The latest news from the UW

October 12, 2016

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…

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.

Environment | News releases | Research | Science

October 11, 2016

Morel mushrooms pop up, cluster together after wildfires

A new study finds that morel mushrooms cluster in groups across burned areas in the forest after a wildfire. It’s one of the only scientific studies to actually quantify morels’ abundance after a fire.

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…

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…

Environment | News releases | Research | Science

Atlantic Ocean’s slowdown tied to changes in the Southern Hemisphere

Unlike in the movies, and in some theories of climate change, the recent slowdown of Atlantic Ocean circulation is not connected with the melting of the Arctic sea ice. Instead, it seems to be connected to shifts around the southern tip of Africa.

Learning | Politics and government | UW and the community

‘A Hug from Afar’: A Sephardic family’s journey of escape as World War II looms

Prof. Devin Naar of the Jackson School’s Stroum Center for Jewish Studies discusses the book “A Hug from Afar: One Family’s Dramatic Journey Through Three Continents to Escape the Holocaust,” by Claire Barkey Flash, for which Naar wrote the foreword.

$4M grant funds new UW RAPID Facility to investigate natural disasters worldwide

A new UW disaster investigation center funded by a $4 million National Science Foundation grant will collect and analyze critical data that’s often lost in the immediate aftermath of hurricanes and earthquakes but that can help create more resilient communities.

UW and the community | UW News blog

October 4, 2016

First Livable City Year projects underway; kickoff event Oct. 6

The Livable City Year program will formally celebrate the start of its first year at 10 a.m. Oct. 6 at wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House on the UW’s campus in a kickoff event open to all. Professors leading Livable City Year courses this fall will talk about their projects, followed by time for Q&A.

Honors and awards | News releases | Research | Science

UW Professor Emeritus David J. Thouless wins Nobel Prize in physics for exploring exotic states of matter

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced Tuesday that David James Thouless, professor emeritus at the University of Washington, will share the 2016 Nobel Prize in physics with two of his colleagues. Thouless splits the prize with Professor F. Duncan M. Haldane of Princeton University and Professor J. Michael Kosterlitz of Brown University “for theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter,” according to the prize announcement from the Academy. Half the prize goes to Thouless while Haldane and Kosterlitz divide the remaining half. Thouless is the UW’s seventh Nobel laureate, and second in physics after Hans Dehmelt in 1989.

New LGBTQ Activism in Seattle History project debuts Oct. 10

The UW’s Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project has an important new component — the LGBTQ Activism in Seattle History Project. There will be a public launch at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 10, in Room 340 of the HUB.

Oct. 10 bioengineering lecture focuses on accelerating drug delivery

Accelerating growth in effectively delivering new oral and transdermal drug delivery techniques will be the focus of the University of Washington Department of Bioengineering’s 2016 Allan S. Hoffman Lecture on Oct. 10.

Engineering | News releases | Research | Science | Technology

October 3, 2016

New protein bridges chemical divide for ‘seamless’ bioelectronics devices

In a paper published Sept. 22 in Scientific Reports, engineers at the University of Washington unveiled peptides that could help bridge the gap where artificial meets biological — harnessing biological rules to exchange information between the biochemistry of our bodies and the chemistry of our devices.

Engineering | For UW employees | Technology | UW and the community | UW News blog

Engineering lecture series focuses on building safe, resilient communities

As the fourth-fastest growing city in the United States, Seattle faces important questions in its quest to remain a resilient and sustainable community. Can we build to withstand natural disasters, reduce environmental toxins as consumption rises, meet urban transportation challenges so food, supplies and consumer products can get where they need to go? Over the next month, College of Engineering’s annual fall lecture series will feature faculty focusing on these questions and developing technologies to build more resilient urban communities….

September 30, 2016

‘We the people’: All invited to UW Constitution read-aloud event Oct. 7

UW Libraries is inviting the public to Suzzallo Library at lunchtime on Oct. 7 to listen to — or participate in — the annual reading of the United States Constitution.

Environment | Research | Science | UW News blog

CO2 record at Mauna Loa, the music video: The sounds of climate change

University of Washington scientists have put world’s longest-running measure of atmospheric carbon dioxide to music. The result is a 90-second rendition of human-induced climate change: The video project was done by Judy Twedt, a UW doctoral student in atmospheric sciences, and Dargan Frierson, a UW associate professor of atmospheric sciences and amateur musician. Their techno soundtrack maps musical notes to the Keeling Curve, a 58-year record of carbon dioxide measured high in the atmosphere at the Mauna Loa Observatory in…

Environment | Research | Science | UW News blog

September 29, 2016

UW gets NOAA grant to begin testing new forecast for toxic shellfish

UW oceanographers are working on a system that will act like a ‘weather forecast’ for Pacific Northwest harmful algal blooms.

Environment | News releases | Research | Science

Ocean conditions contributed to unprecedented 2015 toxic algal bloom

A study led by researchers at the University of Washington and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration connects the unprecedented West Coast toxic algal bloom of 2015 to the unusually warm ocean conditions — nicknamed “the blob” — in winter and spring of that year.

September 28, 2016

UW ranked among the top five most innovative universities in the world by Reuters

The University of Washington landed at No. 5 on The Reuters 100: The World’s Most Innovative Universities. Now in its second year, the list ranks the educational institutions doing the most to advance science, invent new technologies and help drive the global economy.

News releases

September 27, 2016

UW works to boost faculty diversity through recruitment and retention efforts

Like post-secondary schools across the country, the University of Washington has struggled to attract and retain a talented, diverse faculty. But efforts that have been quietly underway for a few years are starting to pay off, attracting top-level candidates to the UW even over schools that are able to offer bigger salaries and more perks. That work involves not simply convincing excellent candidates to come to the UW, but creating a supportive and inclusive environment that prompts them to stay,…

Uncategorized

Researchers modify yeast to show how plants respond to a key hormone

Researchers at the University of Washington have developed a novel toolkit based on modified yeast cells to tease out how plant genes and proteins respond to auxin, the most ubiquitous plant hormone. Their system, described in a paper published Sept. 19 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, allowed them to decode auxin’s basic effects on the diverse family of genes that plants utilize to detect and interpret auxin-driven messages.

NSF award to launch citizen science initiative across Pacific Rim

A team of researchers led by the University of Washington believes creating a network of community-based science is possible with new support from the National Science Foundation.

Environment | News releases | Research | Science

Missing fish catch data? Not necessarily a problem, new study says

A new study by University of Washington scientists finds that in many cases, misreporting caught fish doesn’t always translate to overfishing. The study was published online this month in the journal Fish and Fisheries.

Engineering | News releases | Research | Science

Secure passwords can be sent through your body, instead of air

UW engineers have devised a way to send secure passwords through the human body, instead of over the air where they’re vulnerable to hacking.

Honors and awards | Politics and government | UW and the community | UW News blog

September 23, 2016

‘If these shackles could speak’: Charles Johnson’s powerful statement for Smithsonian Magazine feature on new African American Museum of History and Culture

Charles Johnson, UW professor emeritus of English, wrote a statement to accompany an item to be displayed in the new National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. What he wrote also was featured in a special issue of Smithsonian Magazine.

UW lands at No. 25, fourth among U.S. public institutions, in Times Higher Education world ranking

The University of Washington landed at No. 25 on the Times Higher Education world rankings for 2017, released this week. The UW is fourth on the list among U.S. public universities, behind UC Berkeley, UCLA, and Michigan.

Environment | News releases | Research | Science

How natural selection acted on one penguin species over the past quarter century

University of Washington biologist Dee Boersma and her colleagues combed through 28 years’ worth of data on Magellanic penguins to search for signs that natural selection — one of the main drivers of evolution — may be acting on certain penguin traits. As they report in a paper published Sept. 21 in The Auk: Ornithological Advances, selection is indeed at work on the penguins at the Punta Tombo breeding site in Argentina.

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

Week-long exhibit in La Conner joins climate scientists, artists

UW scientists worked with artists for an exhibit at the Museum of Northwest Art focusing on climate change impacts on coastal communities.

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

September 22, 2016

5 UW professors among HHMI’s inaugural class of Faculty Scholars

Amid a decline in funding for scientific research, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute is partnering with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Simons Foundation to launch a new Faculty Scholars program. Announced Sept. 22 by HHMI, the inaugural crop of early-career scientists includes 5 faculty members from the University of Washington.

Administrative affairs | Honors and awards | Research | Science | UW News blog

September 21, 2016

UW jumps to No. 2 in the world for clinical medicine, pharmacy; remains No. 6 in life sciences

The University of Washington moved up to No. 2 in the world for clinical medicine and pharmacy in the 2016 Academic Ranking of World Universities by Broad Subject Fields.

News releases | Research | Science | Social science

UW team to study baby teeth in effort to identify autism risk factors

University of Washington researchers are part of a national team that will study the baby teeth of children who have siblings with autism to determine if prenatal exposure to chemicals increases their risk of developing the disorder. The study will involve testing children’s teeth for levels of environmental chemicals that they might have been exposed to in the womb, a critical time for neurodevelopment. Additionally, for a smaller number of children whose genetic data has been collected, the researchers hope…

UW receives $500,000 from Boeing to enhance STEM training, opportunities for local students

Boeing announced Wednesday it is awarding $6 million in grants to more than 50 nonprofit organizations and education institutions across Washington, including $500,000 to the University of Washington.

Arts and entertainment | Politics and government | UW and the community | UW News blog

September 20, 2016

New film about British Holocaust trial has UW connection

“Denial,” a new movie about an American historian’s lengthy court battle with a British Holocaust denier, has a UW connection — Deborah Lipstadt, the film’s protagonist, taught at the UW early in her career.

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

September 19, 2016

UW wins national nanotechnology startup challenge for breast cancer treatment

Researchers at the University of Washington are among the winners of a startup challenge to shorten the transition time from lab bench to patient. The team, including members of professor Suzie Pun’s research group in the UW Department of Bioengineering, was selected based on its proposal and business plan to develop a targeted drug delivery system for breast cancer.

Honors and awards | News releases | Research | Science

Award for genetic tracking to rein in pangolin poaching

A team of conservationists at the University of Washington is among the Grand Prize Winners of the Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge for a proposal to identify poaching hotspots for pangolins, one of the most trafficked group of mammals in the world.

Environment | News releases | Research | Science

Microbes help plants survive in severe drought

Plants can better tolerate drought and other stressors with the help of natural microbes, University of Washington research has found. Specifically, plants that are given a dose of microbes stay green longer and are able to withstand drought conditions by growing more leaves and roots and using less water.

News releases | UW News blog

September 15, 2016

Poverty decreases, income inequality holds in Washington state

The share of Washingtonians living in poverty dropped from 13.2 percent to 12.2 percent between 2014 and 2015, according to new data released Thursday. Washington was one of 23 states with statistically significant declines in their poverty rates during that period. The remaining 27 states and the District of Columbia saw no change in their poverty rates. “It is good news that the poverty rate has dropped for a second year in a row in Washington state. However, the share…