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Opinion and analysis
Recent opinion and analysis pieces written by UW-affiliated experts. See The Conversation for only the analysis pieces.
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Full archive of opinion and analysis stories
- Analysis: Athletes looking for a competitive edge may find it within their gut microbiome | The Conversation3 days ago
"When milliseconds can mean the difference between silver and gold, endurance athletes in sports like marathon running, cycling, rowing and swimming optimize every aspect of their physiology for a competitive edge," writes Dr. Christopher Damman, clinical associate professor of gastroenterology in the UW School of Medicine. - Analysis: Amid humanitarian crisis and ongoing fighting, Africa’s war-scarred Sahel region faces new threat: Ethno-mercenaries | The Conversation4 days ago
"Sudan’s ongoing humanitarian crisis after more than a year of civil war shows few signs of abating. And amid the fighting, a significant and troubling development looks set to complicate the conflict and spread it beyond Sudan’s borders: the rise of 'ethno-mercenarism,'" writes Yasir Zaidan, doctoral candidate at the UW Jackson School of International Studies. - Analysis: Online rumors sparked by the Trump assassination attempt spread rapidly, on both ends of the political spectrum | The Conversation1 week ago
"In the immediate hours after the assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump on July 13, 2024, social media users posted the same videos, images and eyewitness accounts but used them as evidence for different rumors or theories that aligned with their political preferences," write Danielle Lee Tomson, research manager at the UW Center for an Informed Public; Melinda McClure Haughey, a doctoral student in human centered design and engineering and a research assistant at the UW Center for an Informed Public; and Stephen Prochaska, a doctoral student in the UW Information School and a researcher at the Center for an Informed Public. - Opinion: AI is here to stay — its design shouldn’t leave kids behind | Seattle Magazine1 week ago
"Seattle is at the forefront of the AI revolution, and while we don’t work in the technology industry, we see the promise for our field of pediatrics. AI is already shaping a new era in medical breakthroughs and improved care, with expanded diagnostic capabilities, improved access to specialty care services, and the ability to analyze massive amounts of health data," write Dr. Doug Opel, associate professor of pediatrics at the UW, and Vittorio Gallo at the Seattle Children's Research Institute, and Dr. Clara Lin at the Seattle Children's Hospital. - Opinion: If Israel-Hezbollah war escalates, I fear antisemitism will, too | The Seattle Times2 weeks ago
"While the war between Hamas and Israel dominates the news, the growing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah is far more dangerous. Since Hamas attacked Israel last Oct. 7, Hezbollah — far larger and better armed than Hamas — has been waging a less-publicized war on Israel from southern Lebanon, attacking with rockets, artillery, drones, antitank missiles and other weapons, forcing Israel to evacuate tens of thousands of civilians living near the border. Hezbollah could initiate full-scale war at any moment. Its goal: The destruction of Israel," writes Paul Burstein, professor emeritus of sociology and adjunct professor of political science at the UW. - Analysis: Electing a virtuous president would make immunity irrelevant, writes a political philosopher | The Conversation2 weeks ago
"The Supreme Court’s decision that grants presidents immunity from criminal prosecution for their 'official acts' has been met by alarm by many legal scholars," writes Michael Blake, professor of philosophy and of public policy and governance at the UW. - Analysis: Behind America’s first comprehensive federal immigration law | TIME2 weeks ago
"The first comprehensive federal immigration legislation in the history of the U.S., the 1924 law solidified features of the immigration system with us today: visa requirements, the Border Patrol, and the category of the 'illegal alien.' Even as the primary targets of immigration restrictionism have shifted over the century, the consequences for immigrants and their communities remain profoundly shaped by the system created in 1924," writes Devin Naar, associate professor of history and of Jewish studies at the UW. - Opinion: Violence intervention programs need time to demonstrate impact | The Seattle Times2 weeks ago
"Amid racial injustices laid bare in COVID-19 morbidity and mortality, police violence and community turmoil, governments started to invest in a different kind of public safety strategy. This approach capitalizes on community insights and relationships and focuses on healing and prevention rather than punishment," co-write the UW's Kristian Jones, assistant professor of social work, and Julia Schleimer, doctoral student of epidemiology. - Analysis: American academic freedom is in peril | Science3 weeks ago
"Academics researching online misinformation in the US are learning a hard lesson: Academic freedom cannot be taken for granted. They face a concerted effort — including by members of Congress — to undermine or silence their work documenting false and misleading internet content," co-write the UW's Kate Starbird, associate professor of human centered design and engineering, and Ryan Calo, professor of law and in the Information School. - Analysis: Journalism has become ground zero for the vocation crisis | The Conversation1 month ago
"Growing numbers of reporters and editors, tired of waiting for the other shoe to drop, are exiting the profession, citing burnout as the reason for their departure," writes Matthew Powers, associate professor of communications at the UW. - Opinion: UW study abroad: A clarification | The Seattle Times1 month ago
"The UW does not exclude any students from participation in study-abroad programs based on their heritage or identity. In fact, those kinds of actions would be prohibited by the university’s nondiscrimination policies," writes Wolf Latsch, director of the UW Study Abroad Program, in a letter to the editor. - Analysis: Poop has been an easy target for microbiome research, but voyages into the small intestine shed new light on ways to improve gut health | The Conversation1 month ago
"Microbiome research to date has been much like the parable of the blind men and the elephant. How much can be said about an elephant by examining just its tail? Researchers have studied what is most readily available – stool rescued from a flush down the toilet – but have been missing the microbial masterminds upstream in the small intestine. Until recently," writes Dr. Christopher Damman, clinical associate professor of gastroenterology in the UW School of Medicine. - Analysis: PFAS are toxic ‘forever chemicals’ that linger in our air, water, soil and bodies — here’s how to keep them out of your drinking water | The Conversation2 months ago
"PFAS are a class of thousands of synthetic chemicals originally manufactured and heavily used in the 1950s. They were the active ingredient in fire suppressant foams that were used at military bases on aircraft fires," writes Jessica Ray, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering. - Opinion: New UW faculty get to know Spokane, and some of the ways UW students are helping promote better health in the region | The Spokesman-Review2 months ago
"For more than 20 years, about three dozen new University of Washington faculty have embarked on a five-day bus tour of Washington state in early June. Along the way, they see the state’s varied geography and meet the people who make our state special. On Wednesday, the 2024 tour rolls into Spokane, meeting with soon-to-be-students and their families, business and civic leaders, and learning what makes Spokane such a thriving community," write the UW's Hilary Godwin, dean of the School of Public Health, and André Ritter, dean of the School of Dentistry. - Opinion: It takes more than individual agency to advance in academe | Inside Higher Ed2 months ago
"The narrative that faculty can overcome anything through individual agency may be similar to that of a Broadway hit, yet it’s a fantasy," writes Juliet Shields, professor of English at the UW. - Opinion: To thrive, libraries must jointly harness human and artificial intelligence | Northwest Asian Weekly2 months ago
"Since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, libraries are constantly trying to interpret, incorporate and revise approaches toward generative artificial intelligence (AI) in collection management, public services, and research. Despite dealing with specialized languages and geographic areas, this development holds true for East Asian libraries, too," writes Lucy Li, interim China Studies Librarian at the UW’s Tateuchi East Asia Library. - Analysis: Community broadband provides a local solution for a global problem | The Conversation2 months ago
"According to a 2023 study by the International Telecommunications Union, approximately 2.6 billion people are unconnected to the internet. It’s a staggering figure," co-writes Esther Jang, a doctoral student in computer science and engineering at the UW. - Analysis: Trump’s prosecution is unprecedented in US — but other countries have prosecuted former leaders | The Conversation2 months ago
"While charging a former president with criminal offenses was a first in the United States with Trump, in other countries ex-leaders are routinely investigated, prosecuted and even jailed," co-write the UW's political science professors James Long and Victor Menaldo. - Analysis: Why is ‘moral equivalence’ such a bad thing? A political philosopher explains | The Conversation2 months ago
"As a political philosopher, I am interested in how concepts like moral equivalence are used in political discussions. Those who use this concept generally do so as a way of asserting that someone is at best deceived – and, at worse, deliberately deceptive – about the moral wrongs done by one side in a conflict," writes Michael Blake, professor of philosophy and of public policy and governance at the UW. - Opinion: Calling anti-Gaza war protesters antisemites is unjustified | Tacoma News Tribune2 months ago
"For 22 years, I taught a course on antisemitism and the Holocaust at the University of Washington, Tacoma. Students studied the long history of antisemitism and how that ideology led to the genocidal violence of the Nazis and their collaborators in WWII," writes Robert Crawford, professor emeritus of interdisciplinary arts and sciences at UW Tacoma. - Opinion: Digital college texts were meant to help students — here’s why they didn’t | The Seattle Times2 months ago
"The shift from print to digital textbooks was supposed to signify progress, but it created more problems than it solved," writes William Gao, a student at the UW. - Analysis: Scaling a midsize startup | Harvard Business Review2 months ago
"To support mighty-middle startups, tailored support is required, emphasizing mentorship and showcasing successful mighty-middle examples," co-writes Benjamin Hallen, professor of business at the UW. - Analysis: How a British military march became the distinctive sound of American graduations | The Conversation2 months ago
"Graduations throughout the United States erupt with some familiar sounds every year: the passionate cheering of friends and families, the lofty grandeur of speeches and, of course, one very recognizable tune," writes Joshua Fagan, a doctoral candidate at the UW, is quoted. - Opinion: Navy must turn down the volume on Whidbey ‘Growler’ operations | The Seattle Times2 months ago
"We urge the Navy to build greater trust with affected communities and embrace the growing body of modern science to inform their understanding of the public health implications of training operations, and devise actions for mitigation," write graduate student Giordano Jacuzzi; Julian Olden, professor of aquatic and fishery sciences at the UW; and Edmund Seto, professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW. - Analysis: Everyday life and its variability influenced human evolution at least as much as rare activities like big-game hunting | The Conversation3 months ago
"In my research as an anthropologist, I’ve focused on the evolution of human walking and running because I love the flexibility people bring to these behaviors. Humans in all kinds of environments across space and time vary how far they go, when they go and what they go for – whether food, water or friends – based on a multitude of factors, including season, daylight, rituals and family," writes Cara Wall-Scheffler, affiliate assistant professor of anthropology at the UW. - Opinion: The world is relying on the United States to get value-based drug pricing right | STAT3 months ago
"With the U.S. becoming increasingly sensitive to the idea that it may be overpaying for medicines, and with value and cost-effectiveness influencing drug pricing policy, all Americans — and, in fact, people around the world — have a stake in making sure that the U.S. gets it right," co-writes Louis Garrison, professor emeritus of pharmacy at the UW. - Opinion: Colleges should meet with protesters rather than dismiss their demands | The Seattle Times3 months ago
"As a current University of Washington student, I walk past the campus protest encampment every day, see the increase in protesters, and question if this will end in chaos resembling what happened at Columbia University and UCLA, or in a peaceful manner, as seen at Brown. With zero influence or control from campus and regional leaders, I see it inevitably ending in turmoil," writes Charles Michaud, a student at the UW. UW President Ana Mari Cauce is mentioned. - Analysis: Can tech help cities plan for disasters? 7 ideas from an urban resilience hackathon | GeekWire3 months ago
"The UW last month hosted an atypical urban planning and policy gathering called an 'Urban Resilience Hackathon.' For a day, the event showcased collaborative problem solving and innovative thinking in addressing urban challenges," writes Chuck Wolfe, affiliate associate professor of urban design and planning at the UW. The UW's Branden Born, chair of urban design and planning, and Dan Abramson, associate professor of urban design and planning, are quoted. - Analysis: As humans, we all want self-respect – and keeping that in mind might be the missing ingredient when you try to change someone’s mind | The Conversation3 months ago
"Why is persuasion so hard, even when you have facts on your side? As a philosopher, I’m especially interested in persuasion – not just how to convince someone, but how to do it ethically, without manipulation," writes Colin Marshall, associate professor of philosophy at the UW. - Analysis: Power outages linked to heat and storms are rising, and low-income communities are most at risk, as a new NYC study shows | The Conversation3 months ago
"Many Americans think of power outages as infrequent inconveniences, but that’s quickly changing. Nationwide, major power outages have increased tenfold since 1980, largely because of an aging electrical grid and damage sustained from severe storms as the planet warms," co-writes Joan Casey, assistant professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW.