UW News
The latest news from the UW
November 14, 2017
2 UW engineering students make Forbes ’30 under 30 in Energy’ list
Two University of Washington engineering students were selected by Forbes magazine for its list of the top 30 people in the world under age 30 working in energy.
Tag(s): Clean Energy Institute • College of Engineering • Department of Chemical Engineering • Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
With launch of new night sky survey, UW researchers ready for era of ‘big data’ astronomy
The first astronomers had a limited toolkit: their eyes. They could only observe those stars, planets and celestial events bright enough to pick up unassisted. But today’s astronomers use increasingly sensitive and sophisticated instruments to view and track a bevy of cosmic wonders, including objects and events that were too dim or distant for their…
Tag(s): astronomy & astrophysics • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Astronomy • DIRAC Institute • Eric Bellm • Mario JuricNovember 13, 2017
New tool quantifies power imbalance between female and male characters in Hollywood movie scripts
UW researchers who used machine learning tools to analyze language in 800 Hollywood movie scripts found subtle but widespread gender bias in the way male and female characters are portrayed.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering • Yejin ChoiNovember 7, 2017
With climate change, Mount Rainier floral communities could ‘reassemble’ with new species relationships, interactions
An unseasonably warm, dry summer on Mount Rainier in 2015 caused subalpine wildflowers to change their bloom times and form ‘reassembled’ communities, with unknown consequences for species interactions among wildflowers, pollinators and other animals.
Tag(s): climate change • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Biology • ecology • Janneke Hille Ris LambersNovember 6, 2017
‘Smart’ paper can conduct electricity, detect water
A University of Washington team wants to simplify the process for discovering detrimental water leaks by developing “smart” paper that can sense the presence of water.
Tag(s): Anthony Dichiara • College of the Environment • School of Environmental and Forest SciencesNovember 2, 2017
Washington Sea Grant receives $1.1 million in federal funding for aquaculture research
Three federal grants announced this week will provide total funding of $1.1 million to Washington Sea Grant, based at the University of Washington’s College of the Environment, for research that will sustainably further shellfish and finfish aquaculture in the state
Tag(s): Washington Sea Grant
Frances McCue meditates on changing city in new poem collection ‘Timber Curtain’
Frances McCue, a senior lecturer in the UW Department of English, has a new book of poetry out, “Timber Curtain,” published by Seattle’s Chin Music Press.
Tag(s): books • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of English • Frances McCue
How air pollution clouds mental health
There is little debate over the link between air pollution and the human respiratory system: Research shows that dirty air can impair breathing and aggravate various lung diseases. Other potential effects are being investigated, too, as scientists examine connections between toxic air and obesity, diabetes and dementia. Now add to that list psychological distress,…
Tag(s): Anjum Hajat • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Epidemiology • Department of Sociology • Kyle Crowder • School of Public Health • Victoria SassOctober 31, 2017
Arts Roundup: ‘Amazing Animals’ at the Burke, voice division recital and — Concerto Competition
This week: Have a fuzzy, slimy, cuddly and crawly fun time at the Burke; hear the School of Music’s Voice Division Recital; feel the competition heat up as strings students compete for an incredible opportunity; hear jazz students perform original compositions; see a special art history lecture on “highly staged repository of works” from the Mughal era;…
Tag(s): School of Art + Art History + Design
How to store information in your clothes invisibly, without electronics
UW computer scientists have created fabrics and fashion accessories that can store data — from security codes to identification tags — without needing any on-board electronics or sensors.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering • Shyam GollakotaOctober 26, 2017
Serious study of comic art: International conference comes to UW Nov. 2-4
Comics and graphic can be serious business. Scholars, critics, historians, teachers, curators of comic art and graphic publications will gather at the UW and locations in Seattle Nov. 2-4 for the 2017 International Comic Arts Forum.
Tag(s): Department of Slavic Languages and Literature • Jose AlanizOctober 25, 2017
UW among top 10 in US News Best Global Universities ranking; No. 2 among US public institutions
The University of Washington climbed to the No. 10 spot on the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Global Universities rankings, tied with Johns Hopkins University and Yale University. The UW is now second among American public institutions — an improvement from last year’s No. 3 slot. “I am proud to see the University of…
Tag(s): Rankings
Arts Roundup: Littlefield Halloween organ concert; By the Way, Meet Vera Stark; Habib Koité and more
This week in the arts, hear the harrowing sounds of the Littlefield Organ Series’ Halloween show; see the first performance of the School of Drama’s 2017-18 season; enjoy a guest recital from a “leading champion of contemporary American piano music”; experience a special collaboration between the UW Symphony and Seattle Symphony Orchestra; and catch performer…
October 24, 2017
Vintage maps, books and more in UW Libraries Special Collections exhibit ‘All Over the Map’
UW Libraries Special Collections’ new exhibit, “All Over the Map: From Cartographs to (C)artifacts” — organized by UW Book Arts and Rare Book Curator Sandra Kroupa — is on display in Allen Library until Jan. 31, 2018.
Tag(s): exhibits & exhibitions • John Bolcer • Lisa Oberg • Nicolette Bromberg • Sandra Kroupa • UW LibrariesOctober 23, 2017
50 simulations of the ‘Really Big One’ show how a 9.0 Cascadia earthquake could play out
The largest number yet of detailed simulations for how a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake might play out provides a clearer picture of what the region can expect when the fault unleashes a 9.0 earthquake.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Department of Earth and Space Sciences • earthquakes & seismologyOctober 20, 2017
Mountain glaciers shrinking across the West
A satellite technique provides a new way to monitor the status of more than 1,200 mountain glaciers in the lower 48 states.
Tag(s): Applied Physics Laboratory • College of the Environment • David Shean • Department of Earth and Space Sciences • glaciersOctober 18, 2017
For $1000, anyone can purchase online ads to track your location and app use
New University of Washington research finds that for a budget of roughly $1000, it is possible for someone to track your location and app use by purchasing and targeting mobile ads. The team hopes to raise industry awareness about the potential privacy threat.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Franziska Roesner • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering • Tadayoshi KohnoOctober 17, 2017
Flexible ‘skin’ can help robots, prosthetics perform everyday tasks by sensing shear force
UW and UCLA engineers have developed a flexible sensor “skin” that can be stretched over any part of a robot’s body or prosthetic to accurately convey information about shear forces and vibration, which are critical to tasks ranging from cooking an egg to dismantling a bomb.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Mechanical Engineering • Jonathan PosnerOctober 16, 2017
UW jumps 2 spots to No. 25 on Center for World University Rankings 2017 list
The University of Washington is No. 25 in the world — No. XX among U.S. public institutions — according to a new list released Monday by the Center for World University Rankings.
Tag(s): Rankings
Tweeting rage: How immigration policies can polarize public discourse
Before a border wall became a budget bargaining chip, before the presidential pardon of a controversial sheriff and before federal policies were announced on social media, there was Arizona Senate Bill 1070, the “show me your papers” law. And of course, there was Twitter. To René D. Flores, an assistant professor of sociology at…
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Sociology • Rene Flores
UW researchers mark first detection of gravitational waves from collision of two neutron stars
For the first time, scientists have detected gravitational waves from the merger of two neutron stars.
Tag(s): astronomy & astrophysics • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Physics • Jens Gundlach • Joey Key • Krishna Venkateswara • UW BothellOctober 12, 2017
Arts Roundup: Blue Nights and Night Flowers, MFA Exhibition, a Faculty Recital, the Chamber Dance Concert, and more
This week in the arts, the School of Art + Art History + Design second year MFA show continues at the Jacob Lawrence Gallery; dance and social activism take the stage at the Chamber Dance Concert; Creative Research Fellow Daniel Alexander Jones meditates on nearly a quarter century of performance art and theatre; “a true theatrical original”…
UW names second CSE building the Bill & Melinda Gates Center for Computer Science & Engineering
The University of Washington Board of Regents on Thursday approved the naming of the new computer science building under construction on the Seattle campus as the Bill & Melinda Gates Center for Computer Science & Engineering. The naming of the building was made possible by gifts from Microsoft Corp. and a group of local business and philanthropic leaders who are longtime friends and colleagues of the couple.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering
Using Facebook data as a real-time census
Determining how many people live in Seattle, perhaps of a certain age, perhaps from a specific country, is the sort of question that finds its answer in the census, a massive data dump for places across the country. But just how fresh is that data? After all, the census is updated once a…
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Sociology • Emilio ZagheniOctober 11, 2017
In Seattle, cost of meeting basic needs up $30,000 in a decade
A Seattle family of four must bring in $75,000 annually to pay for basic housing, food, transportation and health and child care – an increase of 62 percent since 2006, based on a new report from the University of Washington. The city’s escalating cost of living may not be a surprise. But across the state,…
Tag(s): Center for Women's Welfare • Diana Pearce • Lisa Manzer • School of Social WorkOctober 9, 2017
Paul Bodin named interim director of Pacific Northwest Seismic Network
Paul Bodin, a UW seismologist and manager of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, has been named interim director of the network that monitors earthquakes and volcanoes in Washington and Oregon.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Department of Earth and Space Sciences • earthquakes & seismology • Pacific Northwest Seismic Network • Paul Bodin • ShakeAlert
Dance meets social justice in Chamber Dance Company’s ‘The Body Politic’ Oct. 12 – 15
Eight dance pieces on the themes of inequity and injustice comprise the UW Chamber Dance Company’s concert “The Body Politic,” Oct. 12-15 at Meany Theater.
Tag(s): Chamber Dance Company • Department of Dance • Hannah WileyOctober 6, 2017
3 UW researchers chosen for NIH High-Risk, High-Rewards program
Three University of Washington faculty members are among those honored with an NIH High-Risk, High-Reward Research grant, which fund exceptionally creative scientists proposing to use highly innovative approaches to tackle major challenges in biomedical research.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • College of Engineering • Daniel Chiu • Department of Bioengineering • Department of Chemistry • Jakob von Moltke • Joshua Vaughan • School of MedicineOctober 5, 2017
Northwest climate science community gathers Oct. 9-11 in Tacoma
The eighth annual Northwest Climate Conference will take place in Tacoma, and begins with a free public discussion featuring UW experts on Monday evening.
Tag(s): climate • Climate Impacts Group • College of the EnvironmentOctober 4, 2017
Study points to win-win for spotted owls and forest management
A new study has found that cover in tall trees is the key habitat requirement for the spotted owl, not total canopy cover. It indicated that spotted owls largely avoid cover created by stands of shorter trees.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • School of Environmental and Forest Sciences • Van Kane
Arts Roundup: BANDALOOP, Material Performance, Brian Jungen, Nathan Lee, Chamber Dance Concert
This week in the arts, the School of Art + Art History + Design second year MFA show continues at the Jacob Lawrence Gallery; a final look at Brian Jungen’s exploration of First Nations culture and globalism; BANDALOOP turns Meany’s dance floor on its side; a child virtuoso takes the Brechemin stage; and innovative choreographers fuse…
Asking kids about drugs doesn’t prompt drug use, study finds
It is an oft-repeated fear, particularly among parents: that discussing an undesirable behavior, or even an illegal or dangerous one, may encourage kids to try it. But when it comes to asking pre-teens about alcohol, drug and tobacco use, a University of Washington-led study finds no evidence that children will, as a consequence…
Tag(s): John Briney • Social Development Research Group
New portable blood analyzer could improve anemia detection worldwide
To reduce the burden of anemia worldwide, health officials need a portable and affordable way to analyze blood. Mechanical engineering researchers at the University of Washington developed a device smaller than a toaster that can detect the level of hemoglobin in whole blood samples using optical absorbance.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Mechanical Engineering • Nathan SniedeckiOctober 2, 2017
UW Center for Human Rights studies law enforcement collaboration with federal agencies on immigration
Cities and counties concerned about immigrant rights should closely examine law enforcement’s collaboration with federal immigration authorities — and the role a for-profit company has in drafting language used in many law enforcement policy manuals — according to a new report from the UW’s Center for Human Rights.
Tag(s): Angelina Godoy • College of Arts & Sciences • Jackson School of International Studies • law • Law Societies & Justice Department • UW Center for Human Rights
UW alumnus Jeffrey C. Hall awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute has awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly to Jeffrey C. Hall — an alumnus of the University of Washington — along with Michael Rosbash and Michael W. Young “for their discoveries of molecular mechanisms controlling the circadian rhythm,” according to an announcement Monday morning.
Tag(s): awards • College of Arts & Sciences • Jeffrey Hall • UW alumniSeptember 28, 2017
UW ranked among top 10 most innovative universities in the world by Reuters
The University of Washington is listed at No. 7 on the Reuters Top 100: The World’s Most Innovative Universities, released Wednesday.
Tag(s): Rankings
Arts Roundup: Material performance, faculty concert, changing forms, eight studies for the book of genesis, and BANDALOOP
This week in the arts, see the School of Art + Art History + Design second year MFA show; hear an evening of world premieres of music for speaking and singing percussionists; get a final look at the Henry’s exhibitions of work by Doris Totten Chase and Jacob Lawrence; and experience BANDALOOP as they weave dynamic physicality,…
Lisa M. Zurk named executive director of UW Applied Physics Laboratory
Lisa Zurk, a UW aluma in electrical engineering, professor at Portland State University and program manager at DARPA, will become the eighth director of the UW’s Applied Physics Laboratory.
Tag(s): Applied Physics Laboratory • College of Engineering • Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering • Lisa ZurkSeptember 27, 2017
Modern American photos, centuries-old European prints donated to Henry Art Gallery
The University of Washington’s Henry Art Gallery has received two large and prestigious donations — one a collection of centuries-old European prints from Seattle art collector Albert Feldmann, the other scores of images by well-known photographers from the recently-disbanded Washington Art Consortium. Sylvia Wolf, Henry Art Gallery director, expressed deep appreciation for both donations and…
Tag(s): Eleanor Henry Reed Collection Study Center • Henry Art Gallery • Sylvia WolfSeptember 26, 2017
Scientists come to the aid of Puerto Rican community, research station
Researchers from the University of Washington and seven other institutions are working together to restore a Puerto Rican research station and its nearby community following the damage wrought last week by Hurricane Maria. The research station known as Monkey Island is located on Cayo Santiago, off the southeast coast of mainland Puerto Rico,…
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Psychology • Noah Snyder-Mackler« Previous Page Next Page »
