The University of Washington is the host university for the 2020 American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting (AAAS). The conference is Feb. 13-16 at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle.
The UW has more than 50 speakers and session moderators participating in the conference across a number of topics, including earthquakes, climate change impacts, misinformation during emergencies, criminal justice reform, early childhood learning and using artificial intelligence to stop child sex trafficking.
Additionally, UW President Ana Mari Cauce will welcome conference attendees to Seattle at a kickoff reception Feb. 13. The UW and Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture will host a social event Feb. 15 at the museum for hundreds of journalists attending the conference.
- Story: UW is host university for 186th AAAS meeting in Seattle
- Blog: Emerging scientists at AAAS annual meeting are essential to the future – Provost Mark Richards
- Editorial: A welcome, timely gathering of scientists in Seattle – The Seattle Times
- Story: Researchers at AAAS to discuss latest science on Cascadia earthquake hazards
- Full schedule from AAAS
Population Health Initiative
Learn about the UW’s 25-year, interdisciplinary effort to bring understanding and solutions to the biggest challenges facing communities.
UW booth (#219)
Stop by the University of Washington booth at the AAAS Expo.
More than a dozen UW scholars presenting at the meeting will be available Friday through Sunday to talk with attendees. Dubs II will make a special appearance at the booth on Sunday morning. The Expo Hall is open to the public with free on-site registration, check out the AAAS registration page for more info.
Schedule
Friday, Feb. 14
Lisa Graumlich — Dean, College of the Environment
Lisa Graumlich is available to discuss opportunities to bridge science and practice to address the risks we face from climate change and other environmental challenges. She is also interested in how we support young scientists in developing leadership skills to be successful in transdisciplinary work.
At the UW booth: Friday, Feb. 14 from 3:30 to 4 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 15
Alexes Harris — Professor, Sociology
Alexes Harris is a sociologist who uses a mixed-method approach to study institutional decision-making. Her research interests focus on social stratification processes and racial and ethnic disparities.
At the UW booth: Saturday, Feb. 15 from 9:45 to 10:15 a.m.
David Baker — Professor and Director of the Institute for Protein Design
David Baker’s research group is focused on the prediction and design of macromolecular structures, interactions and functions. The group is currently working on a universal flu vaccine.
At the UW booth: Saturday, Feb. 15 from 12:00 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. (New time!)
Emma Spiro — Assistant Professor, Information School
Emma Spiro’s research involves the spread of information during crisis events, including rumors, misinformation and collective sensemaking in online environments.
At the UW booth: Saturday, Feb. 15 from 12:30 to 1:00 p.m.
Emily M. Bender — Professor, Linguistics
Emily M. Bender’s research interests include ethics and natural language processing; fairness, transparency and accountability in natural language processing and AI more broadly; and multilingual natural language processing.
At the UW booth: Saturday, Feb. 15 from 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. (New time!)
Gina-Anne Levow — Associate Professor, Linguistics
Gina-Anne Levow’s research concentrates on the use of intonation in spoken dialog, and her interests range over natural language processing, spoken language systems and human-computer interfaces.
At the UW booth: Saturday, Feb. 15 from 1:00 to 1:30 p.m. (New time!)
Jeff Berman — Associate Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Jeff Berman’s research blends experimental and analytical investigations to help develop the tools and understanding necessary for engineers to design structures to resist the forces of earthquakes, blasts and other hazards.
At the UW booth: Saturday, Feb. 15 from 2:00 to 2:30 p.m.
Amy Snover — Director, Climate Impacts Group
Amy Snover connects science and decision making to help society prepare for the impacts of climate change. She leads innovative efforts to catalyze and enable science-based actions that reduce climate risks.
At the UW booth: Saturday, Feb. 15 from 3:15 to 3:45 p.m.
Patricia Kuhl — Professor and Co-Director, Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences
Patricia Kuhl is internationally recognized for her research on early language learning and bilingual brain development, for pioneering brain measures on young children, and for studies that show how young children learn.
At the UW booth: Saturday, Feb. 15 from 4 to 4:30 p.m.
Andrew Meltzoff — Professor and Co-Director, Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences
Andrew Meltzoff’s discoveries about infant learning have revolutionized our understanding of early cognition, personality and brain development.
At the UW booth: Saturday, Feb. 15 from 4 to 4:30 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 16
Dubs II — UW live mascot
Dubs II is 2 years old. He can run really fast, especially when properly motivated by cougar stuffies. He knows how to make an entrance and usually stops traffic when out on a walk.
At the UW booth: Sunday, Feb. 16 from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m.
Kristina Olson — Associate Professor, Psychology
Kristina Olson’s research focuses on gender diversity in childhood, prosocial behavior, understanding status and inequality, prejudice and discrimination.
At the UW booth: Sunday, Feb. 16 from 2:30 to 3 p.m.
Sally Jewell — Chair, UW EarthLab Advisory Council
Sally Jewell, U.S. Secretary of the Interior under President Barack Obama and former CEO of REI, serves as Chair of UW EarthLab’s Advisory Council and is Interim CEO of The Nature Conservancy, a global environmental NGO.
At the UW booth: Sunday, Feb. 16 from 3:45 to 4:15 p.m.
Public event
Family Science Days are Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 15-16 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. Register for Family Science Days
Research highlights from UW speakers at AAAS
Sea-level rise report contains best projections yet for Washington’s coasts
A University of Washington report provides the best projections yet for sea-level rise due to climate change at 171 sites along Washington’s coasts.
Biggest extinction in Earth’s history caused by global warming
New research shows that the Permian mass extinction in the oceans was caused by global warming that left animals unable to breathe.
Hydropower dams cool rivers in the Mekong River basin, satellites show
Using 30 years of satellite data, UW researchers discovered that within one year of the opening of a major dam in the Mekong River basin, downstream river temperatures during the dry season dropped by up to 3.6 degrees F (2 degrees C).
A tool resource center for natural disaster researchers
The RAPID Facility at the UW, which is the first of its kind in the world, contains over 300 instruments.
Scientists design protein that prods cancer-fighting T-cells
The achievement opens new approaches to the design of protein-based therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, autoimmune diseases and other disorders.
Forests, human health, Northwest outlook
UW researchers were among the authors of the Fourth National Climate Assessment, an assessment of climate change across the nation produced every four years by the federal government.
UW creates Center for an Informed Public with $5 million investment from Knight Foundation
The UW Center for an Informed Public is led by an interdisciplinary group whose mission is to resist strategic misinformation, promote an informed society and strengthen democratic discourse.
From counseling services to commissary items, how the private sector shapes ‘offender-funded justice’
Alexes Harris, UW professor of sociology, is leading a national study that has demonstrated the disproportionate impact of court-imposed fines and fees on the poor and on people of color.
Altruistic babies? Study shows infants are willing to give up food, help others
New research by the University of Washington’s Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences finds that altruism may begin in infancy.
Interactive tool helps explore a century of Pacific Northwest weather data
The UW College of the Environment partnered with Seattle visual analytics company Tableau Software to create a new, interactive visualization for historical observations of temperature and precipitation in the region.
‘The blob,’ food supply squeeze to blame for largest seabird die-off
Scientists from the University of Washington, the U.S. Geological Survey and others blame an unexpected squeeze on the ecosystem’s food supply, brought on by a severe and long-lasting marine heatwave known as “the blob.”
Young herring ‘go with the older fish’ a key finding in Ocean Modeling Forum
Similar to how children learn, often unconsciously, to mimic the adults around them, a small, silvery ocean fish employs this tactic when teaching the next generation.
Browse conference appearances by UW researchers
