UW News
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
- Opinion: Bomb cyclones, electricity outages and climate resilience | Forbes2 days ago
"Climate policy should not become associated with halted mobility, dark and cold buildings, and spoiled food in refrigerators. An important collective (as opposed to household) level response to outages is to strengthen grid resilience via undergrounding power lines," write the UW's Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science. - Analysis: New maps show high-risk zones for whale-ship collisions − vessel speed limits and rerouting can reduce the toll | The Conversation2 days ago
"Imagine you are a blue whale swimming up the California coast, as you do every spring. You are searching for krill in the Santa Barbara Channel, a zone that teems with fish, kelp forests, seagrass beds and other undersea life, but also vibrates with noise from ship traffic. Suddenly, the noise gets louder," writes Anna Nisi, a postdoctoral scholar of biology at the UW. - Opinion: The US response to bird flu is not reassuring the world | The New York Times1 week ago
"As a virus scientist in South Africa, I’ve been watching with dread as H5N1 bird flu spreads among animals in the United States. The pathogen poses a serious pandemic threat and has been detected in over 500 dairy herds in 15 states — which is probably an undercount. And yet, the U.S. response appears inadequate and slow, with too few genomic sequences of H5N1 cases in farm animals made publicly available for scientific review," writes Tulio de Oliveira, affiliate professor of global health at the UW. - Opinion: Falling in love with reading will change your life | The Atlantic1 week ago
"As a professor, I agree with my colleagues who have noticed the declining literacy of American students at elite universities. However, I am not sure if the schools are entirely to blame," writes Ione Fine, professor of psychology at the UW. - Opinion: Washington voters favor pollution cap but not transitioning from gas | Forbes2 weeks ago
"While voters overwhelmingly rejected I-2117 by a 62%-38% margin (that is, voted to continue cap-and-invest), they narrowly supported I-2066 by a 51% - 49% margin (that is, they opposed transitioning from gas)," write the UW's Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science. - Analysis: In hundreds of communities across the US, finding a dentist is like pulling teeth − but in 14 states, dental therapists are filling the gap | The Conversation2 weeks ago
Dr. Donald Chi, professor of oral health sciences at the UW, explains the kind of training that dental therapists receive, the critical need for them throughout the U.S., and how they have affected the communities they serve. - Opinion: On lame-duck AI bill, Congress shouldn’t push too far | The Hill2 weeks ago
"Artificial intelligence holds the potential to bring a commercial and economic rebirth for the United States and its allies. Yet the U.S. Congress is getting skittish. Its leaders are reportedly negotiating a lame-duck bill to regulate the AI industry," writes Oren Etzioni, professor emeritus of computer science and engineering at the UW and former CEO of the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence. - Analysis: ‘Inflation is radioactive’: Trump’s victory is part of a global populist wave of voters throwing out incumbents | The Conversation2 weeks ago
The UW's political science professors James Long and Victor Menaldo are interviewed on whether the U.S. election was the latest eruption of populism across the globe. - Opinion: Whooping cough vaccine vigilance is slipping in WA | The Seattle Times3 weeks ago
"This week, the Washington State Department of Health reported that so far this year 1,099 cases of whooping cough have been reported compared to just 45 at the same time last year," write Dr. Helen Chu, professor of medicine in the UW School of Medicine, and Collrane Frivold, a doctoral student in epidemiology at the UW. - Analysis: Misinformation is more than just bad facts: How and why people spread rumors is key to understanding how false information travels and takes root | The Conversation4 weeks ago
"On Sept. 20, 2024, a newspaper in Montana reported an issue with ballots provided to overseas voters registered in the state: Kamala Harris was not on the ballot. Election officials were able to quickly remedy the problem but not before accusations began to spread online, primarily among Democrats, that the Republican secretary of state had purposefully left Harris off the ballot," co-write Kate Starbird, associate professor of human centered design and engineering at the UW and co-founder of the 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. - Analysis: This Atlanta neighborhood hired a case manager to address rising homelessness — and it’s improving health and safety for everyone | The Conversation1 month ago
"Homelessness has surged across the United States in recent years, rising 19% from 2016 though 2023. The main cause is a severe shortage of affordable housing. Rising homelessness has renewed debates about use of public space and how encampments affect public safety," writes Ishita Chordia, a UW doctoral student in the Information School. - Analysis: Halloween candy binges can overload your gut microbiome — a gut doctor explains how to minimize spooking your helpful bacteria | The Conversation1 month ago
"Sugar and other ingredients in Halloween treats can cast a sickly spell on the trillions of microorganisms that reside in your gut, collectively known as the gut microbiome," writes Dr. Christopher Damman, clinical associate professor of gastroenterology in the UW School of Medicine. - Analysis: I’ve been studying misinformation for a decade — here are the rumors to watch out for on US Election Day | Nature1 month ago
"We can anticipate many false claims, including alleged mass voting by noncitizens or ‘suspicious vans’ outside polling booths. We should quickly counter them," writes Kate Starbird, associate professor of human centered design and engineering at the UW and co-founder of the Center for an Informed Public. - Opinion: Hurricanes Helene and Milton should motivate us to bury power lines | Forbes1 month ago
"Hurricanes Helene and Milton remind us of electricity infrastructure’s vulnerability to extreme weather events. However, at least one Florida community, Babcock Ranch, managed to avoid electricity shutoffs from downed power lines," write the UW's Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science. - Opinion: From climate purist to climate pragmatist — the case of Kamala Harris | Forbes2 months ago
"Kamala Harris of 2024, in a sharp deviation from Kamala Harris of 2016-20, epitomizes the emerging climate pragmatism," write the UW's Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science. - Opinion: The ethics of the marketplace are detrimental to our universities | The Seattle Times2 months ago
"As the media has focused on DEI initiatives and student encampments at our universities, most Washingtonians are likely unaware of the crisis brewing within our flagship institutions. Hints of trouble surfaced at Washington State University in March, when two former provosts and several tenured faculty went public with their concerns about administrative bloat, deep cuts to teaching and plummeting faculty morale," writes Jonathan Warren, professor of international studies at the UW. - Opinion: UW Tacoma is welcoming a new class — here's how Tacomans can help them succeed | Tacoma News Tribune2 months ago
"You’re correct if you sense a change in the air in Tacoma. But it has nothing to do with the weather. All of us at the University of Washington Tacoma are excited about starting a new academic year. And we’ve got a lot to be excited about," writes Mentha Hynes-Wilson, vice chancellor for student affairs at UW Tacoma. - Opinion: It's time for patients to own their health care data | Newsweek2 months ago
"Health care data exists in many forms, from medical records held in health care facilities to information captured through daily routines and lifestyle choices. This includes vital signs, medication details, allergies, medical histories, physician notes, and other critical data points that provide a comprehensive picture of an individual's health," writes Dr. Sam Browd, director of The Sports Institute in the UW School of Medicine. - Opinion: I-2117 would threaten Washingtonians’ health with dirtier air | The Spokesman-Review2 months ago
"That’s why, as a pulmonologist who specializes in treating critically ill patients, I feel a responsibility to sound the alarm about an effort in Washington state that would devastate protections against the scourge of air pollution: Initiative 2117, which will be on our ballots in November," writes Dr. Vin Gupta, affiliate assistant professor of health metrics sciences at the UW Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. - Analysis: Wind phones help the bereaved deal with death, loss and grief — a clinical social worker explains the vital role of the old-fashioned rotary phone | The Conversation2 months ago
"As a clinical social worker and health scholar with 40 years of experience in end-of-life care and bereavement, I knew that I needed some way to tend to my grief for my mother. While in lockdown, I began looking for resources to help me. Then I heard about the wind phone," writes Taryn Lindhorst, Behar professor of integrative oncology and palliative care social work at the UW. - Opinion: Boeing's uncertain future | The Seattle Times2 months ago
"I, for one, am worried that the present-day Boeing may not play a successful part in [the future of flight]. The first requirement has to be that the company, the whole company, loves to build supremely good airplanes," writes Reiner Decher, professor emeritus of aeronautics and astronautics at the UW, in a letter to the editor. - Analysis: How researchers measure wildfire smoke exposure doesn’t capture long-term health effects — and hides racial disparities | The Conversation2 months ago
"Kids born in 2020 worldwide will experience twice the number of wildfires during their lifetimes compared with those born in 1960. In California and other western states, frequent wildfires have become as much a part of summer and fall as popsicles and Halloween candy," co-writes Joan Casey, assistant professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW. - Opinion: Why weird-checking can be more effective than fact-checking | Tacoma News Tribune3 months ago
"That’s just weird. Over the last few weeks, you have probably seen Democrats referring to some Republican ideas and policy proposals as 'weird.' Thanks to Tim Walz, the Minnesota governor and Democratic vice presidential nominee, weird has become a central narrative in the political discourse. The news media is currently flooded with discussion of this new strategy and its success. This approach represents a shift away from Democrat’s standard fact-checking attempts," co-writes Madeline Jalbert, a postdoctoral scholar at the UW Center for an Informed Public and in the Information School. - Analysis: Is weight loss as simple as calories in, calories out? In the end, it’s your gut microbes and leftovers that make your calories count | The Conversation3 months ago
"Is the adage 'calories in, calories out' true? The short answer is yes, but the full story is more nuanced," writes Dr. Christopher Damman, clinical associate professor of gastroenterology in the UW School of Medicine. - Analysis: Starbucks CEO, climate change and corporate jets | Forbes3 months ago
"The Starbucks saga reminds us that we live in an era of heightened climate sensibilities, where corporate reputations are tarnished by small acts of CEO’s perceived climate transgressions," write the UW's Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science. - Opinion: With schools, money does indeed matter — so does how we spend it | The Seattle Times3 months ago
"As state legislators in Washington consider a significant investment in K-12 schools, they’ll need to address the pervasive myth that money doesn’t matter in education. Many commenters and system leaders have done their own research and found that schools now spend more than they have in the past, while average test scores have not kept pace," co-write the UW's David Knight, associate professor of education finance and policy, and Pooya Almasi, postdoctoral fellow of education. - Opinion: With abortion rights at risk, need for a male contraceptive is urgent | The Seattle Times3 months ago
"People have used birth control for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians and Romans used condoms. The human desire to prevent pregnancy is long-standing, and scientific advancement has been playing catch-up ever since," writes Dr. John Amory, professor of medicine in the UW School of Medicine. - Opinion: Election: ‘Pay adequate attention to legislative races’ | The Seattle Times3 months ago
"The presidential race is now underway and we are again treated to a listing of the policy proposals of the presidential candidates. It is worth remembering that while all these proposals require legislative approval, the Constitution gives the president very limited legislative power," writes William Andersen, professor emeritus of law at the UW, in a letter to the editor. - Opinion: We can’t crowdfund our way out of the climate crisis | The Seattle Times3 months ago
"Investing in better protecting our communities — and especially those who are most marginalized in them — from climate events is a far better use of our resources than trying to crowdfund in the aftermath of disasters," writes Nora Kenworthy, associate professor of nursing and health studies at UW Bothell. - Opinion: Why Seattle’s idea for banishment in crime ‘hot spots’ won’t work | The Seattle Times3 months ago
"Rather than learn these same painful lessons [of banishment programs] over again, we suggest looking to other successful initiatives that involve skillful regulation of space, enforcement of conduct expectations, and multidepartment coordination rather than banning specific people from parts of the city," write Katherine Beckett, professor of sociology and of law, societies and justice at the UW, and co-author Lisa Daugaard.
