UW News
The latest news from the UW
March 13, 2015
iSchool’s Technology & Social Change Group to study online education in developing countries
Online education has great potential to improve lives, but few people in developing countries have access to such classes. The UW Information School’s Technology & Social Change Group will conduct research as part of a $1.55 million multiagency initiative to study and address this need. The project will include research on online course enrollment in…
UW expert part of international research project on female genital cutting
Decades of efforts to end female genital cutting have resulted in some progress, but the ancient tradition stubbornly persists in many places. The latest initiative to tackle the issue is a $12 million research project launched this month by a consortium comprising several African organizations and two U.S. researchers: Bettina Shell-Duncan, a University of Washington…
March 12, 2015
Naturally acidic waters of Puget Sound surround UW’s Friday Harbor Labs
For more than 100 years, marine biologists at Friday Harbor Laboratories have studied the ecology of everything from tiny marine plants to giant sea stars. Now, as the oceans are undergoing a historic shift in chemistry, the lab is establishing itself as a place to study what that will mean for marine life. And the…
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Friday Harbor Laboratories • James Murray • ocean acidification • School of OceanographyMarch 11, 2015
‘Chaotic Earths’: Some habitable exoplanets could experience wildly unpredictable climates
New research by UW astronomer Rory Barnes and co-authors describes possible planetary systems where a gravitational nudge from one planet with just the right orbital configuration and tilt could have a mild to devastating effect on the orbit and climate of another, possibly habitable world.
Tag(s): Department of Astronomy • Rory Barnes • Russell Deitrick • Thomas Quinn • Victoria Meadows • Virtual Planetary Laboratory
Arts Roundup: Lectures, exhibitions — and pianist Olga Kern
This week, the UW World Series presents Russian pianist Olga Kern and the School of Art concludes its Critical Issues in Contemporary Art public lecture series. Other events include a free UW Campus Philharmonia concert in Kane Hall and the final weekend of the School of Drama’s “The Hostage.”
Tag(s): Henry Art Gallery • Jacob Lawrence Gallery • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • School of Art + Art History + Design • School of Drama • School of Music
Sephardic Studies document appears in PBS documentary ‘The Jewish Journey: America’
A document from the UW Sephardic Studies Program‘s Digital Library and Museum appears in a new PBS documentary called “The Jewish Journey: America.” The documentary will be broadcast at 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 16, on KBTC, Tacoma’s public broadcasting station, and is now available for viewing online as well. The hour-long film, directed by Emmy-winner…
March 10, 2015
Efficiency on display at first Organizational Excellence Showcase
Representatives from more than 50 University of Washington departments crowded into the HUB Lyceum on Tuesday afternoon to share recent workplace improvements at the first Organizational Excellence Showcase. “What’s most exciting to see is that there is a real appetite for continuous improvement and change on campus,” said Ruth Johnston, leader of Organizational Excellence and…
DRIVE/conference offers a deep dive into data mining
No matter what your business — from a nonprofit museum that wants to deepen visitor engagement to a chain store looking for new markets — it’s essential to be able to extract meaningful patterns and results from often massive reservoirs of data. Improving this “art and science” of data analysis, reporting and visualization is the…
An injectable UW polymer could keep soldiers, trauma patients from bleeding to death
University of Washington researchers have developed a new injectable polymer that strengthens blood clots, called PolySTAT. Administered in a simple shot, the polymer finds any unseen injuries and has the potential to keep trauma patients from bleeding to death before reaching medical care.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Bioengineering • Department of Chemical Engineering • Department of Emergency Medicine • Lilo Pozzo • Nathan White • School of Medicine • Suzie Pun • University of Washington Magazine
As home for Native learning opens, a dream is realized
Though it doesn’t officially open until March 12, the modern, longhouse-style building on the University of Washington campus is already steeped in significance. wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House represents a dream four decades in the making. It will be an anchor for indigenous students, a hub for Native learning and a means of acknowledging the Duwamish people whose…
Tag(s): wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ - Intellectual HouseMarch 9, 2015
UW leads nation in primary care, rural medicine and family medicine; top 10 in dozens of graduate programs
The University of Washington has 42 graduate schools and specialty programs among the nation’s top 10 in each area, according to U.S. News & World Report’s Graduate School Rankings released Tuesday. The UW again ranked as the No. 1 primary care medical school, while the rural medicine and family medicine specialties continue to lead the…
Tag(s): Rankings
Study shows teens and adults hazy on Washington marijuana law
More than two years after Washington legalized marijuana, parents and teens may be hazy on the specifics of the law, if the findings of a new study are any indication. University of Washington research, published recently in Substance Use & Misuse, found that only 57 percent of Washington parents surveyed knew the legal age for…
Tag(s): Kevin Haggerty • Marijuana • School of Social Work • Social Development Research Group • University of Washington MagazineMarch 6, 2015
Official Notices: Regents meeting March 12
The Meeting of the Board of Regents on Thursday, March 12, at UW Bothell in the Rose Room, Founders Hall, UW1-280. The first committee meeting is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. The Regular Board meeting is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. Meeting information is now available online.
Study: Lower property values match high body-weight index in King County
New research from the UW College of Built Environments on the “spatial clustering of obesity” in urban areas has helped clarify and build upon work a 2007 study began. The takeaway, in brief: In King County, Washington, at least, low property values match with high body-mass indexes, or BMIs in less diverse, lower-income South King…
March 4, 2015
Women Who Rock host fifth annual (un)conference on Saturday
The power of social media in fueling movements such as Black Lives Matter, the racial justice campaign sprung from last year’s protests in Ferguson, Missouri, has become increasingly evident in recent years. Recognition of those grassroots efforts is the focus of the fifth annual Women Who Rock “unconference” event, to be held Saturday, March 7,…
Arts Roundup: Music, drama — and the Dance Majors Concerts
From drama to dance to dinosaurs, it’s an exciting week in the arts. The School of Drama’s production of “The Hostage” continues, the Burke Museum presents Dino Day and the School of Music offers a plethora of performances including Music from the Great War and Studio Jazz and Modern Bands.
Tag(s): Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • Henry Art Gallery • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • School of Art + Art History + Design • School of Drama • School of Music • Undergraduate Theater SocietyMarch 3, 2015
On thin ice: Combined Arctic ice observations show decades of loss
Historic submarine and modern satellite records show that ice thickness in the central Arctic Ocean dropped by 65 percent from 1975 to 2012. September ice thickness, when the ice cover is at a minimum, dropped by 85 percent.
Tag(s): Applied Physics Laboratory • Axel Schweiger • climate change • polar science • Ron Lindsay • sea ice • University of Washington MagazineFebruary 27, 2015
Watch UW team test a new asteroid-sampling rocket
Take five minutes and experience the life of a rocket scientist building a prototype to bring back samples of objects in space. In these tests, success is nose-diving into the California desert, which stands in for the surface of an asteroid. In the “Asteroid Sampler” video, which aired Jan. 15 on Discovery Channel Canada, a…
UW alum David Horsey discusses Charlie Hebdo, editorial cartooning in volatile times
UW alumnus and two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist David Horsey discusses the Charlie Hebdo shootings and editorial cartooning in politically volatile times.
Tag(s): David Horsey • Department of Communication • UW Alumni Association • UW Daily
‘Handathon’ challenges students to build better 3-D printed prosthetic hands
Seattle’s first-ever “Handathon” will bring together students, faculty and clinicians in a hackathon-style, 24-hour event that challenges two dozen graduate and undergraduate students to design creative improvements to an existing 3-D printed prosthetic hand. Research teams from the University of Washington, UW Bothell and Seattle Pacific University have been designing and printing prosthetic hands, and…
February 26, 2015
Scoping notice: University of Washington determination of significance and request for comments on scope of SEIS
Project Name: Computer Science and Engineering Expansion (CSE II) Proponent: University of Washington — Seattle Campus Description of Proposal: Site selection and construction of a new 130,000 gross square foot above and below grade building to create expansion space for education and research for the Computer Science and Engineering program. The structure will house new…
Colleen Fukui-Sketchley to receive UW’s 2015 Odegaard Award
Colleen Fukui-Sketchley, diversity affairs director for Nordstrom, has been named the 2015 recipient of the University of Washington Charles E. Odegaard Award. Established in 1973, the Odegaard award honors individuals whose leadership in the community exemplifies the former UW president’s work on behalf of diversity. It is the only university- and community-selected award, and is…
Tag(s): awards • Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity
Embrace unknowns, opt for flexibility in environmental policies
Two University of Washington professors argue in a Science perspectives article that ecosystem managers must learn to make decisions based on an uncertain future.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Daniel Schindler • Ray Hilborn • School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
Student video contest: Climate change impacts in 3 minutes
What does climate change mean to you, in three minutes or less? That’s what the UW’s School of Environmental and Forest Sciences is asking all high school and undergraduate students in the state of Washington in a video competition that will award up to $5,000 to the top entries in each age category. The UW…
Donations in memory of journalism professor Fendall Yerxa, 1913-2014
Fendall Yerxa, a former faculty member in the Department of Communication, died in October 2014 at the age of 101. He is remembered as a patient teacher and an insightful and highly professional old-school journalist. He worked as Washington, D.C., bureau chief for The New York Times and managing editor of the International Herald Tribune….
February 25, 2015
Arts Roundup: Music, drama — and Mark Morris Dance Group
As February ends and March begins, the arts present a variety of events. In drama, the Undergraduate Theater Society’s production of “Cabaret” continues and the School of Drama opens the slapstick satire, “The Hostage.” In music, Piano Professor Robin McCabe gears up for her faculty recital. Meanwhile, students in the Dance Program prepare for the Dance Majors Concert.
Tag(s): College of Built Environments • Henry Art Gallery • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • School of Art + Art History + Design • School of Music
Forefront and Facebook launch suicide prevention effort
Facebook users share countless details about their personal lives, from where they’re going on vacation to what they’re eating for dinner — and occasionally, feelings of dark despair, even thoughts of suicide. As the world’s biggest social network, with more than 1.39 billion users, Facebook is uniquely positioned to provide online resources and support to…
February 24, 2015
Jerry Baldasty named interim provost of the University of Washington
University of Washington Provost and Executive Vice President Ana Mari Cauce has selected Jerry Baldasty to serve as interim provost, effective March 3, when Cauce assumes the role of interim president. Baldasty has served as senior vice provost for academic and student affairs since 2012. “Jerry is a candid communicator who exemplifies transparency, mutual respect…
10th annual Polar Science Weekend kicks off Friday
Polar Science Weekend, held in partnership with the UW Applied Physics Laboratory, blows into the Pacific Science Center this Friday through Sunday. For the 10th year, this event will give visitors a taste of exploration at the ends of the Earth. Discover why polar regions are crucial to climate change, examine real ice cores from…
February 23, 2015
Documentary explores a juvenile crime, a life transformed
The possibility of longtime prisoners being released from prison and leading happy, productive lives may seem unlikely. But a new radio documentary project aims to dispel that perception. The Rethinking Punishment Radio Project is a collaboration between UW professor Katherine Beckett and two radio journalists from the University of British Columbia. The first episode, which…
Five UW early career researchers win Sloan Research Fellowships
Five University of Washington professors have received the 2015 Sloan Research Fellowships that honor early career scientists and scholars who are seen as rising stars in their fields. The UW’s winners are Brandi Cossairt, assistant professor of chemistry; Cole Trapnell, assistant professor of genome sciences; Shyam Gollakota, assistant professor of computer science and engineering; Emily…
February 20, 2015
Winter air campaign tracking how pollution handles the cold
A UW atmospheric scientist is leading a six-week survey of eastern U.S. skies to see how winter conditions affect air quality.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Department of Atmospheric and Climate Science • Joel Thornton • Lyatt Jaegle • University of Washington Magazine
Students join Robin McCabe for lively faculty recital March 2
In the first half of her March 2 faculty recital in Meany Hall titled “Around Robin,” Robin McCabe will play a well-loved piano suite by French impressionist composer Maurice Ravel. And then in the second half, things are going to get a little nutty. McCabe, UW professor of piano, said she’ll start with Ravel’s “Miroirs,”…
February 18, 2015
University of Washington leads the nation in Peace Corps volunteers
The University of Washington produced the most Peace Corps volunteers for 2015, reclaiming the top spot with 72 alumni currently in service.
Arts Roundup: Drama, music – and ‘Music of Today’
This coming week, the School of Music leads the way with a variety of events to keep your calendar full. Highlights include the UW Chamber Orchestra performing two nights, a faculty recital with Jazz Studies Professor Marc Seales, and a Music of Today performance in collaboration with the Center for Digital Arts and Experimental Media.
Tag(s): Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • DXARTS • Henry Art Gallery • School of Music • Undergraduate Theater Society
Fearless birds and shrinking salmon: Is urbanization pushing Earth’s evolution to a tipping point?
We’ve long known that humans and our cities affect the ecosystem and even drive some evolutionary change. What’s new is that these evolutionary changes are happening more quickly than previously thought, and have potential impacts not in the distant future — but now.
Tag(s): College of Built Environments • ecology • evolution • Marina Alberti • salmon • University of Washington Magazine • Urban Ecology Research Lab • urbanizationFebruary 17, 2015
Lecture series looks at inequity and quality of life
Factors affecting the quality of life for marginalized populations are the focus of a three-part UW lecture series that starts tomorrow. The 10th Annual Allen L. Edwards Psychology Lectures presents, “The Psychological Science of Inequity and Inequality,” bringing together faculty from the UW Department of Psychology with national experts for the free public talks. The…
Study: Manufacturing growth can benefit Bangladeshi women workers
The life of a Bangladeshi garment factory worker is not an easy one. But new research from the University of Washington indicates that access to such factory jobs can improve the lives of young Bangladeshi women — motivating them to stay in school and lowering their likelihood of early marriage and childbirth.
Tag(s): Department of Economics • education • Rachel Heath • University of Washington MagazineFebruary 16, 2015
Ancient rocks show life could have flourished on Earth 3.2 billion years ago
Some of the oldest rocks on the planet push back scientific estimates of when life could have covered the Earth by 1 billion years.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Department of Earth and Space Sciences • geology • Roger Buick • University of Washington MagazineFebruary 13, 2015
AAAS symposium looks at how to bring big-data skills to academia
A session Feb. 15 at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting will explore how big data scientists can find careers at universities and within academic settings.
Tag(s): Bill Howe • Cecilia Aragon • College of Engineering • Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering • Ed Lazowska • eScience Institute • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering« Previous Page Next Page »
