UW News
The latest news from the UW
July 2, 2025
UW selects Studio Tsien as the architects for Ana Mari Cauce Welcome Center
The University of Washington today announced the selection of Studio Tsien to design the Ana Mari Cauce Welcome Center. The UW Architectural Commission made the recommendation in June.
Tag(s): Ana Mari Cauce Welcome Center • Office of the University ArchitectJuly 1, 2025
This puzzle game shows kids how they’re smarter than AI
University of Washington researchers developed the game AI Puzzlers to show kids an area where AI systems still typically and blatantly fail: solving certain reasoning puzzles. In the game, users get a chance to solve puzzles by completing patterns of colored blocks. They can then ask various AI chatbots to solve and have the systems explain their solutions — which they nearly always fail to do accurately.
Tag(s): Aayushi Dangol • College of Engineering • Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering • Information School • Jason Yip • Julie KientzJune 30, 2025
Joel Thornton named interim dean of the College of the Environment
University of Washington Provost Tricia R. Serio announced that Joel Thornton has agreed to serve as interim dean of the College of the Environment, effective July 1, until a new permanent dean is selected.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Joel Thornton • Tricia Serio
UW computational neuroscientist and physicist among newly elected National Academy of Sciences members
Adrienne Fairhall and David Hertzog are among 120 new members and 30 international members elected “in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.”
Tag(s): Adrienne Fairhall • College of Arts & Sciences • David Hertzog • Department of Applied Mathematics • Department of Neurobiology & Biophysics • Department of Physics • UW Medicine
Four UW researchers named Fulbright Scholars
Four University of Washington researchers have been selected as Fulbright Scholars for 2025-2026 and will pursue studies in Spain, Taiwan, Poland and Japan.
Tag(s): Ahmed Ezzeddine • College of the Environment • Fulbright Program • Jamie Donatuto • Michael Kula • Office of Global Affairs • School of Pharmacy • School of Public Health • Shelly Gray • UW Tacoma • Yen-Chu WengJune 26, 2025
Seven UW students receive Fulbright exchange awards for study, research and teaching positions around the world
Seven UW students and recent alumni were awarded Fulbright U.S. Student Program scholarships for the 2025–2026 academic year, joining about 2,000 students and recent graduates from around the country to pursue graduate study, conduct research and teach English abroad.
Tag(s): Ahmed Ezzeddine • Fulbright Program • Office of Global Affairs • Undergraduate Academic Affairs • UW Bothell • UW Graduate School • UW TacomaJune 25, 2025
Strategic transactions of Colorado River rights could help conserve water and restore fish habitat
New research found that a market-based approach to managing water could provide more reliable supplies for farmers, communities and industry. The right market design and a little extra investment could also help threatened fish species.
Tag(s): Evans School of Public Policy & Governance • Nature • Philip Womble • water managementJune 23, 2025
Video: UW helps protect Washington’s workers through occupational health and safety research, training
The University of Washington has for years been instrumental in the state’s efforts to keep workers safe. But those efforts are now under threat.
Tag(s): Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences • Elena Austin • Harborview Medical Center • June Spector • Marissa Baker • Northwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety • Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center • School of Medicine • School of Public Health • UW Medicine
UW helps bring the cosmos into focus as the Vera C. Rubin Observatory unveils a new glimpse into the solar system
A new era of astronomy and astrophysics began Monday when the first images captured by the NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory were released, demonstrating the extraordinary capabilities of the new telescope and the world’s largest digital camera.
Tag(s): Andrew Connolly • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Astronomy • DIRAC Institute • Eric Bellm • eScience Institute • Mario Juric • Stetzler.Steven • Tricia Serio • Zeljko IvezicJune 18, 2025
UW is the No. 8 university in the world, according to new US News & World Report rankings
The University of Washington is No. 8 on the 2025-26 U.S. News & World Report’s Best Global Universities rankings, released on Tuesday. The UW maintained its No. 2 ranking among U.S. public institutions.
Tag(s): Ana Mari Cauce • biology • College of the Environment • Department of Microbiology • genetics & DNA • infectious disease • Rankings • School of Marine and Environmental Affairs • School of Public Health • UW MedicineJune 17, 2025
“Ways of Knowing” Episode 8: Ethics of Technology
Brain-computer interfaces, or BCIs, can help people with severe injuries or impairments regain the ability to communicate or move their arms and legs through robotic substitutes. The devices, which are about the size of a dime and are implanted on the surface of a person’s brain, serve as a communication link between the brain’s neural…
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Philosophy • Sara Goering • ways of knowingJune 12, 2025
‘Ways of Knowing’ Episode 7: Glitches
Imagine sitting in a movie theater watching a film you’ve been anticipating for months. Suddenly, the screen goes blank. It only lasts a second, but that’s long enough to disrupt the experience. It’s also long enough, says Mal Ahern, to remind you of the physical infrastructure behind what we so often see as an immaterial…
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Cinema & Media Studies • Mal Ahern • ways of knowingJune 11, 2025
Faculty/staff honors: Innovation grant, best paper, outstanding research award
Recent recognition of the University of Washington includes an EarthLab Innovation Grant, the Best Paper Award from American Political Science Association and honorable recognition mention from the American Society for Theatre Research. UW professor Richard Watts and team awarded EarthLab Innovation Grant Richard Watts, UW associate professor of French, is part of an interdisciplinary team…
Tag(s): Asli Cansunar • College of Arts & Sciences • Danny Hoffman • Department of French & Italian Studies • Department of Political Science • EarthLab • Jackson School of International Studies • Megan Halabisky • Richard Watts • School of Drama • Stefka Mihaylova
ArtSci Roundup: Summer 2025
From campus to wherever you call home, we welcome you to learn from and connect with the College of Arts & Sciences community through public events spanning the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. We hope to see you this Summer. ArtSci on the Go Looking for more ways to get more out of…
Tag(s): Astrobiology Program • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • Center for Child and Family Well-Being • Department of Asian Languages & Literature • Department of Chemistry • Department of Communication • Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies • Henry Art Gallery • School of Music • Taiwan Studies Program • UW Alumni Association
New faculty books: Artificial intelligence, 1990s Russia, song interpretation, and more
Recent faculty books from the University of Washington include those from linguistics, Slavic languages and literature and French. UW News spoke with the authors of four publications to learn more about their work. Scrutinizing and confronting AI hype Emily M. Bender, UW professor of linguistics, co-authored “The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech’s Hype…
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of French & Italian Studies • Department of Linguistics • Department of Slavic Languages and Literature • Emily M. Bender • Jose Alaniz • Maya Angela SmithJune 10, 2025
Ken Yocom appointed dean of UW College of Built Environments
Ken Yocom has been named the next John and Rosalind Jacobi Family Endowed Dean of the University of Washington College of Built Environments, Provost Tricia Serio announced today. His appointment, effective July 1, is subject to approval by the UW Board of Regents. Yocom has served as interim dean since October 2024 and is a…
Tag(s): College of Built Environments • Ken Yocom • Provost Office
“Ways of Knowing” Episode 6: Sound Studies
Virtual assistants, such as Apple’s Siri, can perform a range of tasks or services for users — and a majority of them sound like white women. Golden Marie Owens, assistant professor of cinema and media studies at the University of Washington, says there is much to learn about a person from how they sound. The…
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Cinema & Media Studies • Golden Marine Owens • ways of knowingJune 9, 2025
UW celebrates Class of 2025 with 150th Commencement in Husky Stadium and ceremonies in the Tacoma Dome and Hec Ed
University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce is the featured speaker at the UW’s 150th Commencement ceremony on Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium scheduled for 1:30 p.m., Saturday, June 14.
Tag(s): Ana Mari Cauce • Commencement • UW Bothell • UW TacomaJune 5, 2025
“Ways of Knowing” Episode 5: Abstract Pattern Recognition, or Math
Imagine an art class where you only did paint by numbers, or a music class where you weren’t allowed to play a song until you practiced scales for 20 years. This is often what it’s like to take a math class, where students spend most of their time learning to solve problems that have already…
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Mathematics • Jayadev S. Athreya • ways of knowingJune 3, 2025
Millions of new solar system objects to be found and ‘filmed in technicolor’ – studies predict
A group of astronomers from across the globe, including a team from the University of Washington and led by Queen’s University Belfast, have revealed new research showing that millions of new solar system objects will be detected by a brand-new facility, which is expected to come online later this year.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Astronomy • DIRAC Institute • Kurlander.Jake • Mario Juric
Study projects that increasing wildfires in Canada and Siberia will actually slow global warming
A new University of Washington–led study projects that in the next 35 years increasing boreal fires will actually slow global warming by 12% globally and 38% in the Arctic. Because the aerosols in smoke reflect more sunlight and make clouds brighter, summer temperatures during fire season drop, leading to reduced sea ice loss and cooler winter temperatures.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Dargan Frierson • Department of Atmospheric and Climate Science • Edward Blanchard-Wrigglesworth
“Ways of Knowing” Episode 4: Global Disability Studies
Since 2014, The European Union has been crafting policy on the rights of disabled people with “independent living” as a key element. Officials noticed the law wasn’t being followed in countries like Malta, so they moved these young people into their own apartments. But these were pretty much the only people in their 20s who…
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Jackson School of International Studies • Law Societies & Justice Department • Stephen Meyers
Muon g-2 announces most precise measurement of the magnetic anomaly of the muon
On June 3, scientists working on the Muon g-2 experiment (pronounced “mew-on gee-minus-two”) released the third and final measurement of the muon magnetic anomaly. This result agrees with the published results from 2021 and 2023 but with a much better precision of 127 parts per billion, surpassing the original experimental design goal of 140 parts per billion.
Tag(s): Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics • College of Arts & Sciences • David Hertzog • Department of Physics
Iron from coal, steel industries alters North Pacific ecosystem
The study revealed that iron released from industrial processes, such as coal combustion and steelmaking, is altering the ecosystem in the North Pacific Transition Zone, an area just north of Hawai’i that’s important for Pacific fisheries.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Ginger Armbrust • Mora Groussman • Randie Bundy • Sacha Coesel • School of OceanographyMay 30, 2025
Atlantic Ocean current expected to undergo limited weakening with climate change, study finds
The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC, is a system of ocean currents that plays a crucial role in regulating Earth’s climate by transporting heat from the Southern to Northern Hemisphere. Climate models have long predicted that global warming will cause the AMOC to weaken, with some projecting what amounts to a near-collapse relative to the AMOC strength in observations today. But a new study from a team of researchers that included the University of Washington shows that the AMOC is likely to weaken to a much lesser extent than current projections suggest.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Cooperative Institute for Climate • David Bonan • Kyle Armour • Ocean and Ecosystem Studies
Notice of Action: UMWC-Northwest Major Institution Master Plan
Notice is given under SEPA, RCW 43.21.C.080, that the University of Washington took the action described below on May 30, 2025. Any action to set aside, enjoin, review or otherwise challenge such action on the grounds of non-compliance with the provisions of chapter 43.21C RCW (State Environmental Policy Act) shall be commenced on or before…
May 28, 2025
“Ways of Knowing” Episode 3: Ge’ez
The kingdom of Aksum was one of the most powerful empires in the world in the fourth century. It played a major role in the histories of Egypt, Persia and Rome, as well as the early days of Christianity and Islam. But Aksum’s accomplishments have long been overlooked because they are recorded in the ancient…
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures • Hamza Zafer • ways of knowingMay 23, 2025
ArtSci Roundup: June 2025
From campus to wherever you call home, we welcome you to learn from and connect with the College of Arts & Sciences community through public events spanning the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. We hope to see you this June. ArtSci on the Go Looking for more ways to get more out of…
Tag(s): Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences • Department of American Ethnic Studies • Department of Anthropology • Department of Applied Mathematics • Department of Asian Languages and Literature • Department of Astronomy • Department of Biology • Department of Cinema & Media Studies • Department of Classics • Department of Communication • Department of Comparative History of Ideas • Department of Dance • Department of Economics • Department of English • Department of French & Italian Studies • Department of Geography • Department of History • Department of Linguistics • Department of Mathematics • Department of Microbiology • Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures • Department of Philosophy • Department of Physics • Department of Political Science • Department of Psychology • Department of Scandinavian Studies • Department of Slavic Languages and Literature • Department of Sociology • Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies • Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences • Department of Statistics • Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies • Henry Art Gallery • Jackson School of International Studies • Law Societies & Justice Department • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering • School of Art + Art History + Design • School of Drama • School of Music • Select Department of Gender • The Ellison Center for Russian | East European and Central Asian Studies • Women & Sexuality Studies • Women & Sexuality Studies Department of GenderMay 22, 2025
UW announces new welcome center to be named in honor of President Ana Mari Cauce
The University of Washington today announced that a planned welcome center on the Seattle campus will be named in honor of President Ana Mari Cauce, who will step down this summer after 10 years in the position and return to the faculty.
Tag(s): Ana Mari Cauce
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.
Tag(s): Abhinav Gupta • Foster School of Business
“Ways of Knowing” Episode 2: Paratext
There is more to literature than the text itself. Anything that surrounds the text — from the cover to chapter headings and author bios — is known as paratext. This is what transforms text into a book. Richard Watts’s research focuses on this under-examined aspect of literature. In this episode, Watts, an associate professor…
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of French & Italian Studies • Richard Watts • ways of knowing
Joe Dacca tapped for UW Vice President of External Affairs
University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce today announced the selection of Joe Dacca as vice president for the UW Office of External Affairs effective July 2.
Tag(s): Joe DaccaMay 20, 2025
“Ways of Knowing” Episode 1: Digital Humanities
English, philosophy and comparative literature aren’t typically subjects that come to mind when thinking about big datasets. But the intersection between literature and data analysis is exactly where Anna Preus works. Preus, a University of Washington assistant professor of English and of data science, digitally streamlined the process of documenting the number of non-British…
Tag(s): Anna Preus • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of English • ways of knowingMay 14, 2025
Q&A: UW researcher discusses the “cruel optimism” of tech industry layoffs
In 2023, University of Washington researchers recruited a group of 29 laid-off U.S. tech workers to discuss the effects of recent mass layoffs on employees. Overall, the group was ambivalent about tech work. They said it was often unfulfilling, despite their plans to continue in the industry.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering • Samuel SoMay 9, 2025
AI headphones translate multiple speakers at once, cloning their voices in 3D sound
UW researchers designed a headphone system that translates several people speaking at once, following them as they move and preserving the direction and qualities of their voices. The team built the system, called Spatial Speech Translation, with off-the-shelf noise-cancelling headphones fitted with microphones.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering • Shyam Gollakota • Tuochao ChenMay 8, 2025
Video: A small bicycle handlebar sensor can help map a region’s riskiest bike routes
A UW-led team has developed a system, called ProxiCycle, that logs when a passing car comes too close to a cyclist (four feet or less). A small, inexpensive sensor plugs into bicycle handlebars and tracks the passes, sending them to the rider’s phone. The team tested the system for two months with 15 cyclists in Seattle and found a significant correlation between the locations of close passes and other indicators of poor safety, such as collisions.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Joseph Breda • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & EngineeringMay 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.
Tag(s): Foster School of Business • Michael JohnsonApril 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.
Tag(s): Carly Gray • College of the Environment • Department of Pediatrics • Department of Psychology • Gregory Bratman • Joshua Lawler • Peter Kahn • Pooja Tandon • School of Environmental and Forest Sciences • School of MedicineNext Page »
