The latest news from the UW

A team of University of Washington scientists working at the Seattle Biomedical Research Institute (SBRI) has found a way to grow blood-producing stem cells in the laboratory – opening the door to helping cancer patients overcome major side effects of treatment and creating greater possibilities for genetic cures of illness.

The UW is hosting an international group of technical communication scholars to explore how people interact with the Web and to design guidelines for evaluating the communication effectiveness of Web sites.

Fourteen major North American universities will have a Web site to showcase some of the best distance learning by some of the best institutions. The Web site, R1.edu, will be operational in September and will be hosted by the University of Washington.

It stands nearly 5 feet tall and is still growing, and soon it will smell like rotting flesh, but it’s still Douglas Ewing’s baby.

Five University of Washington (UW) clinical faculty members at the Department of Medicine’s regional teaching sites have been selected for 1999 WWAMI Excellence in Teaching Awards.

A free public forum on “Sex and Aging: The New Facts of Life” will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 27, at the Edmond Meany Hotel, 4507 Brooklyn in Seattle’s University District.

How might whales, seals, sea lions, dolphins and other marine mammals fare 100 years from now if our human population and demand on the world’s resources both double? The question will be among those explored during the annual meeting of the American Society of Mammalogists being held in Seattle for the first time ever.

A series of free public lectures on the nervous system, learning disabilities and mental health issues will be given in July by University of Washington faculty members and other experts.

University of Washington President Richard L. McCormick has appointed a task force on gay, bisexual, lesbian and transgender (GBLT) issues.

Harborview Medical Center is one of five centers in U.S. to study magnetic stimulation as an alternative to anti-depressant medications and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

The University of Washington will use a $2.3 million grant from the William H. Gates Foundation to develop a five-year program to train experts in women’s health to improve the lives of women and children around the world.

Educators with a gift for making the Middle Ages come alive or relating complicated math to students’ daily lives will participate next week in a statewide project aimed at improving teaching methods for current and future teachers.

Over the past 21 years drowning in King County has decreased by 59 percent, according to a University of Washington study published in this week’s issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

In a program called Project Astro, fourth- and fifth-grade students at Olympic View made 8-inch ceramic discs to decorate a sundial, which was installed on May 22 by Sullivan, a Puget Sound Energy crew and school volunteers.

Stimulating the production of growth hormone in healthy older men and women can return hormone levels to those found in younger adults and reduce body fat, according to research being conducted at the University of Washington and the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle.

Dr. Scott Barnhart, University of Washington (UW) associate professor of medicine, has been named medical director of Harborview Medical Center and associate dean of the UW School of Medicine.

Dr. Paul G. Ramsey, vice president for medical affairs and dean of the University of Washington School of Medicine, has named Dr. Andrew A. “Andy” Ziskind associate dean for clinical affairs and associate vice president for clinical specialty programs.

A group of undergraduate University of Washington students have completed the initial design for a nanosatellite that will study the earth’s ionosphere and experiment with flying in precise formation with other satellite.

A memorial service for Neil Jacobson, University of Washington psychology professor, will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday in the Ballroom at the Edmond Meany Hotel, 4507 Brooklyn Ave. NE in the University District.

Fathers are critical in children’s development of emotional control, according to University of Washington psychologist John Gottman, author of “Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child.”

A new study by University of Washington researchers, to be presented later this week at the American Psychological Society’s annual meeting in Denver, indicates that men and women view sexual abuse cases differently and could be poles apart in rendering an actual verdict.

Just being exposed to a story about a fictitious childhood experience can alter people’s memories to the point that half of them believe the incident probably occurred even though they previously said it didn’t, University of Washington researchers will report later this week at the American Psychological Society’s annual meeting in Denver.

Unconscious prejudice towards blacks and the elderly can be significantly decreased by exposing people to images of admired members of those groups, according to a new series of experiments conducted by University of Washington psychologists.

Despite this year’s record snowfall in the Pacific Northwest, the amount of water stored as mountain snowpack is projected to drop significantly in the long run, a change that could repaint the face of the region and drastically alter how water is used and allocated, according to University of Washington researchers.

Dr. Paul G. Ramsey, vice president for medical affairs and dean of the University of Washington (UW) School of Medicine, has named Dr. Andrew A. Ziskind associate dean for clinical affairs and associate vice president for clinical specialty programs.

The University of Washington’s successful 1998 faculty field tour has been expanded to cover more of the state this year. President Richard L. McCormick will lead 30 new professors and librarians from the UW’s Seattle, Bothell and Tacoma campuses on an 1,100-mile, five-day bus trip to learn about the people, places, passions and problems of their home state.

Researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine have performed the first randomized controlled clinical trial showing that a painful and even life-threatening bowel condition called acute colonic pseudo-obstruction can be effectively treated with intravenous neostigmine.

Clinical studies are underway at the University of Washington to determine the effectiveness of heat therapy to manage pressure ulcers (bed sores).

It takes just nine months on male hormone suppression treatment for men with prostate cancer to lose a significant amount of bone mass density — a rate comparable to the loss experienced by post-menopausal women, according to new research conducted at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

The University of Washington and the Seahawks have reached agreement on the use of Husky Stadium for Seahawks’ home games during the 2000 and 2001 seasons.

The number of underrepresented minority students planning to enroll in next Autumn’s freshman class is likely to decline substantially over previous years, according to figures compiled by the University of Washington’s admissions office.

It takes just nine months on male hormone suppression treatment for men with prostate cancer to lose a significant amount of bone mass density — a rate comparable to the loss experienced by post-menopausal women, according to new research conducted at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

Chip Hanauer was at the pinnacle of the unlimited hydroplane racing world when he walked away three years ago, having won the sport?s top race, the APBA Gold Cup, 10 times, and 58 races overall.

A report in the May 14 issue of Science, describing a novel approach to reconstructing paleovegetation, presents the first continuous vegetation record from the Australian interior extending back to 65,000 years ago.

Outstanding students in the University of Washington’s Educational Opportunity Program will be honored at the EOP banquet, 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 13 at the Convention Center.

King County residents who need the services of mental-health professionals, substance-abuse specialists and care givers trained to treat developmental disabilities have a special place and medical program of their own – the Crisis Triage Unit (CTU) at Harborview Medical Center.

Species recovery plans have multiplied quickly since the Endangered Species Act was spawned 25 years ago. But there’s still a question of how well the more than 900 species listed as endangered or threatened are recovering. Now a University of Washington zoologist is spearheading a national effort to review 200 recovery plans in detail.

Secretin, a hormone that some parents claim possesses almost magical properties as a treatment for autism, will be scientifically tested in large-scale trials starting later this month in Seattle and Denver.

Deciphering the human genome and the increasing availability of genetic testing raise ethical, legal and social challenges. The University of Washington School of Nursing will address these challenges when it hosts the 20th annual Elizabeth Sterling Soule Lecture.

Western Washington’s two major earthquakes this century had minimal impact north of Seattle. But new evidence suggests that in the previous 1,100 years an area between Everett and Marysville experienced at least three earthquakes of at least moderate intensity that produced liquefaction.