UW News

College of Arts & Sciences


September 19, 2019

Introducing VPLanet: A virtual planet simulator for modeling distant worlds across time

Image is illustration of several possibly habitable worlds

UW astrobiologist Rory Barnes and co-authors have created software that simulates multiple aspects of planetary evolution across billions of years, with an eye toward finding and studying potentially habitable worlds.


September 16, 2019

KATRIN cuts the mass estimate for the elusive neutrino in half

A large piece of scientific equipment being moved through a town

An international team of scientists has announced a breakthrough in its quest to measure the mass of the neutrino, one of the most abundant, yet elusive, elementary particles in our universe. At the 2019 Topics in Astroparticle and Underground Physics conference in Toyama, Japan, leaders from the KATRIN experiment reported Sept. 13 that the estimated range for the rest mass of the neutrino is no larger than 1 electron volt, or eV.


September 12, 2019

ArtsUW Roundup: Hugo House documentary, exhibition opening at the Jacob Lawrence Gallery, concert in the library, and more!

In the arts, attend a film screening about Hugo House produced by Frances McCue and directed by Ryan K. Adams, go to an exhibition opening at Jacob Lawrence Gallery, buy tickets for the New Burke Opening, and more! Hugo House documentary “Where the House Was” September 21, 7:30 pm | Northwest Film Form For almost…


September 10, 2019

Hugo House documentary ‘Where the House Was’ to debut Sept. 21 at Northwest Film Forum

“Where the House Was,” a new, 58-minute documentary produced by France McCue, UW senior lecturer in English, tells of the old location for Hugo House, the place for writer, and its subsequent demolition.


Tides don’t always flush water out to sea, study shows

Dawn in Willapa Bay in 2015, showing oysters on a tidal flat.

Researchers at the University of Washington and the University of Strathclyde report that, in Willapa Bay in Washington state, the water washing over the tidal flats during high tides is largely the same water that washed over the flats during the previous high tide. This “old” water has not been mixed in with “new” water from deeper parts of the bay or the open Pacific Ocean, and has different chemical and biological properties, such as lower levels of food for creatures within the tide flats.


September 9, 2019

Breakthrough Foundation honors UW researcher studying ‘exotic’ states of matter

Picture of Lukasz Fidkowski, assistant professor of physics at the University of Washington.

Lukasz Fidkowski, an assistant professor of physics at the University of Washington, is one of the winners of a 2020 New Horizons in Physics Prize from the Breakthrough Foundation. The prize to early-career scientists, announced Sept. 5, recognizes Fidkowski and his three co-recipients “for incisive contributions to the understanding of topological states of matter and the relationships between them.”


September 5, 2019

Study shows exposure to multiple languages may make it easier to learn one

Man writes on whiteboard.

A new study from the University of Washington finds that, based on brain activity, people who live in communities where multiple languages are spoken can identify words in yet another language better than those who live in a monolingual environment.


September 3, 2019

UW colleges, offices share three-year NSF grant to make ‘internet of things’ more secure

Several UW schools and offices will team up to research how organizational practices can affect the interagency collaboration needed to keep the “internet of things” — and institutional systems — safe and secure.


August 29, 2019

Crowdsourced archaeology shows how humans have influenced Earth for thousands of years

Regions of the map turn purple as the time-lapse counter advances, showing the spread of agriculture over time.

A new map synthesized from more than 250 archaeologists worldwide, including from the University of Washington, argues that the human imprint on our planet’s soil goes back much earlier than the nuclear age.


August 27, 2019

ArtsUW Roundup; William Morris and the Kelmscott Press Exhibition, Closing soon – Cecilia Vicuña’s About to Happen, and more

In the arts, purchase tickets for the New Burke Opening Weekend, attend a rare duet setting performance by two School of Music faculty members, view a selection of gowns from the Henry’s collection of clothing and textiles, and more! New Burke Opening October 12th Ticket sales open on September 3rd for the New Burke Museum…


August 16, 2019

ArtsUW Roundup: Creating Alternative Worlds, Bulrusher, Final Week of James Coupe: Exercises in Passivity and more!

In the arts, celebrate the accomplishments of the 2019 Summer Institute in the Arts and Humanities program’s undergraduate researchers in “Creating Alternative Worlds,” attend Bulrusher – an Intiman Theatre production directed by Valerie Curtis-Newton at the Jones Playhouse, drop into the Library for the Fourth Wednesday Concert Series featuring Brian Schappals and more! Creating Alternative…


August 13, 2019

James Webb Space Telescope could begin learning about TRAPPIST-1 atmospheres in a single year, study indicates

New research from UW astronomers models how telescopes such as the James Webb Space Telescope, will be able to study the planets of the intriguing TRAPPIST-1 system.

New research from astronomers at the UW uses the intriguing TRAPPIST-1 planetary system as a kind of laboratory to model not the planets themselves, but how the coming James Webb Space Telescope might detect and study their atmospheres, on the path toward looking for life beyond Earth.


August 12, 2019

First cells on ancient Earth may have emerged because building blocks of proteins stabilized membranes

Scientists have discovered that the building blocks of proteins can stabilize cell membranes. This finding may explain how the first cells emerged from the primordial soup billions of years ago: The protein building blocks could have stabilized cell membranes against salt and ions that were present in ancient oceans. In addition, membranes may have been a site for these precursor molecules to co-localize, a potential mechanism to explain what brought together the ingredients for life.


August 9, 2019

Scientists can now control thermal profiles at the nanoscale

Scientists have designed and tested an experimental system that uses a near-infrared laser to actively heat two gold nanorod antennae — metal rods designed and built at the nanoscale — to different temperatures. The nanorods are so close together that they are both electromagnetically and thermally coupled. Yet the team measured temperature differences between the rods as high as 20 degrees Celsius and could change which nanorod was cooler and which was warmer, even though the rods were made of the same material.


August 1, 2019

UW Division of Design faculty, Seattle Children’s physicians collaborate on more effective anesthesia cart organization

Dr. Eliot Grigg of Seattle Children's Hospital shown with the Anesthesia Medication Template, created with fellow physicians and Axel Roesler of the UW School of Art + Art History + Design.

In recent years, physicians at Seattle Children’s Hospital have worked with UW faculty members in design to come up with a better, safer, more reliable way to order and use drugs on an operating room’s anesthesia cart.


ArtsUW Roundup: The American Superhero, 500 Years of Prints, and more

In the arts, visit an exhibition of portraits and stories that celebrates differences, highlights our commonalities, and embraces what makes us each uniquely American, explore a collection of prints that date back to the 1490s, and more! Exhibition | The American Superhero July 25 – October 4 | UW Tower Mezzanine Lounge There is a…


July 18, 2019

Scientists discover how the mosquito brain integrates diverse sensory cues to locate a host to bite

A close-up image of a mosquito

A team, led by researchers at the University of Washington, has discovered how the female mosquito brain integrates visual and olfactory signals to identify, track and hone in on a potential host for her next blood meal: After the mosquito’s olfactory system detects certain chemical cues, the mosquito uses her visual system to scan her surroundings for certain shapes and fly toward them, presumably associating those shapes with potential hosts.


July 17, 2019

First-ever visualizations of electrical gating effects on electronic structure could lead to longer-lasting devices

Image of a 2D material

Scientists have visualized the electronic structure in a microelectronic device for the first time, opening up opportunities for finely tuned, high-performance electronic devices. Physicists from the University of Washington and the University of Warwick developed a technique to measure the energy and momentum of electrons in operating microelectronic devices made of atomically thin — so-called 2D — materials.


July 16, 2019

8 UW professors elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences in 2019

Suzzallo Library at night

Eight scientists and engineers from the University of Washington have been elected this year to the Washington State Academy of Sciences.


ArtsUW Roundup: writing workshop, exhibition opening, festival:festival, and more

In the arts, stop by the Allen Library North Lobby for a free lunchtime concert with UW Voice students, take a writing workshop hosted by the Henry Art Gallery and Hugo House, stop by James Coupe’s exhibition at the Jacob Lawrence Gallery, partake in a free two-day arts festival – festival:festival – that presents and…


July 11, 2019

National attention, praise for new Silicon Valley history ‘The Code’ by UW historian Margaret O’Mara

Margaret O'Mara's history of Silicon Valley was published in July by Penguin Press.

Her sweeping new book about the history of Silicon Valley has UW history professor Margaret O’Mara on a busy national book tour this summer. The book, “The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America,” was published this month by Penguin Press and is receiving many positive reviews.


July 9, 2019

UW professors to receive 2019 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers

Six University of Washington professors are to receive a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, according to an announcement July 2 from the White House. The award, also known as the PECASE, is the highest honor given by the U.S. government to early-career scientists and engineers “who show exceptional promise for leadership in science and technology.”


July 5, 2019

UW books in brief: US credit markets in history, ‘value sensitive’ design, the lasting effects of reproductive slavery, and more

Recent notable books by UW faculty members explore how the U.S. government has historically used credit to create opportunity, how “reproductive slavery” has left lasting ramifications and how technology design benefits from human values.


July 2, 2019

ARTSUW: Carrie Yamaoka, Seattle Piano Institute, and Angélica Maria Millán Lozano + Camilo Godoy

In the arts, celebrate the opening of Carrie Yamaoka at the Henry Art Gallery, partake in events on campus hosted by the Seattle Piano Institute, and attend Angélica Maria Millán Lozano + Camilo Godoy’s exhibition at the Jacob Lawrence Gallery! Carrie Yamaoka: recto/verso July 13 – November 3 | Henry Art Gallery Brooklyn-based artist Carrie…


July 1, 2019

How you and your friends can play a video game together using only your minds

UW researchers created a method for two people help a third person solve a task using only their minds.


June 27, 2019

Astrobiology outreach: UW’s mobile planetarium lands at space conference

UW astronomy professor Rory Barnes with the astronomy department's mobile planetarium at the astrobiology conference AbSciCon2019 Wednesday.

UW astronomy professor Rory Barnes shows off the astronomy department’s Mobile Planetarium to colleagues at AbSciCon2019, the national conference on astrobiology in Bellevue. He takes it to schools with a presentation on astrobiology for K12 students.


LGBTQ Asian Americans seen as more ‘American’

For Asian Americans who are gay or lesbian, their sexual orientation may make them seem more “American” than those who are presumed straight. A new University of Washington study, the latest in research to examine stereotypes, identity and ideas about who is “American,” focuses on how sexual orientation and race come together to influence others’ perceptions.


June 21, 2019

New awards for UW research to probe solar cell defects, develop energy-boosting coatings

The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office selected two University of Washington professors in the Department of Chemistry and the Clean Energy Institute to receive nearly $1.5 million in funding for two separate endeavors in solar photovoltaic research. The projects are led by Daniel Gamelin, director of the UW-based Molecular Engineering Materials Center, and David Ginger, chief scientist at the CEI and co-director of the Northwest Institute for Materials Physics, Chemistry and Technology, a partnership between the UW and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.


June 20, 2019

Looking for life: UW researchers, presentations abound at 2019 astrobiology conference in Bellevue

A roundup of UW talents and presentations in AbSciCon2019, the national conference on astrobiology — the search for life in the universe — to be held in Bellevue, June 24-28.


Mammals and their relatives thrived, diversified during so-called ‘Age of Dinosaurs,’ researchers show

Illustration of an extinct marsupial.

Old myths state that, during the time of the dinosaurs, mammals and their relatives were small and primitive. But new research shows that, during the time of the dinosaurs, mammals and their relatives actually underwent two large ecological radiations, diversifying into climbing, gliding and burrowing forms with a variety of diets.


June 19, 2019

Abundance of gases in Enceladus’s ocean are a potential fuel — if life is there to consume it

This illustration shows NASA's Cassini spacecraft diving through the plume of Saturn's moon Enceladus, in 2015. New research from the University of Washington, to be presented at the coming AbSciCon2019 conference, indicates that the moon's subsurface ocean of probably has higher than previously known concentrations of carbon dioxide and hydrogen and a more Earthlike pH level, possibly providing conditions favorable to life.

The subsurface ocean of Saturn’s moon Enceladus probably has higher than previously known concentrations of carbon dioxide and hydrogen and a more Earthlike pH level, possibly providing conditions favorable to life, according to new research from planetary scientists at the UW.


ArtsUW Roundup: Last week to see MFA + MDes exhibition at the Henry, opening of Beverly Semmes, concert at the library, and more

This week in the arts, visit an exhibition at the Henry Art Gallery or the Center for Urban Horticulture, attend a concert at the library, attend a field poetics workshop, and more! Closing weekend: 2019 School of Art + Art History + Design Graduation Exhibitions Each year we celebrate graduating Art and Design undergraduate and…


June 18, 2019

Of octopuses and astrobiology: Conference talk speculates on cognition beyond Earth

Dominic Sivitilli, UW doctoral student in behavioral neuroscience

Of the many papers and presentations scheduled for AbSciCon2019, the conference on astrobiology and the search for life in space happening in Bellevue the week of June 24, the UW’s Dominic Sivitilli’s is perhaps unique — he’ll discuss his research into how octopuses “think.”


June 12, 2019

ArtsUW Roundup: Design show reception, DMA recitals, and more

This week in the arts, partake in the Design Show reception at the Jacob Lawrence Gallery or the MFA + MDes Thesis Exhibition at the Henry, attend a DMA recital, and more! 2019 School of Art + Art History + Design Graduation Exhibitions Each year we celebrate graduating Art and Design undergraduate and graduate students…


June 10, 2019

UW’s Pacific Northwest English Study seeking new group of research participants for summer 2019

The Pacific Northwest English Study, headed by UW linguist Alicia Beckford Wassink, is about to begin a new, three-year research project listening to voices from throughout the region and is looking for participants.


June 4, 2019

ArtsUW Roundup: A site responsive exhibition, #HEREproject, Strange Coupling 2019 exhibition reception, Daniel Alexander Jones reading and more

This week in the arts, partake in the #HEREproject  – a celebratory interactive art installation honoring places around campus that have defined our #HuskyExperience and set us on our path, attend one of the 2019 School of Art + Art History + Design Graduation Exhibitions, attend a performance by UW Symphony and Choirs, and more! ASUW…


How early-life challenges affect how children focus, face the day

Experiences such as poverty, residential instability, or parental divorce or substance abuse, can affect executive function and lead to changes in a child’s brain chemistry, muting the effects of stress hormones, according to a new University of Washington study.


Soundbites: Graham Pruss on vehicle residency

Graham Pruss has been researching vehicle residency in Seattle for nearly a decade. He established the methodology for counting the vehicle-resident population for All Home’s annual point-in-time count, conducted on one night each January.


Video: UW MFA + MDes students exhibit thesis work at Henry Art Gallery

The annual thesis exhibition by graduating art and design students with the University of Washington School of Art + Art History + Design brings together the dreamy and the practical to cohabit at the Henry Art Gallery. This year’s exhibit features the work of 10 artists and 11 designers, and will be at the Henry through June 23.


June 3, 2019

Documentary films by UW faculty members Jeff Shulman, David Shields to screen

Two films by UW faculty members — business professor Jeff Shulman and English professor David Shields — will have screenings in Seattle in coming days — both with strong connections to the city.



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