The latest news from the UW

October 10, 2014

Students win award to make riding the bus more accessible for blind people

A group of University of Washington engineering students are winners of the 2014 Ford College Community Challenge, a competition that awards $25,000 per team to student-led groups at 10 universities to fund projects that help build sustainable communities. The UW team’s project is StopInfo, which integrates with the OneBusAway app and provides specific information on location, safety features and stop closures for each bus stop in King County. OneBusAway was developed at the UW and uses real-time data to track when…

For UW employees | UW and the community

Celebrate at the UW Combined Fund Drive’s Charity Fair & Silent Auction

The UW Combined Fund Drive raised more than $2 million last year for 1,788 nonprofits. This year’s effort kicks off with a charity fair and silent auction on Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Engineering lecture series focuses on technologies for the heart

The University of Washington’s College of Engineering 2014 fall lecture series will feature faculty researchers in engineering and medicine who are improving cardiac medical care with new technologies.

Citizen science key to keeping pace with environmental change

Better integration of citizen science into professional science is a growing consideration at the UW and elsewhere.

UW News blog

October 9, 2014

University of Washington fifth worldwide, top US public institution in ranking of achievements in scientific research

Measuring universities on their scientific research productivity, impact and excellence, National Taiwan University named the University of Washington fifth best in the world, and the top public institution in the United States, in its 2014 Performance Ranking of Scientific Papers for World Universities released Thursday. The NTU Ranking is based on the production and impact of universities’ scientific papers, intended to objectively measure their contributions in the advancement of scientific innovation. “This is yet another international ranking that places the…

UW News blog

Welcome to the new UW Today blog

It’s impossible not to make this awkward, but here’s our best shot: Welcome to the new UW Today blog. For years, UW Today in various incarnations has provided the news of the University of Washington – from groundbreaking scientific research and awe-inspiring student projects, to ranking updates, awards and roundups of arts events that can be found on campus. So, why start a blog now? To put it simply: Because there’s just too much good stuff happening at the UW…

Environment | News releases | Research | Science

Migrating animals’ pee affects ocean chemistry

Tiny animals migrating from the ocean’s surface to the sunless depths helps shape our oceans. During the daylight hours below the surface the animals release ammonia, the equivalent of our urine, that plays a significant role in marine chemistry, particularly in low-oxygen zones.

Arts and entertainment | UW and the community

October 8, 2014

Arts Roundup: Drama, music — and Anne Hamilton’s ‘The Common S E N S E’

Fall is a busy time for the arts on campus, with a dizzying array of performances and exhibitions to take advantage of.

Jackson School centers receive $16 million for international education

The University of Washington’s Jackson School of International Studies has received funding from the U.S. Department of Education for all eight of its Title VI centers — with grants of more than $16 million to be awarded over four years.

Arts and entertainment | UW and the community

Renowned dances meticulously restaged for Chamber Dance Company’s ‘On the Edge’

The UW Chamber Dance Company presents restaging of well-known dances by choreographers Nacho Duato, Susan Marshall, Danial Shapiro and Joanie Smith in “On the Edge,” Oct. 9-12 in Meany Hall.

Engineering | News releases | Research | Science

UW fusion reactor concept could be cheaper than coal

University of Washington engineers have designed a concept for a fusion reactor that, when scaled up to the size of a large electrical power plant, would rival costs for a new coal-fired plant with similar electrical output.

October 3, 2014

University of Washington and Washington State University announce Memorandum of Understanding on medical education expansion

SPOKANE, Wash. – Leadership at the University of Washington and Washington State University today announced they have reached an agreement that will mutually dissolve their WWAMI partnership and provide a pathway to pursue separate solutions to address the state’s medical education needs and physician shortage. In order to provide the greatest benefit to the state and to meet the significant demand for more physicians, leaders from both universities agree that UW and WSU will independently pursue their respective proposals to…

News roundups

Board of Regents — Oct. 9 meeting

The Board of Regents will hold meetings Thursday, Oct. 9, in the UW Tower Board Room, 22nd floor. The full schedule and agendas are available online.

Environment | News releases | Research | Science

Not stuff of musty museums: Enlist evolutionary biology against modern threats

Using evolutionary biology is one way to try to outwit evolution where it is happening too quickly and to perhaps find accommodations when evolution occurs too slowly.

Administrative affairs | Education | Politics and government | Research | UW and the community

October 2, 2014

Jackson School director discusses goals of new International Policy Institute

Resat Kasaba, director of the Henry M. Jackson School director, discusses goals and mission of the school’s new International Policy Institute.

UW’s Jeffrey Heer wins award to support data visualization research

Jeffrey Heer, a University of Washington associate professor of computer science and engineering, has received an award from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to develop new theories, tools and techniques for data visualization that help scientists see and understand big data.

For UW employees | News roundups | UW and the community

October 1, 2014

News digest: New schedules for Health Sciences Express/shuttle, flu clinics underway

Compiled by the Office of News and Information.

Arts and entertainment | UW and the community

Arts Roundup: Music, The Big Draw — and Chamber Dance Company

Fall quarter has started, which means the weekly arts roundup is back in action. This week, the Burke is hosting The Big Draw and Grammy Award-winning saxophonist Branford Marsalis performs at Meany Hall on Oct. 4.

Politics and government | Profiles | UW and the community

Northwest ‘anarchist utopia’ explored in ‘Trying Home’

Justin Wadland of the UW Tacoma Library discusses his book “Trying Home: The Rise and Fall of an Anarchist Utopia on Puget Sound.”

Engineering | Learning | Research | Technology

September 30, 2014

UW students to build hybrid-electric muscle car in EcoCAR 3 contest

The UW is one of 16 schools invited to participate in the U.S. Department of Energy and General Motors Co. EcoCAR 3 competition that spans four years with stand-alone contests each spring. Their challenge in this next competition is to convert a Chevrolet Camaro into a hybrid-electric car.

Education | Learning

September 24, 2014

Citizenship, women in tech, taboo language, psychology of superheroes among UW’s new fall class lineup

From exploring American citizenship to encouraging women in technology, the 2014-15 school year brings a wealth of new classroom experiences for UW students.

Administrative affairs | For UW employees | UW and the community

September 23, 2014

Don’t ignore looming Metro bus cuts, check your options now

The UW in August introduced a Commute Concierge service to help riders with personalized commute plans.

Environment | News releases | Research | Science

Dying brain cells cue new brain cells to grow in songbird

Using a songbird as a model, scientists have described a brain pathway that replaces cells that have been lost naturally and not because of injury.

Arts and entertainment | Education | Learning | UW and the community

‘Celebrity and its Discontents’: The 2014 Performing Arts Lecture Series

Celebrities have fascinated the public for centuries — but why? And how does the spotlight affect those on whom it shines? This year’s Performing Arts Lecture Series, presented by the School of Drama, explores the power of celebrity from unique perspectives in three evening lectures.

News releases | Research | Science

September 22, 2014

Snail shells show high-rise plateau is much lower than it used to be

Geologists have long debated when and how the Tibetan Plateau reached a 14,000-foot-plus elevation, but new UW-led research shows it once was probably even higher.

Education | Learning | UW and the community

New degree programs aplenty starting with school year

Through new degree programs starting this fall, students will learn architecture from a liberal arts perspective, complete social sciences degrees online, become expert in the teaching of science, and much more.

Engineering | Research | Technology

New RFID technology helps robots find household objects

The University of Washington and Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a new search algorithm that improves a robot’s ability to find and navigate to tagged objects.

Environment | Learning | Science

September 19, 2014

Join expedition online: UW students help install cabled deep-sea observatory

UW students have had a unique experience off the coast of Washington and Oregon helping scientists and engineers complete construction of the world’s largest deep-ocean observatory.

Engineering | News releases | Research | Science | Technology

Reflected smartphone transmissions enable gesture control

University of Washington engineers have developed a new form of low-power wireless sensing technology that lets users “train” their smartphones to recognize and respond to specific hand gestures near the phone.

Health and medicine | Research | Science | UW and the community

September 16, 2014

Health Sciences Digest: Wearable Artificial Kidney, worker wellness, chromosome sort safeguard

Health Sciences Digest: Wearable Artificial Kidney safety testing to begin, low-wage workers value employer wellness initiatives, cells simply avoid chromosome errors

Administrative affairs | News releases

Freshman Convocation opens UW’s 2014-15 school year

UW President Michael Young will be the featured speaker at the 31st annual Freshman Convocation Sept. 21 in the Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion.

Administrative affairs | Health and medicine | News releases | UW and the community

September 15, 2014

Correcting the record: WSU consultant’s medical school study deeply flawed

The study prepared by Washington State University consultant MGT of America to make the case for a WSU medical school contains a number of deep flaws. Many of the key justifications cited for starting, funding, and accrediting a second public medical school in Washington are based upon faulty assumptions, omissions, and erroneous data that draw into question many of the report’s central conclusions. These flaws raise significant concern about the actual feasibility of a WSU medical school and are important…

Arts and entertainment | Buildings and grounds | For UW employees | UW and the community

September 12, 2014

‘Mad Campus’: Art here, there, everywhere

The University of Washington is being transformed into a vast art gallery for a six-week exhibition called “Mad Campus.”

Politics and government | Research | UW and the community

September 11, 2014

Questions of race, state violence explored in ‘The Rising Tide of Color’

Moon Ho Jung, associate professor of history, discusses the book he edited, “The Rising Tide of Color: Race, State Violence and Radical Movements across the Pacific,” published by University of Washington Press.

Environment | News releases | Research | Science

UW-built sensors to probe Antarctica’s Southern Ocean

Floating sensors built at the UW will be central to a new $21 million effort to learn how the ocean surrounding Antarctica influences climate.

News roundups

September 9, 2014

Board of Regents — Sept. 11 meeting

The Board of Regents will hold meetings Thursday, Sept. 11. The Regular meeting will take place in the Petersen Room of the Allen Library 10:45 a.m. The full schedule and agendas are available online.

Research | UW and the community

Documents that Changed the World: The Star Spangled Banner turns 200

Information School Professor Joe Janes takes a look at “The Star Spangled Banner” for his Documents that Changed the World series.