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The latest news from the UW

Administrative affairs | For UW employees | UW and the community

November 3, 2016

Jeffrey Scott named executive vice president for finance and administration at the University of Washington

Jeffrey F. Scott has been named executive vice president for finance and administration (EVP) at the University of Washington, President Ana Mari Cauce announced today. Currently Senior Vice President at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Scott will provide leadership for the central business services of the University, including finance and facilities, human resources, information technology, and capital planning and development. He starts Dec. 5. “Jeff Scott brings a wealth of diversified and highly relevant experience in the public and private…

Arts and entertainment

November 2, 2016

Arts Roundup: Pianist Joyce Yang, UW Symphony – and Meet the Mammals

This week in the arts: the Henry Art Gallery opens an exhibition of works by Chuck Close and Meany Center for the Performing Arts presents programs by a classical pianist and a contemporary dance ensemble. Catch the UW Symphony’s first concert of the year or stop by the Burke Museum for its annual Meet the Mammals day. Joyce Yang 7:30 p.m., November 3 | Meany Theater Joyce Yang captivates audiences across the globe with her stunning virtuosity, combined with heartfelt…

Social science | UW and the community | UW News blog

October 31, 2016

UW hosts two-day event on urban environmental justice

From access to green space to pollution exposure, environmental issues in cities often disproportionately impact low-income communities and people of color. Climate change can exacerbate those issues, affecting everything from housing to food systems. And growing numbers of people moving to urban areas further strains infrastructure and creates additional challenges. The complex interplay between urban development, climate change and environmental and social justice is the focus of a two-day symposium to be held at the University of Washington Nov. 7…

Environment | Research | Science | Social science | UW News blog

October 28, 2016

Interdisciplinary inspiration: Special journal edition honors multitalented UW alum, NOAA economist

In a tribute to a local natural resources economist’s life and career, former colleagues and collaborators — including several UW researchers and many alums — have contributed articles published this week in a special edition of the environmental science journal Coastal Management.

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

October 27, 2016

Book by political scientist Victor Menaldo debunks notion of ‘resource curse’

“The Institutions Curse,” a new book by UW political scientist Victor Menaldo, finds a new explanation for the “resource curse” problem — the idea that resource-rich countries tend to be burdened with corrupt governments and underdeveloped economies.

Arts and entertainment

October 26, 2016

Arts Roundup: Calidore String Quartet, I Dig Dinos – and a Halloween Organ Concert

Celebrate Halloween with a concert of spooky organ classics in Kane Hall or a dinosaur dress-up party at the Burke Museum. Catch performances from jazz pianist Marc Seales, the Calidore String Quartet, or fado singer Mariza. The Jacob Lawrence Gallery celebrates the centennial anniversary of its namesake’s birth with a new exhibition. Calidore String Quartet 7:30 p.m., October 27 | Meany Theater The award-winning Calidore String Quartet performs a program of chamber music by Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Schumann at Meany…

UW and the community | UW News blog

New permanent ballot box located outside UW’s Schmitz Hall

A new permanent ballot drop box is now located on the north side of Schmitz Hall. King County voters can drop off their completed ballots any time between Oct. 20 and 8 p.m. on election day, Tuesday, Nov. 8. Schmitz Hall is at 1400 NE Campus Parkway. The ballot box is located by the north entrance on NE 41st Street.The new box replaces the King County Elections van that was previously parked in Red Square during the weeks leading up…

Buildings and grounds | Environment | Science | UW and the community | UW News blog

Completed boardwalk trail in Yesler Swamp offers access to wildlife, natural areas

The UW’s Yesler Swamp, part of the Union Bay Natural Area along Lake Washington, has a newly completed, fully handicapped-accessible boardwalk trail that loops throughout the wetland, offering opportunities for birdwatching, exercise and a chance to experience nature in the heart of the city.

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

For the first time in humans, researchers use brain surface stimulation to provide ‘touch’ feedback to direct movement

For the first time in humans, UW Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering (CSNE) researchers have used direct stimulation of the human brain surface to provide basic sensory feedback through artificial electrical signals, enabling patients to control movement while opening and closing their hand.

Education | Social science | UW News blog

New NSF initiative to bring ‘real-world’ mathematics to elementary education

The National Science Foundation will fund a three-year, $1.5 million research project to study teaching and learning of mathematical modeling in elementary education. Julia Aguirre, an associate professor of mathematics education at the University of Washington Tacoma, is one of four principal investigators leading the endeavor. “Mathematical modeling is a process of using mathematics to analyze a ‘real-world’ problem, represent it using mathematical concepts, make predictions and take action,” said Aguirre. “It’s used widely in business, science, technology and engineering…

Honors and awards | News releases | UW and the community

UW maintains No. 11 position in US News Best Global Universities ranking; third among public institutions

The University of Washington maintained its No. 11 spot in the 2017 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Global Universities rankings. The UW remains the third-ranked public university on the global list, behind University of California, Berkeley (fourth) and UCLA (10th). “This recognition reflects the work of our faculty and students in seeking answers to problems of global import in the areas of health and medicine, physical sciences and social sciences,” UW President Ana Mari Cauce said. “We…

Administrative affairs | Buildings and grounds | For UW employees | News releases | Research | UW and the community

University of Washington Population Health Initiative receives transformative gift from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

The University of Washington’s Population Health Initiative, which aims to bring together the research and resources of the UW and partners around the Puget Sound and beyond to improve the health and well-being of people around the world, has received a significant vote of support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the university announced Tuesday. In May, the UW launched an initiative to develop a 25-year vision to improve population health locally and globally by focusing on three key…

Engineering | News releases | Research | Technology

October 24, 2016

Uber service faster in low income Seattle neighborhoods, initial study finds

Your wait time for an Uber ride in Seattle is shorter if you are in a lower income neighborhood. Alternatively, wait times are longer for an Uber in wealthier neighborhoods, according to a new University of Washington study that measures one dimension of whether TNCs are providing equitable access.

Engineering | Health and medicine | Honors and awards | Technology | UW and the community | UW News blog

HCDE professor’s invention wins Popular Science 2016 ‘Best of What’s New’ award

An IV drip technology developed by Shift Labs, founded by University of Washington Human Centered Design and Engineering Professor Beth Kolko, has been recognized by Popular Science with a 2016 “Best of What’s New” Award.

Engineering | Honors and awards | Science | UW News blog

October 21, 2016

Research in complex computational problems snares Packard honors for UW’s Thomas Rothvoss

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation has awarded a prestigious fellowship to University of Washington assistant professor Thomas Rothvoss to fuel his passion to balance precision and efficiency in complex mathematical calculations. The Packard Foundation Fellowships for Science and Engineering honor early-career academics pursuing innovative research in all fields of science and engineering. “It’s a great honor — and frankly, I’m still digesting the news,” said Rothvoss, who has joint appointments with the Department of Mathematics and the Department of…

Arts and entertainment

October 19, 2016

Arts Roundup: Iphigenia and Other Daughters, The Kreutzer Sonata – and Music of Today

This week, the University of Washington launches its philanthropic campaign with a live multimedia experience. The School of Drama revisits a classical tale, and faculty performances are front and center at the School of Music. Swing by the Henry for an exhibition that explores the history of transgender communities in the Pacific Northwest. Iphigenia and Other Daughters October 18- 30 | Glenn Hughes Penthouse Theater The School of Drama opens its 2016-2017 season with modern retelling of the ancient Greek…

Engineering | Honors and awards | Research | Science | Technology | UW News blog

Popular Science picks DNA data storage project for 2016 ‘Best of What’s New’ Award

A technique to store and retrieve digital data in DNA developed by University of Washington and Microsoft researchers is one of the most innovative and game-changing technologies of the year, according to Popular Science’s 2016 “Best of What’s New” Awards.

Buildings and grounds | Politics and government | UW and the community | UW News blog

October 18, 2016

Documentary, archive to remember the ‘Seattle Freeway Revolt’

Minda Martin had not lived in Seattle long before, on a walking tour, she noticed the famously truncated “ramps to nowhere” in the Washington Park Arboretum. A filmmaker and faculty member at UW Bothell, she was fascinated — and inspired. “I was stunned by these giant freeway stumps covered in ivy along land that didn’t seem to belong to anyone,” said Martin, who moved to Seattle in 2013. “But it was clearly important to a large variety of folks who…

Arts and entertainment | Environment | Science | UW News blog

October 12, 2016

In new book, UW’s Estella Leopold revisits childhood at the family shack, described in Aldo Leopold’s best-seller ‘A Sand County Almanac’

Estella Leopold, a University of Washington professor emeritus of biology, has written a new memoir of her formative years, “Stories from the Leopold Shack: Sand County Revisited.” She describes life on the land where her father, Aldo Leopold, practiced the revolutionary conservation philosophy described in his famous book of essays “A Sand County Almanac.”

Education | News releases | Research | Social science | Technology

Why do some STEM fields have fewer women than others? UW study may have the answer

Women’s relative lack of participation in science, technology, engineering and math is well documented, but why women are more represented in some STEM areas than others is less clear. A new University of Washington study is among the first to address that question by comparing gender disparities across STEM fields. Published Oct. 12 in the journal Psychological Bulletin, the paper identifies three main factors driving the disparity — and the most powerful one, the researchers conclude, is a “masculine culture”…

Arts and entertainment

Arts Roundup: Chamber Dance Company, Mindfulness Meditation – and Stylus Fantasticus

The Chamber Dance Company celebrates the birth of post-modern dance in Meany Hall, the School of Drama opens its season with a modern retelling of a Greek classic, and School of Music faculty members Stephen Stubbs and Tekla Cunningham give a performance of 17th century works. The Henry Art Gallery invites the public to practice mindfulness meditation and the Burke Museum celebrates the rugged beauty of the Wild Nearby.   Chamber Dance Company October 13-16 | Meany Theater The UW…

Health and medicine | News releases | Politics and government | Research | Social science | UW and the community

Cars vs. health: UW’s Moudon, Dannenberg contribute to Lancet series on urban planning, public health

Automobiles — and the planning and infrastructure to support them — are making our cities sick, says an international group of researchers now publishing a three-part series in the British medical journal The Lancet.

Technology | UW News blog

UW law professor Ryan Calo to join experts at White House conference

Ryan Calo, an assistant professor in the University of Washington School of Law, will be among national experts at a White House event tomorrow on innovations in science and technology. A nationally known expert on robotics and privacy law, Calo will speak at the White House Frontiers Conference at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University on Oct. 13. He will be part of a panel moderated by President Obama’s chief of staff, Denis McDonough, and will discuss the role…

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

As online retailing booms, new Urban Freight Lab to work with industry, SDOT on delivery challenges

As online retailing booms, the new UW Urban Freight Lab will partner with UPS, Costco, Nordstrom and SDOT to research solutions for businesses delivering goods in urban settings and cities trying to manage limited street space.

Buildings and grounds | Engineering | News releases | Technology

October 6, 2016

CSE gets major boost with $10 million donation from Amazon

Amazon is giving a major push to the campaign to build a second Computer Science & Engineering building on the University of Washington campus with a $10 million gift, the university announced Thursday. “Our state’s economy — and the world’s economy — depends on innovation and on innovators. UW graduates with skills in computer science are highly sought after, yet we are turning away excellent students who want to pursue studies in the field because we simply don’t have enough…

Arts and entertainment

October 5, 2016

Arts Roundup: The Silk Road Ensemble, Birds at the Burke – and Double Rainbow All the Way

It’s a busy week for the arts: The Silk Road Ensemble and Mark Morris Dance Group collaborate on a new work at Meany Center; School of Music artist-in-residence Greg Sinibaldi gives the first faculty recital of the school year, and the Burke Museum hosts its annual “Birds at the Burke” day. The Henry Art Gallery presents artwork by American artist Senga Nengudi and the Jacob Lawrence Gallery showcases work by second-year MFA students. Mark Morris Dance Group with the Silk…

Administrative affairs | Buildings and grounds | For UW employees | News releases | Politics and government | UW and the community

Building ‘up not out’: Draft UW Campus Master Plan for 2018 now seeking public input

A new proposed draft Campus Master Plan for 2018 sees the University of Washington’s Seattle campus growing up rather than out — building a little higher, filling in with more density, not expanding its borders, helping to ease transportation flow and creating big new green spaces. 2018 draft Campus Master Plan — opportunities for public comment: Online open house: Oct. 12, noon to 1 p.m. Sign up online. Open house: October 18, noon to 2 p.m. Cascade Room, Haggett Hall…