News releases
January 8, 2015
Epic survey finds regional patterns of soot and dirt on North American snow
University of Washington scientists published the first large-scale survey of impurities in North American snow. An almost 10,000-mile road trip showed that disturbed soil often mattered as much as air pollution for the whiteness of the snow.
January 7, 2015
How the ‘Beast Quake’ is helping scientists track real earthquakes
Scientists with the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network will install instruments this Thursday to provide real-time monitoring of the stadium’s movement during the 2015 NFL playoffs. It’s a valuable test of their newest seismic technology.
January 6, 2015
Mark Pagano selected as chancellor of UW Tacoma
University of Washington President Michael K. Young and Provost Ana Mari Cauce announced today the selection of Mark Pagano, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at Montana State University Billings, as the next chancellor of the University of Washington Tacoma, effective March 16. The appointment is subject to approval by the UW Board of…
December 29, 2014
William P. Gerberding, 27th president of the University of Washington, dies at 85
William P. Gerberding, the 27th and longest-serving president of the University of Washington, died Saturday. He was 85. Gerberding, who assumed the presidency in 1979 and retired in 1995, is credited for boosting the university into national prominence, navigating it through potentially devastating budget crises and significantly increasing private financial support. “We are all deeply…
December 17, 2014
Improving forecasts for rain-on-snow flooding
Many of the worst West Coast winter floods involve heavy rains and melting snow, and UW hydrology experts are using the physics of these events to better predict the risks.
December 16, 2014
Advisory council recommends UW medical school expansion in Spokane, increased residencies in rural areas
The University of Washington’s expansion of its medical school in Spokane and an increase in residency positions are among the ways to best meet the economic and health care needs in Spokane and throughout the state, according to an advisory council chairman’s report released Dec. 16.
December 9, 2014
Warmer Pacific Ocean could release millions of tons of seafloor methane
Water off Washington’s coast is warming a third of a mile down, where seafloor methane shifts from a frozen solid to a gas. Calculations suggest ocean warming is already releasing significant methane offshore of Alaska to California.
December 2, 2014
‘Mirage Earth’ exoplanets may have burned away chances for life
Planets orbiting close to low-mass stars are prime targets in the search for life. But new research led by an astronomy graduate student at the UW indicates some such planets may have long since lost their chance at hosting life because of intense heat during their formative years.
November 24, 2014
Study: US attracting fewer educated, highly skilled migrants
The U.S. economy has long been powered in part by the nation’s ability to attract the world’s most educated and skilled people to its shores. But a new study of the worldwide migration of professionals to the U.S. shows a sharp drop-off in its proportional share of those workers – raising the question of whether…
November 21, 2014
UW-made tool displays West Coast ocean acidification data
A new tool developed at the UW displays real-time ocean acidification data for the open ocean and protected bays, helping shellfish growers and scientists see changes in water chemistry.
November 20, 2014
Cost of meeting basic needs rising faster than wages in Washington state
A Washington family of four must spend 46 percent more on average to make ends meet today than 13 years ago, according to a new report from the University of Washington. The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Washington State 2014, released Thursday (Nov. 20), provides a sobering look at how much it costs individuals and families statewide…
November 17, 2014
Major brain pathway rediscovered after century-old confusion, controversy
A scientist looking at MRI scans of human brains noticed a large fiber pathway that seemed to be part of the network that processes visual information. He just couldn’t couldn’t find it in any of the modern textbooks.
‘Probiotics’ for plants boost detox abilities; untreated plants overdose and die
Scientists using a microbe that occurs naturally in eastern cottonwood trees have boosted the ability of willow and lawn grass to withstand the withering effects of the nasty industrial pollutant phenanthrene.
November 12, 2014
Moving cameras talk to each other to identify, track pedestrians
University of Washington electrical engineers have developed a way to automatically track people across moving and still cameras by using an algorithm that trains the networked cameras to learn one another’s differences.
November 10, 2014
Global warming not just a blanket – in the long run, it’s more like tanning oil
Instead of carbon dioxide, or CO2, creating a blanket that slowly warms the planet, long-term warming happens because a darker surface and more moist air can absorb more of the incoming rays.
November 6, 2014
Zebrafish stripped of stripes
Within weeks of publishing surprising new insights about how zebrafish get their stripes, University of Washington researchers now explain how to “erase” them.
November 5, 2014
UW study shows direct brain interface between humans
University of Washington researchers have successfully replicated a direct brain-to-brain connection between pairs of people as part of a scientific study following the team’s initial demonstration a year ago.
November 4, 2014
‘Future proofing’: Present protections against challenges to come
You can’t predict the future, but you can prepare for it — that’s the thinking behind architect (and architecture graduate student and UW staff member) Brian Rich and his principles of “future proofing” existing and historical buildings.
October 31, 2014
Study: Expansion of UW medical school in Spokane is state’s lowest-cost, highest-quality and most-immediate solution
The University of Washington’s plan to double the size of its medical school in Spokane is “clearly the most cost-effective option” to meet the physician workforce needs in Eastern Washington and throughout the state, according to an independent study by research firm Tripp Umbach. The study also found that Eastern Washington currently cannot support two…
October 29, 2014
New study shows three abrupt pulses of CO2 during last deglaciation
Increases of atmospheric carbon dioxide that helped end the last ice age more than 10,000 years ago happened in three abrupt pulses, not gradually.
Fires and floods: North Cascades federal lands prepare for climate change
UW scientists worked with managers of federal parks and forests to come up with a strategy to address warmer temperatures, increased wildfires and more flooding in the North Cascades region.
October 24, 2014
U.S. Navy awards $8 million to develop wave, tidal energy technology
The UW has an $8 million, four-year contract to develop technologies that can harness waves, tides and currents to power naval facilities worldwide.
October 22, 2014
Traditional, tea party conservatives seem split on foreign policy
Foreign policy looms large as the 2014 midterm elections approach. But traditional conservatives and their tea party counterparts may bring different concerns and motivations to the November ballot, according to a University of Washington political scientist. While traditional conservatives seem most motivated by concern over American security, Christopher Parker, UW professor of political science, suggests…
October 20, 2014
UW student population grows, minority enrollment continues upward trend
Enrollment for the three University of Washington campuses increased nearly 3 percent in the new school year, according to the finalized Fall 2014 census of enrolled students released by Philip Ballinger, associate vice provost for enrollment and undergraduate admissions.
October 14, 2014
Orphanage care linked to thinner brain tissue in regions related to ADHD
Psychological studies of children who began life in Romanian orphanages shows that institutionalization is linked to physical changes in brain structure. The thinning of the cortex leaves a lasting legacy that can explain impulsivity and inattention years later.
October 10, 2014
Citizen science key to keeping pace with environmental change
Better integration of citizen science into professional science is a growing consideration at the UW and elsewhere.
October 9, 2014
Migrating animals’ pee affects ocean chemistry
Tiny animals migrating from the ocean’s surface to the sunless depths helps shape our oceans. During the daylight hours below the surface the animals release ammonia, the equivalent of our urine, that plays a significant role in marine chemistry, particularly in low-oxygen zones.
October 8, 2014
Jackson School centers receive $16 million for international education
The University of Washington’s Jackson School of International Studies has received funding from the U.S. Department of Education for all eight of its Title VI centers — with grants of more than $16 million to be awarded over four years.
UW fusion reactor concept could be cheaper than coal
University of Washington engineers have designed a concept for a fusion reactor that, when scaled up to the size of a large electrical power plant, would rival costs for a new coal-fired plant with similar electrical output.
October 7, 2014
Toddlers regulate behavior to avoid making adults angry
UW researchers have found that children as young as 15 months can detect anger in other people’s social interactions and then modify their own behavior.
October 3, 2014
University of Washington and Washington State University announce Memorandum of Understanding on medical education expansion
SPOKANE, Wash. – Leadership at the University of Washington and Washington State University today announced they have reached an agreement that will mutually dissolve their WWAMI partnership and provide a pathway to pursue separate solutions to address the state’s medical education needs and physician shortage. In order to provide the greatest benefit to the state…
Not stuff of musty museums: Enlist evolutionary biology against modern threats
Using evolutionary biology is one way to try to outwit evolution where it is happening too quickly and to perhaps find accommodations when evolution occurs too slowly.
October 2, 2014
UW’s Jeffrey Heer wins award to support data visualization research
Jeffrey Heer, a University of Washington associate professor of computer science and engineering, has received an award from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to develop new theories, tools and techniques for data visualization that help scientists see and understand big data.
September 23, 2014
Dying brain cells cue new brain cells to grow in songbird
Using a songbird as a model, scientists have described a brain pathway that replaces cells that have been lost naturally and not because of injury.
September 22, 2014
Snail shells show high-rise plateau is much lower than it used to be
Geologists have long debated when and how the Tibetan Plateau reached a 14,000-foot-plus elevation, but new UW-led research shows it once was probably even higher.
September 19, 2014
Reflected smartphone transmissions enable gesture control
University of Washington engineers have developed a new form of low-power wireless sensing technology that lets users “train” their smartphones to recognize and respond to specific hand gestures near the phone.
September 18, 2014
Poverty, income inequality increase in Washington state
The number of Washingtonians living in poverty jumped by more than 50,000 from 2012 to 2013, and the state poverty rate rose as well, according to new U.S. Census Bureau data released Thursday.
World population to keep growing this century, hit 11 billion by 2100
A study by the UW and the United Nations finds that the number of people on Earth is likely to reach 11 billion by 2100, about 2 billion higher than widely cited previous estimates.
September 16, 2014
Freshman Convocation opens UW’s 2014-15 school year
UW President Michael Young will be the featured speaker at the 31st annual Freshman Convocation Sept. 21 in the Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion.
September 15, 2014
Correcting the record: WSU consultant’s medical school study deeply flawed
The study prepared by Washington State University consultant MGT of America to make the case for a WSU medical school contains a number of deep flaws. Many of the key justifications cited for starting, funding, and accrediting a second public medical school in Washington are based upon faulty assumptions, omissions, and erroneous data that draw…
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