Technology
October 2, 2012
Sticky paper offers cheap, easy solution for paper-based diagnostics
Global health researchers are working on cheap systems like a home-based pregnancy test that might work for malaria, diabetes or other diseases. A new chemical technique makes medically interesting molecules stick to regular paper — a possible route to building such paper-based diagnostics from paper you could buy at an office-supply store.
September 28, 2012
Duplex-sequencing method could lead to better cancer detection and treatment
Two young UW researchers sought to reduce the error rate in DNA sequencing to better pinpoint cells that are mutating.
September 27, 2012
Browser plug-in helps people balance their political news reading habits
As the U.S. presidential election approaches, many voters become voracious consumers of online political news. A new tool tracks whether all those articles really provide a balanced view of the debate – and, if not, suggests some sites that offer opinions from the other side of the political spectrum.
September 20, 2012
The original Twitter? Tiny electronic tags monitor birds’ social networks
A tiny digital tag developed at the UW can for the first time see when birds meet in the wild, offering a window into animal social networks. A study in Current Biology used the tags to track the social habits of New Caledonian crows, and found a surprising amount of interaction among the tool-using birds.
September 18, 2012
Local scientists chosen for NIH High Risk High Rewards program
The scientists were selected for their inventive ideas to transform their field of research and improve the health of the public.
App lets you monitor lung health using only a smartphone
Feeling wheezy? You could call the doctor. Or soon you could use your smartphone to diagnose your lung health, with a new app that uses the frequencies in the breath to determine how much and how fast you can exhale.
September 13, 2012
After months on portable artificial heart, Alaska man receives transplant
Christopher Marshall underwent a seven-hour heart transplant surgery yesterday, Sept. 12, a UW Medical Center.
September 12, 2012
UW celebrates opening of new Molecular Engineering & Sciences Building
The UW’s new Molecular Engineering and Sciences Building opens this fall with a series of kick-off events focused on this emerging area of research. The associated Institute will focus on research applications in medicine and clean energy.
September 5, 2012
Encyclopedia of DNA elements compiled; UW a key force in Project ENCODE
An international team of researchers has made headway toward a comprehensive listing of all the working parts of the human genome. More than 30 scientific papers appear today, include major work by UW researchers. The London Museum of Science celebrates with ceiling banners and aerial dancers.
September 4, 2012
Rocket science coming to the Yakama Nation
Middle school and high school students from the Yakama Nation will have a chance this weekend to peer into space or learn the basics of rocket flight during a daylong festival with scientists from UW and other institutions.
August 30, 2012
New program joins computer science and design experts at UW, Tsinghua University
This summer the UW hosted the first World Lab Summer Institute, which brings together computing and design students from the UW and Beijing’s Tsinghua University. The students spent seven weeks devising ways that technology could be used to address global issues in health, environment and education.
August 29, 2012
From UW to Mars, sundial has an important role
With the recent landing of NASA’s Curiosity rover on Mars, for the third time a timepiece assembled at the University of Washington has found a home on the Red Planet.
August 10, 2012
Student-built rocket with experimental motor blasts to 1st-place finish
A team of University of Washington students designed a unique rocket motor and launched it 5 miles up to claim first prize this summer in the Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition. The UW students built a new type of motor powered by a combination of solid paraffin and liquid nitrous oxide. So-called hybrid propulsion systems are…
August 9, 2012
Crowd funding on campus: UW scientists raise money for research online
When Rachel Aronson travels this month to Alaska, she and a local research assistant will interview people who are in danger of being displaced by climate change. She will also send about 100 postcards to her funders. Aronson is among a growing number of University of Washington students, faculty and staff who are using online…
July 24, 2012
‘Control-Alt-Hack’ game lets players try their hand at computer security
Do you have what it takes to be an ethical hacker? Can you step into the shoes of a professional paid to outsmart supposedly locked-down systems? Now you can at least try, no matter what your background, with a new card game developed by University of Washington computer scientists. “Control-Alt-Hack” gives teenage and young-adult players…
July 23, 2012
Memorial for UW-IT’s R.L. “Bob” Morgan
A memorial for R.L. “Bob” Morgan, 57, an expert in “identity management” for UW Information Technology, will be held in Kane Hall 225 (the Walker-Ames Room) at 11 a.m. Sunday, July 29. He died July 12 during cancer treatment at UW Medical Center. Besides his work in identity management, which provides the foundation for safe…
July 17, 2012
DO-IT celebrates 20 years preparing students with disabilities for college
A group of Washington high-school students will arrive at the University of Washington campus this week for the annual DO-IT Scholars Summer Study program. It’s the 20th anniversary of the summer program, which has now helped launch the careers of hundreds of students from Washington and beyond who have a wide range of disabilities. DO-IT…
July 13, 2012
3-D printed boat to enter tomorrow’s Milk Carton Derby
Students in the UW’s new 3-D printing club plan to enter tomorrow Milk Carton Derby at Green Lake with what they believe is the world’s first 3-D printed boat, made from more than 150 recycled, melted and extruded milk cartons.
July 9, 2012
UW students win NASA contest with their plan for mining the moon
A senior class in Aeronautics & Astronautics won a national competition with the students’ detailed plan to travel to the moon, establish a mining outpost and jettison the product back to Earth.
July 6, 2012
UW physicists played significant role in discovery of Higgs boson
As scientists around the world celebrated the detection of what appears to be the long-sought Higgs boson, University of Washington physicists took satisfaction in knowing they played a significant part in it.
June 28, 2012
Plasma startup creates high-energy light to make smaller microchips
In one of the twists of scientific discovery, a UW duo working on fusion energy — harnessing the energy-generating mechanism of the sun — may have found a way to etch the next generation of microchips.
June 26, 2012
UW deploying seismic sensors in hope of getting to bottom of Spokane quakes
It’s been a decade since a swarm of relatively mild earthquakes shook up parts of Spokane. Now, armed with the right tools, scientists want to find out what was at fault.
June 12, 2012
Novel scientific equipment will unlock ocean secrets for decades — with slide show
University of Washington engineers and scientists are one step closer to deploying sophisticated equipment that will collect important information about ocean properties like currents and temperature and send the information via the Internet in real time to scientists around the world.
June 7, 2012
New twist on old chemical process could boost energy efficiency
An unappreciated aspect of chemical reactions on the surface of metal oxides could be key in developing more efficient energy systems, including more productive solar cells or hydrogen fuel cells efficient enough for automobiles.
May 31, 2012
Students design underwater robot that does more than score points
A new UW club has qualified to participate in an international underwater robot competition and has designed its robot to be used by UW oceanographers in the field.
May 28, 2012
Engineered microvessels provide a 3-D test bed for human diseases
Bioengineers have developed the first structure to grow small human blood vessels, creating a 3-D test bed that offers a better way to study disease, test drugs and perhaps someday grow human tissues for transplant.
May 17, 2012
'Hackademia': Course harnesses the spirit of old-school hacking
Beth Kolko’s experimental course takes its cue from the hacker community, helping students of any major get a taste of what it means to build software and hardware.
May 9, 2012
Portable diagnostics designed to be shaken, not stirred
A textured surface mimics a lotus leaf to move drops of liquid in particular directions. The low-cost system could be used in portable medical or environmental tests.
April 27, 2012
UW computer science students win national cyber defense competition
Last year, they were underdogs. This year, they’re a dynasty. A team of eight students from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering reclaimed the top stop at last weekend’s National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition.
April 26, 2012
Cells in blood vessel found to cling more tightly in regions of rapid flow
The cells that line the pipes leading to the heart pull more tightly together in areas of fast-flowing blood. The cells’ mechanical response to their environment could aid understanding of heart disease.
April 13, 2012
History Channels Titanic documentary features UW engineers
A History Channel documentary on the Titanic airing Sunday includes materials testing in the UW’s Structural Research Laboratory. UW faculty and staff participated in the testing.
April 10, 2012
Newfangled space-propulsion technology could help clean up Earth orbit
A magnetized ion plasma system devised by a UW researcher to propel spacecraft at ultra-high speeds could be adapted to clean up dead satellites and other debris crowded in Earth orbit.
March 30, 2012
Bigger, bolder, greener: The 2012 UW Environmental Innovation Challenge (with video)
The fourth Environmental Innovation Challenge was the biggest yet. The winning team proposes to replace concrete lane dividers with ones made from recycled rubber tires. Other student teams presented their prototypes for emergency shelters, rooftop gardens, nonstick cookware and other green businesses.
March 23, 2012
Tech survey shows students want better connections, faculty want more flexible classrooms
Students want better wireless and electrical connections on campus, while faculty would like more consistent and more flexible configurations of classroom technology, a new survey shows.
March 12, 2012
Bellingham roadway with recycled toilets is world's first official 'Greenroad'
Greenroads, a rating system developed at the University of Washington to promote sustainable roadway construction, awarded its first official certification to a Bellingham project that incorporates porcelain from recycled toilets.
March 6, 2012
One year later: Japan quake, tsunami a cautionary tale for Pacific Northwest
On the one-year anniversary of Japan’s great Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, UW scientists said the devastating event has some important lessons for the Pacific Northwest – most notably, that a similar event will happen here, and this region is much less prepared than Japan.
March 1, 2012
UW students to design alternative-fuels vehicle for EcoCAR 2 competition
Over the next three years, a team of UW students will convert a 2013 Chevy Malibu into a fuel-efficient, low-emissions vehicle that still meets consumer demands for a driver-friendly car. The UW is one of 15 schools participating in the EcoCAR 2 contest, sponsored by General Motors and the U.S. Department of Energy.
February 21, 2012
Design eye for the science guy: Drop-in clinic helps scientists communicate data
The Design Help Desk offers scientists a chance to meet with a student who can help them create more effective figures, tables and graphs. This visual equivalent of a Writing Help Desk is also a study on how to teach data visualization.
February 8, 2012
UW launches technology startup incubator, aims to double startups in three years
A business incubator unveiled today is one element in a larger commercialization initiative announced by UW President Michael Young that will double the number of startups produced by the university – from an average of 10 a year to 20 – during the next three years.
January 30, 2012
Ferroelectric switching discovered for first time in soft biological tissue
The walls of the aorta, the largest blood vessel carrying blood from the heart, exhibits a response to electric fields known to exist in inorganic and synthetic materials. The discovery could have implications for treating human heart disease.
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