Vince Stricherz

November 5, 1999

MEDIA ADVISORY: Scientists to issue report detailing regional impact of climate change

19 scientists from the UW and other regional institutions have compiled a report on how climate change in the Northwest will affect water resources, salmon, forests and coastlines.

October 7, 1999

Huge Antarctic ice sheet could be in its death throes

An immense expanse of Antarctic ice that has been receding steadily for 10,000 years poses the most immediate threat of a large sea level rise because of its potential instability, a new study indicates.

September 30, 1999

Researchers say hormones are key to evolution of insect metamorphosis

Two University of Washington zoology professors are proposing a novel hypothesis for how metamorphosis evolved.

September 16, 1999

‘Soapy’ droplets make brighter clouds

The organic properties of some particles, such as those from the burning of agricultural waste, have been found to increase the number of cloud droplets in polluted air, allowing more sunlight to be reflected into space than would occur normally.The phenomenon affects climate locally, and probably regionally, say researchers from the Consilio Nazionale delle Ricerche in Bologna, Italy, and the University of Washington in Seattle.

‘Dry’ SHIPS to continue investigation of seismic hazards in Puget Sound region

Geophysicists from four institutions, including the University of Washington, are launching a second round of the Seismic Hazards Investigations in Puget Sound (SHIPS) project that started last year.

September 13, 1999

MEDIA ADVISORY: Scientists set to unveil

* WHAT: News conference to discuss the “dry” phase of the Seismic Hazards Investigations in Puget Sound (SHIPS) project

* WHO: Scientists from the University of Washington, the U.

August 16, 1999

New spacecraft propulsion method could be out of this solar system

A new propulsion system dubbed M2P2 can greatly boost spacecraft speeds, perhaps to 10 times the velocity of the space shuttle, University of Washington scientists believe.

August 2, 1999

UW professor’s climate change theory leads to NASA mission

For nearly a decade, University of Washington atmospheric chemist Robert Charlson has advanced the notion that, in some regions, tiny particles from industrial pollution are actually countering the atmospheric warming effects of greenhouse gases. For nearly a decade, University of Washington atmospheric chemist Robert Charlson has advanced the notion that, in some regions, tiny particles from industrial pollution are actually countering the atmospheric warming effects of greenhouse gases.

July 8, 1999

MEDIA ADVISORY: UW’s “corpse flower” begins its collapse

The Amorphophallus titanum, or corpse flower, that started blooming in the University of Washington botany greenhouse yesterday began to collapse this afternoon, signaling the end of the bloom’s short life.

July 7, 1999

Stench of “corpse flower” fills UW botany greenhouse as blooming begins

The stench of dead and bloated flesh drifted through the University of Washington botany greenhouse this afternoon as an unusual plant called an Amorphophallus titanum began to bloom.

June 29, 1999

Rare ‘corpse flower’ ready to bloom in UW botany greenhouse

It stands nearly 5 feet tall and is still growing, and soon it will smell like rotting flesh, but it’s still Douglas Ewing’s baby.

June 14, 1999

MEDIA ADVISORY: Bill Nye to help dedicate sundial partially built by elementary students

In a program called Project Astro, fourth- and fifth-grade students at Olympic View made 8-inch ceramic discs to decorate a sundial, which was installed on May 22 by Sullivan, a Puget Sound Energy crew and school volunteers.

May 10, 1999

Endangered species’ recovery plans face comprehensive scientific review

Species recovery plans have multiplied quickly since the Endangered Species Act was spawned 25 years ago. But there’s still a question of how well the more than 900 species listed as endangered or threatened are recovering. Now a University of Washington zoologist is spearheading a national effort to review 200 recovery plans in detail.

May 4, 1999

Evidence found for three prehistoric Everett-area earthquakes

Western Washington’s two major earthquakes this century had minimal impact north of Seattle. But new evidence suggests that in the previous 1,100 years an area between Everett and Marysville experienced at least three earthquakes of at least moderate intensity that produced liquefaction.

May 3, 1999

Log pinpoints timing of Puget Sound earthquake 1,100 years ago

A Douglas fir log plucked from a sewer trench along the shores of Puget Sound has helped scientists narrow the time frame for a major earthquake more than a millenium ago, the last big rupture of the Seattle fault.

Geologists review history of huge Cascadia earthquakes

Major Puget Sound-area earthquakes in 1949 and 1965 are but a dim memory for most people who lived through them. But geological records going back thousands of years imply an even greater hazard in the Cascadia subduction zone than is reflected in 200 years of written history.

April 21, 1999

Sundial will mark passage of days, seasons on Mars

You could call it Martian Standard Time. The new “time zone” takes effect in January 2002 when a sundial designed and assembled at the University of Washington lands on the red planet aboard NASA’s 2001 Mars Surveyor.

April 9, 1999

Seismologists to mark 50th anniversary of 1949 earthquake

Tim Walsh, a state DNR geologist, will provide an overview of the effects of the 1949 Olympia earthquake. Stephen Kirby, a USGS senior research geophysicist, then will discuss what can be learned about subduction zone earthquakes from the 1949 event

April 1, 1999

In animal groups, scientists see patterns that could predict the future

Like teenage boys hanging out on a street corner or fans cheering at a football game, animals behave differently when they’re in a large group than they do when they’re by themselves.

March 24, 1999

Radar data will help scientists in their quest to pinpoint climate change

March 8, 1999

UW scientists get fellowships to learn science communications

Two University of Washington professors are among 20 environmental scientists nationwide named today to fellowships in a new communications training and networking program.

February 3, 1999

UWTV to broadcast Stardust media briefing, launch

UWTV will broadcast Saturday’s scheduled launch of Stardust, a NASA mission to collect comet samples and return them to Earth.

February 1, 1999

UW astronomy professor’s Stardust quest set for launch Saturday

It’s a moment University of Washington astronomy professor Donald Brownlee has been awaiting for nearly two decades.

January 25, 1999

Stardust launch audio available on UW web page

Stardust, a NASA Discovery mission in which the University of Washington plays a central role, is scheduled for on Feb.

January 23, 1999

Long-term forecasting could give nations tools to survive climate change

ANAHEIM, Calif.

January 22, 1999

Astrophysicist gets $1 million McDonnell grant to hunt for dark matter

University of Washington astrophysicist Christopher Stubbs has been awarded a $1 million grant from the James S.

January 9, 1999

Extrasolar planets favor stars with overabundance of heavy elements

AUSTIN, Texas – A three-year spectroscopic survey shows a group of stars near our solar system have a much greater allotment of heavy elements than other nearby stars that are like our sun, a University of Washington astronomer reported today at the national meeting of the American Astronomical Society.

January 7, 1999

MEDIA ADVISORY: Stardust prelaunch science briefing scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 13

Managers and scientists leading the team preparing the Stardust spacecraft to gather samples of icy comet dust and return them to Earth will conduct a media briefing on the mission and its science goals on Wednesday, Jan.

December 17, 1998

UW astronomers have a hand in ‘Science’ Breakthrough of the Year

Two University of Washington astronomy professors and two UW graduate students were among dozens of scientists on two teams who this year showed that the expansion of the universe is actually accelerating, a discovery lauded by the journal “Science” in its Dec. 18 edition as the most important science advance of the year.

December 8, 1998

First complete fossil of fierce prehistoric predator found in South Africa

Paleontologists from the South African Museum and the University of Washington have discovered what appears to be the first complete fossil of a gorgonopsid, a ferocious predator with both reptilian and mammalian characteristics that became extinct 250 million years ago.

December 6, 1998

West Coast measurements confirm Asian air pollution can travel to U.S.

Atmospheric pollution from eastern Asia is beginning to have measurable, though still small, effects on air quality in western North America, a researcher from the University of Washington, Bothell, said today.

December 2, 1998

Subduction zone quake could shake Puget Sound area harder than expected

Recent satellite measurements by University of Washington seismologists indicate the “locked zone” between the Juan de Fuca and North America plates is wider in the Seattle area than previously believed. That means the Puget Sound lowlands are likely to experience significantly greater motion during a subduction-zone earthquake than scientists earlier thought.

November 12, 1998

Leonid meteor shower coming, but “big storm” won’t be visible here

The annual Leonid meteor shower will appear Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 17 and 18. This year the event will include a meteor “storm,” as the Earth plows through a small and very dense clump of particles trailing from Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle.

November 3, 1998

‘New’ plane will enhance UW climate and weather research

Armed with a ‘new’ tool, a 40-year-old Convair 580 turboprop plane stuffed with research equipment, University of Washington atmospheric scientists are ready to fly higher and farther to gain a greater understanding of climate and weather patterns, regionally and globally.

October 28, 1998