UW News
The latest news from the UW
May 13, 2022
‘Resistance Through Resilience’: Conference highlights compassion-based practices to interrupt racism
The seventh annual Center for Communication, Difference and Equity Conference, “Resistance Through Resilience,” will be held in collaboration with the University of Washington Resilience Lab.
Tag(s): Center for Communication Difference and Equity • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Communication • jas moultrie • Megan Kennedy • Ralina Joseph • Resilience LabMay 12, 2022
ArtSci Roundup: MFA Dance Concert, Passage, and More
Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! Christina Fiig: Gender Policies in a Context of (Quasi) Permanent Crisis May 17, 12:00 PM | Online Join the Center for West European Studies and the Jean Monnet EU Center to continue the Talking Gender in the EU Lecture Series, with Christina Fiig…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • Center for Studies in Demography & Ecology • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Dance • Department of Gender Women and Sexuality Studies • DXARTS • Henry Art Gallery • Jackson School of International Studies • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • Meany Hall for the Performing Arts • School of Art + Art History + Design • School of Drama • UW Women's Center
Simulation offers UW students practical experience in crisis negotiation
Robert Pekkanen, University of Washington professor in the Jackson School of International Studies, teaches Crisis Negotiation. The centerpiece of the course is the International Strategic Crisis Negotiation Exercise (ISCNE), a negotiation simulation where students act as diplomatic teams facing a real-world crisis scenario.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Jackson School of International Studies • Robert Pekkanen
Changes in cholesterol production lead to tragic octopus death spiral
After a mother octopus lays a clutch of eggs, she quits eating and wastes away; by the time the eggs hatch, she is dead. Some females in captivity even seem to speed up this process intentionally, mutilating themselves and twisting their arms into a tangled mess. The source of this bizarre maternal behavior seems to be the optic gland, an organ similar to the pituitary gland in mammals. For years, just how this gland triggered the gruesome death spiral was unclear. But in a new study published May 12 in Current Biology, researchers from the University of Washington, the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois Chicago show that the optic gland in maternal octopuses undergoes a massive shift in cholesterol metabolism, resulting in dramatic changes in the steroid hormones produced. Alterations in cholesterol metabolism in other animals, including humans, can have serious consequences on longevity and behavior, and the team believes this reveals important similarities in the functions of these steroids across the animal kingdom — in soft-bodied cephalopods and vertebrates alike.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Biology • Department of Psychology • Z Yan Wang
Smokers who switch to e-cigarettes may adopt other healthy routines
A University of Washington study of adult smokers finds that those who switch to vaping some or all of the time may adopt other healthy behaviors.
Tag(s): Marina Epstein • Rick Kosterman • School of Social Work • Social Development Research GroupMay 11, 2022
Faculty/staff honors in STEM mentoring, applied mathematics and Inuit languages
Recent recognition of the includes the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring for Joyce Yen, the election of J. Nathan Kutz as a Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics fellow and the recognition of Alexina Kublu with the 2022 Inuit Language Recognition Award.
Tag(s): Alexina Kublu • Bernard Deconinck • Canadian Studies Center • College of Arts & Sciences • College of Engineering • Department of Applied Mathematics • Eve Riskin • J. Nathan Kutz • Jackson School of International Studies • Joyce Yen • Nadine FabbiMay 9, 2022
Q&A: Exposing the anti-radical origins of anti-Asian racism
In his new book, University of Washington history professor Moon-Ho Jung traces how Asian radicals organized and confronted the U.S. empire and were labeled criminally seditious as a result.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of History • Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies • Moon-Ho Jung • Simpson Center for the HumanitiesMay 7, 2022
Consensus approach proposed to protect human health from intentional and wild forest fires
All forest fire smoke is bad for people, but not all fires in forests are bad. This is the conundrum faced by experts in forest management and public health: Climate change and decades of fire suppression that have increased fuels are contributing to larger and more intense wildfires and, in order to improve forest health…
Tag(s): Claire Schollaert • Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences • Edward Kasner • Ernesto Alvarado • Jennifer Krenz • Jihoon Jung • Joseph Wilkins • June Spector • Leah Wood • Paul Hessburg • R. Keala Hagmann • Savannah D'Evelyn • School of Environmental and Forest Sciences • School of Public Health • Susan PrichardMay 6, 2022
Model finds COVID-19 deaths among elderly may be due to genetic limit on cell division
Your immune system’s ability to combat COVID-19, like any infection, largely depends on its ability to replicate the immune cells effective at destroying the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the disease. These cloned immune cells cannot be infinitely created, and a key hypothesis of a new University of Washington study is that the body’s ability to…
Tag(s): COVID-19 • COVID-19 studies • James Anderson • School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
Four UW researchers elected to the National Academy of Sciences for 2022
Four faculty members at the University of Washington have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences for 2022: Elizabeth Buffalo, professor and chair of physiology and biophysics; Joseph Mougous, professor of microbiology; Dr. Jay Shendure, professor of genome sciences; and James Truman, professor emeritus of biology.
Tag(s): awards • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Biology • Department of Genome Sciences • Department of Microbiology • Department of Physiology & Biophysics • Elizabeth Buffalo • Friday Harbor Laboratories • James Truman • Jay Shendure • Joseph Mougous • School of MedicineMay 5, 2022
ArtSci Roundup: Sacred Breath: Indigenous Writing and Storytelling Series, Stroum Lectures In Jewish Studies 2022: America’s Jewish Question, and More
Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! Andrew L. Markus Memorial Lecture: Japanese Propaganda and the Power of Love: Mobilizing the Wartime Empire May 9, 6:30 PM | Kane Hall 225 Historians and cultural critics often identify “exploiting hate” as the primary affective mode of propaganda. Particularly in the context…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • Henry Art Gallery • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • Meany Hall for the Performing Arts
UW professors to participate in panel on recently removed Volunteer Park plaque
University of Washington professors Christoph Giebel, Vicente Rafael and Ileana M. Rodríguez-Silva will participate in a discussion on about a memorial plaque that was recently removed from Volunteer Park due to concerns about its accuracy.
Tag(s): Christoph Giebel • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of History • Ileana Rodriguez-Silva • Jackson School of International Studies • Southeast Asia Center • Vicente RafaelMay 4, 2022
Astronomers discover a rare ’black widow’ binary, with the shortest orbit yet
The flashing of a nearby star drew the attention of a team of astronomers, who discovered that it is part of a rare and mysterious system. As they report in a paper published May 4 in Nature, the stellar oddity appears to be a “black widow binary” — a type of system consisting of a rapidly spinning neutron star, or pulsar, that is circling and slowly consuming a smaller companion star, as its arachnid namesake does to its mate.
Tag(s): astronomy & astrophysics • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Astronomy • DIRAC Institute • Eric BellmMay 3, 2022
Rolling back abortion rights is ‘democratic backsliding,’ UW political scientist says
Sophia Jordán Wallace, associate professor of political science at the University of Washington, explains the implications the draft Supreme Court ruling that would overturn the constitutional right to an abortion would have on democracy, abortion rights and the midterm elections.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Political Science • Sophia Jordán Wallace
Experiments measure freezing point of extraterrestrial oceans to aid search for life
A planetary scientist worked with engineers to measure the physical limits of a liquid for salty water under high pressure. Results suggest where robotic missions should look for extraterrestrial life on the ice-covered oceans of Jupiter’s moon Europa and Saturn’s moon Titan.
Tag(s): Baptiste Journaux • College of the Environment • Department of Earth and Space Sciences • space science
UW nursing, midwife experts address abortion issue in light of leaked SCOTUS opinion
Two University of Washington nursing and midwife experts in maternal health have provided the following quotes on the issue of restricting abortion or making it illegal — seen as increasingly likely due to the Supreme Court draft opinion, leaked to Politico on Monday. Molly Altman is an assistant professor in the UW School of Nursing…
Tag(s): Meghan Eagen-Torkko • Molly Altman • School of Nursing • UW Bothell
Many pathologists agree overdiagnosis of skin cancer happens, but don’t change diagnosis behavior
As the most serious type of skin cancer, a melanoma diagnosis carries emotional, financial and medical consequences. That’s why recent studies finding that there is an overdiagnosis of melanoma are a significant cause for concern. “Overdiagnosis is the diagnosis of disease that will not harm a person in their lifetime. If melanoma is being overdiagnosed,…
Tag(s): Department of Biostatistics • Kathleen Kerr • School of Public HealthApril 29, 2022
ArtSci Roundup
Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! Carving out a brave space: Courage in art May 3, 7:00 PM | HUB Lyceum & Online “Have something to say. Be brave enough to say it. Use your art to change the world.” UW Drama Professor and Head of Directing & Playwriting…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • College of the Environment • Department of Psychology • Department of Urban Design and Planning • Henry Art Gallery • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • Meany Hall for the Performing Arts • School of Art + Art History + Design • School of DramaApril 28, 2022
Unchecked global emissions on track to initiate mass extinction of marine life
If emissions from greenhouse gases continue, species losses from warming and oxygen depletion of ocean waters could eclipse all other human stressors on marine species by around 2100. Tropical waters would experience the greatest loss of biodiversity, while polar species are at the highest risk of extinction
Tag(s): climate change • College of the Environment • Curtis Deutsch • oceanography • School of Oceanography
Professor Margaret O’Mara on contextualizing Elon Musk’s Twitter purchase and the future of online speech
University of Washington history professor Margaret O’Mara says Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter has renewed debate about freedom of online speech, online content moderation and the power of billionaires to shape public conversation.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of History • Margaret O'Mara
New meta-analysis examines link between self-harm and stress
A new, University of Washington-led meta-analysis finds that people engage in self-injury and/or think about suicide to alleviate some types of stress; and that there is potential for therapy and other interventions.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences • Department of Psychology • Kevin Kuehn • UW MedicineApril 26, 2022
Scientists find elusive gas from post-starburst galaxies hiding in plain sight
Scientists once thought that post-starburst galaxies scattered all of their gas and dust — the fuel required for creating new stars — in violent bursts of energy, and with extraordinary speed. Now, a team led by University of Washington postdoctoral researcher Adam Smercina reports that these galaxies don’t scatter all of their star-forming fuel after all. Instead, after their supposed end, these dormant galaxies hold onto and compress large amounts of highly concentrated, turbulent gas. But contrary to expectation, they’re not using it to form stars.
Tag(s): Adam Smercina • astronomy & astrophysics • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of AstronomyApril 25, 2022
La primera: Communication major Paula Thiele breaks in new ‘¡Spain Works!’ internship
Paula Thiele, a communication major who will graduate this spring, became the inaugural scholar to participate in the UW’s new Scholarship for Immersive Internships in León, dubbed “¡Spain Works!” — a partnership between the UW León Center, UW Study Abroad and the UW Career & Internship Center.
Tag(s): Department of Communication
Ranking: UW is No. 25 in world
The University of Washington ranks No. 25 in the world, or fifth among U.S. public institutions for student experience, faculty prestige and quality of research, according to a list published April 25 by the Center for World University Rankings.
Tag(s): RankingsApril 22, 2022
Former UW Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences Robert Stacey to deliver address for classes of 2020 and 2021 on June 12
Former UW Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences Robert Stacey will speak to the graduates of the classes of 2020 and 2021 when they return to Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium for an in-person celebration on Sunday, June 12.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Commencement • Robert Stacey
Heavens need environmental protection just like Earth, experts say
Space urgently needs special legal protection similar to that given to land, sea and atmosphere to protect its fragile environment, argues a team of scientists. The scientific, economic and cultural benefits of space should be considered against the damaging environmental impacts posed by an influx of space debris — roughly 60 miles above Earth’s surface — fueled by the rapid growth of so-called satellite mega-constellations. In a paper published April 22 in Nature Astronomy, the authors assert that space is an important environment to preserve on behalf of professional astronomers, amateur stargazers and Indigenous peoples.
Tag(s): astronomy & astrophysics • College of Arts & Sciences • conservation • Department of Astronomy • DIRAC Institute • Meredith RawlsApril 21, 2022
ArtSci Roundup: A Conversation with Brad Smith, UW Public Lectures: An Evening with Masha Gessen, and More
Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! Katz Distinguished Lecture: Abderrahmane Sissako April 26, 7:00 PM | Kane Hall 210 What is the place of West Africa in the world and of the world in West Africa? These are the questions that the Oscar- and Palme d’Or-nominated filmmaker Adberrahmane Sissako…
Tag(s): African Studies Program • Center for an Informed Public • Department of History • Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering • Department of Political Science • Department of Psychology • Henry Art Gallery • Information School • Simpson Center for the Humanities • UW Alumni Association
Q&A: Making Earth-friendly electronics
Three researchers in the University of Washington College of Engineering are exploring ways to make electronics more Earth-friendly.
Tag(s): Aniruddh Vashisth • College of Engineering • Department of Materials Science & Engineering • Department of Mechanical Engineering • Eleftheria Roumeli • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering • Q&A • sustainability • Vikram IyerApril 20, 2022
Lasers trigger magnetism in atomically thin quantum materials
Researchers have discovered that light — from a laser — can trigger a form of magnetism in a normally nonmagnetic material. This magnetism centers on the behavior of electrons “spins,” which have a potential applications in quantum computing. Scientists discovered that electrons within the material became oriented in the same direction when illuminated by photons from a laser. By controlling and aligning electron spins at this level of detail and accuracy, this platform could have applications in quantum computing, quantum simulation and other fields. The experiment, led by scientists at the University of Washington, the University of Hong Kong and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, was published April 20 in Nature.
Tag(s): Clean Energy Institute • Department of Materials Science & Engineering • Department of Physics • Institute for Nano-Engineered Systems • Molecular Engineering & Sciences Institute • Pacific Northwest National Laboratory • Xiaodong XuApril 14, 2022
Historian Bailkin, astronomer Levesque receive Guggenheim Fellowships
Two University of Washington faculty members are among 180 experts in the arts, humanities, law and the sciences chosen as 2022 Guggenheim Fellows, according to an April 7 announcement from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Jordanna Bailkin, a professor in the Department of History, and Emily Levesque, an associate professor in the Department of Astronomy, are among the new class of fellows, which were selected from a pool of nearly 2,500 applicants.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Astronomy • Department of History • Emily Levesque • Jordanna Bailkin
Rosalie Fish, student, athlete and activist, selected as Truman Scholar
University of Washington junior Rosalie Fish has been selected for the prestigious Truman Scholarship, the third consecutive year that students from the UW were recognized with this national award.
Tag(s): Ana Mari Cauce • athletes • Truman Scholar
ArtSci Roundup: School of Art + Art History + Design Graduation Exhibitions, A Conversation with Rep. Adam Smith on US National Security Challenges, and More
Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! Entwined Like a Word and its Meaning: Reflections on Fifty Years of Sanskrit Studies April 20, 7:00 PM | Online Professor Emeritus Richard Salomon (Department of Asian Languages and Literature, UW) will share some of the insights and inspirations he has gained from studying…
Tag(s): Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • Department of Asian Languages & Literature • Department of English • Department of Gender Women and Sexuality Studies • Jackson School of International Studies • School of Art + Art History + Design • South Asia Center • UW BothellApril 13, 2022
Two UW faculty named fellows of Ecological Society of America
Two University of Washington professors have been honored by the Ecological Society of America for their knowledge and contributions to the field of ecology.
Tag(s): Brian Harvey • College of the Environment • Julian Olden • School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences • School of Environmental and Forest Sciences
UW artist in residence adds to Grammy Award total
An artist in residence at the University of Washington School of Music, Steve Rodby produced “Mirror, Mirror,” which won the 2022 Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album. He now has 14 Grammy Awards.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • School of Music • Steve Rodby
Ice shards in Antarctic clouds let more solar energy reach Earth’s surface
Including the splintering of ice inside clouds around Antarctica improves high-resolution global models’ ability to simulate clouds over the Southern Ocean – and thus the models’ ability to simulate Earth’s climate.
Tag(s): Chris Bretherton • climate • climate change • College of the Environment • Department of Atmospheric Sciences
UW names Tamara Michel Josserand VP for Development
Tamara Michel Josserand has been named Vice President for Development at the University of Washington, Senior Vice President for University Advancement Mary Gresch announced today. Josserand’s appointment begins May 31.
Tony Award-winning producer and actor Ron Simons to deliver 2022 Commencement address
Four-time Tony Award-winning producer Ron Simons, a University of Washington alumnus who is well known for his work on Broadway and in Hollywood, will deliver the 2022 Commencement address for the 147th ceremony, which takes place at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium on June 11.
Tag(s): Commencement • Ron SimonsApril 11, 2022
Even in a virtual classroom, preschoolers can gain reading skills
A new study by the University of Washington’s Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences finds that children can develop key reading skills in a virtual classroom with other students.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences • I-LABS • Patricia Kuhl • Yael WeissApril 8, 2022
UW professors show that Japanese democracy is ‘flourishing’ as co-editors of first Oxford Handbook of Japanese Politics
Robert and Saadia Pekkanen, both professors in the UW Jackson School of International Studies, are co-editors of the first Oxford Handbook of Japanese Politics, published online in September 2020 and in print in January 2022. They worked with dozens of collaborators around the world to add the topic to the respected collection of Oxford Handbooks that presents surveys of original research.
Tag(s): Jackson School of International Studies • Robert Pekkanen • Saadia PekkanenApril 7, 2022
ArtSci Roundup: Beauty That Saved Their World: Ukrainian Women’s Arts and Crafts in the Soviet Gulag, Jeremy Denk, and More
Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! Many of these opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students have access to Zoom Pro via UW-IT. Faculty Recital: Melia Watras: Song: An Endless Flight April 11, 7:30 PM | Meany Hall Violist/composer Melia Watras is joined onstage by narrator Shelia Daniels, violinist…
Tag(s): Department of History • Department of Philosophy • Department of Slavic Languages and Literature • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • Meany Hall for the Performing Arts • School of Music • Simpson Center for the HumanitiesNext Page »
