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The latest news from the UW

March 17, 2014

News Digest: Info forum on state’s Dream Act, Commuter Services extends hours, biomedical technology changes

Informational forum March 18 about state’s Dream Act || Commuter Services extends hours for start of quarter || Lecture March 21 discusses changing field of biomedical technology

Tethered robots tested for Internet-connected ocean observatory

The UW this fall will complete installation of a huge high-tech ocean observatory. Dozens of instruments will connect to power and Internet cables on the seafloor, but the observatory also includes a new generation of ocean explorers: robots that will zoom up and down through almost two miles of ocean to monitor the water conditions and marine life above.

March 10, 2014

Scientists build thinnest-possible LEDs to be stronger, more energy efficient

University of Washington scientists have built the thinnest-known LED that can be used as a source of light energy in electronics. The LED is based off of two-dimensional, flexible semiconductors, making it possible to stack or use in much smaller and more diverse applications than current technology allows.

March 5, 2014

Reflection makes sense: New initiative prompts engineering students to look back to go forward

The University of Washington’s Center for Engineering Learning & Teaching has received a $4.4 million grant from the Helmsley Charitable Trust to develop and promote teaching practices that help undergraduate engineering students reflect on their experiences. The award establishes the Consortium to Promote Reflection in Engineering Education that focuses on first- and second-year undergraduates who want to be engineers, especially those from underrepresented populations

Battery-free technology brings gesture recognition to all devices

University of Washington computer scientists have built a low-cost gesture recognition system that runs without batteries and lets users control their electronic devices hidden from sight with simple hand movements. The prototype, called “AllSee,” uses existing TV signals as both a power source and the means for detecting a user’s gesture command.

February 24, 2014

Healthy Generations Hartford Center of Excellence opens with lecture on changing culture of aging

The University of Washington’s School of Social Work will launch a new center – called the Healthy Generations Hartford Center of Excellence in Geriatric Social Work – with a public lecture and reception Thursday, Feb. 27.

February 20, 2014

Notice of Possible Rule Making — Preproposal Statement of Inquiry (per RCW 34.05.310)

Subject of Possible Rule Making:  WAC 478-136-041, Alcoholic Beverage Policy, and WAC 478-137-050, Limitations on Use Statutes Authorizing the University to Adopt Rules on This Subject:  RCW 28B.20.130. Reasons Why Rules on This Subject May Be Needed and What They Might Accomplish:  Due to recent changes in the state Liquor Control Board’s rules for the special occasion license, the University proposes making administrative changes to its alcoholic beverage policy.  The University also proposes to clarify rules pertaining to third-party vendors, restrictions…

NASA’s ‘Mohawk Guy’ advocates ‘audacious,’ creative engineering

Bobak Ferdowsi, a NASA flight engineer who became known as “Mohawk Guy” after sporting a mohawk hairstyle during the 2012 rover Curiosity’s landing on Mars, spoke to a class of University of Washington aeronautics and astronautics engineering students on Feb. 19. Ferdowsi was a student in the department and graduated from the UW in 2001.