Engineering
February 10, 2021
List of 1,000 inspiring Black scientists includes seven from UW
Seven University of Washington scientists are included in Cell Mentor’s list of 1,000 inspiring Black scientists, published in December 2020. Cell Mentor is a collaborative resource between Cell Press and Cell Signaling Technology.
February 4, 2021
‘Audeo’ teaches artificial intelligence to play the piano
A UW team created Audeo, a system that can generate music using only visual cues of someone playing the piano.
January 27, 2021
$11.45 million federal grant will develop transit, mobility tech for underserved groups
As part of the Transportation Data Equity Initiative, the UW is developing technology that will allow underserved groups to use tools similar to Google Directions and OneBusyAway to get from place to place.
January 12, 2021
New treatment allows some people with spinal cord injury to regain hand and arm function
Using physical therapy combined with a noninvasive method of stimulating nerve cells in the spinal cord, University of Washington researchers helped six Seattle area participants regain some hand and arm mobility.
December 7, 2020
The Smellicopter is an obstacle-avoiding drone that uses a live moth antenna to seek out smells
A team led by the UW has developed Smellicopter: an autonomous drone that uses a live antenna from a moth to navigate toward smells. Smellicopter can also sense and avoid obstacles as it travels through the air.
December 3, 2020
Tire-related chemical is largely responsible for adult coho salmon deaths in urban streams
A team led by researchers at UW Tacoma, UW and Washington State University Puyallup has discovered a chemical that kills coho salmon in urban streams before the fish can spawn.
November 24, 2020
Four UW faculty members named AAAS fellows for 2020
The American Association for the Advancement of Science has named four University of Washington faculty members as AAAS Fellows, according to a Nov. 24 announcement from the organization. The four are part of a cohort of 489 new fellows for 2020, which were chosen by their peers for “their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.”
November 17, 2020
UW part of $5.8M contract to study wireless charging on moon
A team of organizations — led by the space technology company Astrobotic and including the University of Washington and the UW spinout WiBotic — has received a $5.8 million contract to develop a line of lightweight, ultrafast wireless chargers that could help both humans and robots live and work on the moon.
November 2, 2020
Break it up: Polymer derived from material in shrimp’s shells could deliver anti-cancer drugs to tumor sites
A University of Washington team led by Miqin Zhang, a professor of materials science and engineering and of neurological surgery, has developed a nanoparticle-based drug delivery system that can ferry a potent anti-cancer drug through the bloodstream safely. Their nanoparticle is derived from chitin, a natural and organic polymer that, among other things, makes up the outer shells of shrimp.
October 29, 2020
UW awarded $23.5M to build floating robots as part of NSF project to monitor the world’s oceans
The University of Washington is among leading U.S. oceanographic institutions that have received National Science Foundation funding to build and deploy 500 robotic ocean-monitoring floats to monitor the chemistry and biology of the world’s oceans.
October 28, 2020
SoundWatch: New smartwatch app alerts d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing users to birdsong, sirens and other desired sounds
UW researchers have developed SoundWatch, a smartwatch app for deaf, Deaf and hard-of-hearing people who want to be aware of nearby sounds.
October 22, 2020
Simple actions can help people survive landslides, UW analysis shows
Simple actions can dramatically improve a person’s chances of surviving a landslide, show records from 38 landslides in the U.S. and around the world. People who survived landslides tended to have moved upstairs or to higher ground, among other key actions.
October 12, 2020
Engineering lecture focuses on contact tracing: Monitoring COVID-19 infections while respecting privacy
This fall the UW’s annual engineering lecture will feature Stefano Tessaro, an associate professor in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering.
October 8, 2020
Airdropping sensors from moths: Researchers use flying insects to drop sensors from air, land them safely on the ground
UW researchers have created a sensor system that can ride aboard a small drone or an insect, such as a moth, until it gets to its destination.
October 6, 2020
All together now: Experiments with twisted 2D materials catch electrons behaving collectively
In a paper published Sept. 14 in the journal Nature Physics, a team led by the University of Washington reports that carefully constructed stacks of graphene — a 2D form of carbon — can exhibit highly correlated electron properties. The team also found evidence that this type of collective behavior likely relates to the emergence of exotic magnetic states.
September 30, 2020
UW researchers driving around Seattle to track COVID-19 response over time
UW researchers developed a project that scans the streets every few weeks to document how Seattle has reacted to the pandemic and what recovery looks like.
September 28, 2020
Q&A: UW researchers clicked ads on 200 news sites to track misinformation
A study by UW researchers found that both mainstream and misinformation news sites displayed similar levels of problematic ads. UW News had a conversation with the team about this research, where ads on news sites come from, and how things might change leading up to the election.
September 3, 2020
First responders get training on how to decontaminate masks
A University of Washington-led team has developed a box that can decontaminate N95 respirator masks using ultraviolet light.
August 31, 2020
UW receives NSF funds for investment in an interdisciplinary quantum future
The National Science Foundation has awarded $3 million to establish a NSF Research Traineeship at the University of Washington for graduate students in quantum information science and technology. The new traineeship — known as Accelerating Quantum-Enabled Technologies, or AQET — will make the UW one of just “a handful” of universities with a formal, interdisciplinary QIST curriculum.
August 26, 2020
Faculty from Allen School, Evans School tapped for NSF institutes on artificial intelligence
The National Science Foundation has announced five new institutes devoted to AI research and based at universities around the country. Six University of Washington faculty will be affiliated with the institutes.
August 20, 2020
Faculty/staff honors: Public service award, endowed professorship, cybersecurity grant — and a UW professor among Talented 12
Recent honors and grants to University of Washington faculty and staff have come from the American Chemical Society, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the National Science Board and the family of engineers Ganesh and Hema Moorthy.
August 14, 2020
UW team developing model to help lower COVID-19 infections in King County, guide eventual vaccine distribution
A UW team has received a grant to develop a model that uses local data to generate policy recommendations that could help lower COVID-19 infections in King County.
July 16, 2020
7 University of Washington researchers elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences in 2020
Seven scientists and engineers at the University of Washington have been elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences, according to an announcement July 15 by the academy.
July 15, 2020
A GoPro for beetles: Researchers create a robotic camera backpack for insects
Researchers at the University of Washington have developed a tiny wireless steerable camera that can ride aboard an insect or an insect-sized robot.
June 23, 2020
Laser allows solid-state refrigeration of a semiconductor material
A team from the University of Washington used an infrared laser to cool a solid semiconductor by at least 20 degrees C, or 36 F, below room temperature, as they report in a paper published June 23 in Nature Communications.
June 17, 2020
Is the air getting cleaner during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Using air quality data from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency monitors across the U.S., a UW-led team looked for changes in two common pollutants over the course of 2020.
June 10, 2020
Passing crucial, challenging introductory chemistry course gives biggest boost to underrepresented students
Researchers examined 15 years of records of student performance, education and demographics for chemistry courses at the University of Washington. They found that underrepresented students received lower grades in the general chemistry series compared to their peers and, if the grade was sufficiently low, were less likely to continue in the series and more likely to leave STEM. But if underrepresented students completed the first general chemistry course with at least the minimum grade needed to continue in the series, they were more likely than their peers to continue the general chemistry series and complete this major step toward a STEM degree.
June 4, 2020
UW guidelines helping to ramp up research safely during COVID-19
Mary Lidstrom, vice provost for research at the University of Washington, talks about the evolving picture of research at the UW in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
April 29, 2020
Solar researchers across country join forces with industry to boost U.S. solar manufacturing
The University of Washington and its Washington Clean Energy Testbeds, the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Toledo have formed the U.S. Manufacturing of Advanced Perovskites Consortium, or US-MAP. This research and development coalition aims to accelerate the domestic commercialization of perovskite technologies.
April 22, 2020
A contact-tracing app that helps public health agencies and doesn’t compromise your privacy
Researchers from the University of Washington and UW Medicine, along with volunteers from Microsoft, have developed a new contact-tracing app called CovidSafe.
April 16, 2020
‘Hands-on’ classes online? How some instructors are adapting to a new teaching environment
When the UW announced it was moving its spring quarter 2020 classes entirely online to combat the novel coronavirus, instructors across campus faced a new, uncharted challenge.
April 14, 2020
How families can use technology to juggle childcare and remote life
UW researchers are beginning a national study to help families discover technology that helps them both successfully navigate home-based learning and combat social isolation.
April 13, 2020
‘I saw you were online’: How online status indicators shape our behavior
After surveying smartphone users, UW researchers found that many people misunderstand online status indicators but still carefully shape their behavior to control how they are displayed to others.
April 3, 2020
Watch videos of UW students’ ideas for public toilets, road safety and job matches in India
A UW study abroad program empowers students from all disciplines to apply their skills to real-life problems.
March 31, 2020
UW researchers need your (digital) coughs
UW researchers are developing an app that will allow health organizations to monitor coughs from self-quarantined COVID-19 patients from home.
March 30, 2020
Three UW students selected as 2020 Goldwater Scholars
Three undergraduate students at the University of Washington are among 396 around the country who have been named Goldwater Scholars for 2020.
March 19, 2020
‘Sushi parasites’ have increased 283-fold in past 40 years
A new study led by the University of Washington finds dramatic increases in the abundance of a worm that can be transmitted to humans who eat raw or undercooked seafood. Its 283-fold increase in abundance since the 1970s could have implications for the health of humans and marine mammals, which both can inadvertently eat the worm.
March 18, 2020
How people investigate — or don’t — fake news on Twitter and Facebook
UW researchers watched 25 participants scroll through their Facebook or Twitter feeds while, unbeknownst to them, a Google Chrome extension randomly added debunked content on top of some of the real posts.
March 17, 2020
Survey: What blocks your bus?
UW researchers are inviting the public to share their experiences on their regular commutes in a survey.
March 10, 2020
UW faculty join radio debate on climate change solutions
KUOW’s That’s Debatable on Wednesday will feature two University of Washington faculty members: Dan Schwartz, professor of chemical engineering and director of the Clean Energy Institute, and Kate Simonen, upcoming chair of the Department of Architecture and director of the Carbon Leadership Forum.
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