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The latest news from the UW

December 3, 2018

ARTSUW Roundup: Arts and Engagement in Early Postwar Japan, UW Symphony with Robin McCabe, and More

This week in the arts, learn about the history of art and its politics in Japan post-1945, see the final performances of Fefu and Her Friends, take a workshop at the Henry Art Gallery, and more! Art and Engagement in Early Postwar Japan December 7, 3:30 PM| Thomson Hall Justin Jesty, associate professor at the University of Washington Department of Asian Languages and Literature will be giving a talk on his newly published book Art and Engagement in Early Postwar…

November 27, 2018

Threatened tropical coral reefs form complex, ancient associations with bacteria, researchers say

In a comprehensive study of healthy corals published Nov. 22 in the journal Nature Communications, a team of scientists from the University of Washington Bothell, Pennsylvania State University and Oregon State University report that coral bacteria are a surprisingly diverse bunch — and that different sections of the coral body can host unique communities of bacteria.

November 26, 2018

Papyrus scrolls to Kindle and beyond: UW professor pens meditation on ‘the book’

What is a “book” in the digital age — and what will it become? Amaranth Borsuk, assistant professor in the UW Bothell School of Interdisciplinary Studies, discusses the idea of “the book,” from clay tablets and papyrus scrolls to the hyperlinked, multimedia format of the digital age. She has her own new book out on the topic, titled “The Book.”

ArtsUW Roundup: Opening Night of Fefu and Her Friends, Music of Displaced Peoples, Donna Haraway Film Screening, and more!

This week in the arts, attend María Irene Fornés’ most celebrated, realistic and feminist works, go to opening night of Clotilde Jiménez’s “Apple of My Eye”,  learn about the restoration of the miraculous image of the Madonna del Baraccano, listen to a 100-voice gospel choir, and more. Fefu and Her Friends November 28 to December 9 | Meany Studio Theater Professor Valerie Curtis-Newton directs an all-female cast in María Irene Fornés’ most celebrated, realistic and feminist works, Fefu and Her…

UW, Tableau create interactive tool to explore more than a century of Pacific Northwest weather observations

A new, free tool with temperature and precipitation records across Washington, Oregon, Idaho and western Montana as far back as 1881 lets users play around to discover significant trends. It also includes historical snow records for Washington state.

UW’s Marina Alberti to lead new NSF-funded research network to study impact of cities on Earth’s evolutionary dynamics

Here in what is called the Anthropocene era, humans and our urban environments appear to be driving accelerated evolutionary change in plants, animals, fungi, viruses and more — changes that could affect key ecosystem functions and thus human well-being. These interactions between evolution and ecology are called “eco-evolutionary feedback.” The National Science Foundation has awarded a five-year, $500,000 grant to a multi-institution research network team headed by Marina Alberti, University of Washington professor of urban design and planning, to advance…

The ‘Swiss Army knife of prehistoric tools’ found in Asia, independent of ancient African or European influence

A study by an international team of researchers, including from the University of Washington, determines that carved stone tools, also known as Levallois cores, were used in Asia 80,000 to 170,000 years ago. With the find — and absent human fossils linking the tools to migrating populations — researchers believe people in Asia developed the technology independently, evidence of similar sets of skills evolving throughout different parts of the ancient world.

November 18, 2018

UW joins with WSU to promote affordability of public higher education

Public higher education is not just possible, it is easily within reach for Washington residents. That’s the message behind a new joint public-awareness campaign of the University of Washington and Washington State University to promote the affordability of higher education in the state of Washington.

November 14, 2018

ArtsUW Roundup: A Library of Black Lies, Power and Pleasure in Indian Painting, and more!

This week in the arts, shop for hand-printed gifts, attend a sonic-theatrical performance, dive into lectures about Indian Painting in Mewar and Marwar, and more! Print Sale November 14 to 15, 8:00 AM–7:00 PM | Art Building Hand-printed artwork, cards, soft goods, and more! UW student members of the UW Printmaking Association and UW printmaking alums invite the community and public to their Print Sale. More Info Kurbasy November 16, 8:00 PM | Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater From the Carpathian mountains,…

New resources support tribes in preparing for climate change

The University of Washington Climate Impacts Group and regional tribal partners have developed a collection of resources that may be useful to tribes at any stage in the process of evaluating their vulnerability to climate change. The project is a partnership among tribes, tribal associations, universities and the federal government.

November 13, 2018

Scientists engineer a functional optical lens out of 2D materials

In a paper published Oct. 8 in the journal Nano Letters, a team from the University of Washington and the National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan announced that it has constructed functional metalenses that are one-tenth to one-half the thickness of the wavelengths of light that they focus. Their metalenses, which were constructed out of layered 2D materials, were as thin as 190 nanometers — less than 1/100,000ths of an inch thick.

UW communication professor Ralina Joseph’s new book navigates minefield of ‘postracial racialism’

Ralina Joseph, associate professor of communication, discusses here new book “Postracial Resistance: Black Women, Media, and the Uses of Strategic Ambiguity,” published this October by New York University Press.

November 9, 2018

Public notice: Availability of a final Environmental Impact Statement

Pursuant to the provisions of WAC 197-11-455, 197-11-510 and WAC 478-324-140, the University of Washington hereby provides public notice of the availability of a final Environmental Impact Statement. Project name: Husky Stadium Transportation Management Plan Proponent/lead agency: University of Washington – Seattle Campus Description of proposal: The university is updating the Husky Stadium Transportation Management Plan. The university’s goal is to prepare a TMP that accommodates a maximum crowd of 70,000 people; modifies mode goals and operational logistics for hosting…

November 7, 2018

UW recognized for 27-year partnership with Northwest Mountain Minority Supplier Development Council

When it comes to supporting and promoting the growth of minority businesses, the University of Washington has a long track record – 27 years to be exact. This milestone represents the UW’s long-standing relationship with the Northwest Mountain Minority Supplier Development Council (MSDC).

ArtsUW Roundup: Caravaggio Lecture, Campagnie Käfig, Print Sale, and More!

This week in the arts, attend “Unbelievable: Reflections on Caravaggio’s Religious Art” lecture, go to a Print Sale, see Brooklyn Rider perform, and more! Faculty Lecture: Estelle Lingo on Caravaggio November 8, 5:30–6:30 PM | Art Building Estelle Lingo, Associate Professor of Art History and Donald E. Peterson Professor in the Arts,  will give the lecture “Unbelievable: Reflections on Caravaggio’s Religious Art.” Lingo was recently in residence at the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts at the National…

UW Evans School, Harvard, Northeastern study: State governments’ internet footprints reveal what they do — and how and why they differ

To better understand how state governments across the United States execute their diverse responsibilities, look at their internet footprint, says a new study by researchers at the University of Washington, Harvard University, and Northeastern University.

After a bad winter in the ocean, female Magellanic penguins suffer most, study shows

Researchers from the University of Washington have shown how Magellanic penguins fare during the winter months when they spend months at sea feeding. They have discovered that oceanographic features are more likely to negatively impact the body conditions of Magellanic penguin females, but not males, when the penguins return to their nesting grounds in spring.

November 2, 2018

UW Today email is getting a new look

The University of Washington has distributed news to the campus community — in one form or another — since 1975. Such communication began as a way to streamline how faculty, staff and students received important administrative news and was initially published as a pamphlet of memos. In 1983, it evolved into University Week, a weekly printed newspaper with research news and feature stories. The newspaper became an online-only publication in 2008, and the first UW Today email newsletter was sent…

October 31, 2018

ArtsUW Roundup: 20 Years of Pacific Voices, closing weekend of Incident at Vichy, and more

This week in the arts, celebrate the vibrancy, resiliency, and legacies of community members from across the Pacific, see Incident at Vichy before it closes, attend a performance by the Taiwan Philharmonic, and more! 20 Years of Pacific Voices: A Community Celebration November 1, 4–7:30 PM | Pacific Voices Exhibit Gallery at the Burke Museum Celebrate 20 years of community members from across the Pacific who have shared the vibrancy, resiliency, and legacies of their cultures through Pacific Voices at…

Study reconstructs Neandertal ribcage, offers new clues to ancient human anatomy

An international team of researchers, including from the University of Washington, has completed a 3D virtual reconstruction of a Neandertal thorax a model that indicates an upright individual with greater lung capacity and a straighter spine than today’s modern human.