UW News
The latest news from the UW
August 21, 2018
Bus battle: Do private shuttles affect the reliability of public transit?
Last year, King County Metro and the Seattle Department of Transportation started a pilot program that allowed Microsoft’s and Seattle Children’s Hospital’s private shuttles to pick up employees at a few public bus stops throughout Seattle. Now a recent study from researchers at the University of Washington suggests that public buses are unaffected by private shuttles most of the time.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering • Don MacKenzie
Do persistent babies make for successful adults?
University of Washington researchers argue that further study of why infants persist, and to what end, may shed new light on how they learn and what the future yields.
Tag(s): Department of Psychology • Jessica Sommerville • Kelsey Lucca
Policy pivot: A new emphasis on restoration to protect Puget Sound
University of Washington researchers have found policies are shifting toward restoration projects that include input from more groups and offer a range of benefits to Puget Sound, including flood control, salmon recovery, recreation and habitat protection.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • David Fluharty • Patrick Christie • School of Marine and Environmental AffairsAugust 20, 2018
California plain shows surprising winners and losers from prolonged drought
Meticulously tracking of 423 species before, during and after the worst droughts to hit California in more than a thousand years shows surprising patterns. Key prey species plummeted in the third year of the drought, and carnivores were hardest hit in later years.
Tag(s): climate change • College of the Environment • ecology • Laura Prugh • School of Environmental and Forest Sciences
Student volunteers help expand UW’s outreach to homeless youth
The University of Washington’s Doorway Project has offered a cafe for homeless young adults each quarter, while students have helped add services, from preventive health care, to establishing a fundraising organization to designing a permanent café home. Its summer pop-up cafe event is Aug. 24.
Tag(s): Josephine Ensign • School of Nursing • School of Social Work • The Doorway Project • Urban@UWAugust 16, 2018
Men and women show surprising differences in seeing motion
A new UW-led study shows that males and female process visual motion differently, a variation that may be attributable to a neural regulatory process that is different in the male brain.
Tag(s): Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences • Department of Psychology • Raphael Bernier • Scott MurrayAugust 15, 2018
UW professor Cecilia Bitz elected American Geophysical Union fellow
Cecilia M. Bitz, a University of Washington atmospheric scientist, has been elected as a fellow of the American Geophysical Union.
Tag(s): Cecilia Bitz • University of Washington
Flying blind: How a drone can soar without using GPS
Researchers at the University of Washington have developed a new method that gives aircraft a backup system in case GPS fails: An antenna on the ground that can tell a drone where it is. The team successfully tested their system in June.
Tag(s): Christopher Lum • College of Engineering • Department of Aeronautics & AstronauticsAugust 14, 2018
Diving robots find Antarctic winter seas exhale surprising amounts of carbon dioxide
A new study led by the University of Washington uses data gathered by floating drones in the Southern Ocean over past winters to learn how much carbon dioxide is transferred by the surrounding seas. Results show that in winter the open water nearest the sea ice surrounding Antarctica releases significantly more carbon dioxide than previously believed.
Tag(s): Alison Gray • College of the Environment • School of OceanographyAugust 13, 2018
Information School’s Hans Scholl on promises, cautions of ‘digital government’
Hans Scholl, professor in the UW Information School, discusses the challenges and opportunities of digital government. The website Apolitical has named him among the “Top 100 Most Influential People in digital government.”
Tag(s): Hans Scholl • Information SchoolAugust 10, 2018
Labor leader Frank Jenkins honored with UW fellowship
Now, a new $200,000 fellowship at the UW Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies has been established in his name. The Jenkins Fellowship in Labor Studies will honor and preserve Jenkins’ lifelong commitment to the causes of social and economic justice through financial support for students at the UW.
Tag(s): Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies
Rankings put UW at No. 4 among US universities
The University of Washington placed fourth among U.S. higher education institutions, according to the NTU Rankings released Thursday.
Tag(s): University of WashingtonAugust 9, 2018
For UW physicists, the 2-D form of tungsten ditelluride is full of surprises
In a paper published online July 23 in the journal Nature, a UW-led research team reports that the 2-D form of tungsten ditelluride can undergo “ferroelectric switching.” Materials with ferroelectric properties can have applications in memory storage, capacitors, RFID card technologies and even medical sensors — and tungsten ditelluride is the first exfoliated 2-D material known to undergo ferroelectric switching.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • David Cobden • Department of PhysicsAugust 7, 2018
NIH awards University of Washington, partner institutions $6.5M for reusable, reproducible biomedical modeling
The NIH has awarded a $6.5 million, five-year grant to the University of Washington and partner institutions to establish the Center for Reproducible Biomedical Modeling. The center’s primary goal is to develop more effective predictive models of biological systems, which are used in research and medicine.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Bioengineering • Herbert Sauro • School of Medicine
Evans School to study effects of Seattle’s sick leave ordinance
Hilary Wething, a doctoral student in the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, has received a grant to study the effects of Seattle’s law requiring paid sick leave.
Tag(s): Evans School of Public Policy & Governance • Hilary WethingAugust 6, 2018
Alexa, be my friend: Children talk to technology, but how does it respond?
When young children talk to voice-activated technologies, the devices don’t always respond in a helpful way. A new University of Washington study suggests that these interfaces could be designed to be more responsive – repeating or prompting the user, for example – and be more useful to more people.
Tag(s): alexis hiniker • Department of Electrical Engineering • Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering • Department of Sociology • Information School • Kate Yen • Sijin Chen • Yeqi Chen • Yi ChengAugust 3, 2018
UW, PNNL to host energy research center focusing on bio-inspired design and assembly
The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded an expected $10.75 million, four-year grant to the University of Washington, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and other partner institutions for a new interdisciplinary research center to define the enigmatic rules that govern how molecular-scale building blocks assemble into ordered structures and give rise to complex hierarchical materials.
Tag(s): Center for the Science of Synthesis Across Scales • College of Arts & Sciences • College of Engineering • David Baker • Department of Chemical Engineering • Department of Chemistry • Department of Materials Science & Engineering • Francois Baneyx • Institute for Protein Design • James De Yoreo • NW IMPACT • Pacific Northwest National Laboratory • School of MedicineAugust 2, 2018
UW books in brief: Urban diaries, battling Jim Crow on campus and more
Recent notable books by University of Washington authors tell of the struggle to break free of racism in higher education, taking an “urban diary” approach to documenting city life and more.
Tag(s): Chuck Wolfe • College of Built Environments • College of Education • Deborah Lynn Porter • Department of Atmospheric Sciences • Department of Political Science • Jackson School of International Studies • Joy Williamson-Lott • Karen Litfin • Lauren Berliner • Stephen Warren • UW BothellAugust 1, 2018
Harmful dyes in lakes, rivers can become colorless with new, sponge-like material
A team led by the University of Washington has created an environmentally friendly way to remove color from dyes in water in a matter of seconds.
Tag(s): Anthony Dichiara • College of the Environment • School of Environmental and Forest SciencesJuly 31, 2018
Lou Cariello named vice president for UW Facilities
Lou Cariello has been named vice president of UW Facilities, University of Washington Executive Vice President Jeff Scott announced earlier this month. Cariello is scheduled to start in mid-August.
Tag(s): University of WashingtonJuly 30, 2018
Sea-level rise report contains best projections yet for Washington’s coasts
A University of Washington report provides the best projections yet for sea-level rise due to climate change at 171 sites along Washington’s coasts.
Tag(s): climate change • Climate Impacts Group • College of the Environment • Guillaume Mauger • Harriet Morgan • Ian Miller • oceanography • Washington Sea GrantJuly 25, 2018
And then there was (more) light: Researchers boost performance quality of perovskites
In a paper published online this spring in the journal Nature Photonics, scientists at the University of Washington report that a prototype semiconductor thin-film has performed even better than today’s best solar cell materials at emitting light.
Tag(s): Clean Energy Institute • College of Arts & Sciences • College of Engineering • David Ginger • Department of Chemical Engineering • Department of Chemistry • energy • Hugh Hillhouse • Molecular Engineering & Sciences InstituteJuly 23, 2018
Study shows why eastern U.S. air pollution levels are more stagnant in winter
Observations over the eastern U.S. show why emissions reductions haven’t achieved the same results in winter as they have in summer.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Department of Atmospheric Sciences • Joel Thornton • Lyatt Jaegle • pollutionJuly 19, 2018
UW Oceanography ranks No. 1 in global ranking; more than two dozen areas in top 40
The University of Washington’s School of Oceanography is ranked No. 1 in the world on the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects list for 2018. The ranking, released this week, was conducted by researchers at the Center for World-Class Universities of Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Tag(s): University of Washington
UW Nurse Camp provides high school students with exposure to the promise of a nursing degree
As a middle school student, Srinya Sukrachan spent a lot of time in hospitals. She had juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and her father was battling colon cancer.
When she was 17, her personal health care experience led her to participate in the University of Washington School of Nursing’s first Nurse Camp. Now, a decade later, Sukrachan is one of the student leaders for the camp’s 10-year anniversary session and she’s become an advocate with a passion for teaching, equity and inclusion. The recent School of Nursing graduate already also has a job lined up at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle.
Tag(s): School of NursingJuly 18, 2018
Atlantic Ocean circulation is not collapsing – but as it shifts gears, global warming will reaccelerate
New research suggests the Atlantic Ocean is transitioning back to its slower phase, which means average global air temperatures will go back to rising more quickly.
Tag(s): climate change • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Applied Mathematics • Department of Atmospheric Sciences • Ka-Kit Tung • oceanographyJuly 17, 2018
14 UW professors elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences in 2018
Fourteen scientists, physicians and engineers from the University of Washington have been elected this year to the Washington State Academy of Sciences.
Tag(s): Washington State Academy of SciencesJuly 16, 2018
Dr. Gary Chiodo named interim dean at UW School of Dentistry
Dr. Gary Chiodo of Oregon Health & Science University has been appointed interim dean of the University of Washington School of Dentistry, effective Aug. 1, UW President Ana Mari Cauce and Provost Mark Richards announced Monday.
Tag(s): School of Dentistry • University of Washington
Chronicle of Higher Ed: UW a ‘Great College to Work For’
The University of Washington has been recognized as a “Great College to Work For” by The Chronicle of Higher Education for the fifth consecutive year. The UW received accolades in five categories.
Tag(s): University of WashingtonJuly 13, 2018
Battling STEM stereotypes, UW’s Sapna Cheryan helps Barbie evolve
Sapna Cheryan, a University of Washington associate professor of psychology, has spent her career researching the stereotypes surrounding STEM. Now she’s serving on Mattel’s Barbie Global Advisory Council, lending her expertise as the company looks ahead to the toy’s future.
Tag(s): Department of Psychology • Sapna CheryanJuly 9, 2018
Oxygen levels on early Earth rose and fell several times before the successful Great Oxidation Event
Earth’s oxygen levels rose and fell more than once hundreds of millions of years before the planetwide success of the Great Oxidation Event about 2.4 billion years ago, new research from the University of Washington shows.
Tag(s): Department of Astronomy • Great Oxidation Event • Matt Koehler • Michael Kipp • Roger Buick • Virtual Planetary Laboratory
Pucker up, baby! Lips take center stage in infants’ brains, study says
A typically developing 2-month-old baby can make cooing sounds, suck on her hand to calm down and smile at people. At that age, the mouth is the primary focus: Such young infants aren’t yet reaching for objects with their hands or using their feet to get around, so the lips – for eating, pacifying…
Tag(s): Andrew Meltzoff • Department of Psychology • I-LABSJuly 2, 2018
Study identifies which marine mammals are most at risk from increased Arctic ship traffic
Regions of Arctic water are becoming ice-free in late summer and early fall. A new study is the first to consider potential impacts on the marine mammals that use this region and identify which populations will be the most vulnerable to ships.
Tag(s): Applied Physics Laboratory • College of the Environment • Harry Stern • Kristin Laidre • polar science • Polar Science Center • School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
Q&A: What can we learn from the hidden history of technology design?
University of Washington assistant professor of human centered design and engineering Daniela Rosner explores some hidden histories in technology design in her new book “Critical Fabulations.” The book highlights the idea that design stories from the past can show today’s designers how to create more inclusive technology.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Daniela Rosner • Department of Human Centered Design & EngineeringJune 28, 2018
UW professor and Clean Energy Institute director Daniel Schwartz wins highest U.S. award for STEM mentors
Daniel Schwartz, a University of Washington professor of chemical engineering and director of the Clean Energy Institute, received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Science Foundation this week.
Tag(s): awards • Clean Energy Institute • College of Engineering • Daniel Schwartz • Department of Chemical Engineering
UW President Ana Mari Cauce named ‘Great Immigrant’ on 2018 Carnegie list
University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce has been named one of 38 great immigrants by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Tag(s): Ana Mari Cauce • University of WashingtonJune 27, 2018
To tell the sex of a Galápagos penguin, measure its beak, researchers say
In a paper published April 5 in the journal Endangered Species Research, scientists at the University of Washington announced that, for a Galápagos penguin, beak size is nearly a perfect indicator of whether a bird is male or female.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • conservation • Dee Boersma • Department of Biology
Vintage editorial cartoons by Oregon’s Howard Fisher in UW Libraries exhibit ‘Captured in Ink’
UW Libraries Special Collections has a new exhibit called “Captured in Ink: Historical Cartoons and Caricatures.” The exhibit features the editorial cartoons of Howard Fisher, who worked and drew for decades for the Oregon Journal, a Portland newspaper that folded in 1982. Many other historical caricatures are included as well in the display, which stays up until October 19.
Tag(s): Lisa Oberg • Nicolette Bromberg • UW Libraries • UW Libraries Special CollectionsJune 25, 2018
UW part of NASA network coordinating search for life on exoplanets
Researchers with the UW-led Virtual Planetary Laboratory are central to a group of papers published by NASA researchers today in the journal Astrobiology outlining the history — and suggesting the future — of the search for life on exoplanets, or those orbiting stars other than the sun.
Tag(s): David Catling • Edward Schwieterman • Joshua Krissansen-Totton • NExSS • Nexus for Exoplanet Systems Science • Russell Deitrick • Victoria MeadowsJune 21, 2018
Q Center’s Jen Self a grand marshal at 2018 Seattle Pride Parade
The University of Washington’s Jen Self will be one of three grand marshals of Sunday’s 2018 Seattle Pride Parade.
Tag(s): Jen Self • Q Center • University of WashingtonNext Page »
