The latest news from the UW

November 30, 2020

ArtSci Roundup: Katz Lecture: Remaking the Silicon Society, The Button: The New Nuclear Arms Race and Presidential Power from Truman to Trump, 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. Katz Lecture: Margaret O’Mara, “Remaking the Silicon Society” December 8, 4:30 PM | Online How might a pandemic year of digitally mediated life change society for…

News releases | Social science | UW and the community

Washington nonprofits feel more urgency during this ‘season of giving’

Nonprofit organizations throughout Washington state are struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic, as revenues and volunteering drop but demand for services remains high.

Environment | News releases | Research | Science

November 24, 2020

Microbes help unlock phosphorus for plant growth

A research team led by the University of Washington and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has shown that microbes taken from trees growing beside pristine mountain-fed streams in Western Washington could make phosphorus trapped in soils more accessible to agricultural crops. The findings were published in October in the journal Frontiers in Plant Science.

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

UW public health expert calls on state officials, citizens to defend and rebuild public health agencies

Even before the pandemic and disagreements over social restrictions recommended by public health officials across the state, public health agencies in Washington were struggling due to a lack of resources. In recent weeks, firings, resignations and death threats targeting local health officials has led to a staffing crisis in the agencies most responsible for local pandemic response. Now, as these public attacks further cripple public health agencies, a University of Washington public health expert is calling for action to defend…

Research | Science | UW News blog

Study shows plant extinction is more common than previously realized

A new study reveals that 65 plant species have gone extinct in the continental United States and Canada since European settlement, more extinctions than any previous scientific study has ever documented.

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

Faculty/staff honors: Grants received, a top ‘Innovator Under 35’ and a career political science award

Recent honors and awards for UW faculty and staff include a top young innovator, a new endowed faculty fellow, research grants awarded and a career achievement award in environmental political science.

Four UW faculty members named AAAS fellows for 2020

The American Association for the Advancement of Science has named four University of Washington faculty members as AAAS Fellows, according to a Nov. 24 announcement from the organization. The four are part of a cohort of 489 new fellows for 2020, which were chosen by their peers for “their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.”

Expert quotes | UW News blog

Q&A: Animal Crossing to K-pop: Gaming, music fandom groups provide human connection during the pandemic

In this Q&A, UW Information School associate professor Jin Ha Lee discusses how video game and music fandom communities can be “places of light” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Arts and entertainment

November 23, 2020

ArtSci Roundup: Ladino Day 2020, Commemorating the Centennial of the Negro Leagues in baseball, Meany Center presents Ragamala Dance Company, 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. Ladino Day 2020 — Revolutionizing Ladino: From the Printing Press to the Smartphone December 6, 10:00 – 11:30 AM | Online The 8th annual Ladino Day…

Environment | News releases | Research | Science

US seafood industry flounders due to COVID-19

The global pandemic is hurting the seafood industry, and American fishmongers may flounder without more government aid, according to the largest study of COVID-19’s impacts on U.S. fisheries.

News releases

November 19, 2020

UW celebrates more than 50 researchers on Highly Cited Researchers 2020 List

The University of Washington is proud to announce that more than 50 UW faculty and researchers have been named on the annual Highly Cited Researchers 2020 list from Clarivate.

Expert quotes | UW News blog

The 2020 census: deadlines, politics and what may come next

The 2020 census has been subject to court fights, shifting deadlines and pandemic-related process adjustments. Sara Curran, director of the UW Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology, explains the developments with this year’s count.

News releases

UW ranked No. 7 nationally for graduate entrepreneurship in 2021 Princeton Review rankings

A commitment to innovation powered the University of Washington to a No. 7 ranking for graduate entrepreneurship programs by The Princeton Review. The 2021 ranking marks an all-time high — solidifying UW and the Foster School of Business as a leader in entrepreneurial education and incubation within the Pac-12 and across the Western United States.

News releases

November 18, 2020

UW introduces new minor in data science

Responding to the burgeoning amounts of data being generated across disciplines, and the development of new tools for working with these data, the University of Washington now offers a minor track for non-STEM students in data science. It’s one of the first such programs in the country.

Environment | Honors and awards | News releases

Lisa Graumlich, dean of UW College of the Environment, named president-elect of AGU

The American Geophysical Union announced that its members have elected Lisa Graumlich, dean of the UW College of the Environment, as the president-elect starting Jan. 1. After two years in this role Graumlich will begin a two-year term as president of the AGU board beginning in 2023.

Arts and entertainment | News releases

ArtSci Roundup: Lessons (Not) Learned from the Holocaust, What to Watch, Read, and Listen to at Home, and Drawing Wild Washington

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. Lessons (Not) Learned from the Holocaust | In the Bloodlands: History and Memory of the Holocaust in the U.S.S.R. November 24, 4:00 PM | Online As…

Engineering | Research | Science | UW News blog

November 17, 2020

UW part of $5.8M contract to study wireless charging on moon

A team of organizations — led by the space technology company Astrobotic and including the University of Washington and the UW spinout WiBotic — has received a $5.8 million contract to develop a line of lightweight, ultrafast wireless chargers that could help both humans and robots live and work on the moon.

Soundbites | UW and the community

November 14, 2020

B-roll: UW welcomes back Tent City 3 for winter quarter 2021

Download this B-roll here. The University of Washington welcomes back Tent City 3 — an organized tent-city community — to its Seattle campus for 90 days during winter quarter 2021. Move-in is scheduled to begin Dec. 19. The UW previously hosted Tent City 3 in winter 2017, in the same location it will be next quarter: parking lot W35, situated between John M. Wallace Hall and the Fishery Sciences buildings off Northeast Pacific Street. Tent City 3 will provide safe,…

News releases | UW and the community

November 13, 2020

Addressing homelessness: UW to welcome back Tent City 3 for winter quarter 2021

Homelessness is a crisis in Washington and across the U.S. Last year, an annual count revealed that in King County alone, 11,200 people reported being homeless at the time of the survey. The numbers have only increased during the pandemic.

More to watch: UW Libraries expands online resources during pandemic, emphasizing arts, equity

Students in the arts and other fields will have greater access to research texts and media thanks to an expansion of online resources by UW Libraries to help meet the needs of remote learning during the pandemic.

Arts and entertainment

November 12, 2020

ArtSci Roundup: Rick Steves at UW Global Month, Beethoven Piano Trios, Lessons (Not) Learned from the Holocaust, 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. Livestream: Faculty Trio: Beethoven Piano Trios, Part III November 16, 7:30 PM | Online via YouTube Faculty colleagues Craig Sheppard, piano; Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir, cello; and Rachel…

Expert quotes | Politics and government

November 9, 2020

Professor Margaret O’Mara on history around election concessions nationally and in Washington

Concessions from U.S. presidents usually happen quickly, without drama, says UW history professor Margaret O’Mara.

Environment | News releases | Research | Science

November 5, 2020

New global archive logs changes in behavior of Arctic animals

Scientists from around the world, including the University of Washington, have established the Arctic Animal Movement Archive, an online repository for data documenting the movements of animals in the Arctic and Subarctic. With this archive, scientists can share their knowledge and collaborate to ask questions about how animals are responding to a changing climate.

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

November 4, 2020

Faculty/staff honors: New atmospheric research board trustee; prize-winning fiction; PBS show consultant

A University of Washington meteorologist joins a national board for atmospheric research, an English professor’s story is honored and a Jackson School faculty member helps with research for a PBS show.

Arts and entertainment

November 3, 2020

ArtSci Roundup: Global Challenges Discussion, Katz Lecture: Abderrahmane Sissako, 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. Lessons (Not) Learned From the Holocaust | “A Reply to Screamers”: How Americans Responded to the Holocaust November 10, 4:00 PM | Online In most accounts,…

November 2, 2020

Video: Free coronavirus testing for UW community open for more enrollment

The Husky Coronavirus Testing program, powered by the Seattle Flu Study, launched on Sept. 24 and now has more than 12,500 members of the UW community enrolled and has conducted more than 10,000 tests.

Engineering | News releases | Research | Science

Break it up: Polymer derived from material in shrimp’s shells could deliver anti-cancer drugs to tumor sites

A University of Washington team led by Miqin Zhang, a professor of materials science and engineering and of neurological surgery, has developed a nanoparticle-based drug delivery system that can ferry a potent anti-cancer drug through the bloodstream safely. Their nanoparticle is derived from chitin, a natural and organic polymer that, among other things, makes up the outer shells of shrimp.

Environment | News releases | Research | Science

Flying through wildfire smoke plumes could improve smoke forecasts

The biggest study yet of West Coast wildfire plumes shows how a smoke plume’s chemistry changes over time. Results suggest current models may not accurately predict the air quality downwind of a wildfire.

News releases | Research | Science

No social distancing in the Cretaceous: New study finds earliest evidence for mammal social behavior

A new study led by paleontologists at the University of Washington indicates that the earliest evidence of mammal social behavior goes back to the Age of Dinosaurs. A multituberculate that lived 75.5 million years ago, Filikomys primaevus engaged in multi-generational, group-nesting and burrowing behavior, and possibly lived in colonies.

News releases | UW and the community

October 30, 2020

‘2020: The Course’ ponders the meaning of this unusual year

For a time unlike any before, the University of Washington has developed “2020: The Course,” a new online class for UW students that helps contextualize this year’s extraordinary events and societal upheaval. “2020: The Course” gives students an opportunity to hear from UW professors and special guests who will discuss the COVID-19 pandemic, race in the United States, the state of the environment, the economic recession, civic participation, citizenship and this election season and outcomes.

Politics and government | Science | Technology | UW and the community | UW Notebook

October 29, 2020

UW Space Policy and Research Center brings researchers, policymakers together for online symposium Nov. 6

A preview of the Nov. 6 SPARC Symposium, which will feature a conversation with Andy Weir, author of “The Martian.”

News releases | Population Health | Research | Social science | UW News blog

Models show how COVID-19 cuts a neighborhood path

A research team led by UC Irvine and the University of Washington has created a new model of how the coronavirus can spread through a community. The model factors in network exposure — whom one interacts with — and demographics to simulate at a more detailed level both where and how quickly the coronavirus could spread through Seattle and 18 other major cities.

Engineering | Environment | News releases | Research | Science

UW awarded $23.5M to build floating robots as part of NSF project to monitor the world’s oceans

The University of Washington is among leading U.S. oceanographic institutions that have received National Science Foundation funding to build and deploy 500 robotic ocean-monitoring floats to monitor the chemistry and biology of the world’s oceans.

Arts and entertainment

October 28, 2020

ArtSci Roundup: UW Global Month, 2020 Annual Space Policy and Research Center Symposium, 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. UW Global Month November | Online Celebrate the UW’s global impact and community this November. Events include a conversation with Jackson School of International Studies director…

Engineering | News releases | Research | Technology

SoundWatch: New smartwatch app alerts d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing users to birdsong, sirens and other desired sounds

UW researchers have developed SoundWatch, a smartwatch app for deaf, Deaf and hard-of-hearing people who want to be aware of nearby sounds.

Politics and government | Research | Social science | UW and the community | UW Notebook

October 27, 2020

Vanessa Freije of UW Jackson School explores Mexican politics, journalism in new book ‘Citizens of Scandal’

A talk with Vanessa Freije of the UW Jackson School about her new book, “Citizens of Scandal: Journalism, Secrecy, and the Politics of Reckoning in Mexico.”

News releases | UW and the community

Enrollment strong for the University of Washington’s fall 2020 entering class

The University of Washington’s newest class of undergraduate students broke record levels of enrollment across all three campuses, according to the finalized fall 2020 census of enrolled students.

Health and medicine | Politics and government | Population Health | Public Health | UW News blog

October 22, 2020

COVID-19: CDC advisory committee hones in on vaccine rollout recommendations

When a vaccine to fight COVID-19 has been approved by the FDA for distribution, it’s unlikely that at first there will be enough doses for everyone. Consequently, the United States will need an equitable and effective plan for who gets those first doses, how they get them and who’s next. Just as important, that plan — like the vaccine itself — has to be trusted and accepted by the general public. To accomplish this complicated and potentially fraught task, the CDC Advisory…

Health and medicine | Population Health | Public Health | Research | UW News blog

UW seeks Latinos caring for relatives, friends with dementia to develop better training program

With Latinos 1.5 times more likely to have dementia than non-Latino whites, among other health disparities, researchers at the University of Washington are hoping to better understand Latino family caregivers and adapt the training available to those caregivers. To do that, the UW Department of Health Services is seeking to interview Latino caregivers for a study to increase the cultural relevance of STAR-C training — a non-pharmacological intervention endorsed by the Administration on Aging that trains caregivers to manage the behavioral and…

Engineering | News releases | Population Health | Research | Science

Simple actions can help people survive landslides, UW analysis shows

Simple actions can dramatically improve a person’s chances of surviving a landslide, show records from 38 landslides in the U.S. and around the world. People who survived landslides tended to have moved upstairs or to higher ground, among other key actions.