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Arts and entertainment

October 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” 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…

Buildings and grounds | Engineering | News releases | Research | Science | Technology

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.

News releases | Research | Social science

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 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…

Interactive | News releases | Research | Social science | UW and the community

October 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, 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…

Engineering | Health and medicine | Honors and awards | Research | Science | UW News blog

October 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.

Arts and entertainment

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 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…

Research | Social science | UW News blog

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 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…

Engineering | Health and medicine | News releases | Research | Science | Technology

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.

Education | News releases | Politics and government | UW News blog

October 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.

Honors and awards | Research | Science | UW News blog

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.

Arts and entertainment

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, 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…

Arts and entertainment | Education | News releases

September 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 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…

Social science | UW and the community | UW News blog

September 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, 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…

Engineering | News releases | Research | Science | Technology

September 25, 2017

UW to host $15.6M NSF-funded center for innovation, education in materials science

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.

Education | News releases | Research | Science

Group project? Taking turns, working with friends may improve grades

  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…

UW and the community | UW News blog

September 21, 2017

Freshman Convocation Sept. 24 opens UW’s 2017-18 school year

University of Washington chemistry professor Sarah Keller, whose work and teaching have been recognized internationally, will be the featured speaker at the university’s 34th annual Freshman Convocation, which begins at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 24, in the Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion.

Environment | News releases | Research | Science

September 18, 2017

Catching a diversity of fish species — instead of specializing — means more stable income for fishers

Researchers analyzed nearly 30 years of revenue and permitting records for individuals fishing in Alaskan waters and tracked how their fishing choices, in terms of permits purchased and species caught, influenced their year-to-year income volatility.

Environment | News releases | Research | Science

Old fish few and far between under fishing pressure

A new study by University of Washington scientists has found that, for dozens of fish populations around the globe, old fish are greatly depleted — mainly because of fishing pressure. The paper, published online Sept. 14 in Current Biology, is the first to report that old fish are missing in many populations around the world.

Engineering | Health and medicine | News releases | Research | Science | Technology

People of color exposed to more pollution from cars, trucks, power plants during 10-year period

A new nationwide study finds that the U.S. made little progress from 2000 to 2010 in reducing relative disparities between people of color and whites in exposure to harmful air pollution emitted by cars, trucks and other combustion sources.

Environment | News releases | Research | Science

September 13, 2017

Climate change challenges the survival of fish across the world

  Climate change will force many amphibians, mammals and birds to move to cooler areas outside their normal ranges, provided they can find space and a clear trajectory among our urban developments and growing cities. But what are the chances for fish to survive as climate change continues to warm waters around the world? University of Washington researchers are tackling this question in the first analysis of how vulnerable the world’s freshwater and marine fishes are to climate change. Their…

Engineering | News releases | Research | Science | Technology

UW team shatters long-range communication barrier for devices that consume almost no power

UW researchers have demonstrated for the first time that devices that run on almost zero power can transmit data across distances of up to 2.8 kilometers — breaking a long-held barrier and potentially enabling a vast array of interconnected devices.

News releases | Research | Social science

Offhand comments can expose underlying racism, UW study finds

        Blatant racism is easy to identify — a shouted racial slur, a white supremacist rally, or the open discrimination, segregation and violence of the pre-civil rights era. But more subtle forms of bias, called microaggressions, emerge in the everyday exchanges among friends and strangers alike and can offend racial and ethnic minorities. Such statements, uttered intentionally or inadvertently, draw upon stereotypes and are linked with racism and prejudice, according to a University of Washington-led study. The…

Administrative affairs | Education | News releases

September 12, 2017

Work broadening high-quality early learning bolstered by grant

    The University of Washington College of Education’s work to expand access to high-quality early learning opportunities across the country is being strengthened with a $10 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Over the next four years, the grant will support the College in generating tools and methods needed to launch sustainable high-quality practices in pre-kindergarten programs, particularly among low-income communities. Principal Investigator Gail Joseph, associate professor of early childhood and family studies and director of…

Environment | Research | Science | UW News blog

Land-sea experiment will track earthquakes, volcanoes along Alaska Peninsula

The National Science Foundation is funding the largest marine seismic-monitoring effort yet along the Alaska Peninsula, a region with frequent and diverse earthquake and volcanic activity. Involving aircraft and ships, the new Alaska Amphibious Community Seismic Experiment will be led by Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, with partners at the University of Washington and seven other research institutions. “This effort will really change the information we have at our disposal for understanding the seismic properties of subduction zones,” said…

Environment | Social science | UW News blog

Q&A | Sanne Knudsen: Consumers need more protection from chemicals and pesticides

  Sanne Knudsen was an undergraduate in Chicago when she got her first close-up look at environmental justice. As an environmental engineering student at Northwestern University, Knudsen answered an attorney’s call for volunteers to study several neighborhoods on Chicago’s South Side, communities that had endured more than their share of pollution and exposure to chemicals. Through that work, Knudsen found a future calling. “That piqued my interest in environmental law and the impact law can have,” said Knudsen, who now…

Honors and awards | News releases | UW and the community

September 6, 2017

UW remains at No. 25 in the world, fourth among U.S. public institutions, on Times Higher Education ranking list

For the second consecutive year, the University of Washington has been ranked No. 25 on the Times Higher Education world rankings for 2018, released Tuesday. It is tied with the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Engineering | Health and medicine | News releases | Research | Science | Technology

PupilScreen aims to allow parents, coaches, medics to detect concussion, brain injuries with a smartphone

University of Washington researchers are developing a smartphone app that is capable of objectively detecting concussion and other traumatic brain injuries in the field, which could provide a new level of screening for athletes and accident victims.

News releases | Research | Science | Technology | UW and the community

Earth as hybrid planet: New classification scheme places Anthropocene era in astrobiological context

A team of researchers including the UW’s Marina Alberti has devised a new classification scheme for the evolutionary stages of worlds based on “non-equilibrium thermodynamics” — a planet’s energy flow being out of synch, as the presence of life could cause.