Comb jellies – and not sponges – may lay claim as the earliest ancestors of animals, according to new research in Nature.
May 21, 2014
The latest news from the UW
Arts Roundup: Music, dance – and ‘The Workroom’
As we head into a long weekend, take the time to indulge in some of the innovative performances and exhibits happening on campus.
May 20, 2014
Health Sciences Digest: Alcoholism in homeless, medical phone apps, aging with chronic disability
Designing medical apps for your phone, treating alcohol-dependent homeless individuals, and enhancing wellness in older disabled adults are some of the developments at the UW Health Sciences and UW Medicine
Shrub growth decreases as winter temps warm up
Many have assumed that warmer winters as a result of climate change would increase the growth of trees and shrubs because the growing season would be longer. But shrubs achieve less yearly growth when cold winter temperatures are interrupted by temperatures warm enough to trigger growth.
May 19, 2014
Favoritism, not hostility, causes most discrimination, says UW psychology professor
Most discrimination in the U.S. is not caused by intention to harm people different from us, but by ordinary favoritism directed at helping people similar to us, according to a theoretical review published online in American Psychologist.
May 16, 2014
Filmmaker Werner Herzog examined in new book of interviews
Eric Ames, UW professor of Germanics and editor of the new book, “Werner Herzog: Interviews,” discusses the work.
May 15, 2014
News Digest: New cherry trees, Mushroom May-nia, autism assessments, Honor: Daily staff
Compiled by the Office of News and Information.
May 14, 2014
$31M gift will fund early stage UW research by high-tech entrepreneurs
The University of Washington is receiving a $31.2 million gift from Washington Research Foundation to boost entrepreneurship and support research that tackles some of society’s most crucial challenges. The award will fund four interdisciplinary initiatives that seek to advance global innovation in clean energy, protein design, big data science and neuroengineering.
Arts Roundup: Dance, opera – and the University District Street Fair
Dance, opera, exhibition openings and the Roethke Reading fill this especially busy week in the arts. From the MFA Dance Concert to School of Music and Pacific MusicWorks’ production of G.F. Handel’s “Semele,” there’s plenty to see and do on the main stages.
May 13, 2014
Health Digest: Cutbacks jeopardize newborns, safe water, MERS facts
The costly effects of cutbacks on maternal/child services, assuring a pure water supply, and what you need to know about Middle East respiratory syndrome.
Focus on research: Undergraduates bring findings alive Friday
Join your colleagues at the annual Undergraduate Research Symposium Friday, May 16.
Video stories, other bonding exercises could help foster families connect
Researchers affiliated with the UW’s School of Social Work tailored a parenting program known to improve communication in non-foster families for use in foster families, who often say they don’t feel connected and have trouble communicating, but few resources exist that nurture their bonding.
May 12, 2014
Improve grades, reduce failure – undergrads should tell profs ‘Don’t lecture me’
A significantly greater number of students fail science, engineering and math courses that are taught lecture-style than fail with active learning according to the largest analysis ever of studies comparing lecturing to active learning in undergraduate education
West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapse is under way
The collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet has begun, according to computer models using detailed topographic maps. The fast-moving Thwaites Glacier will likely disappear in a matter of centuries, researchers say, raising sea level by nearly 2 feet.
Washington housing market weaker in first quarter of 2014
Washington state’s housing market finished weaker in the first quarter of 2014 when compared to the end of 2013, according to the UW’s Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies.
May 9, 2014
Memorial June 8 for historian Stephanie Camp
Stephanie Camp, University of Washington associate professor of history, died on Wednesday, April 2. There will be a memorial service and reception in remembrance and celebration of Camp’s life at 3 p.m. Sunday, June 8, in Kane Hall room 210.
May 8, 2014
UW regents briefed on efforts to address sexual assault prevention, response
The Board of Regents heard an update Thursday on implementing recommendations from a task force on sexual assault prevention and response on all three UW campuses.
Documents that Changed the World: Airline ‘black box’ flight data recorder, 1958
Recent headlines sadly explain why Joe Janes chose the latest installment in his Documents that Changed the World podcast series — he’s writing about airline flight data recorders, or “black boxes.”
Army drug users twice as likely to use synthetic marijuana as regular marijuana
Social work researchers from the University of Washington have found that among a group of active-duty Army personnel who use illicit drugs, the most abused substance is synthetic marijuana, nicknamed “Spice,” which is harder to detect than other drugs through standard drug tests.
May 7, 2014
UW building teleoperated robots for disaster response in national challenge
University of Washington electrical engineers have developed telerobotics technology that could make disaster response faster and more efficient. They are working with a large team as part of the SmartAmerica Challenge, an initiative that encourages new technologies that help society in our increasingly connected world.
Greenland melting due equally to global warming, natural variations
Up to half of the recent warming in Greenland and surrounding areas may be due to climate variations that originate in the tropical Pacific and are not connected with the overall warming of the planet. Still, at least half the warming remains attributable to global warming caused by rising carbon dioxide emissions.
Arts Roundup: Dance, music – and IMPFest
This week, enjoy a bevy of events that range from the Painting + Drawing exhibition at the Jacob Lawrence Gallery to IMPFest at the Floyd and Delores Jones Playhouse.
UW student briefs lawmakers on global land use, touts undergrad research
At an event in Washington, D.C. a UW biology student presented her research into the global connections between consumers and goods that come from agriculture and forest production.
May 6, 2014
UW scientist a lead author on third National Climate Assessment
University of Washington climate scientist Amy Snover is one of two lead authors for the Northwest chapter of the newly published National Climate Assessment.
Health sciences digest: Drug pricing uproar, antioxidant dangers
The latest news from the UW Health Sciences and UW Medicine: What price for a cure? The economics of drug pricing The uproar against the $1,000-a-pill hepatitis C drug Sovaldi, generic name sofosbuvir, may signal a turning point in drug pricing in the United States. Purchasers appear to be pushing back and saying, “No.” In a Q & A in HSNewsbeat, Sean Sullivan, professor of pharmacy and health services, explains how drug prices are set and changing attitudes on…
Social workers can help patients recover from mild traumatic brain injuries
More than a million people are treated for mild traumatic brain injuries in U.S. hospitals and emergency rooms each year. A University of Washington researcher has found that a 20-minute conversation with a social worker has the potential to significantly reduce the functional decline of those diagnosed with a mild traumatic brain injury.
May 5, 2014
Board of Regents — May 8 Regular Meeting
The Board of Regents will hold a Regular Meeting on Thursday, May 8, at 12:30 p.m. in the Petersen Room of Allen Library. The full agenda is available online.
Hundreds seek confidential, objective advice from UW Ombud
Career transitions, conflicts with colleagues, grades, student housing and more are issues that arise for the UW Office of the Ombud, which has released an annual report detailing the scope of their work during 2013.
Memorial May 14 for Information School’s Eliza Dresang
Eliza Dresang, a well-loved professor in the University of Washington Information School, died on Monday, April 21. She is remembered as a respected friend, colleague, teacher and community member. She was 72. There will be a campus memorial for Dresang from 9 to 11 a.m. Wednesday, May 14, in the Husky Union Building Lyceum (room 160). “Our hearts ache with the loss of our dear friend and colleague,” said Harry Bruce, dean of the Information School. “Eliza had a calling…
May 2, 2014
Public Hearing Notice
Notice is hereby given that a public hearing will be held at Noon on Monday, May 12, 2014, in Room 142 of Gerberding Hall, on the UW Seattle campus. The purpose of the hearing is to allow all interested persons an opportunity to present their views, either orally or in writing, on the proposed amendments to WAC 478-136-041, “Alcoholic Beverage Policy,” and WAC 478-137-050, “Limitations on Use.” Due to recent changes in the state Liquor Control Board’s rules for the…
Teaching kids the language behind their devices — Code.org co-founder to speak
Hadi Partovi of Code.org will talk May 8 at UW’s Seattle campus about the impact of the Hour of Code and what parents, educators and policymakers in Washington state can do to prepare students for science, technology, math and engineering jobs.
Healing art at Hall Health
What began as an effort to “make the walls look pretty” after renovations has become an eclectic permanent collection of art by students, staff and faculty at UW Medicine’s Hall Health Center.
And a couple of times a year, Mark Shaw, the center’s director of health promotion, arranges exactly that. The next Hall Health Art Walk will be from 5:30 to 7 p.m., May 6.
May 1, 2014
Todd London named new executive director of UW School of Drama
Todd London, artistic director of New Dramatists, a playwriting center in New York, has been named the new executive director of the University of Washington School of Drama.
Amphibians in a vise: Climate change robs frogs, salamanders of refuge
Amphibians in the West’s high-mountain areas find themselves caught between climate-induced habitat loss and predation from introduced fish. A novel combination of tools could help weigh where amphibians are in the most need of help.
April 30, 2014
Arts Roundup: Lectures, music– and Alonzo King LINES Ballet
The forecast is looking bright not only in relation to the weather but also for the arts on campus!
See National Ocean Sciences Bowl put the M (for “marine”) in STEMM
The Super Bowl of high school marine studies, the National Ocean Sciences Bowl, takes place this weekend on the UW campus. The theme of this year’s event is ocean acidification.
Stem cell therapy regenerates heart muscle in primates
Regenerative medicine researchers successfully attempted stem cell therapy to repair damaged heart muscle in non-human primates.
April 29, 2014
Health Digest: Infant immunization, worker memorial, malaria and AirCare
Health Digest is a selection of recent news and features from the UW Health Sciences/UW Medicine.
Benjamin Hall, Eric D’Asaro elected to National Academy of Sciences
Benjamin Hall and Eric D’Asaro are among the 84 new members elected fellows the National Academy of Sciences.
April 25, 2014
Online ‘Legislative Explorer’ uses big data to track decades of lawmaking
University of Washington political scientist John Wilkerson has matched data visualization with the study of lawmaking to create a new online tool for researchers and students called the Legislative Explorer. Think of it as big data meeting up with How a Bill Becomes a Law. “The goal was to get beyond the ‘Schoolhouse Rock’ narrative and let users discover the lawmaking process for themselves,” said Wilkerson, UW professor of political science and director of the UW’s Center for American Politics…