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The latest news from the UW

Health and medicine | News releases | Population Health | Public Health

June 15, 2021

Drug rebates for insurers tied to higher costs for patients, especially the uninsured

Federal agencies that regulate drug pricing and healthcare insurance are concerned that an industry practice of using rebates to lower drug costs for insurers has led to increases in list prices and out-of-pockets costs for patients. To investigate whether patients with or without insurance were paying more because of rebates to insurers, researchers led by the University of Washington examined cost and price data on more than 400 branded drugs. The study found that rebates were associated with increases in…

Arts and entertainment

ArtSci Roundup: Elaine Cameron-Weir: STAR CLUB REDEMPTION BOOTH, Cruisin’ Around Washington, and More

Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! In addition to celebrating our graduates this week, attend several museum exhibitions, watch recorded events through ArtsUW On Demand, and more. While you’re enjoying summer break, connect with campus through UW live webcams of Red Square and the quad. Many of these online opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students have access to Zoom Pro via UW-IT.  Cruisin’ Around Washington Through October 31 | The Burke…

News releases

June 14, 2021

Communication technology, study of collective behavior must be ‘crisis discipline,’ researchers argue

Our ability to confront global crises, from pandemics to climate change, depends on how we interact and share information. 

Social media and other forms of communication technology restructure these interactions in ways that have consequences. Unfortunately, we have little insight into whether these changes will bring about a healthy, sustainable and equitable world. As a result, researchers now say that the study of collective behavior must rise to a “crisis discipline,” just like medicine, conservation and climate science have done, according to a new paper published June 14 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Arts and entertainment | Honors and awards | Science | UW Notebook

Faculty/staff honors: Humanitarian award, early career research support, literary journal guest editor

Recent honors and achievements for UW faculty include an award for humanitarian contributions to computer science, early career research recognition and support, and the guest-editing of a new anthology of Black American literature.

Environment | News releases | Research | Science

June 11, 2021

Edge of Pine Island Glacier’s ice shelf is ripping apart, causing key Antarctic glacier to gain speed

Satellite images show that from 2017 to 2020, Pine Island Glacier’s ice shelf lost about one-fifth of its area, mostly in three dramatic breaks. This caused the glacier to speed up by 12%, hastening its downward motion and boosting its contribution to rising seas.

Engineering | Health and medicine | Research | Science | UW News blog

Smartphone camera can illuminate bacteria causing acne, dental plaques

Researchers at the University of Washington have developed a method that uses smartphone-derived images to reveal potentially harmful bacteria on skin and in oral cavities. Their approach can visually identify microbes on skin contributing to acne and slow wound healing, as well as bacteria in the oral cavity that can cause gingivitis and dental plaques.

Engineering | Environment | News releases | Research | Science

Cause, scope determined for deadly winter debris flow in Uttarakhand, India

On Feb. 7, 2021, a wall of debris and water barreled down river valleys in India, destroyed two hydropower facilities and left more than 200 people dead or missing. A self-organized coalition of 53 scientists from 14 countries, including researchers from the University of Washington, worked nonstop following the disaster to investigate the cause, scope and impacts.

Expert quotes | Social science | UW News blog

‘Our democracy is fundamentally at stake’ — UW’s Jake Grumbach on limits to voter access

As Congress considers expanding voting rights legislation and some Republican-led states restrict access to voting, the University of Washington’s Jake Grumbach is among a group of faculty from institutions around the country calling for national election standards.

Arts and entertainment

June 7, 2021

ArtSci Roundup: Author Carol Anderson discusses her book, ‘The Second,’ with Prof. Christopher Parker, The Engine Room Residencies: Ishmael Butler of Shabazz Palaces and Digable Planets, and more

Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! This week, attend a conversation with a UW political science professor and author, a gallery exhibition, and more. Many of these online opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students have access to Zoom Pro via UW-IT.  Carol Anderson, “The Second” Book Event with Christopher Sebastian Parker June 16, 5:00 – 6:30 PM | Online  As a part of Juneteenth Week with the Northwest African American Museum,…

News releases | Video

June 3, 2021

Anticipation builds for UW’s 146th commencement, to be held virtually

Drumheller Fountain is turning purple.

The iconic University of Washington landmark will be illuminated in the school’s signature color from dusk to dawn as the anticipation builds for the June 12 commencement ceremonies.

The special accent lighting is just one of many features the UW is adding to its already beautiful campus to provide graduates opportunities to pose for photos with family and friends. Special banners will hang on Suzzallo Library and the HUB, among other locations. Sidewalks in the Quad and along Rainier Vista will be decorated and 4-foot-tall block Ws will be strategically placed making already terrific photo ops even better.

Environment | News releases | Research | Science

South Pole and East Antarctica warmer than previously thought during last ice age, two studies show

University of Washington glaciologists are co-authors on two papers that analyzed Antarctic ice cores to understand the continent’s air temperatures during the most recent glacial period. The results help understand how the region behaves during a major climate transition.

Arts and entertainment

ArtSci Roundup: Queer Imagination, Cruisin’ Around Washington, and More

During this time of uncertainty and isolation, find solace in digital opportunities to connect, share, and engage. Each week, we will share upcoming events that bring the UW, and the greater community, together online.  Many of these online opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students have access to Zoom Pro via UW-IT.  A Conversation with Tiffany Dufu June 9, 3:00 – 4:00 PM | Online  Join the UW Alumni Association in conversation with Tiffany Dufu, ’96, author of “Drop…

Honors and awards | Technology | UW and the community | UW Notebook

June 1, 2021

Faculty/staff honors: Allen School’s Shyam Gollakota, Anna Karlin honored by Association for Computing Machinery

Two professors with the UW Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering — Shyam Gollakota and Anna Karlin — have received 2020 honors from the Association for Computing Machinery.

UW News blog

May 27, 2021

‘Quarantining while Black’: Conference examines twin pandemics through radical listening

The University of Washington’s Center for Communication, Difference and Equity 2021 conference will examine “Quarantining while Black.” The two-day virtual event, scheduled for the morning of June 1 and the afternoon of June 2, is an invitation to radically listen to the ways in which Black Americans in Seattle and beyond have experienced the dual pandemics: COVID-19, with its disproportionate impact on Black communities, and the worldwide racial reckoning that emerged after the murder of George Floyd.

Buildings and grounds | UW and the community | UW News blog | Video

Video: Suzzallo bonsai a symbol of peace, resilience and inclusiveness

The potted junipers on the steps of Suzzallo Library are undergoing a transformation. Flanking the entrance to one of UW’s most beloved buildings, they are viewed by hundreds of people walking through Red Square each week. Bioengineering postdoctoral researcher Le Zhen is transforming these shrubs into bonsai — miniature trees that are pruned, nurtured and trained with wire to look like their much older, full-sized counterparts living in nature. He hopes this prominent display of bonsai will signal to members of the AAPI community that UW is safe and welcoming.

News releases | Research | Science

Seabirds face dire threats from climate change, human activity — especially in Northern Hemisphere

Many seabirds in the Northern Hemisphere are struggling to breed — and in the Southern Hemisphere, they may not be far behind. These are the conclusions of a study, published May 28 in Science, analyzing more than 50 years of breeding records for 67 seabird species worldwide.

Honors and awards | UW and the community | UW Notebook

May 26, 2021

Faculty/staff honors: Theoretical computer science award, early career faculty innovator in environmental studies, fellowship in Jewish history

Recent honors for UW faculty include the 2021 Presburger award for theoretical computer science, an Early Career Faculty Innovator research grant for a collaboration in environmental studies with the Karuk Tribe in California, and a fellowship to explore war regulations and raiding norms among early Arabian Jewish communities.

Arts and entertainment

May 24, 2021

ArtSci Roundup: Vikram Prakash: “One Continuous Line: Art, Architecture and Urbanism of Aditya Prakash,” Center for Communication, Difference, and Equity Annual Conference: Quarantining While Black, and More

During this time of uncertainty and isolation, find solace in digital opportunities to connect, share, and engage. Each week, we will share upcoming events that bring the UW, and the greater community, together online.  Many of these online opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students have access to Zoom Pro via UW-IT.  Spring Concert: Percussion Ensemble and UW Steel Band June 4, 7:30 PM | Online via YouTube The UW Percussion Ensemble (Bonnie Whiting, Chair of Percussion Studies and…

News releases | Population Health | Public Health

Fast food, supermarkets, other aspects of built environments don’t play expected role in weight gain

People don’t gain or lose weight because they live near a fast-food restaurant or supermarket, according to a new study led by the University of Washington. And, living in a more “walkable,” dense neighborhood likely only has a small impact on weight. These “built-environment” amenities have been seen in past research as essential contributors to losing weight or tending toward obesity. The idea appears obvious: If you live next to a fast-food restaurant, you’ll eat there more and thus gain…

News releases | Research | Science

May 21, 2021

Pandemic-era paleontology: A wayward skull, at-home fossil analyses and a first for Antarctic amphibians

Researchers at the University of Washington and its Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture have discovered the first fossil evidence of an ancient amphibian, Micropholis stowi, from Antarctica. Micropholis lived in the Early Triassic, shortly after Earth’s largest mass extinction. It was previously known only from fossils in South Africa, and its presence in Antarctica has implications for how amphibians adapted to high-latitude regions in this dynamic period of Earth’s history.

Politics and government | Social science | UW Notebook

May 20, 2021

Scott Radnitz explores post-Soviet conspiracy theories in new book ‘Revealing Schemes’

Scott Radnitz, associate professor in the Jackson School of International Studies, discusses his new book, “Revealing Schemes: The Politics of Conspiracy in Russia and the Post-Soviet Region,” published by Oxford University Press.

News releases

Creative Destruction Lab joins UW Foster School of Business, establishing CDL-Seattle

Creative Destruction Lab, a nonprofit organization for massively scalable, seed-stage, science- and technology-based companies, will launch its third U.S.-based location, CDL-Seattle, this fall. Based at the UW’s Foster School of Business, CDL-Seattle will be a partnership with Microsoft Corporation, the UW College of Engineering, Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering and CoMotion, UW’s collaborative innovation hub. The initial area of focus for CDL-Seattle is computational health.

Arts and entertainment

May 19, 2021

ArtSci Roundup: Rage by B. Dance, MFA Dance Concert, and More

During this time of uncertainty and isolation, find solace in digital opportunities to connect, share, and engage. Each week, we will share upcoming events that bring the UW, and the greater community, together online.  Many of these online opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students have access to Zoom Pro via UW-IT.  Reading Jewish Texts in an Age of Climate Change May 25 & 27, 4:00 PM | Online In the 2021 Samuel and Althea Stroum Lectures in Jewish…

News releases

May 18, 2021

Ascend program at UW’s Foster School of Business expands to further support diverse-owned small businesses thanks to $8 million investment from JPMorgan Chase

In 2016, the Consulting and Business Development Center at the UW’s Foster School of Business partnered with global financial services firm JPMorgan Chase to launch Ascend, a national network of business schools, non-profit lenders and suppliers focused on a goal of accelerating growth of businesses owned by people of color, women and military veterans, especially those operating in inner cities.

Expert quotes | Health and medicine | Population Health | Public Health

May 17, 2021

UW’s Dr. Catherine Karr: ‘Major chronic health problems facing children today’ linked to air pollution

With evidence of the health hazards facing children from air pollution growing, The American Academy of Pediatrics on Monday published a policy statement meant to bring those hazards to light and to encourage and direct policy to improve children’s health. Policy co-author Dr. Catherine Karr, a professor in the University of Washington’s School of Public Health and School of Medicine, said because pediatric care providers are trusted advisers on healthy practices for prevention, they have an important role in getting…

For UW employees | Health and medicine | Learning | News releases | Population Health | Public Health

May 14, 2021

$38M set of gifts from Ballmer Group to address behavioral health crisis aims to bolster workforce, resources across Washington through UW-led programs

The University of Washington today announced that the School of Social Work and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and the Behavioral Health Institute at Harborview Medical Center are part of a transformational $38 million set of gifts from Ballmer Group to support a broad, collaborative response to the state’s behavioral health crisis. The gifts aim to address the state of Washington’s serious workforce shortage in the community behavioral health system, in large part by supporting statewide education and training innovations at partner institutions developed through the University of Washington.

Arts and entertainment

May 10, 2021

ArtSci Roundup: A new Measure: the Revolutionary Quantum Reform of the Metric System, Sacred Breath: Indigenous Writing and Storytelling Series, and more

During this time of uncertainty and isolation, find solace in digital opportunities to connect, share, and engage. Each week, we will share upcoming events that bring the UW, and the greater community, together online.  Many of these online opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students have access to Zoom Pro via UW-IT.  Sacred Breath: Indigenous Writing and Storytelling Series May 17, 6:00 – 7:15 PM | Online The Department of American Indian Studies hosts an annual literary and storytelling series. Sacred…