College of Engineering
July 9, 2021
‘We need to be patient’ — UW’s Dawn Lehman on the collapse of the Champlain Towers South
While there is currently no explanation for why the Champlain Towers South building collapsed, Dawn Lehman, a University of Washington professor of civil and environmental engineering, has been studying photographs, videos, drawings, reports and permits to investigate this tragedy to understand what happened. UW News asked her to help us understand why buildings fail.
July 8, 2021
Mari Ostendorf named UW Vice Provost for Research
University of Washington Provost Mark Richards today announced the appointment of Mari Ostendorf as Vice Provost for Research, set to begin Sept. 1. Ostendorf has been serving as Associate Vice Provost for Research in the Office of Research since 2017.
June 14, 2021
UW researchers can turn a single photo into a video
UW researchers have developed a deep learning method that can animate any flowing material, including waterfalls, smoke or clouds.
June 11, 2021
Smartphone camera can illuminate bacteria causing acne, dental plaques
Researchers at the University of Washington have developed a method that uses smartphone-derived images to reveal potentially harmful bacteria on skin and in oral cavities. Their approach can visually identify microbes on skin contributing to acne and slow wound healing, as well as bacteria in the oral cavity that can cause gingivitis and dental plaques.
June 10, 2021
Cause, scope determined for deadly winter debris flow in Uttarakhand, India
On Feb. 7, 2021, a wall of debris and water barreled down river valleys in India, destroyed two hydropower facilities and left more than 200 people dead or missing. A self-organized coalition of 53 scientists from 14 countries, including researchers from the University of Washington, worked nonstop following the disaster to investigate the cause, scope and impacts.
June 1, 2021
Regional survey reveals work, leisure habits during the pandemic
The COVID-19 Mobility Survey, a partnership of the University of Washington and the Puget Sound Regional Council, showed how remote workers’ transportation, work and other lifestyle habits changed over the first several months of the pandemic.
May 27, 2021
Video: Suzzallo bonsai a symbol of peace, resilience and inclusiveness
The potted junipers on the steps of Suzzallo Library are undergoing a transformation. Flanking the entrance to one of UW’s most beloved buildings, they are viewed by hundreds of people walking through Red Square each week. Bioengineering postdoctoral researcher Le Zhen is transforming these shrubs into bonsai — miniature trees that are pruned, nurtured and trained with wire to look like their much older, full-sized counterparts living in nature. He hopes this prominent display of bonsai will signal to members of the AAPI community that UW is safe and welcoming.
May 26, 2021
Faculty/staff honors: Theoretical computer science award, early career faculty innovator in environmental studies, fellowship in Jewish history
Recent honors for UW faculty include the 2021 Presburger award for theoretical computer science, an Early Career Faculty Innovator research grant for a collaboration in environmental studies with the Karuk Tribe in California, and a fellowship to explore war regulations and raiding norms among early Arabian Jewish communities.
May 20, 2021
Creative Destruction Lab joins UW Foster School of Business, establishing CDL-Seattle
Creative Destruction Lab, a nonprofit organization for massively scalable, seed-stage, science- and technology-based companies, will launch its third U.S.-based location, CDL-Seattle, this fall. Based at the UW’s Foster School of Business, CDL-Seattle will be a partnership with Microsoft Corporation, the UW College of Engineering, Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering and CoMotion, UW’s collaborative innovation hub. The initial area of focus for CDL-Seattle is computational health.
May 3, 2021
Genetically engineered grass cleanses soil of toxic pollutants left by military explosives, new research shows
A team, which includes researchers from the University of Washington, demonstrated that over the course of three years, a genetically engineered switchgrass could break down an explosive chemical in plots of soil at a military range.
April 29, 2021
6 UW-affiliated researchers elected to the National Academy of Sciences
Five faculty members and one affiliate professor at the University of Washington are among 120 new members and 30 international members elected to the National Academy of Sciences: Anna Karlin, professor of computer science and engineering; Rachel Klevit, professor of biochemistry; Randall LeVeque, professor emeritus of applied mathematics; Julie Theriot, professor of biology; Rachel Wong, professor of biological structure; and Julie Overbaugh, professor at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and a UW affiliate professor of microbiology.
April 28, 2021
People of color hardest hit by air pollution from nearly all sources
A new study from researchers at multiple universities, including the UW, shows that exposure disparities among people of color and white people are driven by nearly all, rather than only a few, emission source types.
April 20, 2021
Using engineering methods to track the imperceptible movements of stony corals
A new study led by UW researchers borrowed image-analysis methods from engineering to spot the minute movements of a stony coral.
April 19, 2021
Arguing on the internet: UW researchers studying how to make online arguments productive
UW researchers worked with almost 260 people to understand online disagreements and to develop potential design interventions that could make these discussions more productive and centered around relationship-building.
April 1, 2021
New system that uses smartphone or computer cameras to measure pulse, respiration rate could help future personalized telehealth appointments
A UW-led team has developed a method that uses the camera on a person’s smartphone or computer to take their pulse and breathing rate from a real-time video of their face.
March 24, 2021
Faculty/staff honors: Energy-efficient computing, Cottrell Scholar, Google Inclusion Awards
An Intel Corporation award for work to make computers more energy-efficient, a Research Corporation for Science award for chemistry research and education, and two Google inclusion awards to create technology for underrepresented populations.
March 16, 2021
‘Telling Stories’: Imagined tales of artificial intelligence presented by the UW Tech Policy Lab
Tales of artificial intelligence and its effects on future life are gathered in “Telling Stories: On Culturally Responsive Artificial Intelligence,” presented by the UW Tech Policy Lab.
March 10, 2021
Helpful behavior during pandemic tied to recognizing common humanity
A new University of Washington study finds that an identification with all humanity, as opposed to identification with a geographic area like a country or town, predicts whether someone will engage in “prosocial” behaviors particular to the pandemic, such as donating extra masks or coming to the aid of a sick person.
March 9, 2021
Alexa, do I have an irregular heart rhythm? First AI system for contactless monitoring of heart rhythm using smart speakers
UW researchers have developed a new skill for a smart speaker that for the first time monitors both regular and irregular heartbeats without physical contact.
March 2, 2021
UW Center for an Informed Public co-authors report on mis- and disinformation surrounding the 2020 U.S. election
The Election Integrity Partnership, a nonpartisan coalition of research institutions, including the University of Washington, that identified, tracked and responded to voting-related mis- and disinformation during the 2020 U.S. elections, released its final report, “The Long Fuse: Misinformation and the 2020 Elections” on Tuesday, March 2. The report is the culmination of months of collaboration among approximately 120 people working across four organizations: the UW Center for an Informed Public, Stanford Internet Observatory , Graphika and the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab.
February 19, 2021
‘Small moon’ shapes allow DNA devices to attach in precise orientations
A team of engineers, including one at the University of Washington, has developed a technique that allows for the precise placement of molecules formed from folded DNA in not only a specific location but also in a specific orientation
Vice Provost for Research Mary Lidstrom stepping down after 15 years
After more than 15 years serving as Vice Provost for Research, Mary Lidstrom will step down from her position on Aug. 31, 2021, with plans to return full time to the faculty, concentrate on her research, and establish mentoring and diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
February 18, 2021
Faculty/staff honors: Polymer Physics Prize, anthropology dissertation award
The Polymer Physics Prize from the American Physical Society and a dissertation award from the Society for American Archaeology.
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 18, 2021
Researchers use lasers and molecular tethers to create perfectly patterned platforms for tissue engineering
Researchers at the University of Washington have developed a technique to modify naturally occurring biological polymers with protein-based biochemical messages that affect cell behavior. Their approach, published the week of Jan. 18 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, uses a near-infrared laser to trigger chemical adhesion of protein messages to a scaffold made from biological polymers such as collagen, a connective tissue found throughout our bodies.
January 12, 2021
Video: Detecting COVID-19 in wastewater
When someone has the coronavirus, some of it is shed in their fecal matter. So what we flush has become useful to UW researchers developing a new testing method for COVID-19 in sewage. They’re looking at wastewater that flows from people’s homes, sampling it at manholes and neighborhood pump stations before it goes to sewage treatment plants.
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 14, 2020
Behold! UW-authored books and music for the good Dawgs on your shopping list
Here’s a quick look at some giftworthy books and music created by UW faculty and staff in 2020, and a reminder of some recent favorites.
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 Space Policy and Research Center brings researchers, policymakers together for online symposium Nov. 6
A preview of the Nov. 6 SPARC Symposium, which will feature a conversation with Andy Weir, author of “The Martian.”
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.
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