UW News
The latest news from the UW
March 2, 2016
UW aids city of Seattle on open data initiative
If people find it easier to get data from the city of Seattle going forward, they can in part thank the University of Washington. A team of UW faculty members and doctoral students spent the past six months working with the city on a new open data policy unveiled last week by Mayor Ed Murray….
Tag(s): eScience Institute • Urban Infrastructure Lab • Urban@UWMarch 1, 2016
The Animals to Hendrix: Authors discuss soundtrack of Vietnam War at March 7 event
For soldiers serving in the Vietnam War, music was a salve, a connection to home and a temporary respite from the horrors of combat. In “We Gotta Get Out of This Place,” Rolling Stone’s #1 Best Music Book of 2015, Doug Bradley and Craig Werner explore the importance of music to U.S. troops in Vietnam,…
Ice cores, polar bears and whale sounds at 11th Polar Science Weekend
Investigate a real ice core from Greenland, survey microbes from the coldest parts of the world, explore an Arctic ice camp and meet with polar scientists – many of whom are from the University of Washington. It’s all part of Polar Science Weekend, returning to Seattle’s Pacific Science Center March 4-6. The three-day event features…
Tag(s): Applied Physics Laboratory • College of the EnvironmentFebruary 29, 2016
Life or illusion? Avoiding ‘false positives’ in the search for living worlds
New research from the UW-based Virtual Planetary Laboratory will help astronomers better identify — and thus rule out — “false positives” in the search for life beyond Earth.
Tag(s): Department of Astronomy • Edward Schwieterman • Giada Arney • Rodrigo Luger • Rory Barnes • Victoria Meadows • Virtual Planetary Laboratory
Doctor, patient expectations differ on fitness and lifestyle tracking
With apps and activity trackers measuring every step people take, morsel they eat, and each symptom or pain, patients commonly arrive at doctor’s offices armed with self-tracked data. Yet health care providers lack the capacity or tools to review five years of Fitbit logs or instantaneously interpret data patients have been collecting about themselves, according to new UW research.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering • Sean Munson
NASA data used to track groundwater in Pakistan
Pakistan’s water managers are using NASA satellites to more effectively monitor groundwater supplies, thanks to a partnership with UW civil and environmental engineers. It’s part of a larger effort to use the vast amount of data and observations collected by Earth-orbiting satellites to better quality of life in developing countries.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering • Faisal Hossain
Statewide home sales, affordability up in fourth quarter of 2015
Home sale prices were up fractionally in the fourth quarter of 2015 compared to the third quarter but up 9.7 percent compared with the previous year, according to the UW’s Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies.
Tag(s): Peter Orser • Runstad Department of Real Estate
University Book Store to relocate South Campus Store’s services and products to flagship store
University Book Store announced Thursday that it has opted to close its store in the University’s South Campus building and move its products and services to the flagship store on University Way Northeast. Though the relocation date has yet to be determined, University Book Store is planning for sometime before June. “Our lease was up for…
Tag(s): University Book Store
UW ranks No. 7 on Business First’s top 10 list
The University of Washington was ranked No. 7 by Business First, a Buffalo-based publication, for America’s top 10 best public colleges and universities, the publication released Tuesday, Feb. 23. Business First, owned by American City Business Journals, used a 20-part formula based on academic excellence, prestige, affordability, diversity and economic strength to calculate each of the 477 participating…
February 26, 2016
2016 UW cherry blossom watch: 100 percent in bloom
The cherry trees in the Quad at UW will likely be in full bloom the week of March 14.
Tag(s): cherry blossoms • Sara Shores
Transgender children supported in their identities show positive mental health
Studies of mental health among transgender people in the United States have been consistently grim, showing higher rates of depression, anxiety and suicide. But almost nothing is known about the mental health of a new and growing generation of transgender Americans — prepubescent children who are living openly as transgender with the support of their…
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Psychology • Kristina Olson • transgenderFebruary 25, 2016
Driverless cars could increase reliance on roads
Driverless vehicles could intensify car use — reducing or even eliminating promised energy savings and environmental benefits, a new study co-authored by a University of Washington researcher finds. If people can work, relax and even hold meetings in their fully automated vehicles, they may drive more.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering • Don MacKenzie
Documents that Changed the World: The Declaration of Independence’s deleted passage on slavery, 1776
The latest installment of Information School professor Joe Janes’ podcast series Documents that Changed the World discusses 168 powerful words condemning slavery that were excised from the Declaration of Independence at the last minute.
Tag(s): Blackpast.org • Documents that Changed the World • Information School • Joe Janes • Quintard Taylor
Herring fishery’s strength is in the sum of its parts, study finds
Just like a strong financial portfolio contains shares from different companies, the diverse subpopulations of herring from different bays and beaches around Puget Sound collectively keep the total population more stable, a new study finds.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Puget Sound Institute • School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences • Tessa Francis • UW TacomaFebruary 24, 2016
Arts Roundup: Dance Majors Concert, Vivaldi’s ‘Four Seasons’ – and Buy Art
It’s a busy week for the arts: the School of Drama collaborates with Seattle Children’s Theatre, Pacific MusicWorks presents Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” and the UW Concert and Campus Bands perform their winter quarter concert. Experience contemporary dance at the UW Dance Majors concert and head over to the School of Art + Art History +…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • Department of Dance • Henry Art Gallery • School of Art + Art History + Design • School of Drama • School of Music
University of Washington, Gonzaga University announce UW medical school partnership, launch initiative to advance medical education and research in Spokane region
The University of Washington and Gonzaga University have signed an agreement to continue, enhance and expand medical education and research in Spokane.
Clean, efficient cookstoves from UW-industry partnership to be manufactured in Kenya
A more efficient and clean wood-burning cookstove — developed by Vashon Island’s BURN Design Lab and UW mechanical engineers — will reduce the amount of fuel families need to collect or buy by 55 percent. It will also reduce exposure to the harmful particulate pollution produced by traditional cooking flames.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Mechanical Engineering • John Kramlich • Jonathan Posner
Employee open forum March 2 for UW HR/Payroll Integrated Service Center
UW employees are invited to attend an open forum March 2 to learn more about the university’s plans to create an HR/Payroll Integrated Service Center.
February 23, 2016
For weather forecasting, precise observations matter more than butterflies
Small disturbances, like the flapping of a butterfly’s wings, don’t really matter for weather forecasts. More important is boosting the accuracy of observations at larger scales.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Dale Durran • Department of Atmospheric Sciences • weather
UW engineers achieve Wi-Fi at 10,000 times lower power
With “Passive Wi-Fi,” UW computer scientists and electrical engineers have generated Wi-Fi transmissions using 10,000 times less power than conventional methods. The system can transmit Wi-Fi signals at rates up to 11 megabits per second — lower than maximum Wi-Fi speeds but 11 times faster than Bluetooth — that can be decoded on any of the billions of devices with Wi-Fi connectivity.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering • Joshua Smith • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering • Shyam Gollakota
Four UW scientists awarded Sloan Fellowships for early-career research
Four faculty members at the University of Washington have been awarded early-career fellowships from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The new Sloan Fellows, announced Feb. 23, include Bingni Brunton, assistant professor of biology; Christopher Laumann, assistant professor of physics; Matthew McQuinn, assistant professor of astronomy; and Emina Torlak, assistant professor of computer science and engineering….
Tag(s): awards • Bingni Brunton • Christopher Laumann • College of Arts & Sciences • College of Engineering • Department of Astronomy • Department of Biology • Department of Physics • Emina Torlak • eScience Institute • Matthew McQuinn • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & EngineeringFebruary 22, 2016
University of Washington named a ‘top producer’ of Fulbright students
The University of Washington is one of the top producers of Fulbright students for 2015-16, according to lists released Monday in the Chronicle of Higher Education.
February 19, 2016
Safari tourism: Costs, benefits studied in Benjamin Gardner’s book ‘Selling the Serengeti’
Benjamin Gardner, associate professor in UW Bothell’s School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences and chair of the Jackson School of International Studies’ African Studies Program, discusses his new book “Selling the Serengeti: The Cultural Politics of Safari Tourism.”
Tag(s): African Studies Program • Benjamin Gardner • books • College of Arts & Sciences • Jackson School of International Studies • UW Bothell
UW part of team that drilled first deep ice core at the South Pole
UW glaciologists helped drill the first deep ice core at the South Pole, which will provide new clues to Antarctica’s climate history.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Department of Earth and Space Sciences • Eric Steig • glaciers • polar science
Dangerous fishing may be endangered, new study finds
A new study of fishing practices found that the “risky” behavior that makes fishing one of the most dangerous lines of work dropped sharply following the adoption of catch shares management in the West Coast fixed gear sablefish fishery.
February 18, 2016
Three UW professors win Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers
Three members of the UW faculty have received the 2016 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor given by the U.S. government to early-career scientists and engineers.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • College of Engineering • David Masiello • Department of Chemistry • Luke Zettlemoyer • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering • Shwetak Patel
David Levy addresses digital overload in ‘Mindful Tech’
David Levy of the UW Information School discusses his new book, “Mindful Tech: How to Bring Balance to our Digital Lives,” published in January by Yale University Press.
Tag(s): books • David Levy • Information School
University of Washington produces the most Peace Corps volunteers for 2nd consecutive year
For the second year in a row, the University of Washington produced the most Peace Corps volunteers among large universities with 72 Huskies currently serving around the world. The UW is also ranked No. 4 among graduate schools with 16 alumni currently volunteering. “Community engagement – here and across the globe – is part of what makes…
Tag(s): Peace Corps • RankingsFebruary 17, 2016
Arts Roundup: Pianist Robin McCabe, Percussion Ensemble – and ‘The Walk Across America for Mother Earth’
The School of Drama’s new production, “The Walk Across America for Mother Earth,” opens this week. The School of Music presents piano, viola and percussion performances, and the School of Art + Art History + Design offers the latest Critical Issues in Contemporary Art Practice lecture at the Henry Art Gallery. Critical Issues in Contemporary…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • School of Art + Art History + Design • School of Drama • School of Music
NASA-funded consortium to support science education in Washington, Oregon and Montana
A new program based at the University of Washington will bring together educational institutions, K-12 teachers and informal education organizations to inspire, teach and recruit the next generation of students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The new Northwest Earth and Space Sciences Pipeline, or NESSP, has begun a $10 million, five-year cooperative agreement with NASA…
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Department of Earth and Space Sciences • education • Robert WingleeFebruary 12, 2016
Caught in the act: UW astronomers find a rare supernova ‘impostor’ in a nearby galaxy
UW astronomers Breanna Binder and Ben Williams have identified a rare type of ‘supernova impostor’ in a nearby galaxy, with implications for how scientists look at the short, complex lives of massive stars.
Tag(s): astronomy & astrophysics • Benjamin Williams • Breanna Binder • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Astronomy
Rare beluga data show whales dive to maximize meals
As the Arctic continues to change due to rising temperatures, melting sea ice and human interest in developing oil and shipping routes, it’s important to understand belugas’ baseline behavior, argue the authors of a new paper.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Donna Hauser • Kristin Laidre • School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
UW scientists create ultrathin semiconductor heterostructures for new technological applications
University of Washington scientists have successfully combined two different ultrathin semiconductors — each just one layer of atoms thick and roughly 100,000 times thinner than a human hair — to make a new two-dimensional heterostructure with potential uses in clean energy and optically-active electronics.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • College of Engineering • Department of Materials Science & Engineering • Department of Physics • Xiaodong XuFebruary 11, 2016
Male biology students consistently underestimate female peers, study finds
Female college students are more likely to abandon studies in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines than their male classmates, and new research from the University of Washington suggests that those male peers may play a key role in undermining their confidence. Published this week in the journal PLOS ONE, the study found that…
Tag(s): bias & discrimination • Dan Grunspan • education • gender • Sarah Eddy
Bellingham Bay buoy an opportunity to observe marine waters for Northwest Indian College, world
The Center for Coastal Margin Observation and Prediction, through its education partner the University of Washington, is deploying an oceanographic observing buoy in Bellingham Bay this week that will allow Northwest Indian College students both hands-on experience with the technology as well as the ability to study the data from their computers, through the Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems, NANOOS.
Tag(s): Applied Physics Laboratory • College of the Environment • Jan Newton • NANOOS • School of Oceanography
Gravitational waves detected 100 years after Einstein’s prediction
For the first time, scientists have observed ripples in the fabric of spacetime called gravitational waves, arriving at the Earth from a cataclysmic event in the distant universe. This confirms a major prediction of Albert Einstein’s 1915 general theory of relativity and opens an unprecedented new window onto the cosmos.
Tag(s): astronomy & astrophysics • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Physics • Jens GundlachFebruary 10, 2016
Arts Roundup: UW Symphony, Béla Fleck – and ‘New Drama’
Music is at the forefront this week: the UW Symphony Orchestra gears up to play alongside guest violinist Glenn Dicterow, the Mallethead series returns with a percussion performance in Meany Studio Theater, and world-famous folk artists Béla Fleck and Abagail Washburn give a concert at Meany Hall. The Henry Art Gallery hosts two public events…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • Henry Art Gallery • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • School of Drama • School of MusicFebruary 9, 2016
UW’s Professional & Organizational Development team wins national leadership award
If you are a University of Washington supervisor, you have probably participated in the Strategic Leadership Program — a customized training program enhancing communication and managerial skill. Developed and taught by University of Washington Professional & Organizational Development, the program has graduated over 4000 supervisors since it launched almost 16 years ago. On Feb. 4,…
Tag(s): Professional & Organizational DevelopmentFebruary 8, 2016
UW biology professor is a finalist for top conservation prize
P. Dee Boersma, a University of Washington professor of biology and Wadsworth Endowed Chair in Conservation Science, is one of six finalists for the prestigious Indianapolis Prize for conservation. Boersma is the first UW faculty member nominated for this prize — the highest honor for animal conservationists — which has been awarded every other year since 2006.
Tag(s): awards • College of Arts & Sciences • conservation • Dee Boersma • Department of Biology
Intellectual House, Odegaard Library welcome new works of public art
The University of Washington campus already is home to a lot of great public art. Now there are two additions to the campus collection — one at the Odegaard Undergraduate Library and the other at wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House.
Tag(s): Lyndsey Cameron • Odegaard Undergraduate Library • UW Public Arts Commission • wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ - Intellectual House« Previous Page Next Page »
