UW News

College of Arts & Sciences


March 17, 2020

‘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

Staying connected — at a distance

It’s important to maintain human connection, even during a time of social distancing, UW psychology researchers say.


March 9, 2020

Underrepresented college students benefit more from ‘active learning’ techniques in STEM courses

A college classroom with students seated in a lecture hall.

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…


Book notes: UW architectural historian Tyler Sprague explores the work of Kingdome designer Jack Christiansen

Tyler Sprague is an assistant professor of architecture who studies and teaches structural design and architectural history. A former structural engineer himself, Sprague is the author of "Sculpture on a Grand Scale: Jack Christiansen's Thin Shell Modernism."

A talk with UW architecture professor Tyler Sprague about his book “Sculpture on a Grand Scale: Jack Christiansen’s Thin Shell Modernism.” Plus books from Rick Bonus and Yong-Chool Ha.


Climate change at Mount Rainier expected to increase ‘mismatch’ between visitors and iconic wildflowers

A meadow filled with wildflowers in full bloom on the slopes of Mount Rainier.

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

Dimming Betelgeuse likely isn’t cold, just dusty, new study shows

An image of the star Betelgeuse in December 2019.

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 4, 2020

ArtsUW Roundup: Guest Artist trio Meridian performs and hosts a master class, Scandinavian 30 lecture asks us to contemplate Tom of Finland, and more

Updated March 6, 2020: Many of the events in this roundup have been postponed or cancelled. Information for a specific event will be at the link provided for that event. This week in the arts, School of Art faculty Whitney Lynn gives a lecture at the Art Building, UW Symphony and combined choirs perform at…


March 2, 2020

New honors for scientists studying ‘ecosystem sentinels’

P. Dee Boersma, a UW professor of biology and director of the Center for Ecosystem Sentinels, is a finalist for the 2020 Indianapolis Prize for conservation, to be awarded later this year by the Indianapolis Zoological Society. Sue Moore, a scientist with the center and a UW affiliate professor of biology and of aquatic and fishery sciences, has won the 2020 IASC Medal, also known as the Arctic Medal, from the International Arctic Science Committee.


A conversation with Ted Poor, UW faculty, jazz drummer, with new album out, ‘You Already Know’

Ted Poor, assistant professor of drums in the UW School of Music, has a new album. “You Already Know,” was released Feb. 28 on New Deal/Impulse. UW Notebook caught up with Poor for a short Q and A.


Not a ‘math person’? You may be better at learning to code than you think

Woman working on computer, wearing headset while

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 28, 2020

ArtsUW Roundup: Ted Poor debut album release show, The Women of Lockerbie opens, and more

This week in the arts, Art History professor Foong Ping discusses the reconceptualizing of the Seattle Asian Art Museum, four Native American Huskies share what “home” means to them, the exhibition As, Not For: Dethroning Our Absolutes opens at the Jacob Lawrence Gallery, and more! To learn about more events taking place, visit ArtsUW. Concert – Hélène Grimaud…


February 26, 2020

Wildness in urban parks important for human well-being

beach in seattle

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

ArtsUW Roundup: 3D4M Open House, Niyaz The Fourth Light Project, Katz Distinguished Lecture with Anna Tsing, and more

This week there are many opportunities to get involved with the arts including the opening of CabLab’s Frozen: A Play, a free whirling meditation workshop, Critical Issues lecture series, recitals with School of Music faculty, and more! To learn about more events taking place, visit ArtsUW. 3D4M Open House February 25, 6:00 PM | Ceramic And Metal…


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

ArtsUW Roundup: Brazil’s Grupo Corpo, Scheidel Lecture with Regina G. Lawrence — and more

This week in the arts, attend Critical Issues lecture series with Sadie Barnette, Grupo Corpo performs at the Meany Center, and more! To learn about more events taking place, visit ArtsUW. 2020 UW Department of Communication Scheidel Lecture February 19, Reception: 3:45 pm, Lecture: 5 pm | Walker Ames Room, Kane 225 Join the Department of…


Simple, fuel-efficient rocket engine could enable cheaper, lighter spacecraft

A rocket takes off

UW researchers have developed a mathematical model that describes how rotating detonation engines work.


February 14, 2020

Earth’s cousins: Upcoming missions to look for ‘biosignatures’ in the atmospheres of nearby worlds

Artist's depiction of the TRAPPIST-1 star and its seven worlds.

Victoria Meadows, professor of astronomy at the University of Washington and director of the UW’s Virtual Planetary Laboratory, talks about how upcoming missions like the James Webb Space Telescope will be able to characterize the atmospheres of potentially Earth-like exoplanets and may even detect signs of life. Meadows is delivering a talk on this subject on Feb. 15, 2020 at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in Seattle.


February 13, 2020

Immune cells consult with neighbors to make decisions

An illustration showing immune system cells migrating to a wound site.

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 10, 2020

UW study reveals gender, racial disparities in evictions

Photo of closed door with eviction notice on the front

A new University of Washington study of eviction filings from each of Washington’s 39 counties illustrates where, and to whom, evictions hit hardest.


February 7, 2020

Interactive map shows worldwide spread of coronavirus

heatmap of China showing worldwide spread of coronavirus

University of Washington geographer Bo Zhao has created an interactive map, updated every few hours, of coronavirus cases around the world.


February 6, 2020

ArtsUW Roundup: a Valentine’s Day concert with Mark and Maggie O’Connor, Money can’t buy you HYGGE Presented by Kristian Næsby, and more

This week in the arts, attend a student jazz ensemble concert, hear from Department of Communications faculty about creative ways to tackle challenges within your community, join Rahel Aima for another Critical Issues lecture, and more! To learn about more events taking place, visit ArtsUW. Lecture-Recital: Bach Cello Suites: Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir February 11,  1:30 pm |…


February 5, 2020

Soundbites & B-roll: Altruistic babies

For journalists Download soundbites and b-roll   New research by the University of Washington’s Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, or I-LABS, 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. The findings not…


February 4, 2020

First-of-its-kind hydrogel platform enables on-demand production of medicines and chemicals

a water-based gel that is used in molecular biology research

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

Toddler offers bowl of raspberries to camera.

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

UW Books in brief: Poetry of India’s Bani-Thani, equitable parent-school collaboration, building military cultural competence — and a 2019 National Jewish Book Award

Notable new books by UW faculty members include studies of military cultural education programs and equitable collaboration between schools and families. Also, National Endowment for the Humanities support for a coming book on an 18th century India poet, an honor for a work about postwar Japan — and a National Jewish Book Award.


January 31, 2020

ArtsUW Roundup: the Orlando Consort performs at Meany Hall, The Best of Everything kicks-off, and more

This week in the arts, attend Jacob Lawrence Legacy Resident Marisa Williamson’s artist talk, join the Henry Art Gallery for a trumpet and American Sign Language performance, listen as David Alexander Rahbee leads the UW Symphony, and more! To learn about more events taking place, visit ArtsUW. Open Rehearsal with the UW Symphony February 3,  3:30 pm –…


January 24, 2020

ArtsUW Roundup: Preserving Elephants in the Age of Extinction, Brian Brooks Moving Company, The Best of Everything, and more

This week in the arts, experience a free concert at Benaroya Hall commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz, attend a lecture about the story of Shawn Wong’s rediscovery of “No-No Boy,” and more! To learn about more events taking place, visit ArtsUW. Music of Remembrance: Art from Ashes – Free Concert Commemorating the 75th…


January 22, 2020

Community-based counselors help mitigate grief, stress among children orphaned in East Africa

Group of people pose outside a building.

The University of Washington led a clinical trial involving more than 600 children in Kenya and Tanzania, in which community members were trained to deliver mental health treatment, showed improvement in participants’ trauma-related symptoms up to a year after receiving therapy.


January 21, 2020

A foundation for ‘safe motherhood’ created with and for the Somali community

On a recent Saturday evening, a dozen women gathered around a table at a community room in the White Center neighborhood of Seattle, settling in with snacks and conversation. The evening’s program would be more education than entertainment, an opportunity to discuss topics so sensitive that, without the group of women assembled that night, might…


Mosquitoes are drawn to flowers as much as people — and now scientists know why

Despite their reputation as blood-suckers, mosquitoes actually spend most of their time drinking nectar from flowers. Scientists have identified the chemical cues in flowers that stimulate mosquitoes’ sense of smell and draw them in. Their findings show how cues from flowers can stimulate the mosquito brain as much as a warm-blooded host — information that could help develop less toxic repellents and better traps.


January 14, 2020

Academic, administrator, artist: Paintings by JW Harrington to be displayed at UW Tower

JW Harrington is not only a scholar of urban studies and a longtime UW professor, in recent years he has also become an artist. He has an exhibit pf paintings at the UW Tower in January and February.

James W. Harrington is not only a UW professor and former administrator — in recent years, he has also become a prolific painter. UW Notebook caught up with him to ask a few questions about his art and his coming exhibit at the UW Tower.


Faculty/staff honors: Consulting assignment in Africa, honorary doctorate in Bern, conservation leadership award

Recent honors to UW faculty and staff include an honorary doctorate from the University of Bern, an award for biodiversity conservation and a consulting assignment for the World Health Organization.


January 9, 2020

By the numbers: UW in the media in 2019

collage of portraits

In 2019, the University of Washington was mentioned in 4,143 news articles around the world. Among those, UW experts were quoted 2,290 times: 1,185 in national or international outlets and 1,105 in regional and local outlets.


ArtsUW Roundup: Low Brow/High Culture exhibit opens in the Allen Library, guest pianist Conor Hanick performs, and more

This week in the arts, attend a film screening at SAM, visit museums on campus for free with your Husky card, and more! Guest Artist Recital: Conor Hanick, piano January 13, 7:30 pm | Brechemin Auditorium Brooklyn-based concert pianist Conor Hanick performs works of Galina Ustvolskaya and Morton Feldman on Monday evening and leads a free master class…


January 6, 2020

Supporting diversity, inclusion in neuroscience: A conversation about the BRAINS Program with UW psychology professor Sheri Mizumori

The 2019 cohort for the BRAINS program, or Broadening the Representations of Academic Investigators in NeuroScience. Program evaluator Cara Margherio is in the back row, two people to the left of the post. Co-director Claire Horner-Devine is at the far right. Laura Ciotto , program operations, is at the far left. Co-director Joyce Yen is at the far left, middle row. Director Sheri Mizumori is fifth from the right in the front row.

A conversation with UW psychology professor Sheri Mizumori about the UW-based program Broadening the Representations of Academic Investigators in NeuroScience — or BRAINS for short — designed to accelerate career advancement for postdoctoral researchers and assistant professors from underrepresented populations.


January 3, 2020

ArtsUW Roundup: welcome 2020 with a celebration of Asian American writers, kick-off the Critical Issues Lecture Series, and more

This week in the arts, attend several screenings with the 2020 Southeast Asia x Seattle Film Festival, visit museums on campus for free with your Husky card, and more! Shawn Wong & Tara Fickle January 9, 7:00 pm | The Elliott Bay Book Company Come celebrate the publication of the Third Edition of Aiiieeeee! An Anthology of Asian…


December 19, 2019

Mindful travel, Silicon Valley’s evolution, Schumann on viola, Seattle history — UW-authored books, music for the Husky on your list

A list of several UW-authored books and cds that might make good holiday gifts.

  A teacher discusses respectful world travel, a historian explores Silicon Valley’s evolution, a professor and violist plays the music of Robert Schumann and a late English faculty member’s meditation on Seattle returns … Here’s a quick look at some gift-worthy books and music created by UW faculty in the last year — and a…


December 12, 2019

ArtsUW Roundup: wrap up the year at the Burke Museum and Henry Art Gallery and see what’s coming up in 2020

To end the year on a high note, take advantage of visiting the museums on campus (free admission, as always, for UW employees and students)! Burke Museum Daily 10 am – 5 pm | Closed on December 25 and January 1 Experience natural and cultural collections at the Burke Museum. The Burke brings research and…


December 9, 2019

Jackson School researcher explores nexus of politics, religion in new podcast, ‘ReligioPolitics’

Randy Thompson, postdoctoral researcher with the Jackson School, is producing the new ReligioPolitics podcast

Randy Thompson, a postdoctoral researcher with the UW Jackson School of International Studies will explore the nexus of religion and politics in a new podcast, “ReligioPolitics.”


December 6, 2019

ArtsUW Roundup: Jomama Jones performance, Scandinavian 30, and more

This week in the arts, enjoy Beethoven Trio Cycle with School of Music faculty, use the arts to spark dialogue about memory loss, support Indigenous Artists at the Burke, and more! Beethoven Trio Cycle Concert December 9, 7:30 pm | Meany Center Faculty colleagues Craig Sheppard, piano; Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir, cello; and Rachel Lee Priday, violin, present…



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