News releases
April 1, 2020
Study synthesizes what climate change means for Northwest wildfires
A University of Washington study, published this winter in Fire Ecology, takes a big-picture look at what climate change could mean for wildfires in the Northwest, considering Washington, Oregon, Idaho and western Montana.
Jodi Sandfort named dean of the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance
Jodi Sandfort has been named the next dean of the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Washington, Provost Mark Richards announced April 1.
March 31, 2020
Republican governors delayed key COVID-19 social distancing measures
New research by the University of Washington examines factors that contributed to decision-making by governors in all 50 states to combat the novel coronavirus.
March 27, 2020
Laptops for takeout or delivery: Student technology program readies for spring quarter
With the university’s spring quarter beginning Monday, UW staff and student workers in the Student Technology Loan Program spent the week-long spring break gathering, checking and cleaning some 300 laptops and tablets for distribution – and, for the first time, shipping many of those devices to the homes of UW students across the country.
March 24, 2020
UW researchers to study resilience, well-being among King County residents during pandemic
University of Washington researchers have launched the King County COVID-19 Community Study — or KC3S — to gather data through April 19 on how individuals and communities throughout King County are coping with the measures put in place to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Ships’ emissions create measurable regional change in clouds
Years of cloud data over a shipping route between Europe and South Africa shows that pollution from ships has significantly increased the reflectivity of the clouds. More generally, the results suggest that industrial pollution’s effect on clouds has masked about a third of the warming due to fossil fuel burning since the late 1800s.
March 23, 2020
Video: UW custodial staff in the midst of massive ‘deep clean’ of campus
When the UW moved to online instruction March 9, UW Facilities Services developed a three-week disinfection plan. Custodial staff are now working through more than 500 classrooms, lecture halls, libraries, auditoriums and shared spaces, with similar efforts under way in Bothell and Tacoma.
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.
‘Fatal attraction’: Small carnivores drawn to kill sites, then ambushed by larger kin
University of Washington researchers have discovered that large predators play a key yet unexpected role in keeping smaller predators and deer in check. Their “fatal attraction” theory finds that smaller predators are drawn to the kill sites of large predators by the promise of leftover scraps, but the scavengers may be killed themselves if their larger kin return for seconds.
March 17, 2020
University of Washington graduate and professional disciplines rank highly in US News’ Best Graduate School lists
The University of Washington’s graduate and professional degree programs were widely recognized as among the best in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2021 Best Graduate School rankings released March 17.
‘It’s a good test’: UW faculty, students adjust to an online end to the quarter, prepare for spring
This wasn’t how LaShawnDa Pittman expected to give her final exam review: At her kitchen table, laptop open, coffee cup at the ready, her 12-year-old Chihuahua named Espresso by her side. But as the first week of the University of Washington’s shift to online classes drew to a close, Pittman, an assistant professor of American…
March 12, 2020
Ocean acidification impacts oysters’ memory of environmental stress
Researchers from the University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences have discovered that ocean acidification impacts the ability of some oysters to pass down “memories” of environmental trauma to their offspring.
March 9, 2020
Underrepresented college students benefit more from ‘active learning’ techniques in STEM courses
Students from different backgrounds in the United States enter college with equal interest in STEM fields — science, technology, engineering and mathematics. But that equal interest does not result in equal outcomes. Six years after starting an undergraduate STEM degree, roughly twice as many white students finished it compared to African American students. A new…
Climate change at Mount Rainier expected to increase ‘mismatch’ between visitors and iconic wildflowers
The wildflowers of Mount Rainier’s subalpine meadows, which bloom once the winter snowpack melts, are a major draw for the more than 1 million visitors to this national park in Washington state each spring and summer. But by the end of this century, scientists expect that snow will melt months earlier due to climate change. New research led by the University of Washington shows that, under those conditions, many visitors would miss the flowers altogether.
March 6, 2020
Press conference: University of Washington’s response to COVID-19
The University of Washington held a press conference at 12:30 p.m. Friday, March 6, 2020 to address the decision to move classes online in an effort to limit the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak, and address the UW staff member who received a presumptive positive test result.
UW staff member has presumptive positive test for COVID-19
The UW Advisory Committee on Communicable Diseases (ACCD) announced Friday that a University of Washington staff member who works in the Roosevelt Commons East building has received a presumptive positive test for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The employee is in self-isolation at home. Out of an abundance of caution, the building, which is located west of the UW’s Seattle campus in the 4300 block of 11th Ave. NE, has been closed for appropriate cleaning until further notice.
UW classes will no longer meet in person through end of quarter
The University of Washington announced today that starting Monday, March 9, classes will no longer meet in person. For the remainder of the quarter, instructors have been asked to conduct classes and/or exams remotely, as possible, until the quarter concludes on March 20. Final exams will not be conducted in person, but may be conducted online when feasible, and at the instructor’s discretion.
Millions of US workers at risk of infections on the job, UW researchers calculate, emphasizing need to protect against COVID-19
A University of Washington researcher calculates that 14.4 million workers face exposure to infection once a week and 26.7 million at least once a month in the workplace, pointing to an important population needing protection as the novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19, continues to break out across the U.S. Marissa Baker, an assistant professor in the…
Dimming Betelgeuse likely isn’t cold, just dusty, new study shows
Late last year, news broke that the star Betelgeuse was fading significantly, ultimately dropping to around 40% of its usual brightness. The activity fueled popular speculation that the red supergiant would soon explode as a massive supernova. But astronomers have more benign theories to explain the star’s dimming behavior. And scientists at the University of…
March 3, 2020
Premera Blue Cross teams with the UW to establish rural nursing program
Premera Blue Cross, a leading health plan in the Pacific Northwest, today announced a $4.7 million grant to the University of Washington to establish the Rural Nursing Health Initiative to place current students in rural practices in Washington state.
March 2, 2020
Navigating the potential pitfalls of tracking college athletes
UW researchers interviewed 22 athletes and staff members from three college athletics programs to see how collecting data from college athletes might encroach on their autonomy.
Not a ‘math person’? You may be better at learning to code than you think
New research from the University of Washington finds that a natural aptitude for learning languages is a stronger predictor of learning to program than basic math knowledge.
February 27, 2020
Thinning, prescribed burns protected forests during the massive Carlton Complex wildfire
In the first major study following the devastating Carlton Complex fire in north central Washington, researchers from the University of Washington and U.S. Forest Service found that previous tree thinning and prescribed burns helped forests survive the fire.
February 26, 2020
Wildness in urban parks important for human well-being
A new University of Washington study has found that not all forms of nature are created equal when considering benefits to people’s well-being. Experiencing wildness, specifically, is particularly important for physical and mental health.
February 20, 2020
New, UW-developed data tool tracks state legislative process, from first draft to final law
A new, University of Washington-developed data visualization tool draws on bill information made available by the Washington State Legislature to enable students, journalists and voters to visually explore the lawmaking process.
February 18, 2020
Simple, fuel-efficient rocket engine could enable cheaper, lighter spacecraft
UW researchers have developed a mathematical model that describes how rotating detonation engines work.
February 13, 2020
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).
Immune cells consult with neighbors to make decisions
Scientists and physicians have long known that immune cells migrate to the site of an infection, which individuals experience as inflammation — swelling, redness and pain. Now, researchers at the University of Washington and Northwestern University have uncovered evidence that this gathering is not just a consequence of immune activation. Immune cells count their neighbors before deciding whether or not the immune system should kick into high gear.
February 12, 2020
Four UW scientists awarded Sloan Fellowships for early-career research
Four faculty members at the University of Washington have been awarded early-career fellowships from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The new Sloan Fellows, announced Feb. 12, are Kyle Armour and Jacqueline Padilla-Gamiño, both assistant professors in the College of the Environment; and Hanna Hajishirzi and Yin Tat Lee, both assistant professors in the College of Engineering.
Polar bears in Baffin Bay skinnier, having fewer cubs due to less sea ice
Satellite tracking of adult females and visual monitoring of polar bears in Baffin Bay show changes from the 1990s to the period from 2009 to 2015. Bears in Baffin Bay are getting thinner and adult females are having fewer cubs than when sea ice was more available.
UW is host university for 186th AAAS meeting in Seattle
The University of Washington is the host university for the 186th annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, scheduled through the weekend at and around the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle.
February 11, 2020
UW is a top producer of Fulbright scholars and students
The University of Washington ranked among the highest in the country in producing Fulbright scholars and students, according to a list published Sunday in The Chronicle of Higher Education. The UW is among 20 institutions in the country to be named a top producer for both the Fulbright U.S. Student and U.S. Scholar programs.
February 10, 2020
UW study reveals gender, racial disparities in evictions
A new University of Washington study of eviction filings from each of Washington’s 39 counties illustrates where, and to whom, evictions hit hardest.
Increases in minimum wage may not have anticipated positive health effects, study shows
In the decade-long absence of federal action, many states, counties and cities have increased minimum wages to help improve the lives of workers. While political debate over these efforts has long been contentious, scientific research on the health effects of raising the minimum wage is relatively new. Some studies have found higher minimum wages…
February 4, 2020
UW’s East Asia Library to be renamed the Atsuhiko and Ina Goodwin Tateuchi East Asia Library
There’s more to celebrate this Lunar New Year at University of Washington’s East Asia Library. The UW today announced a $6 million gift from the Atsuhiko and Ina Goodwin Tateuchi Foundation to the East Asia Library. In recognition of this gift, the library will be renamed the Atsuhiko and Ina Goodwin Tateuchi East Asia Library.
First-of-its-kind hydrogel platform enables on-demand production of medicines and chemicals
A team of chemical engineers has developed a new way to produce medicines and chemicals and preserve them using portable “biofactories” embedded in water-based gels known as hydrogels. The approach could help people in remote villages or on military missions, where the absence of pharmacies, doctor’s offices or even basic refrigeration makes it hard to…
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. In a study of nearly 100 19-month-olds, researchers found that children, even when hungry, gave a tasty snack to a stranger in need.
February 3, 2020
Not just ‘baby talk’: Parentese helps parents, babies make ‘conversation’ and boosts language development
A study by the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences at the University of Washington finds the value of using “parentese,” an exaggerated speaking style that conveys total engagement with a child.
The one ring — to track your finger’s location
UW researchers have created AuraRing, a ring and wristband combination that can detect the precise location of someone’s index finger and continuously track hand movements.
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