UW News
The latest news from the UW
July 29, 2013
Natural affinities – unrecognized until now – may have set stage for life to ignite
It might not have been just happenstance that caused components of RNA and the earliest “cell” membranes to be in the right place at the right time to spark life.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Chemistry • Sarah Keller
UW welcomes Denzil Suite, vice president for student life
The University of Washington on July 29 welcomed Denzil Suite as vice president for student life.
July 28, 2013
Breakthrough in detecting DNA mutations could help treat tuberculosis, cancer
Researchers have developed a new method that can look at a specific segment of DNA and pinpoint a single mutation, which could help diagnose and treat diseases such as cancer and tuberculosis.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering • Georg Seelig • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & EngineeringJuly 25, 2013
Dental school mourns alumnus Dr. Vincent G. Kokich
The Northwest has the best summer in the nation. But why?
University of Washington ranked eighth in country by Forbes
The University of Washington was ranked eighth among public universities in the country (excluding federally-funded military academies) in the quality of undergraduate education, according to Forbes.
Video: Building the Galapagos penguin population
July 24, 2013
Fish-ear bones offer clues to health of ocean, species
Literary arts: Discarded books become art in UW Summer Youth Programs class
Can a book be a sculpture? Sure — at UW Summer Youth Programs, it’s all part of the creative process.
Tag(s): ArtsUW • UW Professional & Continuing Education • UW summer programsJuly 23, 2013
Pain of artificial legs could be eased by real-time monitoring
University of Washington engineers have developed a device that tracks how much a person’s limb swells and shrinks when inside a prosthetic socket. The data could help doctors and patients predict how and when their limbs will swell, which could be used to build smarter sockets.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Bioengineering • Joan Sanders • School of MedicineJuly 22, 2013
Geochemical ‘fingerprints’ leave evidence that megafloods eroded steep gorge
For the first time, scientists have direct geochemical evidence that the 150-mile long Tsangpo Gorge, possibly the world’s deepest, was the conduit by which megafloods from glacial lakes, perhaps half the volume of Lake Erie, drained catastrophically through the Himalayas when their ice dams failed during the last 2 million years.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Department of Earth and Space SciencesJuly 19, 2013
Nighttime heat waves quadruple in Pacific Northwest
Nighttime heat waves — events where the nighttime low is unusually hot for at least three days in a row — are becoming more common in western Washington and Oregon.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean and Ecosystem Studies • Karin Bumbaco • Nick Bond • Office of the Washington State ClimatologistJuly 18, 2013
Board of Regents — August 8 Meeting Canceled
The meeting of the Board of Regents for Thursday, August 8, is canceled. The next Regular Meeting of the Board is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 12, in the Petersen Room of the Allen Library. Agendas and schedule will be available after noon on Friday, Sept. 6.
Falling from windows is serious risk for small children
A few safety measures can help those with young children at home reduce the chance of window falls.
Tag(s): Brian Johnston • Department of Pediatrics • Harborview Medical Center
UW launches record 17 startup companies
The University of Washington launched a record 17 startup companies this fiscal year.
A warmer planetary haven around cool stars, as ice warms rather than cools
In a bit of cosmic irony, planets orbiting cooler stars may be more likely to remain ice-free than planets around hotter stars. This is due to the interaction of a star’s light with ice and snow on the planet’s surface.
Tag(s): Aomawa Shields • astronomy & astrophysics • Cecilia Bitz • Department of Astronomy • planetary science • Tyler Robinson • Victoria Meadows
Arts Roundup: Art exhibits and 2013-14 drama, World Series schedules
Even in July, there are UW arts events to take in, as the sun and clouds battle for attention overhead. Plus, the School of Drama and UW World Series announce their 2013-14 seasons.
July 17, 2013
Northwest scientists using drones to spy on nature
July 16, 2013
UW Medicine hospitals rank highly in latest U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals
U.S. News publishes Best Hospitals to guide patients who need a high level of care because they face a difficult surgery, a challenging condition, or added risk because of other health problems or age.
Tag(s): Harborview Medical Center • Rankings • UW Medicine
News Digest: UW unveils events calendar, ocean expedition blog
New UW events calendar now available || Follow ocean expedition via bilingual blog, photo page
UW welcomes Azita Emami, dean of School of Nursing
Azita Emami recently joined the School of Nursing as the Robert G. and Jean A. Reid Dean.
Eye-tracking could outshine passwords if made user-friendly
University of Washington engineers found in a recent study that the user’s experience could be key to creating an authentication system that doesn’t rely on passwords.
Tag(s): Cecilia Aragon • College of Engineering • Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering • Michael BrooksJuly 15, 2013
Ecological forces structure your body’s personal mix of microbes
Researchers hope to build a predictive model of the human microbiome to study what affects this massive biological system and to design ways to manipulate the microbiome to achieve desired clinical outcomes.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Genome Sciences • microbes and viruses • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering • School of Medicine
UW welcomes Michael Bragg, dean of the College of Engineering
The UW welcomes today (July 15) Michael B. Bragg as dean of the College of Engineering.
July 14, 2013
Some volcanoes ‘scream’ at ever-higher pitches until they blow their tops
Swarms of small earthquakes before a volcanic eruption can come in such rapid succession that they create a signal called harmonic tremor. A new eruption analysis from Alaska’s Redoubt Volcano shows the harmonic tremor glided to higher frequencies, then stopped abruptly just before six eruptions in 2009.
Tag(s): earthquakes & seismology • volcanoesJuly 12, 2013
UW to offer new musical theater degree
July 11, 2013
Health facilities earn inclusion in Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s U.S. index
UW Medicine hospitals and the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance were Identified as National ‘Leaders in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Healthcare Equality’
Tag(s): LGBTQ • Seattle Cancer Care Alliance • UW Medicine
Arts Roundup: Art, photography — and ‘The Ghost of Architecture’ at the Henry
A new exhibit at the Henry Art Gallery leads this slow summer week in UW arts. Plus, there are some interesting off-campus events involving UW talents.
UW hosts national conference on higher ed advocacy
UW Impact, the legislative advocacy program created by the University of Washington Alumni Association, is hosting a national conference of public higher education advocates.
July 10, 2013
Julia Parrish speaks at White House about citizen science
Julia Parrish was one of 12 “champions of change” invited to share their ideas on public engagement in science and science literacy June 25 at the White House.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
Greater activity having little impact on obesity
Park carbon dioxide under our feet with a biocarbon approach
Global study stresses importance of public Internet access
Millions of people in low-income countries still depend on public computer and Internet access venues despite the global proliferation of mobile phones and home computers.
Tag(s): Araba Sey • Chris Coward • Information School
Functional genomics lab to predict potential AIDS vaccines efficacy and find protection markers
Funded by the NIH at $15 million over five years, the lab will be a national resource to evaluate candidate vaccines from studies around the country.
Tag(s): Department of Microbiology • genomics • HIV and AIDS • vaccinesJuly 9, 2013
Biceps bulge, calves curve, 50-year-old assumptions muscled aside
The basics of how a muscle generates power remain the same: Filaments of myosin tugging on filaments of actin shorten, or contract, the muscle – but the power doesn’t just come from what’s happening straight up and down the length of the muscle, as has been assumed for 50 years. The rest of the force should be credited to the lattice work of filaments as it expands outward in bulging muscle – whether in a body builder’s buff biceps or the calves of a sinewy marathon runner.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Biology
Link between low vitamin D blood levels and heart disease varies by race
Low vitamin D levels are linked to higher risk of heart disease in whites and Chinese, but not in blacks or Hispanics. The findings underscore the importance of designing medical research that includes a diverse ethnic and racial makeup of participants.
Tag(s): Department of Epidemiology • Department of Medicine • heart disease • Race • School of Medicine • School of Public Health
Hazy days of summer: Southeast U.S. field work measures mercury, smog
Dozens of atmospheric scientists, including three University of Washington faculty members, are taking part in what’s being described as one of the largest atmospheric field campaigns in decades.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Dan Jaffe • Department of Atmospheric Sciences • Joel Thornton • Lyatt Jaegle
School policies reduce student drinking – if they’re perceived to be enforced
Every middle and high school has a policy against drinking alcohol on campus, but not all students follow the rules. New research suggests students are less likely to drink if they believe their school will strictly enforce its policy.
Tag(s): alcohol use & abuse • Richard Catalano • School of Social Work • Social Development Research GroupJuly 8, 2013
Raising money for fund-it-yourself science
July 5, 2013
Board of Regents — July 11 Meeting Announcement
The Board of Regents will hold a Regular Meeting on Thursday, July 11, at 1 p.m. in CSE 691 (Bill & Melinda Gates Commons). The full agenda is available online.
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