UW News
The latest news from the UW
July 30, 2021
Food insecurity remains high and need for assistance dramatically up in Washington
Washington residents continue to experience a dramatically higher level of food insecurity — from 10% before the COVID-19 pandemic to 27%, according to the latest University of Washington and Washington State University research on food insecurity and food assistance in the state. The study team also found that need for food assistance has continued to…
Tag(s): Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences • Jennifer Otten • Nutritional Sciences Program • School of Public Health • Washington State Food Security Survey
A visit to Mt. Baker’s Easton Glacier
This week, a few members of our UW News team joined glaciologists from the UW Department of Earth & Space Sciences on a trip to Mt. Baker. Students that came along got to chat with their professor on the hike up, and we learned about how the recent heat wave impacted the snow melt on the ice.
Tag(s): Department of Earth and Space Sciences • Taryn BlackJuly 29, 2021
Lincoln Institute of Land Policy honors UW College of Built Environments faculty, Nehemiah Studio for curriculum on mitigating gentrification
The Nehemiah Studio, a UW class on mitigating gentrification in Seattle’s Central District, has been honored by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.
Tag(s): Al Levine • College of Built Environments • Donald King • Nehemiah Studio • Rachel Berney • Renee Cheng
ArtSci Roundup: Lux Aeterna, Faculty Trio: Beethoven Piano Trios, Part 3, and More
Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! This week, attend gallery exhibitions, watch recorded events, and more. While you’re enjoying summer break, connect with campus through UW live webcams of Red Square and the quad. Many of these online opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of English • Department of History • Henry Art Gallery • Jacob Lawrence Gallery • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • Meany Hall for the Performing Arts • School of Music
Climate change to fuel increase in human-wildlife conflict, UW biologist says
Climate change is further exacerbating human-wildlife conflicts by straining ecosystems and altering behaviors, both of which can deepen the contacts — and potential competition — between people and animals. In an article published July 30 in the journal Science, Briana Abrahms, an assistant professor of biology at the University of Washington and its Center for Ecosystem Sentinels, calls for expanding research into the many ways that climate change will impact the complex interplay between human activities and wildlife populations.
Tag(s): Briana Abrahms • Center for Ecosystem Sentinels • climate change • College of Arts & Sciences • conservation • Department of Biology • ecology
UW to lead new NSF institute for using artificial intelligence to understand dynamic systems
The UW will lead a new artificial intelligence research institute that will focus on fundamental AI and machine learning theory, algorithms and applications for real-time learning and control of complex dynamic systems, which describe chaotic situations where conditions are constantly shifting and hard to predict.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • College of Engineering • Department of Applied Mathematics • Department of Mechanical Engineering • J. Nathan Kutz • Steve BruntonJuly 28, 2021
Scientist tests soil for hidden contaminants in community gardens
Soil, particularly in urban areas, can hold contaminants that are unhealthy for people who handle it or eat things grown in the ground. Chemicals left behind by vehicles, air pollution and heavy industry can show up in the ground and in plants. Melanie Malone, assistant professor in UW Bothell’s School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences investigates these contaminants and their prevalence in shared garden spaces.
Tag(s): Melanie Malone • UW BothellJuly 27, 2021
Possible future for Western wildfires: Decade-long burst, followed by gradual decline
A model of the eastern California forests of the Sierra Nevada looks at the longer-term future of wildfires under future climate change scenarios. Results show an initial roughly decade-long burst of wildfire activity, followed by recurring fires of decreasing area — a pattern that could apply to other hot, dry forests in the West.
Tag(s): climate change • Maureen Kennedy • UW Tacoma • wildfiresJuly 26, 2021
Scientists model ‘true prevalence’ of COVID-19 throughout pandemic
Two University of Washington scientists have developed a statistical framework that incorporates key COVID-19 data — such as case counts and deaths due to COVID-19 — to model the true prevalence of this disease in the United States and individual states. Their approach, published the week of July 26 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, projects that in the U.S. as many as 60% of COVID-19 cases went undetected as of March 7, 2021, the last date for which the dataset they employed is available.
Tag(s): Adrian Raftery • College of Arts & Sciences • COVID-19 • COVID-19 studies • Department of Sociology • Department of StatisticsJuly 23, 2021
Older workers needed for UW study on worker safety during COVID-19 pandemic
Public health researchers have learned a lot about how the pandemic affected workers and exacerbated existing health disparities that exist in many communities. However, there’s still a lot we don’t know about the experience of workers deemed essential in the food industry and who were at higher risk of contracting COVID-19, such those working in…
Tag(s): Anjum Hajat • COVID-19 studies • Department of Epidemiology • population health • School of Public HealthJuly 22, 2021
Gaming graphics card allows faster, more precise control of fusion energy experiments
UW researchers have developed a method that uses a gaming graphics card to control plasma formation in their prototype fusion reactor.
Tag(s): Chris Hansen • College of Engineering • Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics • Kyle MorganJuly 20, 2021
New 3D images of shark intestines show they function like Nikola Tesla’s valve
For more than a century, researchers have relied on flat sketches of sharks’ digestive systems to discern how they function — and how what they eat and excrete impacts other species in the ocean. Now, researchers have produced a series of high-resolution, 3D scans of intestines from nearly three dozen shark species that will advance the understanding of how sharks eat and digest their food.
Tag(s): Adam Summers • College of the Environment • Department of Biology • Friday Harbor LaboratoriesJuly 16, 2021
20 UW researchers elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences for 2021
Twenty scientists and engineers at the University of Washington are among the 38 new members elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences for 2021, according to a July 15 announcement. New members were chosen for “their outstanding record of scientific and technical achievement, and their willingness to work on behalf of the Academy to bring the best available science to bear on issues within the state of Washington.”
Tag(s): Alshakim Nelson • Anna Karlin • Brandi Cossairt • Center for Dialysis Innovation • Center for Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases • Center for Health and the Global Environment • Center for Urban Waters • Cheryl Kaiser • Clean Energy Institute • College of Arts & Sciences • College of Engineering • College of the Environment • Dan Jaffe • Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics • Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine • Department of Applied Mathematics • Department of Astronomy • Department of Biological Structure • Department of Biology • Department of Biostatistics • Department of Chemistry • Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences • Department of Global Health • Department of Medicine • Department of Ophthalmology • Department of Pediatrics • Department of Psychology • eScience Institute • Harborview Injury Prevention & Research Center • Joel Baker • Jonathan Himmelfarb • Julie Theriot • Kristi Morgansen • Kristie Ebi • Lisa Graumlich • Molecular Engineering & Sciences Institute • Monica Vavilala • Munira Khalil • Patrick Heagerty • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering • Puget Sound Institute • Rachel Wong • Randy LeVeque • Sapna Cheryan • School of Environmental and Forest Sciences • School of Medicine • School of Public Health • Tueng Shen • UW Bothell • UW Eye Institute • UW Tacoma • Victoria Meadows • Virtual Planetary Laboratory • Washington State Academy of Sciences • Wesley Van VoorhisJuly 15, 2021
Dianne Harris named dean of UW College of Arts & Sciences
University of Washington Provost Mark A. Richards today announced Dianne Harris will become dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, beginning Sept. 1.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Dianne Harris • Robert StaceyJuly 13, 2021
Sheila Edwards Lange selected as chancellor of UW Tacoma
University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce and Provost Mark A. Richards today announced the selection of Sheila Edwards Lange, president of Seattle Central College, as chancellor of the University of Washington Tacoma. Her appointment, pending approval by the UW Board of Regents, is set to begin Sept. 16.
Tag(s): Mark Pagano • Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity • School of Engineering & Technology • Sheila Edwards Lange • UW Tacoma
From ‘distress’ to ‘unscathed’ — mental health of UW students during spring 2020
To understand how the UW’s transition to online-only classes affected college students’ mental health in the spring of 2020, UW researchers surveyed 147 UW undergraduates over the 2020 spring quarter.
Tag(s): Anind Dey • College of Arts & Sciences • College of Engineering • COVID-19 • COVID-19 studies • Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering • Department of Psychology • Eve Riskin • Information School • Jennifer Mankoff • Kevin Kuehn • Margaret Morris • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering • Paula Nurius • School of Social Work
ArtSci Roundup: Will Rawls: Everlasting Stranger Performance, Northwest Modernism: Four Japanese Americans, and More
Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! This week, attend gallery exhibitions, watch recorded events, and more. While you’re enjoying summer break, connect with campus through UW live webcams of Red Square and the quad. Many of these online opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of English • DXARTS • Henry Art Gallery • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • Meany Hall for the Performing Arts • School of Art + Art History + Design • School of MusicJuly 9, 2021
‘We need to be patient’ — UW’s Dawn Lehman on the collapse of the Champlain Towers South
While there is currently no explanation for why the Champlain Towers South building collapsed, Dawn Lehman, a University of Washington professor of civil and environmental engineering, has been studying photographs, videos, drawings, reports and permits to investigate this tragedy to understand what happened. UW News asked her to help us understand why buildings fail.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Dawn Lehman • Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Study model explores impact of police action on population health
A specific police action, an arrest or a shooting, has an immediate and direct effect on the individuals involved, but how far and wide do the reverberations of that action spread through the community? What are the health consequences for a specific, though not necessarily geographically defined, population? The authors of a new UW-led study…
Tag(s): Ali Rowhani-Rahbar • Anjum Hajat • Department of Epidemiology • Maayan Simckes • population health
Faculty/staff honors: Early career honor in communication, distinguished service award in theoretical computing
Recent honors and achievements by UW faculty include an early career award for study of family communication and a distinguished service award for decades in support of theoretical computing.
Tag(s): Department of Communication • Kristina Scharp • Paul Beame • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & EngineeringJuly 8, 2021
Mari Ostendorf named UW Vice Provost for Research
University of Washington Provost Mark Richards today announced the appointment of Mari Ostendorf as Vice Provost for Research, set to begin Sept. 1. Ostendorf has been serving as Associate Vice Provost for Research in the Office of Research since 2017.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering • Mari Ostendorf • Mary Lidstrom
Remotely-piloted sailboats monitor ‘cold pools’ in tropical environments
A UW-led study uses data from remotely-piloted sailboats to better understand cold air pools — pockets of cooler air that form when rain evaporates below tropical storm clouds. These fleeting weather phenomena are thought to influence tropical weather patterns.
Tag(s): climate • College of the Environment • Cooperative Institute for Climate • oceanography • weatherJuly 6, 2021
ArtSci Roundup: Will Rawls: Everlasting Stranger, Grit City Think & Drink: Global Themes in World History since 1500 in Five Images, and More
Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! This week, attend gallery exhibitions, watch recorded events, and more. While you’re enjoying summer break, connect with campus through UW live webcams of Red Square and the quad. Many of these online opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of History • Department of Physics • Department of Political Science • Henry Art Gallery • Jackson School of International Studies • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • Meany Hall for the Performing ArtsJuly 1, 2021
How long can a person live? The 21st century may see a record-breaker
A new University of Washington study calculates the probability of living past age 110, which, though rare, likely will increase this century.
Tag(s): Adrian Raftery • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Sociology • Department of Statistics • Michael Pearce
Last ice-covered parts of summertime Arctic Ocean vulnerable to climate change
The region north of Greenland and the Canadian Arctic has been termed the Last Ice Area, where sea ice will remain the longest in summertime, providing a refuge for ice-dependent Arctic species. But conditions last summer show that parts of this region are already experiencing less summer ice due to climate change.
Tag(s): Applied Physics Laboratory • Axel Schweiger • College of the Environment • Kristin Laidre • Polar Science Center • School of Aquatic and Fishery SciencesJune 30, 2021
University of Washington releases annual update to Sustainability Action Plan
The University of Washington is announcing the steps it will take in this fiscal year, starting July 1, to reach the targets set in the UW’s Sustainability Action Plan.
Tag(s): UW Facilities • UW SustainabilityJune 29, 2021
From the Jackson School: Endowed scholarship for India study, book on angels in ancient Jewish culture
Recent news from the Jackson School of International Studies includes a new endowed scholarship for study of India made possible by two alumni, and a book on angels in ancient Jewish culture by Jewish Studies professor Mika Ahuvia.
Tag(s): Jackson School of International Studies • Mika Ahuvia • South Asia Center • Stroum Center for Jewish Studies
Air pollution from wildfires impacts ability to observe birds
Researchers from the University of Washington provide a first look at the probability of observing common birds as air pollution worsens during wildfire seasons. They found that smoke affected the ability to detect more than a third of the bird species studied in Washington state over a four-year period. Sometimes smoke made it harder to observe birds, while other species were actually easier to detect when smoke was present.
Tag(s): Beth Gardner • College of the Environment • Olivia Sanderfoot • School of Environmental and Forest SciencesJune 28, 2021
ArtSci Roundup: Serious Tings, Sonolocations: A Sound Works Series, and More
Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! This week, watch a UW alum on NBC’s Making It, attend a discussion hosted by the Henry Art Gallery, and more. While you’re enjoying summer break, connect with campus through UW live webcams of Red Square and the quad. Many of these online…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of American Indian Studies • Department of Political Science • Henry Art Gallery • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • Meany Hall for the Performing Arts • School of Art + Art History + Design • School of Drama • School of MusicJune 25, 2021
Kristin Esterberg selected as chancellor of UW Bothell
University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce and Provost Mark A. Richards today announced the selection of Kristin Esterberg, president of the State University of New York at Potsdam, as chancellor of the University of Washington Bothell. Her appointment, pending approval by the UW Board of Regents, is set to begin Oct. 1.
Tag(s): Kristin Esterberg • UW BothellJune 23, 2021
Jana Mohr Lone advocates for children’s voices in new book, ‘Seen and Not Heard’
In her new book, Jana Mohr Lone of the UW Center for Philosophy for Children asks, how would the world benefit if children were recognized as independent thinkers?
Tag(s): Center for Philosophy for Children • Department of Philosophy • Jana Mohr Lone
Ahead of Pride, UW’s Manish Chalana describes the changing neighborhood of Capitol Hill
Development has changed the face of the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, says Manish Chalana, associate professor of urban design and planning at the University of Washington, but it remains the heart of the city’s LGBTQ community.
Tag(s): College of Built Environments • Department of Urban Design and Planning • Manish ChalanaJune 21, 2021
ArtSci Roundup: Indigenous Walking Tour, Sonolocations: A Sound Works Series, and More
Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! This week, attend several museum exhibitions, the Indigenous walking tour, and more. While you’re enjoying summer break, connect with campus through UW live webcams of Red Square and the quad. Many of these online opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff,…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of English • Henry Art Gallery • Jacob Lawrence Gallery • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • Meany Hall for the Performing Arts • School of Drama • School of MusicJune 17, 2021
Washington formally recognizes Juneteenth as a paid holiday in 2022
President Joe Biden’s signature on legislation Thursday making Juneteenth a federal holiday is a welcome recognition. Our state — including the University of Washington — looks forward to marking Juneteenth as a paid holiday beginning June 19, 2022.
Researchers discover yessotoxins, produced by certain phytoplankton, to be a culprit behind summer mass shellfish mortality events in Washington
Back in the summers of 2018 and 2019, the shellfish industry in Washington state was rocked by mass mortalities of its crops. Now, researchers think they have figured out why: high concentrations of yessotoxinss, which are produced by blooms of certain phytoplankton. The researchers’ findings were published last month in the open-access journal Harmful Algae.
Tag(s): Teri King • Washington Sea Grant
Interim deans named in UW College of the Environment and University Libraries
University of Washington Provost Mark A. Richards has announced interim deans for both the College of the Environment and University Libraries.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Denise Pan • Dennis Hartmann • Lauren Pressley • Mark Richards • Maya Tolstoy • Simon Neame • UW Libraries
‘An occasion for unapologetic Black joy, community connection, and reeducation’: UW’s LaTaSha Levy discusses Juneteenth
LaTaSha Levy, assistant professor of American ethnic studies at the University of Washington, discusses Juneteenth, the myths and omissions in telling its story, and the ongoing importance of fighting for, and celebrating, Black freedom.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of American Ethnic Studies • LaTaSha LevyJune 16, 2021
Pandemic-era crowdfunding more common, successful in affluent communities
A new University of Washington study of requests and donations to the popular crowdfunding site GoFundMe, along with Census data, shows stark inequities in where the money went and how much was donated.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • COVID-19 • Department of Sociology • Mark Igra • Nora Kenworthy • UW Bothell School of Nursing and Health Studies
UW Ocean Voices program, seeking equity in ocean science, gets key approval from United Nations
Ocean Voices, a program of the UW Nippon Foundation Ocean Nexus Center to advance equity in ocean science, has been named among the first group of actions taken in a United Nations-sponsored, decade-long program of ocean science for sustainable development.
Tag(s): Nippon Foundation Ocean Nexus Center • Ocean Voices • School of Marine and Environmental Affairs • Yoshitaka OtaJune 15, 2021
Video: Mobile health van student volunteers collaborate in service to the community
This summer a UW mobile health outreach van will hit the road, bringing some basic health care services to people without housing who might have a hard time getting to a doctor’s office.
Tag(s): Leonora Clarke • population health • Tracy Brazg • UW Health Sciences Interprofessional Education Program • UW School of Medicine Service LearningNext Page »