November 7, 2017
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.
November 6, 2017
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.
November 2, 2017
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
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.
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, which University of Washington researchers have found is also associated with air pollution. The higher the level of particulates in the air, the UW-led study…
October 31, 2017
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; and feel the rhythm course through you as Noche Flamenca brings to the stage “the essence and integrity of one of the world’s most complex and…
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.
October 26, 2017
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.
October 25, 2017
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 Washington recognized broadly for the impact of the work of our faculty and staff working side by side with our talented students,” UW President Ana…
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 that Rolling Stone calls the “biggest pop star in Mali” at Meany Hall. LITTLEFIELD ORGAN SERIES: HALLOWEEN ORGAN CONCERT October 27 | Kane Hall, Walker-Ames Room Students of…
October 24, 2017
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.
October 23, 2017
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.
October 20, 2017
A satellite technique provides a new way to monitor the status of more than 1,200 mountain glaciers in the lower 48 states.
October 18, 2017
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.
October 17, 2017
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.
October 16, 2017
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.
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 the University of Washington, Twitter is a trove of insight into people’s beliefs and their willingness to express them. By analyzing tweets in the months…
For the first time, scientists have detected gravitational waves from the merger of two neutron stars.
October 12, 2017
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” takes the stage for a night of storytelling and song; and a School of Music faculty member premieres new works for cello. MATERIAL PERFORMANCE: 2ND YEAR…
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.
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 decade, and the U.S. Census Bureau’s smaller but more detailed American Community Survey, annually. There’s also a delay between when data are collected and when…
October 11, 2017
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, the amount of money required to make ends meet for two adults, a preschooler and a school-age child has risen as well, according to the…
October 9, 2017
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.
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.
October 6, 2017
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.
October 5, 2017
The eighth annual Northwest Climate Conference will take place in Tacoma, and begins with a free public discussion featuring UW experts on Monday evening.
October 4, 2017
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.
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 dance with social activism. MATERIAL PERFORMANCE: 2ND YEAR MFA EXHIBITION Through November 4| Jacob Lawrence Gallery See work created by students beginning their second year in…
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 of being asked about it, use the substance in question. The study by the UW Social Development Research Group, published in the October issue of…
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.
October 2, 2017
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.
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.
September 28, 2017
The University of Washington is listed at No. 7 on the Reuters Top 100: The World’s Most Innovative Universities, released Wednesday.
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, intricate choreography and the art of climbing to turn the dance floor on its side. MATERIAL PERFORMANCE: 2ND YEAR MFA EXHIBITION Through November 4| Jacob Lawrence…
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.
September 27, 2017
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 the vision and generosity of the donors. “This is a truly transformative gift,” Wolf said of the 204 European prints from the 15th to 18th…
September 26, 2017
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, and is home to more than 1,000 rhesus monkeys. A site of scientific research since the 1930s, Monkey Island is staffed year-round by dozens of…
Faculty members in the UW’s Jackson School of International Studies will explore the ongoing impact of the Trump presidency in weekly lectures each Monday through fall quarter.
September 25, 2017
The University of Washington is home to a new national center of excellence for research, education and training in materials science. The Molecular Engineering Materials Center is funded by a $15.6 million, six-year grant from the National Science Foundation as part of its highly competitive Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) program.
It has become an almost essential element of academic life, from college lecture halls to elementary classrooms: the group assignment. Dreaded by some, loved by others, group projects typically aim to build teamwork and accountability while students learn about a topic. But depending on the assignment and the structure of the groups, a project can turn out to be a source of great frustration — for instructor and students alike — or the highlight of the school year. Now…