UW News
The latest news from the UW
March 17, 2022
New volume on gender-neutral language sheds light on political controversy in France
In France, a political controversy arose when a gender-neutral pronoun was added to a respected dictionary. This controversy made a new volume co-edited by the UW’s Louisa Mackenzie especially relevant. It describes how nonbinary French speakers are changing their language to reflect their identity.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of French & Italian Studies • Louisa Mackenzie
ArtSci Roundup: Donna Huanca: MAGMA SLIT, Life in One Cubic Foot, and More
Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! Many of these opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students have access to Zoom Pro via UW-IT. Donna Huanca: MAGMA SLIT Opens April 2 | Henry Art Gallery Bolivian-American artist Donna Huanca creates work that destabilizes the male gaze while exploring…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Dance • Department of English • Henry Art Gallery • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • Meany Hall for the Performing Arts • School of MusicMarch 16, 2022
Tiny battery-free devices float in the wind like dandelion seeds
Inspired by how dandelions use the wind to distribute their seeds, a University of Washington team has developed a tiny sensor-carrying device that can be blown by the wind as it tumbles toward the ground.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • College of Engineering • Department of Biology • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering • Shyam Gollakota • Tom Daniel • Vikram IyerMarch 15, 2022
UW professor’s new book presents opportunity to ‘rethink housing’
A new book by Gregg Colburn, assistant professor of real estate at the UW, explores the factors that drive homelessness, and the cultural and economic shift that can ultimately benefit all — housed and unhoused.
Tag(s): College of Built Environments • Gregg Colburn • Runstad Department of Real EstateMarch 14, 2022
UW Regents approve milestone development in new Portage Bay Crossing area on Seattle campus
The University of Washington Board of Regents last week approved the development plan for the first major project in the UW’s newly named Portage Bay Crossing area on the west side of the Seattle campus. The Regents approved a ground lease of the property at Site W27 to Wexford Science + Technology and a lease of building space by the University.
Tag(s): Brotman Baty Institute • Clean Energy Institute • Institute for Protein Design • UW Facilities • UW Medicine
Q&A: Preserving context and user intent in the future of web search
In a new perspective paper, University of Washington professors Emily M. Bender and Chirag Shah respond to proposals that reimagine web search as an application for large language model-driven conversation agents.
Tag(s): Chirag Shah • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Linguistics • Emily M. Bender • Information SchoolMarch 11, 2022
Statement from UW President on tragic deaths of two UW community members
The following is a statement from University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce following the news that a UW professor and a UW staff member were killed while diving off the coast of Mexico over the weekend.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Department of Earth and Space Sciences • School of Social WorkMarch 10, 2022
Newest satellite data shows remarkable decline in Arctic sea ice over just three years
In the past 20 years, the Arctic has lost about one-third of its winter sea ice volume, and winter sea ice in the Arctic has lost about a foot and a half of thickness over just the past three years. This thinning is largely due to loss of older, multiyear sea ice that is more resistant to melting.
Tag(s): Applied Physics Laboratory • climate change • polar science • Polar Science Center • Ron Kwok • sea ice • University of Washington
ArtSci Roundup: Re/frame: Orange, Sharon Isbin, and More
Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! Many of these opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students have access to Zoom Pro via UW-IT. Re/frame: Orange March 17, 12:00 PM | Online Orange can symbolize power, danger, excitement, and enlightenment. In different contexts, orange evokes images ranging…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • Henry Art Gallery • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • Meany Hall for the Performing Arts • School of Drama • School of Music
Gordon Stuart Peek, UW alumnus who donated Gerberding and Kane bells, dies at 96
Gordon Stuart Peek, a University of Washington alumnus who donated the bells that sit on two sides of Red Square, died peacefully at his home on March 2, 2022. He was 96.
Tag(s): Kane Hall
UW welcomes community to view cherry blossoms; peak bloom expected mid-March
The 29 cherry trees in the Quad usually reach peak bloom the third week of March, and this year is on track to meet that timing.
Tag(s): cherry blossoms • Sara ShoresMarch 9, 2022
More air pollution present in areas with historical redlining
A team of researchers at the UW and UC Berkeley has found that housing discrimination practices dating from the 1930s still drive air pollution disparities in hundreds of American cities today.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering • Julian Marshall • population healthMarch 8, 2022
O-pH, a new UW dental tool prototype, can spot the acidic conditions that lead to cavities
You and your dentist have a lot of tools and techniques for stopping cavities, but detecting the specific chemical conditions that can lead to cavities and then preventing them from ever getting started is much harder. Now, in a new study, University of Washington researchers have shown that a dental tool they created can measure…
Tag(s): Center for Pediatric Dentistry • College of Engineering • Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering • Department of Mechanical Engineering • Department of Microbiology • Eric Seibel • Human Photonics Laboratory • Manuja Sharma • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering • School of Dentistry • Ubiquitous Computing LabMarch 7, 2022
How Black Lives Matter protests sparked interest, can lead to change
A new study by the University of Washington and Indiana University finds that the growing use of anti-racist terms shows how Black Lives Matter has shifted the conversation around racism, raising awareness of issues and laying the foundation for social change.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Sociology • Jelani InceMarch 4, 2022
Ukrainian American professor shares insights on ‘gut-wrenching’ events in Ukraine
Laada Bilaniuk is a professor of anthropology at the whose expertise is Ukrainian culture and society. The daughter of Ukrainian Americans, she shares insights on the Ukrainian people who are resisting, how the conflict relates to the use of language and the perspective of the local Ukrainian community.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Anthropology • Laada BilaniukMarch 3, 2022
Mindfulness meditation can reduce guilt, leading to unintended negative social consequences
Mindfulness meditation is a stress-management practice with ancient lineage that cultivates nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment, often by directing attention to the physical sensations of breathing. Initially inspired by centuries-old Buddhist practices consisting of philosophies and meditations together, today a secular version of mindfulness — consisting of meditations alone — is becoming increasingly popular.
Tag(s): Andrew Hafenbrack • Foster School of Business
Moon jellies appear to be gobbling up zooplankton in Puget Sound
University of Washington-led research suggests moon jellies are feasting on zooplankton, the various tiny animals that drift with the currents, in the bays they inhabit. This could affect other hungry marine life, like juvenile salmon or herring — especially if predictions are correct and climate change will favor fast-growing jellyfish.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Julie Keister • Puget Sound • School of OceanographyMarch 2, 2022
ArtSci Roundup: Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band, Space Between: Photographs from the Collection, and More
Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! Many of these opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students have access to Zoom Pro via UW-IT. Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band March 8, 7:30 PM | Meany Hall The UW Wind Ensemble (Timothy Salzman, director) performs music by Joseph…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • Henry Art Gallery • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • Meany Hall for the Performing Arts
UW’s campuses in Seattle, Tacoma and Bothell announce the return of in-person commencement ceremonies
University of Washington’s 147th commencement ceremonies are scheduled to return this June to in-person celebrations in Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium for the first time since 2019. Similar in-person commencement ceremonies are being planned for UW Bothell and UW Tacoma.
Tag(s): Commencement • Denzil Suite • UW Bothell • UW Tacoma
Counties that rely on the courts for revenue sentence more women to incarceration
Washington counties that rely more on revenue from court-imposed fines and fees also sentence more women to incarceration, a study by the University of Washington finds.
Tag(s): Alexes Harris • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Sociology • Ian Kennedy • Kate O'Neill
Multi-state study of monetary sanctions finds widespread inequities, far-reaching consequences
Alexes Harris, professor of sociology at the University of Washington, discusses her team’s five-year, eight-state study of legal financial obligations, and their findings that court-imposed fines and fees perpetuate inequality.
Tag(s): Alexes Harris • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Sociology • Evans School of Public Policy & Governance • Karin MartinMarch 1, 2022
UW celebrates 50 years of the Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center
Visit the University of Washington’s Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center once, and you’ll be impressed by its size, the historic murals and the number of resources available to students.
Tag(s): Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity • Rickey Hall • Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural CenterFebruary 28, 2022
UW statement on recent gift return, status of Israel Studies program
University of Washington Professor Liora Halperin, supported by the Benaroya endowment, expressed views in a statement that were not shared by the donor, Becky Benaroya. Our mission as a university demands that our scholars have the freedom to pursue their scholarship where it leads them and to freely express their views as academics and as individuals. After several months of good faith conversations between University and Stroum Center leadership, Prof. Halperin and the donor, Mrs. Benaroya requested that her gift be returned, and it was determined that returning the gift was the best path forward.
UW authors in IPCC report emphasize threats to human health and well-being
Two University of Washington experts in climate change and health are lead authors of the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The new report titled Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptations and Vulnerability, published Monday morning, details in over three thousand pages a “dire warning” about the consequences of inaction on reducing…
Tag(s): Center for Health and the Global Environment • climate change • Climate Impacts Group • Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences • Jennifer Otten • Jeremy Hess • Karen Levy • Kristie Ebi • School of Medicine • School of Public Health • Yona SiposFebruary 25, 2022
Antibiotic used on food crops affects bumblebee behavior
Scientists at the University of Washington and Emory University report that an antibiotic sprayed on orchard crops to combat bacterial diseases slows the cognition of bumblebees and reduces their foraging efficiency. The study, published Feb. 9 in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, focused on streptomycin, an antibiotic used increasingly in U.S. agriculture during the past decade.
Tag(s): Berry Brosi • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of BiologyFebruary 24, 2022
ArtSci Roundup: Lauren Williams: Wake Work*, Concert and Campus Bands, and More
Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! Many of these opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students have access to Zoom Pro via UW-IT. Don’t Miss Before it Closes! Lauren Williams: Wake Work* Through March 5 | The Jacob Lawrence Gallery What happens in the wake of…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Classics • Department of English • Henry Art Gallery • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • Meany Hall for the Performing Arts • School of Art + Art History + Design • School of Music • Select Department of Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies Department of Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies • UW Drama
Farms following soil-friendly practices grow healthier food, study suggests
An experiment conducted on 10 farms across the U.S. suggests that crops from farms following soil-friendly practices for at least five years have a healthier nutritional profile than the same crops grown on neighboring, conventional farms. Researchers believe soil microbes and fungi boost certain beneficial minerals, vitamins and phytochemicals in the crops.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • David Montgomery • Department of Earth and Space SciencesFebruary 23, 2022
Andreas Bohman selected as VP for UW-IT and UW’s chief information officer
University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce today announced the selection of Andreas Bohman as vice president for UW Information Technology and UW’s chief information officer. He is set to begin March 16.
Tag(s): Andreas Bohman • UW Information Technology
A new upper limit on the mass of neutrinos
An international research team, including scientists from the University of Washington, has established a new upper limit on the mass of the neutrino, the lightest known subatomic particle. In a paper published Feb. 14 in Nature Physics, the collaboration — known as the Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino Experiment or KATRIN — reports that the neutrino’s mass is below 0.8 electron volts, or 0.8 eV/c2. Honing in on the elusive value of the neutrino’s mass will solve a major outstanding mystery in particle physics and equip scientists with a more complete view of the fundamental forces and particles that shape ourselves, our planet and the cosmos.
Tag(s): Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Physics • Hamish Robertson • Peter DoeFebruary 22, 2022
Q&A: Student Kaden Lee on competing in the ‘Jeopardy! College National Championship’
The “Jeopardy! College National Championship” brought together undergraduate students from 36 U.S. colleges and universities. Kaden Lee, a UW junior from Medical Lake, Washington, majoring in aeronautics and astronautics, appeared in the tournament on Feb. 11.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics • Kaden LeeFebruary 17, 2022
UW biologist and computer scientist named Sloan Fellows
Two faculty members at the University of Washington have been awarded early-career fellowships from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The new Sloan Fellows, announced Feb. 15, are Brianna Abrahms, an assistant professor in the Department of Biology, and Yulia Tsvetkov, an assistant professor in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering.
Tag(s): Briana Abrahms • Center for Ecosystem Sentinels • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Biology • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering • Yulia Tsvetkov
ArtSci Roundup: DXARTS Winter Concert: Movement Actuation, Jazz Innovations: Part 1 and 2, and More
Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! Many of these opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students have access to Zoom Pro via UW-IT. Voice Division Recital February 22, 4:00 PM | Brechemin Auditorium Students of Thomas Harper and Carrie Shaw perform works from the vocal repertoire. Free…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Chemistry • DXARTS • Henry Art Gallery • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • Meany Hall for the Performing Arts • School of Art + Art History + Design • School of MusicFebruary 16, 2022
Unexpected findings detailed in new portrait of HIV
Using powerful tools and techniques developed in the field of structural biology, researchers at the University of Washington and Scripps Research have discovered new details about the human immunodeficiency virus, HIV. The findings bring into focus the basic architecture of the virus just above and below its surface and may help in the design and…
Tag(s): HIV and AIDS • Kelly Lee • School of Pharmacy
Google’s ‘CEO’ image search gender bias hasn’t really been fixed
UW researchers showed that image search results for four major search engines from around the world, including Google, still reflect gender bias.
Tag(s): Chirag Shah • Information School • Yunhe Feng
Faculty programs welcome most diverse cohort in recent UW history
Angélica Amezcua never thought she’d achieve a doctoral degree, never mind landing a tenure-track job at the University of Washington. Raised in Mexico, she moved to California when she was 11, and she’s the first in her family to earn a Ph. D. She once believed that a career in academia was unattainable due to the obstacles placed in society for people of color.
Tag(s): Alexes Harris • Angelica Amezcula • diversity • equity and inclusion in academia • Esther Uduehi • Jelani Ince • Mark Richards • UW MedicineFebruary 15, 2022
eDNA a useful tool for early detection of invasive green crab
As the green crab invasion in the state worsens, a new analysis method developed by University of Washington and Washington Sea Grant scientists could help contain future invasions and prevent new outbreaks using water testing and genetic analysis. The results show that the DNA-based technique works as well in detecting the presence of green crabs as setting traps to catch the live animals, which is a more laborious process. Results suggest these two methods could complement each other as approaches to learn where the species’ range is expanding.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Emily Grason • P. Sean McDonald • Ryan Kelly • School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences • Washington Sea Grant • Washington Sea Grant Crab TeamFebruary 14, 2022
DNA testing exposes tactics of international criminal networks trafficking elephant ivory
A team led by scientists at the University of Washington and special agents with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has used genetic testing of ivory shipments seized by law enforcement to uncover the international criminal networks behind ivory trafficking out of Africa. The genetic connections across shipments that they’ve uncovered exposes an even higher degree of organization among ivory smuggling networks than previously known. The paper, published Feb. 14 in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, incorporates results from DNA testing of more than 4,000 African elephant tusks from 49 different ivory seizures made in 12 African nations over a 17-year period.
Tag(s): Center for Environmental Forensic Science • College of Arts & Sciences • conservation • Department of Biology • Samuel WasserFebruary 11, 2022
Samson Jenekhe, Anna Karlin elected to National Academy of Engineering
Samson Jenehke, a University of Washington professor in both the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Chemical Engineering, and Anna Karlin, a UW professor in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering, announced Feb. 9 by the academy.
Tag(s): Anna Karlin • College of Arts & Sciences • College of Engineering • Department of Chemical Engineering • Department of Chemistry • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering
Smartphone app can vibrate a single drop of blood to determine how well it clots
Researchers at the UW have developed a new blood-clotting test that uses a single drop of blood and a smartphone vibration motor and camera.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine • Justin Chan • Kelly Michaelsen • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering • School of Medicine • Shyam GollakotaFebruary 10, 2022
ArtSci Roundup: Charles Yu at Benaroya Hall, Faculty Recital: Melia Watras: The almond tree duos, and More
Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! Many of these opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students have access to Zoom Pro via UW-IT. Charles Yu at Benaroya Hall February 15, 7:30 PM | Benaroya Hall & Online Shawn Wong, Professor of English, will moderate the Q&A…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of American Ethnic Studies • Department of English • Henry Art Gallery • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • Meany Hall for the Performing Arts • School of Music« Previous Page Next Page »
