News releases
May 12, 2014
West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapse is under way
The collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet has begun, according to computer models using detailed topographic maps. The fast-moving Thwaites Glacier will likely disappear in a matter of centuries, researchers say, raising sea level by nearly 2 feet.
Washington housing market weaker in first quarter of 2014
Washington state’s housing market finished weaker in the first quarter of 2014 when compared to the end of 2013, according to the UW’s Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies.
May 8, 2014
Army drug users twice as likely to use synthetic marijuana as regular marijuana
Social work researchers from the University of Washington have found that among a group of active-duty Army personnel who use illicit drugs, the most abused substance is synthetic marijuana, nicknamed “Spice,” which is harder to detect than other drugs through standard drug tests.
May 7, 2014
UW building teleoperated robots for disaster response in national challenge
University of Washington electrical engineers have developed telerobotics technology that could make disaster response faster and more efficient. They are working with a large team as part of the SmartAmerica Challenge, an initiative that encourages new technologies that help society in our increasingly connected world.
Greenland melting due equally to global warming, natural variations
Up to half of the recent warming in Greenland and surrounding areas may be due to climate variations that originate in the tropical Pacific and are not connected with the overall warming of the planet. Still, at least half the warming remains attributable to global warming caused by rising carbon dioxide emissions.
May 6, 2014
Social workers can help patients recover from mild traumatic brain injuries
More than a million people are treated for mild traumatic brain injuries in U.S. hospitals and emergency rooms each year. A University of Washington researcher has found that a 20-minute conversation with a social worker has the potential to significantly reduce the functional decline of those diagnosed with a mild traumatic brain injury.
May 1, 2014
Amphibians in a vise: Climate change robs frogs, salamanders of refuge
Amphibians in the West’s high-mountain areas find themselves caught between climate-induced habitat loss and predation from introduced fish. A novel combination of tools could help weigh where amphibians are in the most need of help.
April 25, 2014
Online ‘Legislative Explorer’ uses big data to track decades of lawmaking
University of Washington political scientist John Wilkerson has matched data visualization with the study of lawmaking to create a new online tool for researchers and students called the Legislative Explorer. Think of it as big data meeting up with How a Bill Becomes a Law. “The goal was to get beyond the ‘Schoolhouse Rock’ narrative…
April 24, 2014
Roger Roffman chronicles society’s long struggle with pot in ‘Marijuana Nation’
Roger Roffman, UW professor emeritus of social work who has studied marijuana dependence interventions for 30 years, talks about his new book, “Marijuana Nation: One Man’s Chronicle of America Getting High: From Vietnam to Legalization.”
April 21, 2014
‘Upside-down planet’ reveals new method for studying binary star systems
What looked at first like a sort of upside-down planet has instead revealed a new method for studying binary star systems, discovered by a UW student astronomer.
April 15, 2014
UW requires licensees to sign Bangladesh Accord
UW licensees who source, produce or buy apparel in Bangladesh are now required to become signatories to The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh.
Astronomers: ‘Tilt-a-worlds’ could harbor life
A fluctuating tilt in a planet’s orbit does not preclude the possibility of life, according to new research by astronomers at the University of Washington, Utah’s Weber State University and NASA. In fact, sometimes it helps.
April 14, 2014
Babies prefer fairness – but only if it benefits them – in choosing a playmate
Babies as young as 15 months preferred people with the same ethnicity as themselves — a phenomenon known as in-group bias, or favoring people who have the same characteristics as oneself.
Puget Sound’s rich waters supplied by deep, turbulent canyon
UW oceanographers found fast-flowing water and intense mixing in a submarine canyon just off the Washington coast.
April 11, 2014
Greenland ice cores show industrial record of acid rain, success of U.S. Clean Air Act
Detailed ice core measurements show smog-related ratios leveling off in 1970, and suggests these deposits are sensitive to the same chemicals that cause acid rain.
April 10, 2014
Ballmer to speak at University of Washington commencement
Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will be the speaker at this year’s UW commencement exercises June 14.
Fruit flies, fighter jets use similar nimble tactics when under attack
Get on your 3-D glasses for one of the animations of tiny fruit flies employing banked turns to evade attacks just like fighter jets.
April 9, 2014
Automated age-progression software lets you see how a child will age
University of Washington engineers have developed software that automatically generates images of a young child’s face as it ages through a lifetime. The technique is the first fully automated approach for aging babies to adults that works with variable lighting, expressions and poses.
April 7, 2014
President Young announces Medical Education Advisory Council membership
UW President Michael K. Young has announced the appointment of an Advisory Council on Medical Education Access and Affordability,
April 2, 2014
Science-themed music videos boost scientific literacy, study shows
As the United States puts ever-greater emphasis on science, technology, engineering and mathematics education to keep competitive in the global economy, schools are trying to figure out how to improve student learning in science. University of Washington researchers think music may be the answer for some students.
March 31, 2014
UW experts part of technical team investigating Snohomish County mudslide
A national team jointly led by a University of Washington geotechnical engineer and an engineering geologist will investigate what caused the March 22 mudslide in Snohomish County and what effects the disaster had on the nearby residential communities.
UW launches online bachelor’s degree completion program in social sciences
A new UW online bachelor’s degree completion program in social sciences is intended to provide a flexible, lower-cost option for individuals who want to finish their college education without coming to campus.
March 26, 2014
Decline of natural history troubling for science, society
Seventeen North American scientists outline the importance of natural science and call for a revitalization of the practice.
UW School of Medicine launches “Next Generation WWAMI” in Spokane
The UW School of Medicine plans to establish Spokane as the center of an effort called “Next Generation WWAMI.”
March 24, 2014
Stellar names in classical music part of collector’s gift to UW Music Library
Beethoven, Brahms, Handel, Tchaikovsky, Wagner, Gershwin — the names alone are enough to quicken the pulse of any classical music lover. Those greats and many more are represented in a gift of rare classical music scores to the University of Washington Music Library.
March 20, 2014
No sandy beaches: UW students head to rural Washington for Alternative Spring Break
Many University of Washington students will greet spring break next week from a warm sandy beach, but 69 of them will instead spend their week off helping young students in rural communities learn about art, literacy and the environment. In turn, these UW students will learn about life, culture and education in rural Washington.
March 17, 2014
Hold that RT: Much misinformation tweeted after 2013 Boston Marathon bombing
University of Washington researchers have found that misinformation spread widely on Twitter after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing despite efforts by users to correct rumors that were inaccurate.
March 13, 2014
Negative effects of joining a gang last long after gang membership ends
Joining a gang in adolescence has significant consequences in adulthood beyond criminal behavior, even after a person leaves the gang. Former gang members are more likely to be in poor health, receiving government assistance and struggling with drug abuse than someone who never joined a gang.
March 11, 2014
No one likes a copycat, no matter where you live
Very young children often don’t view an artistic copycat negatively, but that changes by the age of 5 or 6, even in countries that place less value on intellectual property rights than the U.S.
UW regains top U.S. News rank in medicine; other areas get high marks
U.S. News & World Report’s new rankings give high marks to UW programs in medicine, education, law, business and engineering and rate the medical school No. 1 overall for primary care.
March 10, 2014
Scientists build thinnest-possible LEDs to be stronger, more energy efficient
University of Washington scientists have built the thinnest-known LED that can be used as a source of light energy in electronics. The LED is based off of two-dimensional, flexible semiconductors, making it possible to stack or use in much smaller and more diverse applications than current technology allows.
March 5, 2014
Reflection makes sense: New initiative prompts engineering students to look back to go forward
The University of Washington’s Center for Engineering Learning & Teaching has received a $4.4 million grant from the Helmsley Charitable Trust to develop and promote teaching practices that help undergraduate engineering students reflect on their experiences. The award establishes the Consortium to Promote Reflection in Engineering Education that focuses on first- and second-year undergraduates who want to be engineers, especially those from underrepresented populations
March 4, 2014
‘Dimer molecules’ aid study of exoplanet pressure, hunt for life
UW astronomers have developed a new method of gauging the atmospheric pressure of exoplanets, or worlds beyond the solar system, by looking for a certain type of molecule. And if there is life out in space, it may one day be revealed by this method.
February 27, 2014
Kenyon Chan named interim chancellor at University of Washington Tacoma
Kenyon Chan, former chancellor of the University of Washington Bothell, has been named interim chancellor of the University of Washington Tacoma.
Battery-free technology brings gesture recognition to all devices
University of Washington computer scientists have built a low-cost gesture recognition system that runs without batteries and lets users control their electronic devices hidden from sight with simple hand movements. The prototype, called “AllSee,” uses existing TV signals as both a power source and the means for detecting a user’s gesture command.
February 26, 2014
Pine forest particles appear out of thin air, influence climate
German, Finnish and U.S. scientists have discovered how gas wafting from coniferous trees creates particles that can reflect sunlight or promote formation of clouds.
Whales, ships more common through Bering Strait
A three-year survey of whales in the Bering Strait reveals that many species of whales are using the narrow waterway, while shipping and commercial traffic also increase.
February 24, 2014
Vitamin water: Measuring essential nutrients in the ocean
Oceanographers have found that archaea, a type of marine microbe, can produce B-12 vitamins in the ocean.
February 18, 2014
Embarking on geoengineering, then stopping, would speed up global warming
Carrying out geoengineering for several decades and then stopping would cause warming at a rate more than double that expected due to global warming.
February 11, 2014
Washington housing market uneven in fourth quarter 2013
Washington state’s housing market softened in the fourth quarter of 2013 compared to the quarter before, but remained stronger than a year ago, according to the UW’s Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies.
Previous page Next page
