income households by nearly 50%, UW study finds
New research from the University of Washington investigated responses to sweetened beverage taxes using the purchasing behavior of approximately 400 households in Seattle, San Francisco, Oakland and Philadelphia. Researchers found that after the tax was introduced, lower-income households decreased their purchases of sweetened beverages by nearly 50%, while higher-income households reduced purchases by 18%.
October 15, 2024
Annual President’s Address 2024: Creating Impact through Courage, Compassion and Collaboration
University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce delivered her final annual address of her term on Oct. 15. The audience was invited to attend at the Henry Art Galley and remotely via livestream.
October 9, 2024
UW ranks among best in the world, fourth among US public institutions
The University of Washington is among the best universities in the world, according to the 2025 World University Rankings published Wednesday by Times Higher Education.
October 4, 2024
Q&A: New dataset provides a robust picture of Hurricane Helene’s destruction — and could help design more resilient communities
UW researchers collaborated with people at multiple institutions to collect pre-storm data and place sensors to measure storm surge levels and wave height during Hurricane Helene’s landfall.
October 1, 2024
Q&A: UW researchers examine link between light pollution and interest in astronomy
Rodolfo Cortes Barragan, research scientist the University of Washington Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences (I-LABS), and Andrew Meltzoff, co-director of I-LABS and professor of psychology, recently co-authored a study in Nature Scientific Reports showing a link between the ability to see the stars unblocked by light pollution and an interest in astronomy.
September 30, 2024
UW Climate Impacts Group contributes to new WA State Climate Resiliency Strategy
The University of Washington’s Climate Impacts Group has supported a newly released plan for state agencies to address the regional impacts of climate change. The plan, led by the Department of Ecology, includes 10 state agencies’ strategies to address climate impacts.
September 23, 2024
Q&A: How the Remote Hub Lab can prepare engineering students for their future careers
The Remote Hub Lab allows students to access physical engineering equipment from anywhere in the world. A primary focus of the lab is to use a process called “digital twinning,” to create virtual models that mirror real-world systems, which enables students to experiment, learn and innovate in a risk-free, cost-effective environment.
September 18, 2024
Explaining dramatic planetwide changes after world’s last ‘Snowball Earth’ event
Some of the most dramatic climatic events in our planet’s history are “Snowball Earth” events that happened hundreds of millions of years ago, when almost the entire planet was encased in ice up to 0.6 miles thick. New research from the University of Washington provides a more complete picture for how the last Snowball Earth event ended, and suggests why it preceded a dramatic expansion of life on Earth, including the emergence of the first animals.
September 17, 2024
AI researcher discusses the new version of ChatGPT’s advances in math and reasoning
Niloofar Mireshghallah, a UW postdoctoral scholar, discusses why math and reasoning have so challenged artificial intelligence models and what the public should know about OpenAI’s new release.
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