Opinion and analysis

Recent opinion and analysis pieces written by UW-affiliated experts. See The Conversation for only the analysis pieces.

Some of the stories below may require a third-party subscription. Please contact UW News if you have any questions or concerns.

Full archive of opinion and analysis stories

• Opinion: The Columbia — the river we keep asking for more | The Seattle Times3 days ago
  "Washington is now among the Top 10 states for data centers, most located east of the mountains along the Columbia. Researchers at UW’s College of Engineering recently found the river runs warmer near them. How will this change a river that has already powered so much: aluminum, wartime production, electrification, and now powers portions of the cloud?" writes Jennifer Phipps, an administrative specialist in the UW Graduate School.
• Opinion: The AI apocalypse that isn’t coming | The Washington Post1 week ago
  "Artificial intelligence can increasingly perform a white-collar employee’s tasks. What it cannot do is vouch for the result. Yet a new slasher genre, the jobs apocalypse, threatens that AI will displace the regular nine-to-five and claims to be scarier than your grandfather’s zombie flick," writes Victor Menaldo, professor of political science at the UW.
• Opinion: Primary care can’t fix the US health crisis | STAT2 weeks ago
  "By every metric we track, primary care in America is succeeding, and it has been for years. Nearly all Medicare beneficiaries have a primary care provider. Over three-quarters can see their PCP within two weeks. Patients in rural environments have less trouble finding a PCP and even shorter wait times. Services and spending on evaluation and management codes are increasing, and compensation among PCPs is rising faster than the rest of the field. Yet this runs counter to the pervasive narrative that investing more in primary care is the key to solving the American health care crisis," write Dr. Christopher Childers, assistant professor of surgery in the UW School of Medicine, and Dr. Thomas Tsai.
• Analysis: Trump’s new power to fire board members threatens due process | Bloomberg Law2 weeks ago
  "The U.S. Supreme Court’s June 29 decision allowing President Donald Trump to fire members of formerly independent agencies may in fact reduce the power of the president, because the agencies which he can now control will have less ability to function at all," writes Eric Schnapper, UW professor of law.
• Opinion: It's time to stop dismissing women's pelvic pain | The Atlanta Journal-Constitution2 weeks ago
  "Womb suffering is not a term I had ever heard. What I have heard, often, are complaints from women about the lack of compassionate and quality gynecological care for anyone who is past childbearing age or childless by choice," writes Nedra Rhone. Dr. Kemi Doll, professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the UW School of Medicine, is mentioned.
• Opinion: How two high school students got inspired to help refugee families in Tukwila — and how you can help too | International Examiner2 weeks ago
  "Together for Tukwila was created out of the admiration and inspiration from witnessing a teacher’s leadership in bringing a whole school together for a cause," write Ahilya Dhole and Avishi Jain, an incoming UW first year.
• Opinion: Governor's disrespect for clemency process extends mass incarceration | Cascadia Daily News3 weeks ago
  "More than a year into his term as governor, Bob Ferguson has not granted any clemencies. His refusal to do so is a dangerous continuation of mass incarceration and disrespects the state’s own process for acknowledging rehabilitation. And a growing number of people are sounding the alarm," writes Dan Berger, professor of interdisciplinary arts and sciences at UW Bothell.
• Opinion: New federal rules threaten to obstruct scientific research | The Seattle Times1 month ago
  "Federal support of scientific research, under a merit system, has made the United States the world’s leader in medical breakthroughs and technology. That leadership is now under threat. A new federal policy would give political appointees authority to decide which research gets funded — based on ideology rather than scientific merit — and would constrain scientists’ ability to publish and share their findings. The proposed rules will limit the scope and quality of U.S. science and diminish its capacity to improve all our lives," writes Dr. Frederick S. Buckner, professor of medicine and of allergy and infections diseases in the UW School of Medicine.
• Opinion: UW students need more from human beings, not AI | The Seattle Times1 month ago
  "When students use artificial intelligence, they’re accused of cheating, sanctioned under academic integrity codes and warned that AI will erode their ability to think. But when universities use artificial intelligence, they call it 'innovation.' The UW’s new Purple AI tool is the latest example of this double standard," writes Caroline Sheehan, a UW student.
• Opinion: Connecting communities across Washington serves the UW's public mission | The Spokesman Review1 month ago
  "While much has been written recently about declining trust in higher education, research points to a simple conclusion that the University of Washington has long embraced: Trust is built locally," writes UW Provost Tricia Serio about the UW's annual Faculty Field Tour.
• Opinion: Public health risk of unpermitted food vendors in Kitsap | Kitsap Sun1 month ago
  "I want to take a moment to discuss an issue that has become increasingly urgent in the public health community: unpermitted food vendors," writes Dr. Herbie Duber, professor of emergency medicine, of global health and of health metric sciences in the UW School of Medicine.
• Opinion: The Diabetes Association crosses a line | Los Angeles Times1 month ago
  "The tally from Trumpian attacks on science now includes billions of dollars in damage to farmers and ranchers and assaults on scientists’ freedom of speech," writes business columnist Michael Hiltzik. Dr. Steven Kahn, a professor of medicine in the UW School of Medicine, is quoted.
• Opinion: How AI clouds the future of WA’s rivers | The Seattle Times2 months ago
  "Back in 2024, when our team of UW scientists was introducing a satellite-based tool to track river temperature for improving fisheries management by tribal governments along the Columbia River, I was asked a question that stayed with me," writes Faisal Hossain, professor of civil and environmental engineering at the UW.
• Opinion: Elders need more robust protections from abuse and neglect | The Spokesman-Review2 months ago
  "As physicians, we choose to work at a Level I trauma center serving the region’s most vulnerable adults, but witnessing suffering up close never gets easier. The most difficult cases to stomach are those of abuse," write Dr. Manasvi Khullar, a UW neurology resident, and Dr. Reema Navalurkar, an assistant professor of clinical practice in the UW School of Medicine and assistant medical director of Harborview Senior Care Clinic.
• Editorial: We can protect WA forests from wildfires, preserve snowpack, too | The Seattle Times2 months ago
  "Climate change is a dual threat to Washington’s expansive forests, delivering a combination of longer and hotter dry seasons with less snowy, warmer winters. Increasing temperatures elevate the risks of wildfire, threaten water supplies and create the potential to wreak havoc on coveted landscapes across the Pacific Northwest. A UW study, released in March, suggests one potential forestry solution can successfully mitigate both extreme wildfire risk while also preserving snowpack," writes The Seattle Times editorial board.
• Analysis: Every neuroscience lab needs an ethicist | The Transmitter2 months ago
  "The ethics issues that arise in neuroscience research are usually novel, unresolved and understudied. Embedding ethicists in labs helps scientists navigate these challenges and develop strategies in real time to prevent harm," writes Timothy Brown, assistant professor of bioethics and humanities in the UW School of Medicine.
• Opinion: AI is about to do all our thinking for us — here’s why that’s bad | The Seattle Times2 months ago
  "From auto-generated news articles to social media posts to entire websites, AI already produces more online articles than humans, and much of it is low-quality and misleading. This is a problem. Not just for humans in discerning what is true or not. But also for the machines auto-generating this synthetic information that’s sometimes disconnected from the real world," write the UW's Jevin West, a professor in the Information School and co-founder of the Center for an Informed Public, and Damian Hodel, a doctoral student in the Information School and research assistant in the CIP.
• Editorial: Juniper Blessing: A life well-lived | Santa Fe New Mexican2 months ago
  Juniper Blessing left her mark on this world. Cruelly slain at 19, the Santa Fe teen loved to sing, became obsessed with the weather and kept her friends close even after high school graduation.
• Opinion: Hydropower changes could raise electricity costs in Idaho | Idaho Statesman2 months ago
  "The truth is that salmon returns to Idaho are higher since the Lower Snake River Dams went into operation. We know this because experts track adult returns at the federal dams on the Columbia and Snake Rivers," write Will Hart, executive director of the Idaho Consumer-Owned Utilities Association, and Clark Mather, executive director of Northwest RiverPartners. A study by the UW School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences is referenced.
• Editorial: It’s past time for Seattle to make e-bikes, scooters safer rides | The Seattle Times2 months ago
  "It’s bike season, and you can see two kinds of people around Seattle. Those with their own ride, who almost invariably wear a helmet and stick to the rules of the road. And those on rented e-scooters and e-bikes with no brain buckets and little regard for niceties such as safe sidewalks," writes the Seattle Times editorial board. A UW study is referenced. Dr. Jeffrey Robinson, professor of radiology at the UW School of Medicine, is quoted.
• Opinion: Nursing homes are in trouble — and there’s a good chance you’ll end up in one | MarketWatch3 months ago
  "Think you won’t end up in a nursing home? Think again: There’s a 1 in 3 chance you will, and the chances rise with age. Which is why you might want to take an interest in what’s actually happening inside these homes — even if only for selfish reasons. Another medical investigation has uncovered yet more worrying signs of neglect in America’s nursing homes," writes Brett Arends. Research by the UW is mentioned.
• Analysis: ‘Beauty of the Beasts’ review | Wall Street Journal3 months ago
  "'Beauty of the Beasts' is chock-a-block with wonderful scientific and cultural facts. We get a clear-eyed look at disgust, a nearly universal human response to the likes of maggots, cockroaches, ticks, leeches, slugs and lice," writes David Barash, professor emeritus of psychology at the UW.
• Opinion: Amid Trump's threats on judges, these legal minds offer hope | USA Today3 months ago
  "You may not have heard it yet, but America’s legal community recently let out a roar here in the Emerald City, a collective call from retired federal judges and a bipartisan array of academics and legal organizations: The rule of law matters, and it will be protected," writes Rex Huppke. Robert Harlan Henry, jurist-in-residence in law at the UW, is quoted.
• Opinion: They championed DEI — now they're divided | The New York Times3 months ago
  Four former DEI leaders come together to examine the system they once built — and question what it’s really doing. The UW is mentioned.
• Analysis: ‘Infinite Jest,’ the internet, and the politics of reading | Los Angeles Review of Books3 months ago
  "David Foster Wallace's novel 'Infinite Jest,' which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, is the perfect parable for reading in the internet age. This is true of the novel itself, but it is even truer of its extremely online reception: It’s hard to think of a work of literary fiction that belongs to the internet more than 'Infinite Jest,'" writes Melanie Walsh, assistant professor in the Information School at the UW.
• Opinion: RFK's FDA peptide plan fails to deliver the safety consumers need | Bloomberg3 months ago
  "The Food and Drug Administration will hold meetings this summer to discuss whether compounding pharmacies should be allowed to manufacture half a dozen commonly sought, yet unproven peptides ... Something must be done to rein in the current free-for-all," writes Lisa Jarvis. Matt Kaeberlein, professor of laboratory medicine and pathology in the UW School of Medicine, is quoted.
• Opinion: WA law banning noncompete clauses goes too far in voiding existing ones | The Seattle Times3 months ago
  "The policy debate over noncompetes is real and legitimate. But in its rush to win that debate, Olympia made a choice that has received almost no public attention: It made the ban retroactive," writes Victor Menaldo, professor of political science at the UW.
• Opinion: Request access for surprise visits? Only ICE would do that | Tacoma News-Tribune3 months ago
  "For decades, complaints about the water quality, food and general sanitation have surfaced in written grievances and accounts collected by groups who support people held in the detention center," writes Laura Hautala. The UW Center for Human Rights is mentioned.
• Analysis: Why the Persian Gulf has more oil and gas than anywhere else on Earth | The Conversation4 months ago
  "It has been said that Persian Gulf countries are both blessed and cursed by their vast oil and gas reserves. Geologic forces over millions of years have meant the region is an energy-rich global flash point, as it is now with a war underway that’s causing a global energy crisis," writes Scott Montgomery, lecturer of international studies at the UW.
• Opinion: Going analog in the writing classroom | The Seattle Times4 months ago
  "As a writing teacher based in college classrooms around Seattle, I find myself returning to a question each time I prep for a new quarter: How should I use or refuse technology?" writes Joe Concannon, part-time lecturer of English at the UW.

More