News releases
July 22, 2014
Oso disaster had its roots in earlier landslides
The UW is part of a new study that shows the disastrous landslide that killed 43 people at Oso, Washington, involved the “remobilization” of a 2006 landslide in the same place.
July 21, 2014
Sean D. Sullivan named dean of UW School of Pharmacy
University of Washington President Michael K. Young and Provost Ana Mari Cauce announced Monday the selection of Sean D. Sullivan as the new dean of the UW School of Pharmacy, effective Sept. 15. The appointment is subject to approval by the UW Board of Regents. “Dr. Sullivan occupies a very prominent position nationally and internationally…
July 18, 2014
Sloan Digital Sky Survey — including UW — now to view entire sky
The Sloan Digital Sky Survey, a consortium of institutions of which the University of Washington is part, will soon expand its view to see the entire sky, and even peer into the Milky Way’s galactic center.
July 17, 2014
Geophysicists prep for massive ‘ultrasound’ of Mount St. Helens
Dozens of geophysicists and volunteers will deploy 3,500 seismic sensors at Mount St. Helens next week in an unprecedented study of the volcano’s plumbing.
July 16, 2014
Tracking the breakup of Arctic summer sea ice
An international team has placed sensors on and under Arctic sea ice to monitor this season’s retreat. Scientists hope to understand the physics of the ice edge in order to predict summer conditions in the Arctic Ocean.
July 15, 2014
Brain responses to emotional images predict PTSD symptoms after Boston Marathon bombing
By using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging scans from before the attack and survey data from after, the researchers found that heightened amygdala reaction to negative emotional stimuli was a risk factor for later developing symptoms of PTSD.
July 14, 2014
Months before their first words, babies’ brains rehearse speech mechanics
Research from UW’s Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences shows that in 7- and 11-month-old infants speech sounds stimulate areas of the brain that coordinate and plan motor movements for speech.
July 11, 2014
University of Washington sees record-breaking fundraising in 2013-14
Donors contributed more money — more than $482 million — to the UW in the 2013-14 fiscal year than in any previous year.
July 8, 2014
Better visualizing of fitness-app data helps discover trends, reach goals
University of Washington researchers have developed visual tools to help self-trackers understand their daily activity patterns over a longer period and in more detail. They found people had an easier time meeting personal fitness and activity goals when they could see their data presented in a broader, more visual way.
July 3, 2014
Board of Regents — July 10 meeting
The Board of Regents will hold meetings Thursday, July 10. The Board meetings will take place in the Bill & Melinda Gates Commons, CSE Room 691, Paul G. Allen Center for Computer Science & Engineering. The first committee meeting is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. The Regular Board meeting is scheduled to begin at…
July 1, 2014
Victor Balta becomes director of UW Office of News and Information
The former news planning editor for Aljazeera.com, the online home of Al Jazeera America cable news channel, is the new director of the Office of News and Information.
Engaging parents, community to map student success in South King County
The Road Map Project highlights how students are most successful when schools and communities find creative and culturally responsive ways of engaging parents.
June 26, 2014
Nanopore technique rapidly decodes long DNA strands
A low-cost technique may make DNA sequencing more convenient and less cumbersome, perhaps eventually replacing large lab machines with hand held devices.
Foul fumes derail dinner for hungry moths
New research on how pollinators find flowers when background odors are strong shows that both natural plant odors and human sources of pollution can conceal the scent of sought-after flowers.
Ask the crowd: Robots learn faster, better with online helpers
University of Washington computer scientists have shown that crowdsourcing can be a quick and effective way to teach a robot how to complete tasks.
June 24, 2014
Rhoads leaving UW commercialization; Jandhyala takes new innovation post
Linden Rhoads will leave her post as UW vice provost for commercialization; Vikram Jandhyala will take over the new position of vice provost for innovation.
June 23, 2014
Ferroelectric switching seen in biological tissues
University of Washington researchers have shown that a favorable electrical property is present in a type of protein found in organs that repeatedly stretch and retract, such as the lungs, heart and arteries. These findings are the first that clearly track this phenomenon, called ferroelectricity, occurring at the molecular level in biological tissues.
June 18, 2014
Scientists ready to study magma formation beneath Mount St. Helens
Scientists are embarking on research to improve volcanic eruption forecasting by learning more about how a deep-underground feeder system creates and supplies magma to Mount St. Helens.
June 16, 2014
Accounting graduate named as next UW student regent
Gov. Jay Inslee has named Marnie Brown, a recent accounting graduate who will pursue a master’s degree, as the next student member of the UW Board of Regents.
Sensor in eye could track pressure changes, monitor for glaucoma
University of Washington engineers have designed a low-power sensor that could be placed permanently in a person’s eye to track hard-to-measure changes in eye pressure. The sensor would be embedded with an artificial lens during cataract surgery and would detect pressure changes instantaneously, then transmit the data wirelessly using radio frequency waves.
June 12, 2014
New computer program aims to teach itself everything about anything
Computer scientists from the University of Washington and the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Seattle have created the first fully automated computer program that teaches everything there is to know about any visual concept.
June 10, 2014
139th commencement for UW’s Seattle campus at Husky Stadium June 14
A record 5,300-plus graduates and an audience of more than 40,000 are expected to attend the 139th University of Washington commencement ceremonies June 14.
June 6, 2014
Board of Regents — June 12 Regular Meeting
The Board of Regents will hold a Regular Meeting on Thursday, June 12, at 11:45 a.m. in the Petersen Room of Allen Library. The full agenda is available online.
International award cites UW for leadership in sustainability
The University of Washington is the only U.S. university named as a 2014 Sustainable Campus Excellence Award winner.
May 28, 2014
PTSD treatment cost-effective when patients given choice
A cost-analysis of post-traumatic stress disorder treatments shows that letting patients choose their course of treatment – either psychotherapy or medication – is less expensive than assigning a treatment and provides a higher quality of life for patients.
May 27, 2014
UW students, neighbors join forces down on the Union Bay ‘bayou’
Swamp once site of historic Yesler sawmill being restored with UW student and neighborhood help.
May 21, 2014
Marine apprenticeships give UW undergrads role in animal-ancestor breakthrough
Comb jellies – and not sponges – may lay claim as the earliest ancestors of animals, according to new research in Nature.
May 20, 2014
Shrub growth decreases as winter temps warm up
Many have assumed that warmer winters as a result of climate change would increase the growth of trees and shrubs because the growing season would be longer. But shrubs achieve less yearly growth when cold winter temperatures are interrupted by temperatures warm enough to trigger growth.
May 19, 2014
Favoritism, not hostility, causes most discrimination, says UW psychology professor
Most discrimination in the U.S. is not caused by intention to harm people different from us, but by ordinary favoritism directed at helping people similar to us, according to a theoretical review published online in American Psychologist.
May 14, 2014
$31M gift will fund early stage UW research by high-tech entrepreneurs
The University of Washington is receiving a $31.2 million gift from Washington Research Foundation to boost entrepreneurship and support research that tackles some of society’s most crucial challenges. The award will fund four interdisciplinary initiatives that seek to advance global innovation in clean energy, protein design, big data science and neuroengineering.
May 13, 2014
Video stories, other bonding exercises could help foster families connect
Researchers affiliated with the UW’s School of Social Work tailored a parenting program known to improve communication in non-foster families for use in foster families, who often say they don’t feel connected and have trouble communicating, but few resources exist that nurture their bonding.
May 12, 2014
Improve grades, reduce failure – undergrads should tell profs ‘Don’t lecture me’
A significantly greater number of students fail science, engineering and math courses that are taught lecture-style than fail with active learning according to the largest analysis ever of studies comparing lecturing to active learning in undergraduate education
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…
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