UW News
The latest news from the UW
May 29, 2013
UW to host student steel bridge competition this weekend
Just a week after the Interstate 5 Skagit River Bridge collapse north of Seattle, the University of Washington will host a national steel bridge competition for undergraduate civil engineering students. Forty-nine finalist teams will converge on campus for the 2013 National Student Steel Bridge Competition.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering • Jeffrey BermanMay 24, 2013
‘The Return’ illustrates Native American environmental health story
“The Return,” a dreamlike account of a Native woman and her baby, is an allegory for passing environmental health values to the next generation.
Tag(s): Department of Bioethics and Humanities • Michelle Montgomery • Native American • Nicholas Zalazar • Northwest Indian College • UW Center for Ecogenetics • workplace safety
Infrastructure experts: Engineers who can speak about bridge collapse
University of Washington structural engineers, architects and freight transportation experts are available to speak with reporters about the I-5 Skagit Bridge collapse on Thursday, May 23. Charles Roeder Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Office: 206-543-6199 E-mail: croeder@uw.edu Web: http://www.ce.washington.edu/people/faculty/faculty.php?id=36 Expertise: Gusset plates and steel bracing frames; seismic behavior of steel and composite structures; fatigue…
May 23, 2013
Clinical trial aims to prevent type 2 diabetes through medication
The UW and the VA Puget Sound will be among the sites for the national RISE study. The researchers want to see if treating patients to preserve insulin secretion keeps diabetes from forming or slows its progression.
Tag(s): Department of Medicine • diabetes • School of Medicine • Steven Kahn
Arts roundup: Springtime concerts, exhibits — and vintage one-act plays
Spring is a great time for the arts at the UW, with the School of Music, School of Drama and School of Art all offering shows or exhibits — and a lot more.
Depression raises diabetics’ risk of severe low blood sugar episodes
Evidence points to importance of recognizing and treating depression in people with diabetes to reduce medical complications.
Tag(s): Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences • diabetes • health care and mental health • Wayne Katon
Denzil Suite selected as UW vice president for student life
Denzil Suite has been selected as vice president for student life.
May 22, 2013
News Digest: Seaglider technology licensed, lecture revisits the Boldt decision, U. of Minnesota president to speak
UW Seaglider technology is licensed commercially; Richard Whitney, emeritus professor of fisheries, will deliver a talk about the Boldt decision; U. of Minnesota president and former UW faculty member Eric Kaler will deliver a talk about challenges facing research institutions.
New documentary on cabled ocean observatory airs on UWTV
A new half-hour documentary about a UW research expedition to Axial Seamount, an underwater volcano off the Washington coast, airs tonight at 9:30 p.m. on UWTV.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • John Delaney • Ocean Observatories Initiative • School of Oceanography • UWTV
Practicing medicine pharma-free in a drug rep-filled world
A rural family medicine group is an example for other community physicians seeking to wean themselves from pharmaceutical industry influence.
Tag(s): David Evans • Department of Family Medicine • medicine & pharmaceuticals • School of Medicine
UW joins edX to provide more free online courses
The University of Washington announced May 21 a new partnership with edX, the Massive Open Online Course provider from Harvard/MIT.
May 21, 2013
UW expands online courses
Sounds of the sea: Stones clanging
Bjong Wolf Yeigh selected as chancellor for UW Bothell
Bjong Wolf Yeigh, professor and president of SUNYIT, the State University of New York Institute of Technology at Utica/Rome, has been selected as the next chancellor at the University of Washington Bothell.
The tea party and the politics of paranoia
New research argues that the tea party owes more to paranoid politics of the John Birch Society and others than traditional American conservatism. “True conservatives aren’t paranoid,” says political scientist Chris Parker. “Tea party conservatives are.”
Tag(s): books • Christopher Parker • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Political Science • Matt Barreto • Tea Party movementMay 20, 2013
New K-12 science standards add focus on practices, engineering and early learning
The recently updated K-12 science education learning goals outline a vision for what all U.S. citizens should know about science. Philip Bell, director of UW’s Institute for Science and Math Education, talks about what’s new about the goals.
Tag(s): College of Education • Institute for Science and Math Education
Amazon River exhales virtually all carbon taken up by rain forest
A study published this week in Nature Geoscience shows that woody plant matter is almost completely digested by bacteria living in the Amazon River, and that this tough stuff plays a major part in fueling the river’s breath.
Tag(s): climate change • College of the Environment • Jeffrey Richey • oceanography • School of OceanographyMay 17, 2013
Youth bullying because of perceived sexual orientation widespread and damaging
Harmful effects of bullying are profound for youth struggling with identity and self-worth, and can lead to depression and thoughts of suicide.
Tag(s): abuse • child & adolescent development • Department of Health Services • Donald PatrickMay 16, 2013
Arts Roundup: Dance, poetry, art, music — and slapstick ballet
Dance and drama talents lead a busy week in UW arts with the annual MFA Dance Concert, the 50th annual Theodore Roethke Poetry Reading and more.
May 15, 2013
Seattle’s ‘Mr. Sundial’ takes his passion to next level
UW astronomer Woody Sullivan, who has made Seattle the unlikely sundial capital of North America, has re-created a Renaissance ceiling sundial in his home office.
Documents that Changed the World: ‘What is the Third Estate?’ 1789
Joe Janes of the UW Information School reached back two centuries to pre-revolutionary France for the latest installment of his podcast series, “Documents that Changed the World.”
Tag(s): Documents that Changed the World • Information School • Joe Janes
Tropical air circulation drives fall warming on Antarctic Peninsula
New UW research shows that, in recent decades, fall is the only time of extensive warming over the entire Antarctic Peninsula, and it is mostly from atmospheric circulation patterns originating in the tropics.
May 14, 2013
Symposium features undergraduate research
More than 1,000 undergraduates will showcase their contributions to innovative and groundbreaking research at the 16th annual Undergraduate Research Symposium 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, May 17 in Mary Gates Hall. Some presentations will also occur in Johnson Hall and Meany Studio Theater. In conjunction with the symposium, another 50 undergraduates from UW and…
DNA analysis unearths origins of Minoans, the first major European civilization
The maternal genetic information passed down through many generations of mitochondria is still present in modern-day residents of the Lassithi plateau of Crete.
Tag(s): anthropology • archaeology • genetics & DNA • George Stamatoyannopoulos • history
Engineered biomaterial could improve success of medical implants
University of Washington engineers have created a synthetic substance that fully resists the body’s natural attack response to foreign objects. Medical devices such as artificial heart valves, prostheses and breast implants could be coated with this polymer to prevent the body from rejecting an implanted object.
Tag(s): Buddy Ratner • College of Engineering • Department of Bioengineering • Department of Chemical Engineering • School of Medicine • Shaoyi JaingMay 13, 2013
New report released on health impacts of Duwamish River cleanup
The UW report recommends ways to protect the health of Native American tribes and others affected by the cleanup.
Tag(s): Enviromental Protection Agency • workplace safety
Celebration of life of Bryan Pearce, UW Book Store CEO, May 19
A celebration honoring the life and legacy of Bryan Pearce, who served as CEO of the University Book Store from 2002 to 2013, will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 pm Sunday, May 19 at the UW Club.
Using earthquake sensors to track endangered whales
Oceanographers are using a growing number of seafloor seismometers, devices that record seafloor vibrations, to carry out inexpensive and non-invasive studies of endangered whales.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • earthquakes & seismology • oceanography • School of Oceanography • whales • William WilcockMay 10, 2013
News Digest: Underwater robot competition Saturday, Honors: Cecilia Bitz, Anthony Greenwald and Patricia Kuhl
UW underwater robot team competes Saturday || Cecilia Bitz recognized for decade’s worth of work || Greenwald, Kuhl among 25 honored as part of 25th anniversary
May 9, 2013
Arts Roundup: Music, art, poetry — and the 2013 MFA Dance Concert
This week there’s experimental music, a string quartet, photos about food, a health-minded art walk, student exhibits and the combined talents of the Dance Program and School of Drama.
UW ranked sixth in US and eighth in world for academic performance
A new ranking has determined that the University of Washington is the sixth best university in the United States and eighth in the world.
May 8, 2013
Do peppers reduce risk of Parkinson’s?
New study suggests dietary nicotine may protect against this disorder, which results from the loss of dopamine-producing brain cells.
Tag(s): diet • neuroscience & brain science • Susan Searles Nielsen • workplace safety
Pioneer bacteria lay down trails that draw new recruits
New research shows bacteria may draw other bacteria to an infection site by laying down trails of a “molecular glue” that attract free-swimming individual bacteria.
Tag(s): Boo Tseng Shen • Matthew Parsek • microbes and viruses
Affordability drives Washington housing recovery in first quarter of 2013
The UW’s Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies shows Washington state’s housing market improved in the first quarter of 2013 for the third consecutive quarter.
Tag(s): College of Built Environments • Glenn Crellin • Runstad Department of Real Estate
News digest: Recyclemania results, professor speaks on career journey, Honor: Rodney Ho
UW outcompetes PAC-12 schools in Recyclemania || MIT engineering professor to speak on research, career journey || Pharmaceutical science association recognizes Rodney Ho
Herbert Blau remembered as teacher, history-making theater pioneer
Herbert Blau, who died on May 3, will be remembered as a theater innovator and scholar who introduced American audiences to avant-garde playwrights such as Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of English • Herbert Blau • School of Drama • Simpson Center for the Humanities
New ‘academic redshirt’ program to support undergraduate STEM education
The University of Washington in collaboration with Washington State University is developing an “academic redshirt” program that will bring dozens of low-income, Washington state high school graduates to the two universities to study engineering in a five-year bachelor’s program.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Dawn Wiggin • education • Eve Riskin • Scott Winter • STARSMay 7, 2013
Spokane physician participates as patient in breast cancer vaccine trial
Dr. Alisa Hideg, who teaches UW medical students, is grateful for the chance to move science forward toward a future with more options for other patients.
Tag(s): Alisa Hideg • cancer • Nora Disis • vaccines • WWAMI Spokane
Guggenheim names Braester, Daniel as fellows
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation names 173 fellows for 2013.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Biology • Department of Comparative LiteratureMay 6, 2013
UW research vessel Clifford A. Barnes marks its 1,000th cruise
This week marks the 1000th cruise for the UW’s Clifford A. Barnes research vessel, a converted tugboat that has spent decades exploring Puget Sound and Pacific Northwest waters and is now reaching the end of its UW career.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • RV Clifford A. Barnes • School of Oceanography • Susan Hautala« Previous Page Next Page »