UW News blog
November 23, 2015
Public talk Nov. 24 urges solidarity with Syrian refugees
Interested in the Syrian refugee crisis? A public discussion at the University of Washington Tuesday, Nov. 24 aims to provide information about how local residents and communities can help advocate for Syrian refugees. Sponsored by UW Law’s Immigrant Families Advocacy Project, the “Social Justice Tuesday” event will be held from 12:30 to 1:20 p.m. in…
November 19, 2015
After Nobel win, neutrino endeavors snag Breakthrough Prize in Physics
Neutrinos may be small, but when it comes to prizes, they pack quite a punch. In October, it was announced that two scientists who headed international projects to study these miniscule, seemingly ephemeral subatomic particles will share the Nobel Prize in Physics. On Nov. 8, these same scientists joined five of their colleagues from other…
November 18, 2015
Cousteau’s ‘Acid Apocalypse’ to feature Washington youth in ocean acidification project
Ocean acidification is top of mind for many Pacific Northwest scientists, shellfish farmers and even seafood chefs, but a new initiative seeks to know how an unsuspecting audience — kids and teenagers in the Northwest’s urban and rural areas — is impacted by this issue. EarthEcho International, Philippe Cousteau, Jr.’s environmental education and youth leadership…
November 17, 2015
Charles Johnson’s story ‘The Weave’ chosen for 2016 Pushcart anthology
Ieesha, the young African-American woman at the center of Charles Johnson’s short story “The Weave,” takes an unusual action in response to her abrupt, sneeze-caused dismissal from Sassy Hair Salon and Beauty Supplies in Seattle’s Central District — where hair is straightened as well as styled and cut. “The Weave” has been selected for the…
November 12, 2015
David Shields addresses New York Times coverage in new book ‘War is Beautiful’
War photography in The New York Times entranced David Shields for years as a daily reader, but that attraction in time evolved into “a mixture of rapture, bafflement and repulsion,” he writes in the introduction to his latest book, “War is Beautiful: The New York Times Pictorial Guide to the Glamour of Armed Conflict.” “Over…
November 10, 2015
UW psychology professor Anthony Greenwald receives award for social cognition work
University of Washington psychology professor Anthony Greenwald is one of two researchers chosen to receive the most prestigious award of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues. Greenwald and Mahzarin Banaji, a social psychologist at Harvard University, recently were named joint recipients of the 2016 Kurt Lewin Award for distinguished research on social issues….
November 6, 2015
Swartz Foundation grant to boost UW research in computational neuroscience
Two University of Washington faculty members have been awarded a grant from The Swartz Foundation to support research in theoretical neuroscience. The award establishes the UW as the latest of the Swartz Foundation-supported centers for innovation in this growing field, which spans mathematics, statistics, physics and biology. “This award is a recognition of what is…
November 3, 2015
UW social work professor named among nation’s top 50 Influencers in Aging
University of Washington social work professor Karen Fredriksen-Goldsen is among 50 people nationwide named on the first Next Avenue Influencers in Aging list. Compiled by Next Avenue, a public media website aimed at older Americans, the list recognizes people “who are changing how we age and think about aging in America.” Fredriksen-Goldsen, director of the…
November 2, 2015
Modern world learns from ancient civilizations in Scott Montgomery’s history of science
Scott L. Montgomery, a lecturer in the Jackson School of International Studies, uses a range of case studies and the notion of “scientific culture” to trace the evolution of technical thought through eight major civilizations from ancient Egypt to Medieval and Renaissance Europe in his latest book, “A History of Science in World Cultures.” “A…
October 30, 2015
Emergency drills at new Husky Stadium Sound Transit station
Sound Transit will host a series of emergency drills with Seattle first responders Monday through Thursday at the new University of Washington and Capitol Hill light rail stations. These drills are part of the commissioning process for the new University Link light rail line from downtown Seattle to UW that opens early next year. The drills…
October 29, 2015
Nov. 5 bioengineering lecture focuses on ‘Engineering Personalized Medicine’
We have personal trainers and tailored suits. Why don’t we have personalized medicine? That question — and the prospects for stem-cell-based treatments that reverse disease and repair damage rather than simply addressing symptoms — will be the focus of the University of Washington’s Department of Bioengineering’s 2015 Allan S. Hoffman Lecture on Nov. 5. Molly…
Now you see it: cloaking technology arrives sooner than UW mathematician expected
In science, decades can pass between a proposed theory and its real-world application. That is precisely what University of Washington mathematics professor Gunther Uhlmann was expecting when he and three colleagues proposed a means to develop an electromagnetic wormhole in a 2007 paper in Physical Review Letters. Their theoretical wormhole — an invisible tube for…
UW President Cauce receives Greater Seattle Business Association social justice award
Even before she became the University of Washington’s 33rd president earlier this month, Ana Mari Cauce was a leader who broke down barriers and inspired students and other community members. That’s why Cauce was selected to receive the Greater Seattle Business Association’s 2015 Special Recognition: Voice for Social Justice Award, said Louise Chernin, the association’s…
First Environmental Law Symposium takes on ocean acidification
The UW School of Law will bring together many of the world’s leading experts on ocean acidification in its first-annual Environmental Law Symposium Nov. 6. The day-long event will be held in the William H. Gates Hall on the UW campus and will include panels detailing the latest findings from scientists, current ocean acidification lawsuits…
October 28, 2015
UW team to lead research efforts on initiative for incarcerated parents
The University of Washington will play a key role in a new initiative aimed at helping inmates with children transition back into society, be successful parents and partners and remain out of prison. Partners for Our Children, a UW School of Social Work center that works to improve the lives of vulnerable children and families…
October 26, 2015
UW affiliate prof writes biography about discoverer of continental drift
Mott Greene, an emeritus professor at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma and an affiliate professor in the UW’s Department of Earth & Space Sciences, has published a biography of Alfred Wegener, the man who laid the foundations for plate tectonics. “Alfred Wegener: Science, Exploration, and the Theory of Continental Drift” was published this…
October 23, 2015
From cell phones to DNA: Electrical engineering lectures explore information theory
The Science of Information: From Pushing Bits over the Air to Assembling the World’s Largest Jigsaw Puzzle Monday, Nov. 2, 3:30 p.m. Paul G. Allen Center Atrium Information theory is the science behind the engineering of all modern-day communication systems and also has surprising applications far beyond communication. Stanford University professor David Tse will focus…
October 21, 2015
School of Law’s Roy Prosterman delighted by humanitarian award for agency he started half a century ago
Roy Prosterman, professor emeritus of the University of Washington School of Law, says he knew Landesa, the international land reform agency he founded a half century ago, had been considered before for the prestigious Hilton Humanitarian Prize, with its $2 million cash award. “But I didn’t know that lightning was going to strike in 2015,”…
October 16, 2015
NASA Astrobiology Debates Western Championship to be live-streamed Oct. 18
If we discover life beyond Earth — even just microbes — should we protect it at all costs? This is the topic of the NASA Astrobiology Debates, where elite college teams from across the country grapple with ethical, political and scientific questions stemming from the topic chosen for the year. Specifically, this year’s debate topic…
Engineering career center opens to connect students, employers
The Career Center @ Engineering — a new career center focused on the needs of University of Washington engineering students and employers looking to hire them — has opened its doors in the basement of Loew Hall. The new center offers a full range of career services for engineering students: honing resume-writing and interviewing skills…
October 15, 2015
Oceanography consortium donates XPrize winnings to UW sensor lab
A team of industrial, academic and nonprofit institutions that was among the top finishers of the recent ocean acidification XPrize is donating its winnings to a University of Washington lab that helps track ocean conditions worldwide. Scientists from the UW’s Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean checked the accuracy of chemical…
October 14, 2015
UW polar scientist part of new book, museum exhibit on Northwest Passage
A University of Washington expert on sea ice is part of a new book and museum exhibit focused on an idea that has captured many imaginations: a Northwest Passage that would allow ship traffic between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The book, “Arctic Ambitions: Captain Cook and the Northwest Passage” was published in March by…
New fact-check on fisheries reporting takes to Web, social media
An international team of experts in fisheries management, spearheaded by UW professor Ray Hilborn, is trying to lead the conversation about sustainable fisheries using a less traditional approach — reaching the general public directly through a new website and social media outreach. The initiative is called the Collaborative for Food from Our Oceans Data, or…
October 13, 2015
UW philosophy department to hold six public discussions of migration crisis
What does it mean to have a right to asylum? Does religion matter in deciding to help refugees? What kind of public health is owed to migrants and refugees? What is “climate justice” and how is it relevant to refugees and immigration policy? According to a June 2015 report from the United Nations, worldwide displacement…
October 11, 2015
UW physicists celebrate contribution to Nobel-winning neutrino discoveries
At 2:45 a.m. on Oct. 6, bleary-eyed Nobel Prize enthusiasts on the West Coast were treated to an unexpected lesson about fundamental particles and forces in our universe. Across the globe in Stockholm, a panel of scientists announced that the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics would honor two scientists who led international collaborations to understand…
October 9, 2015
Puget Sound Fact Book offers fun factoids, major research results for lay readers
How long would it take to walk the entire shoreline of Puget Sound? Which species are at risk here, and to what depths can the most adept bird and mammal divers reach? How much population growth can we expect in the next decade? A new resource published this week explores these questions and many more…
College of Environment lectures focus on natural hazards
A lecture series presented by the UW College of the Environment will focus on “Surviving Disaster: Natural Hazards & Resilient Communities.” The five evening lectures will explore the latest developments in social and natural sciences that are helping people prepare for and respond to environmental disasters. Q&A with David Montgomery, who presents the first lecture…
UW summit highlights poverty, eroding middle class in state
Poverty rates in Washington dropped between 2013 and 2014 for the first time in six years, but many people are increasingly struggling to get by, particularly in Seattle. Poverty in King County and around the state was the focus of the West Coast Poverty Center’s first annual summit Sept. 29. The University of Washington-based group…
October 7, 2015
‘Human Right to Family Planning Conference’ Oct. 9-11 at School of Law
The UW School of Law will be the location for the three-day Human Right to Family Planning Conference, Oct. 9-11. Lawmakers, researchers, academics and health care professionals will gather for this first-of-its-kind event to explore the relationship between the right to health and family planning, including abortion, and improving access to that care, locally and…
October 5, 2015
UW workshop basis of national climate-science training for tribes
A workshop on climate science, developed at the University of Washington and delivered for five years to scientists in this region, will become the framework for a new national workshop for early-career tribal members from across the country. The program, announced in September by the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Idaho, will be…
October 2, 2015
UW Dept. of Construction Management, Skanska launch new certificate program in ‘building information modeling’
The University of Washington’s Department of Construction Management and Skanska, one of the world’s leading construction and development firms, have partnered to offer a new certificate for Building Information Modeling. The new program was created to fill a current gap in the field of people trained to use data-rich virtual-reality modeling tools in building design….
October 1, 2015
UW professor emeritus Cheryl Richey shows abstract art in solo exhibit
As an academic, Cheryl Richey was empirical and analytical, dogged in her insistence on backing up practice with evidence. So it’s perhaps not surprising that as an artist, the University of Washington professor emeritus of social work lets her spontaneous, experimental side loose. “I think that absence of control is what I needed, because my…
Freshman application period for Fall 2016 opens today
While the rest of campus celebrates the beginning of autumn quarter and welcomes a record freshman class, the Office of Admissions is already focused on recruiting and admitting the class of 2016. The freshman application for Fall 2016 opens today, and the deadline is Dec. 1. Applicants will be notified March 15 through 31, 2016….
September 30, 2015
UW scientists talk earthquakes, landslides in NSF series on natural hazards
Two University of Washington scientists are featured in a new series — created by the National Science Foundation, NBC Learn and The Weather Channel — that focuses on natural hazards. Each of the short videos features an NSF-supported scientist who studies one of ten types of natural disasters. Two of them are from the UW’s…
Engineering lecture series focuses on privacy in the age of smart technology
In the age of “smart” technology, the devices we use — from phones that enable banking and shopping to personal robots and driverless cars — will leave a trail sharing who we are, where we go and what we consume. Over the next month, the University of Washington College of Engineering’s fall lecture series will…
September 29, 2015
UW computer science alumnus wins a MacArthur Foundation ‘genius grant’
Computer scientist and University of Washington alumnus Christopher Ré is one of 24 recipients of “genius” grants this year from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the organization announced Sept. 28. Ré, an assistant professor of computer science at Stanford University, pursues new approaches to help computers analyze large, complex datasets. The diverse…
September 28, 2015
Four UW-related books finalists for 2015 Washington Book Awards
Four University of Washington-related books are finalists for 2015 Washington Book Awards. The awards are chosen by the Washington Center for the Book, at the Seattle Public Library. “Mary Randlett Portraits,” a book of photos of Northwest artists, writers and arts advocates taken by a photographer nearly as well-known as her subjects, was published in…
September 25, 2015
Forefront hosts state’s first higher education suicide prevention conference
Each year, around 1,100 undergraduate students around the United States die by suicide; in the last six years alone, 18 University of Washington students have taken their own lives. “That number sounds horrific, and it is, but it’s also squarely in line with the national average,” said Lauren Davis, director of school and campus programs…
September 22, 2015
Jackson School gathers experts to discuss Syrian humanitarian crisis Oct. 6
Syria’s drawn-out civil war has displaced more than 10 million people since 2011 and the flood of refugees from the area has drawn the concerned attention of the world. The University of Washington Jackson School of International Studies will hold a free, public forum at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 6, in Room 101 of Thomson…
September 21, 2015
Summer 2015 tally of Arctic Ocean ice volume confirms long-term decline
A University of Washington tool that monitors the amount of ice in Arctic waters calculated that we remain on track for a gradual disappearance of the Arctic ice cap in summer. “Last year, when the ice had bounced back by some percentage both in extent and in volume, there was a bit of talk about…
Previous page Next page
