UW News
The latest news from the UW
January 28, 2021
UW installs strikingly unique public sculpture at new Hans Rosling Center for Population Health
At nearly 7 feet tall, “The Seated IV” first graced the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s facade in September 2019 as part of a commission titled The NewOnes, will free Us. Four “Seated” sculptures by Wangechi Mutu were the first works to take up the positions on The Met’s facade since it was completed in 1902. On…
Tag(s): Hans Rosling Center for Population Health • Henry Art Gallery • population health • Shamim MominJanuary 27, 2021
Undergrad’s first novel, optioned for a movie, features big robots and even bigger feelings
UW student Zoe Mikuta’s first book, “Gearbreakers,” is set to come out June 29. Categorized in the young adult genre, it tells the story of Eris and Sona, who live under a tyrannical regime enforced by 100-foot-tall mecha robots. She’s sold the film rights to “Gearbreakers” and is currently working on its sequel.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of English • Shawn Wong • Zoe Mikuta
ArtSci Roundup: Meany On Screen: Cuarteto Latinoamericano, Maria Gaspar: Disappearance Landscape, 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. Outpost:…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of History • Department of Political Science • Department of Sociology • Henry Art Gallery • Law Societies & Justice Department • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • Meany Hall for the Performing Arts • School of Art + Art History + Design • School of Music
In Brazil, many smaller dams disrupt fish more than large hydropower projects
A new University of Washington paper quantifies the tradeoffs between hydroelectric generation capacity and the impacts on river connectivity for thousands of current and projected future dams across Brazil. The findings confirm that small hydropower plants are far more responsible for river fragmentation than their larger counterparts due to their prevalence and distribution.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Julian Olden • School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
On nights before a full moon, people go to bed later and sleep less, study shows
Sleep cycles in people oscillate during the 29.5-day lunar cycle: In the days leading up to a full moon, people go to sleep later in the evening and sleep for shorter periods of time. The team, led by researchers at the University of Washington, observed these variations in both the time of sleep onset and the duration of sleep in urban and rural settings — from Indigenous communities in northern Argentina to college students in Seattle, a city of more than 750,000. They saw the oscillations regardless of an individual’s access to electricity, though the variations are less pronounced in individuals living in urban environments.
Tag(s): circadian rhythms • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Biology • Horacio de la Iglesia • planetary science
$11.45 million federal grant will develop transit, mobility tech for underserved groups
As part of the Transportation Data Equity Initiative, the UW is developing technology that will allow underserved groups to use tools similar to Google Directions and OneBusyAway to get from place to place.
Tag(s): Anat Caspi • College of Engineering • Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering • Mark Hallenbeck • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering • Taskar Center for Accessible Technology • Washington State Transportation Center
Purported phosphine on Venus more likely to be ordinary sulfur dioxide, new study shows
A University of Washington-led team has revisited and comprehensively reinterpreted the radio telescope observations underlying a widely reported 2019 claim that phosphine gas was present in the atmosphere of Venus. In a paper accepted to the Astrophysical Journal, they report that sulfur dioxide, a common gas in the atmosphere of Venus, is likely what was detected instead of phosphine.
Tag(s): astrobiology • Astrobiology Program • astronomy & astrophysics • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Astronomy • planetary science • preprint • Victoria Meadows • Virtual Planetary LaboratoryJanuary 26, 2021
Anti-poverty policies can reduce reports of child neglect
A University of Washington study analyzes how a state’s refundable Earned Income Tax Credit can lead to fewer reports of child neglect, by reducing the financial stress on families.
Tag(s): Ali Rowhani-Rahbar • Department of Epidemiology • Department of Pediatrics • Erin Morgan • Evans School of Public Policy & Governance • Frederick Rivara • Harborview Injury Prevention & Research Center • Nicole Kovski • population health • School of Medicine • School of Public Health • Stephen MooneyJanuary 25, 2021
Nicolaas Barr translates powerful Dutch coming out memoir ‘Djinn’
Nicolaas Barr of the UW’s Comparative History of Ideas Department talks about his translation of “Djinn,” a memoir by Tofik Dibi, who served for six years as a member of the Dutch Parliament.
Tag(s): Comparative History of Ideas Program • Nicolaas Barr
Emeritus professor Robert Edmonds pens history of forestry science at the UW
A talk with Robert Edmonds, professor emeritus in the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, who has written a new history of UW forestry research and education called “Saving Forest Ecosystems: A Century Plus of Research and Education at the University of Washington.”
Tag(s): Robert Edmonds • School of Environmental and Forest Sciences
Ancient food scraps provide clues to past rainfall in Australia’s Northern Territory
A new study led by the University of Queensland and involving the University of Washington provides a glimpse into the Australia’s ancient climate and early human occupation.
Tag(s): Ben Marwick • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of AnthropologyJanuary 22, 2021
The 7 rocky planets orbiting TRAPPIST-1 may be made of similar stuff
A study accepted by the Planetary Science Journal shows that the planets of the TRAPPIST-1 system share similar densities. That could mean they all contain roughly the same ratio of materials thought to be common to rocky planets, such as iron, oxygen, magnesium and silicon — though they appear to differ notably from Earth.
Tag(s): Astrobiology Program • astronomy & astrophysics • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Astronomy • Eric Agol • planetary science • Virtual Planetary LaboratoryJanuary 20, 2021
‘Oxford Handbook of Electoral Systems,’ co-edited by UW’s Robert Pekkanen, out in paperback, online
A book co-edited by Robert Pekkanen of the UW’s Jackson School of International Studies brings together top scholars to study the origins and effects of electoral systems in the United States and other democracies.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Jackson School of International Studies • Robert Pekkanen
ArtSci Roundup: Meany On Screen: Kodō, The Wound Makes the Man: Trans Figuring Chicanx Masculinities, 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. Meany…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • Comparative History of Ideas Program • Department of Communication • Department of History • Department of Sociology • Henry Art Gallery • Jackson School of International Studies • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • Meany Hall for the Performing Arts • Simpson Center for the Humanities • Stroum Center for Jewish Studies • wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ - Intellectual HouseJanuary 19, 2021
UW health law expert: COVID-19 vaccine rollout presents ethical, logistical questions
University of Washington law professor Pat Kuszler provides perspectives on the ethical issues of COVID-19 vaccine distribution.
Tag(s): COVID-19 • Patricia Kuszler • School of Law • School of Medicine • School of Public HealthJanuary 18, 2021
Researchers use lasers and molecular tethers to create perfectly patterned platforms for tissue engineering
Researchers at the University of Washington have developed a technique to modify naturally occurring biological polymers with protein-based biochemical messages that affect cell behavior. Their approach, published the week of Jan. 18 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, uses a near-infrared laser to trigger chemical adhesion of protein messages to a scaffold made from biological polymers such as collagen, a connective tissue found throughout our bodies.
Tag(s): Cole DeForest • College of Engineering • Department of Bioengineering • Department of Chemical Engineering • Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine • Molecular Engineering & Sciences Institute • School of MedicineJanuary 14, 2021
Astronomers document the rise and fall of a rarely observed stellar dance
Astronomers have catalogued 126 years of changes to a binary star system called HS Hydrae. Analyzing observations from astro-photographic plates in the late 1800s to TESS observations in 2019, they show that the two stars in HS Hydrae began to eclipse each other starting around a century ago, peaking in the 1960s. The degree of eclipsing then plummeted over the course of just a half century, and will cease around February 2021.
Tag(s): astronomy & astrophysics • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Astronomy • James Davenport
Evans School Dean Jodi Sandfort: A public university can help redesign public services
Jodi Sandfort, new dean of the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, talks about her views on policy-making, government services, and the role of a public university in facilitating conversation and change.
Tag(s): Evans School of Public Policy & Governance • Jodi Sandfort
Sexual harassment claims considered more credible if made by ‘prototypical’ women
A new UW study reveals people’s perceptions that sexual harassment primarily affects young, feminine and conventionally attractive women. Women who fall outside that prototype not only are perceived as unharmed by harassment, but also have a harder time convincing others that they have been harassed.
Tag(s): Bryn Bandt-Law • Cheryl Kaiser • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of PsychologyJanuary 13, 2021
Soundbites & B-roll: Detecting COVID-19 in wastewater
When someone has the coronavirus, some of it is shed in their fecal matter. So what people flush has become useful material to University of Washington researchers who are developing a new testing method for COVID-19 in sewage.
January 12, 2021
Video: Detecting COVID-19 in wastewater
When someone has the coronavirus, some of it is shed in their fecal matter. So what we flush has become useful to UW researchers developing a new testing method for COVID-19 in sewage. They’re looking at wastewater that flows from people’s homes, sampling it at manholes and neighborhood pump stations before it goes to sewage treatment plants.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering • Mari Winkler
ArtSci Roundup: Events to honor Martin Luther King, Jr; ‘Attack on the Capitol: What Does It Mean for Democracy?’; COVID-19 and racial inequities — 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. Events…
Tag(s): African Studies Program • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • Comparative History of Ideas Program • Department of History • Department of Near Eastern Languages & Civilization • Department of Political Science • DXARTS • Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies • Henry Art Gallery • Jackson School of International Studies • School of Art + Art History + Design • Simpson Center for the Humanities
Official notice: University of Washington accreditation evaluation visit by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
This public notification serves as an invitation for third-party comments, which should be sent directly to the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
New treatment allows some people with spinal cord injury to regain hand and arm function
Using physical therapy combined with a noninvasive method of stimulating nerve cells in the spinal cord, University of Washington researchers helped six Seattle area participants regain some hand and arm mobility.
Tag(s): Center for Neurotechnology • Chet Moritz • College of Engineering • Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering • Department of Neurobiology & Biophysics • Department of Rehabilitation Medicine • Fatma Inanici • School of MedicineJanuary 11, 2021
More management measures lead to healthier fish populations
Fish populations tend to do better in places where rigorous fisheries management practices are used, and the more measures employed, the better for fish populations and food production, according to a new paper published Jan. 11 in Nature Sustainability.
Tag(s): Chris Anderson • College of the Environment • Michael Melnychuk • Ray Hilborn • School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences • Trevor BranchJanuary 8, 2021
COVID-19 vaccines are ‘remarkable achievement,’ but soothing mistrust is necessary to end pandemic
“Of course, we didn’t put Democrats in the vial; we didn’t put Republicans in the vial,” University of Washington’s Dr. Larry Corey writes in a recent COVID-19 Vaccine Matters blog jointly produced by Johns Hopkins University and the UW. While development of vaccines now being distributed to combat COVID-19, the deadly disease caused by the novel coronavirus, are…
Tag(s): COVID-19 • Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center • Larry Corey • School of Medicine • vaccinesJanuary 6, 2021
ArtSci Roundup: The Converso’s Return, Drop-in Meditation Session, 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. The…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • Center for Child and Family Well-Being • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of History • Department of Sociology • Henry Art Gallery • Jackson School of International Studies • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • Meany Hall for the Performing Arts • School of Art + Art History + Design • Sephardic Studies Program • Stroum Center for Jewish Studies • UW Alumni AssociationJanuary 4, 2021
Faculty/staff honors: Distinguished educator, historic preservation planning award — and a film documentary appearance
Recent honors to and awards for UW faculty and staff members include a documentary film appearance, a distinguished educator award and an honor for historic preservation planning.
Tag(s): Ann Bostrom • ASUW Shell House • Department of History • Evans School of Public Policy & Governance • Glennys Young • Matt Newman • Nicole KleinDecember 28, 2020
Beyond COVID-19: A look back at 2020 at the UW
While this year in scientific research will be defined by the novel coronavirus pandemic and the incredible advances in testing, genome sequencing and vaccination that were made as a result, other significant research and work continued on and around the University of Washington’s campuses. Here’s a timeline of the research and work that went beyond COVID-19.
In pandemic milestone, UW brings COVID-19 vaccines to frontline health care workers
The first scheduled to receive vaccinations were frontline personnel working with COVID-19 patients. In addition to patient-care staff in intensive care units, COVID acute care floors and emergency departments, the immediate list also included environmental services staff, as well as emergency medical responders in the community. Next in line are nursing home residents and their caregivers.
Tag(s): COVID-19 • Harborview Medical Center • UW Medicine
ArtSci Roundup: Protest, Race and Citizenship across African Worlds, TEAL Digital Scholarship for East Asian Studies: The Deep Fake of Place, 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. Beyond…
Tag(s): African Studies Program • ArtsUW • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • Comparative History of Ideas Program • Department of Geography • Department of History • Department of Near Eastern Languages & Civilization • Department of Political Science • Evans School of Public Policy & Governance • Henry Art Gallery • Jackson School of International Studies • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • Meany Hall for the Performing Arts • Simpson Center for the Humanities • UW Alumni Association
Dueling pulpits: Book by Jackson School’s Taso Lagos explores rivalry between two charismatic early-20th century preachers
In a new book, Taso Lagos of the UW Jackson School studies the rivalry between Aimee Semple McPherson and Robert “Fighting Bob” Shuler, two California-based performer-preachers who had the country’s rapt attention in the 1920s.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Jackson School of International Studies • Taso Lagos
Video: News and research highlights from 2020
As the year draws to a close, we present highlights from video stories produced by UW News during 2020 — a year that will be largely defined by the COVID-19 pandemic and the many ways it impacted our lives and work.
Tag(s): COVID-19December 23, 2020
Bait and switch: Mislabeled salmon, shrimp have biggest environmental toll
A study co-authored by UW’s Sunny Jardine finds that farmed Atlantic salmon, often labeled and sold as Pacific salmon or rainbow trout, is the second-most-consumed mislabeled seafood product in the U.S. Although not the most frequently mislabeled seafood, salmon’s popularity means it has one of the biggest environmental impacts.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • fisheries biology • food production • salmon • School of Marine and Environmental Affairs • Sunny JardineDecember 20, 2020
Soundbites & B-roll: UW students join vaccination effort
Journalists: download this video here. Keely Robinson (UW nursing student), Kendra Nguyen (UW pharmacy student) and Emily Wang (UW pharmacy student) talk about being a student and their role in upcoming COVID-19 vaccination clinics. ### Kiyomi Taguchi ktaguchi@uw.edu / 206-685-2716
December 18, 2020
Coral recovery during a prolonged heatwave offers new hope
The pressing concerns of climate change have placed the long-term health of the world’s coral reefs in jeopardy. However, new research inspires hope as some corals managed to survive a recent and globally unprecedented heatwave.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Danielle Claar • School of Aquatic and Fishery SciencesDecember 15, 2020
UW announces Maggie Walker Deanship in the College of the Environment
The University of Washington today announced a major gift that elevates the importance of climate change and secures the legacy of Seattle philanthropist Maggie Walker by creating a namesake deanship for the College of the Environment.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Lisa Graumlich • Maggie Walker
How to have holidays ‘full of love and connection’ and set goals for 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic and social-distancing guidelines have changed how we celebrate the holidays this year. University of Washington psychologist Jonathan Kanter explains that, by being intentional about how we approach and experience the season, we can find joy, and recognize – even embrace – how we’ve weathered this year.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • COVID-19 • Department of Psychology • Jonathan Kanter
A.I. model shows promise to generate faster, more accurate weather forecasts
A model based solely on the past 40 years of weather events uses 7,000 times less computer power than today’s weather forecasting tools. An A.I.-powered model could someday provide more accurate forecasts for rain, snow and other weather events.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Dale Durran • Department of Atmospheric and Climate Science • weatherDecember 14, 2020
Highlights: UW, Johns Hopkins symposium on preserving scientific integrity in COVID-19 vaccine research
Johns Hopkins University and the University of Washington brought together leading experts in October to explore these issues and put forward a concise plan for protecting the scientific integrity of these lifesaving efforts. Here’s a 4-minute highlight reel of the symposium.
Tag(s): COVID-19« Previous Page Next Page »
