Tracing China’s past with geologic and oral history

A paper published this week in Science finds evidence to support stories that a huge flood took place in China about 4,000 years ago, during the reign of Emperor Yu. The study, led by Chinese researcher Qinglong Wu, finds evidence for a massive landslide dam break that could have redirected the course of the Yellow River, giving rise to the legendary flood that Emperor Yu is credited with controlling.

An accompanying commentary by David Montgomery, a UW professor of Earth and space sciences, discusses how this finding supports the historical basis for traditional tales about China’s Great Flood. It even explains some details of the classic folk story.

Global learning on campus

40 UW students engaged in a case simulation this summer, working to defuse the developing crisis in the South China Sea.

Thanks to a partnership between the Jackson School of International Studies Master of Arts in Applied International Studies (MAAIS) and the U.S. Army War College, students from the Jackson School, Foster School of Business, School of Law, Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, and other departments tackled a major global challenge – right from campus.

For MEDEX student, a life spent learning patience

Growing up in Gambia with childhood injuries and persistent medical problems, Ismail Jatta cultivated patience that has served him well as a caregiver. Having recently completed physician assistant training at MEDEX Northwest, he reflects on his unique path.

Law student the first Cuban to attend the UW in half a century

38-year-old David Camps is studying at the UW School of Law as one of three 2015 fellows in the Barer Institute for Law and Global Human Services. Launched in 2012 by retired attorney and UW law alumni Stan Barer, the program pays for attorneys from developing countries to spend an academic year studying issues related to health, education and economic development in their home countries through the university’s Sustainable International Development LL.M. program.

Camps is the first Cuban student enrolled at the UW since the U.S. embargo against the island nation in 1960. In the 2014-15 academic year, there were 94 Cuban students studying in the United States, according to the Institute of International Education. Camps met Barer while serving as a tour guide for a UW learning trip organized by then-provost and now UW President Ana Mari Cauce, a native of Cuba. Barer chatted with Camps as the bus rolled through the streets and discovered he had previously worked as an attorney in Cuba. Barer was struck by his intelligence and resourcefulness, and later encouraged Camps to apply for the fellowship.

Professor, researcher, detective – saving endangered animals

UW Professor Samuel . K Wasser “is a Sherlock Holmes of the wildlife trade. With modern biochemical tools and old-fashioned shoe leather, he sleuths out the merchants behind the market for poached animal products.”

‘Breaking barriers’: The BBC profiles President Cauce

In a recent feature, the BBC hailed UW President Ana Mari Cauce’s unique perspective and life experiences.

Innovative cup designed to save babies

Experts from the University of Washington and PATH have invented a special low-cost cup for feeding special needs babies. Each year in the developing world, millions of babies are born with health challenges that impair feeding and can lead to starvation. The $1 NIFTY cup provides a new solution.

US-India collaboration finds molecular signatures of severe malaria

The University of Washington’s International Center of Excellence for Malaria Research in South Asia — along with partners at the Center for Infectious Disease Research (CIDR) and Goa Medical College (GMC) of India — have discovered that specific types of parasite proteins, when combined with high parasite biomass, strongly predict severe malaria disease in adults. The discovery, published May 16 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is a significant advancement in understanding the causes of severe malaria. Quantitative characterization of disease presentations and biotechnology capabilities at the ICEMR lab at Goa Medical College combined with specialized assays for molecular host-parasite interactions and machine learning tools at the CIDR helped unlock the mysteries of what leads to the development of severe malaria disease.

Learn locally, speak globally: welcoming students to a world of language study

UW students can choose from 45 different languages. Videos created by Asian Languages & Literature introduce students to the study of Bengali, Indonesian, Hindi and Urdu, and offer tips on career opportunities and scholarships available to students of these languages.

Watch the videos…

Sir? Caballero? Faculty member knighted by Spain

Anthony Geist, professor and former chair of the University of Washington’s Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies, has been awarded one of Spain’s highest civil honors.