A talk with UW architecture professor Tyler Sprague about his book “Sculpture on a Grand Scale: Jack Christiansen’s Thin Shell Modernism.” Plus books from Rick Bonus and Yong-Chool Ha.
March 9, 2020
The latest news from the UW
Climate change at Mount Rainier expected to increase ‘mismatch’ between visitors and iconic wildflowers
The wildflowers of Mount Rainier’s subalpine meadows, which bloom once the winter snowpack melts, are a major draw for the more than 1 million visitors to this national park in Washington state each spring and summer. But by the end of this century, scientists expect that snow will melt months earlier due to climate change. New research led by the University of Washington shows that, under those conditions, many visitors would miss the flowers altogether.
March 6, 2020
Video: President Cauce on the decision to end in-person classes for the quarter
University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce sat down with Vice President of Student Life Denzil Suite for a candid conversation about how COVID-19 is affecting campus operations, why classes will no longer meet in person for the rest of the quarter and whether a student-led petition had an impact on the decision.
Press conference: University of Washington’s response to COVID-19
The University of Washington held a press conference at 12:30 p.m. Friday, March 6, 2020 to address the decision to move classes online in an effort to limit the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak, and address the UW staff member who received a presumptive positive test result.
UW staff member has presumptive positive test for COVID-19
The UW Advisory Committee on Communicable Diseases (ACCD) announced Friday that a University of Washington staff member who works in the Roosevelt Commons East building has received a presumptive positive test for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The employee is in self-isolation at home. Out of an abundance of caution, the building, which is located west of the UW’s Seattle campus in the 4300 block of 11th Ave. NE, has been closed for appropriate cleaning until further notice.
UW classes will no longer meet in person through end of quarter
The University of Washington announced today that starting Monday, March 9, classes will no longer meet in person. For the remainder of the quarter, instructors have been asked to conduct classes and/or exams remotely, as possible, until the quarter concludes on March 20. Final exams will not be conducted in person, but may be conducted online when feasible, and at the instructor’s discretion.
Millions of US workers at risk of infections on the job, UW researchers calculate, emphasizing need to protect against COVID-19
A University of Washington researcher calculates that 14.4 million workers face exposure to infection once a week and 26.7 million at least once a month in the workplace, pointing to an important population needing protection as the novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19, continues to break out across the U.S. Marissa Baker, an assistant professor in the UW School of Public Health, based her calculations on research she published in 2018 in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine. In that paper, Baker…
Dimming Betelgeuse likely isn’t cold, just dusty, new study shows
Late last year, news broke that the star Betelgeuse was fading significantly, ultimately dropping to around 40% of its usual brightness. The activity fueled popular speculation that the red supergiant would soon explode as a massive supernova. But astronomers have more benign theories to explain the star’s dimming behavior. And scientists at the University of Washington and Lowell Observatory believe they have support for one of them: Betelgeuse isn’t dimming because it’s about to explode — it’s just dusty. In…
March 5, 2020
The food you need: UW expert on preparing for an extended home stay
Nutritional science expert Anne-Marie Gloster, a lecturer in the UW School of Public Health’s Nutritional Sciences Program and expert in emergency food planning, has put together this list of things to think about and foods to have on hand if you should be called on to stay at home for an extended period. “Shopping intentionally and feeding ourselves mindfully is a delicious way to reduce our stress during this time of heightened awareness about our personal and community health,” Gloster…
Visitors should avoid coming to UW campus to see cherry blossoms amid COVID-19 outbreak
The University is asking people to avoid coming to campus this year to comply with Gov. Inslee’s March 11 proclamation that prohibits large gatherings of more than 250 people as our region combats the spread of COVID-19.
President Cauce, Dr. Geoff Gottlieb discuss UW COVID-19 response at ASUW senate meeting
University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce, joined by Dr. Geoff Gottlieb, head of the UW’s Advisory Committee on Communicable Diseases, met with the members of the ASUW Student Senate on March 3 to share the most current information and take questions about the University’s response and preparations for the novel coronavirus.
March 4, 2020
ArtsUW Roundup: Guest Artist trio Meridian performs and hosts a master class, Scandinavian 30 lecture asks us to contemplate Tom of Finland, and more
Updated March 6, 2020: Many of the events in this roundup have been postponed or cancelled. Information for a specific event will be at the link provided for that event. This week in the arts, School of Art faculty Whitney Lynn gives a lecture at the Art Building, UW Symphony and combined choirs perform at Meany Hall, Dr. Charlotte Coté shares lessons from the wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House, and more! To learn about more events taking place, visit ArtsUW. Faculty Lecture with…
March 3, 2020
Soundbites & B-roll: UW rural nursing program
On March 3, Premera Blue Cross announced a $4.7 million grant to the University of Washington to establish the Rural Nursing Health Initiative to place current students in rural practices in Washington state.
Premera Blue Cross teams with the UW to establish rural nursing program
Premera Blue Cross, a leading health plan in the Pacific Northwest, today announced a $4.7 million grant to the University of Washington to establish the Rural Nursing Health Initiative to place current students in rural practices in Washington state.
March 2, 2020
New honors for scientists studying ‘ecosystem sentinels’
P. Dee Boersma, a UW professor of biology and director of the Center for Ecosystem Sentinels, is a finalist for the 2020 Indianapolis Prize for conservation, to be awarded later this year by the Indianapolis Zoological Society. Sue Moore, a scientist with the center and a UW affiliate professor of biology and of aquatic and fishery sciences, has won the 2020 IASC Medal, also known as the Arctic Medal, from the International Arctic Science Committee.
A conversation with Ted Poor, UW faculty, jazz drummer, with new album out, ‘You Already Know’
Ted Poor, assistant professor of drums in the UW School of Music, has a new album. “You Already Know,” was released Feb. 28 on New Deal/Impulse. UW Notebook caught up with Poor for a short Q and A.
Navigating the potential pitfalls of tracking college athletes
UW researchers interviewed 22 athletes and staff members from three college athletics programs to see how collecting data from college athletes might encroach on their autonomy.
Not a ‘math person’? You may be better at learning to code than you think
New research from the University of Washington finds that a natural aptitude for learning languages is a stronger predictor of learning to program than basic math knowledge.
February 28, 2020
ArtsUW Roundup: Ted Poor debut album release show, The Women of Lockerbie opens, and more
This week in the arts, Art History professor Foong Ping discusses the reconceptualizing of the Seattle Asian Art Museum, four Native American Huskies share what “home” means to them, the exhibition As, Not For: Dethroning Our Absolutes opens at the Jacob Lawrence Gallery, and more! To learn about more events taking place, visit ArtsUW. Concert – Hélène Grimaud March 4, 7:30 PM | Meany Hall French pianist Hélène Grimaud brings a virtuosic program to Meany Center, performing music from her 2018 recording, Memory. In…
February 27, 2020
Video: Warming Arctic means less ice, bigger waves
Throughout the month of November 2019, a team of University of Washington researchers chased storms in the Arctic Ocean. The project, Coastal Ocean Dynamics in the Arctic, or CODA, is looking at how water currents shift and waves hit the coast with more open water, to provide better forecasts and predictions for the region’s future.
Thinning, prescribed burns protected forests during the massive Carlton Complex wildfire
In the first major study following the devastating Carlton Complex fire in north central Washington, researchers from the University of Washington and U.S. Forest Service found that previous tree thinning and prescribed burns helped forests survive the fire.
February 26, 2020
The UW ranks No. 10 among Peace Corps’ top volunteer-producing schools in 2020
The Peace Corps announced today that the University of Washington ranked No. 10 among large schools on the agency’s list of top volunteer-producing colleges and universities in 2020. There are 55 Huskies currently volunteering in countries around the world.
Wildness in urban parks important for human well-being
A new University of Washington study has found that not all forms of nature are created equal when considering benefits to people’s well-being. Experiencing wildness, specifically, is particularly important for physical and mental health.
February 24, 2020
Faculty/staff honors: Finnish knighthood, NIH grant, new annual Sharona Gordon Award
Recent honors to UW faculty and staff include a Finnish knighthood, an NIH award to extend a research grant and a new annual award from the Society of General Physiologists.
February 20, 2020
ArtsUW Roundup: 3D4M Open House, Niyaz The Fourth Light Project, Katz Distinguished Lecture with Anna Tsing, and more
This week there are many opportunities to get involved with the arts including the opening of CabLab’s Frozen: A Play, a free whirling meditation workshop, Critical Issues lecture series, recitals with School of Music faculty, and more! To learn about more events taking place, visit ArtsUW. 3D4M Open House February 25, 6:00 PM | Ceramic And Metal Arts Building (CMA) Join the School of Art + Art History + Design to explore the facilities of our 3D4M: ceramics + glass + sculpture…
New, UW-developed data tool tracks state legislative process, from first draft to final law
A new, University of Washington-developed data visualization tool draws on bill information made available by the Washington State Legislature to enable students, journalists and voters to visually explore the lawmaking process.
February 18, 2020
ArtsUW Roundup: Brazil’s Grupo Corpo, Scheidel Lecture with Regina G. Lawrence — and more
This week in the arts, attend Critical Issues lecture series with Sadie Barnette, Grupo Corpo performs at the Meany Center, and more! To learn about more events taking place, visit ArtsUW. 2020 UW Department of Communication Scheidel Lecture February 19, Reception: 3:45 pm, Lecture: 5 pm | Walker Ames Room, Kane 225 Join the Department of Communication and Dr. Regina G. Lawrence for a presentation on how journalists may be able to reframe their institutional and information authority through bold experiments…
Campus podcasts: UW Tacoma, architecture, science papers explained
It’s the year 2020, and where two or more are gathered, it seems, there is a podcast. Given the level of creativity among University of Washington faculty and staff, it’s no surprise that many high-quality podcasts are now being produced on campus. Here’s a look at three podcasts being created by UW departments or people, including a couple that have been underway for quite a while. UW Notebook will occasionally report on campus podcasts and ask a few questions of…
Simple, fuel-efficient rocket engine could enable cheaper, lighter spacecraft
UW researchers have developed a mathematical model that describes how rotating detonation engines work.
February 14, 2020
Earth’s cousins: Upcoming missions to look for ‘biosignatures’ in the atmospheres of nearby worlds
Victoria Meadows, professor of astronomy at the University of Washington and director of the UW’s Virtual Planetary Laboratory, talks about how upcoming missions like the James Webb Space Telescope will be able to characterize the atmospheres of potentially Earth-like exoplanets and may even detect signs of life. Meadows is delivering a talk on this subject on Feb. 15, 2020 at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in Seattle.
February 13, 2020
Researchers at AAAS to discuss latest science on Cascadia earthquake hazards
At a Saturday afternoon session, researchers from the University of Washington and federal agencies will discuss the emerging research on Pacific Northwest megaquakes.
Effectiveness of travel bans – readily used during infectious disease outbreaks – mostly unknown, study finds
While travel bans are frequently used to stop the spread of an emerging infectious disease, a new University of Washington and Johns Hopkins University study of published research found that the effectiveness of travel bans is mostly unknown.
Hydropower dams cool rivers in the Mekong River basin, satellites show
Using 30 years of satellite data, UW researchers discovered that within one year of the opening of a major dam in the Mekong River basin, downstream river temperatures during the dry season dropped by up to 3.6 degrees F (2 degrees C).
Immune cells consult with neighbors to make decisions
Scientists and physicians have long known that immune cells migrate to the site of an infection, which individuals experience as inflammation — swelling, redness and pain. Now, researchers at the University of Washington and Northwestern University have uncovered evidence that this gathering is not just a consequence of immune activation. Immune cells count their neighbors before deciding whether or not the immune system should kick into high gear.
February 12, 2020
Four UW scientists awarded Sloan Fellowships for early-career research
Four 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. 12, are Kyle Armour and Jacqueline Padilla-Gamiño, both assistant professors in the College of the Environment; and Hanna Hajishirzi and Yin Tat Lee, both assistant professors in the College of Engineering.
Polar bears in Baffin Bay skinnier, having fewer cubs due to less sea ice
Satellite tracking of adult females and visual monitoring of polar bears in Baffin Bay show changes from the 1990s to the period from 2009 to 2015. Bears in Baffin Bay are getting thinner and adult females are having fewer cubs than when sea ice was more available.
UW is host university for 186th AAAS meeting in Seattle
The University of Washington is the host university for the 186th annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, scheduled through the weekend at and around the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle.
February 11, 2020
Design program at UW ranked best in Washington, among the top nationally
The ’s design program in the School of Art + Art History + Design earned top honors on the 2020 list of “Best Graphic Design Programs” by the online site Animation Career Review. UW was the top ranked school in Washington, among the top 10 on the West Coast and ranked 7th out of 40 public institutions.
Soundbites & B-roll: Minimum wage and health
A UW study found that increases in minimum wages primarily had no effect on health overall. However, they did find a mix of negative and positive effects associated with the health of certain groups of working-age people.
UW is a top producer of Fulbright scholars and students
The University of Washington ranked among the highest in the country in producing Fulbright scholars and students, according to a list published Sunday in The Chronicle of Higher Education. The UW is among 20 institutions in the country to be named a top producer for both the Fulbright U.S. Student and U.S. Scholar programs.