UW News
The latest news from the UW
September 9, 2022
Pandemic federal programs helped kids in need get access to 1.5 billion meals every month
When schools closed during the first year of the pandemic, an immediate and potentially devastating problem surfaced: How would millions of children in struggling families get the school meals many of them depended on? The U.S. Congress responded by authorizing the Department of Agriculture to roll out two major programs. It launched the “grab…
Tag(s): COVID-19 studies • Health Systems and Population Health • Jim Krieger • population health • School of Public HealthSeptember 8, 2022
UW Board of Regents votes to exit direct fossil fuel investments by 2027
The University of Washington Board of Regents on Thursday approved a resolution to begin exiting all direct investments in fossil-fuel companies with the goal of complete divestiture by Fiscal Year 2027. The resolution includes a commitment not to renew indirect investments in funds primarily focusing on fossil-fuel extraction or reserves. Both commitments include allowances for firms contributing to the transition to sustainable energy.
September 7, 2022
These female hummingbirds evolved to look like males — apparently to evade aggression
1 in 5 adult female white-necked jacobin hummingbirds look like males. New research from the University of Washington shows that this is a rare case of “deceptive mimicry” within a species: Females with male-like plumage are trying to pass themselves off as males, and as a result receive a benefit in the form of reduced aggression from males.
Tag(s): Alejandro Rico-Guevara • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Biology • evolutionAugust 29, 2022
Black-owned restaurants disproportionately impacted during pandemic
A new study led by the University of Washington uses cellphone location data to estimate the number of visits to Black-owned restaurants in 20 U.S. cities during the first year of the pandemic. The study finds that despite the “Black-owned” labelling campaign launched by companies such as Yelp, the number of visits to Black-owned restaurants dropped off after an initial spike and was inconsistent around the country.
Tag(s): Bo Zhao • College of Arts & Sciences • COVID-19 • Department of GeographyAugust 25, 2022
‘Dangerous’ and ‘extremely dangerous’ heat stress to become more common by 2100
A new study projects the number of days with “dangerous” and “extremely dangerous” mixtures of heat and humidity by the end of this century. Even if global warming is limited to 2 degrees Celsius, results show that deadly heat waves will become much more common in the mid-latitudes, and many tropical regions will experience “dangerous” heat for about half the year.
Tag(s): Adrian Raftery • College of Arts & Sciences • College of the Environment • David Battisti • Department of Atmospheric Sciences • Department of Statistics • population healthAugust 23, 2022
Beach trash accumulates in predictable patterns on Washington and Oregon shores
Volunteers spent thousands of hours recording trash on beaches in Washington and Oregon to show that certain beaches, and certain areas of a single beach, are “sticky zones” that accumulate litter. Finding patterns for where litter lands could help to better prevent and remove trash in the marine environment.
Tag(s): COASST • College of the Environment • School of Aquatic and Fishery SciencesAugust 17, 2022
New UW Photonic Sensing Facility will use fiber-optic cables for seismic sensing, glaciology and more
A University of Washington pilot project is exploring the use of fiber-optic sensing for seismology, glaciology, and even urban monitoring. Funded in part with a $473,000 grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, a nonprofit based in Vancouver, Washington, the new UW Photonic Sensing Facility will use photons traveling through a fiber-optic cable to detect ground motions as small as 1 nanometer.
Tag(s): Brad Lipovsky • College of the Environment • Department of Earth and Space Sciences • earthquakes & seismology • Marine DenolleAugust 15, 2022
UW to host college students for NASA-funded lunar rover challenge
The University of Washington received a nearly $500,000 grant to run one of NASA’s Artemis Student Challenges in which participants turn a model lunar lava tube into a habitat suitable for housing humans on the moon or Mars.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics • Mary Denmon • Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium
Global ranking: UW is No. 17 in the world
The University of Washington is No. 17 in the world — No. 3 among U.S. public universities — on the 2022 Academic Ranking of World Universities, released today.
Tag(s): RankingsAugust 12, 2022
New faculty books: How your brain works, cycling around the world and more
Recent and upcoming books from University of Washington faculty include those from the Jackson School of International Studies, the Department of Psychology and the Runstad Department of Real Estate.
Tag(s): Chantel Prat • College of Arts & Sciences • College of Built Environments • Deborah Lynn Porter • Department of Psychology • H. Pike Oliver • Jackson School of International Studies • Paula Holmes-Eber • Runstad Department of Real EstateAugust 11, 2022
Bird behavior influenced by human activity during COVID-19 lockdowns
For birds that inhabit developed areas of the Pacific Northwest, the reduction in noise and commotion from COVID-19 lockdowns may have allowed them to use a wider range of habitats in cities, a new University of Washington study has found.
Tag(s): Beth Gardner • College of the Environment • Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences • Joel Kaufman • Olivia Sanderfoot • School of Environmental and Forest Sciences • School of Public HealthAugust 8, 2022
Q&A: Story collection from UW professor tackles messy emotions of domestic relationships
Maya Sonenberg, professor of English at the University of Washington, highlights common feelings that are often silenced due to shame and societal expectations in her new short story collection, “Bad Mothers, Bad Daughters.”
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of English • Maya SonenbergAugust 5, 2022
New study calculates retreat of glacier edges in Alaska’s Kenai Fjords National Park
As glaciers worldwide retreat due to climate change, managers of national parks need to know what’s on the horizon to prepare for the future. A new study from the University of Washington and the National Park Service measures 38 years of change for glaciers in Kenai Fjords National Park south of Anchorage. The study, published Aug. 5 in The Journal of Glaciology, finds that 13 of the 19 glaciers show substantial retreat, four are relatively stable, and two have advanced. It also finds trends in which glacier types are disappearing fastest.
Tag(s): Alaska • climate change • College of the Environment • Department of Earth and Space Sciences • glaciers • Taryn BlackAugust 4, 2022
UW to construct new Interdisciplinary Engineering Building, expanding contemporary educational spaces for students
The University of Washington will break ground this fall on a new, $90 million Interdisciplinary Engineering Building, thanks in part to a $10 million donation from Boeing. Once complete, the state-of-the-art building will be a leading example of a student-focused learning facility backed by both public and private investments. The state of Washington has also dedicated $50 million to support the project that aims to fuel economic growth and create a pipeline of future, local engineering talent.
Tag(s): Ana Mari Cauce • College of Engineering • Nancy AllbrittonAugust 2, 2022
Popular map for exploring environmental health disparities, vulnerabilities in Washington gets an update
Since it first launched in 2019, Washington state’s Environmental Health Disparities Map has been used to help decisionmakers and government agencies engage with overburdened communities to clean up contamination, improve buildings and electric grids, plant trees and many other projects. Using a complex matrix of data, this open-access, interactive map ranks Washington’s nearly 1,500 U.S….
Tag(s): Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences • Esther Min • School of Public HealthJuly 28, 2022
The University of Washington’s three campuses join the Common App
The Seattle campus of the University of Washington, UW Bothell, and UW Tacoma are pleased to announce that they have joined the Common App. The Common App is a college application platform used by over 900 universities, including several Washington colleges and universities.
Tag(s): Admissions
How to help assembly-line robots shift gears and pick up almost anything
A UW team created a new tool that can design a 3D-printable passive gripper and calculate the best path to pick up an object. The team tested this system on a suite of 22 objects — including a 3D-printed bunny, a doorstop-shaped wedge, a tennis ball and a drill.
Tag(s): Adriana Schulz • College of Engineering • Department of Mechanical Engineering • Ian Good • Jeffrey Lipton • Milin Kodnongbua • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & EngineeringJuly 27, 2022
Craig Wilson promoted to chief of UW Police Department
Craig Wilson has been promoted to chief of police at the University of Washington Police Department, UW Vice President for Student Affairs Denzil Suite and UW Interim Vice President for Campus & Community Safety Sally Clark announced Wednesday. Wilson’s appointment is effective Aug. 1.
Tag(s): Denzil Suite • public safety • Sally ClarkJuly 25, 2022
New study challenges old views on what’s ‘primitive’ in mammalian reproduction
Which group of mammals has the more “primitive” reproductive strategy — marsupials, with their short gestation periods, or humans and other placental mammals, which have long gestation periods? For decades, biologists viewed marsupial reproduction as “more primitive.” But University of Washington scientists have discovered that a third group of mammals, the long-extinct multituberculates, had a long gestation period like placental mammals. Since multituberculates split off from the rest of the mammalian lineage before placentals and marsupials had even evolved, these findings question the view that marsupials were “less advanced” than their placental cousins.
Tag(s): Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Biology • evolution • Gregory Wilson Mantilla • paleontologyJuly 22, 2022
Novel HIV combination therapies could prevent viral escape and rebound
New research by scientists at the University of Washington, the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization and the University of Cologne indicates that carefully designed cocktails of broadly neutralizing antibodies could help treat HIV while minimizing the risk of the virus evolving to “escape” treatment.
Tag(s): Armita Nourmohammad • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Physics • HIV and AIDS • medicine & pharmaceuticals • population healthJuly 20, 2022
UW atmospheric sciences achieves No. 1 global ranking; nearly three dozen UW subjects in top 50
Eight University of Washington subjects ranked in the top 10 and Atmospheric Sciences moved to its position as No. 1 in the world on the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects list for 2022. The ranking, released Tuesday, was conducted by researchers at the ShanghaiRanking Consultancy, a fully independent organization dedicating to research on higher education intelligence and consultation.
Tag(s): Ana Mari Cauce • College of the Environment • Department of Atmospheric Sciences • education • Information School • oceanography • public health • School of Dentistry • School of Oceanography • School of Public Health • UW MedicineJuly 19, 2022
Suicide prevention training for health care providers a first step in longer-term efficacy
After Washington became the first state to require suicide prevention training for health care providers, the University of Washington worked with experts and organizations to develop the All Patients Safe program. A new study shows how All Patients Safe helped providers of all specialties learn how to identify and respond to patients at risk of suicide.
Tag(s): anna ratzliff • Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences • Forefront • Jennifer Stuber • School of Medicine • School of Public Health • School of Social WorkJuly 15, 2022
Seven UW faculty members elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences
Seven professors at the University of Washington are among 25 new members of the Washington State Academy of Sciences for 2022, according to a July 15 announcement.
Tag(s): Azita Emami • Clean Energy Institute • College of Arts & Sciences • College of Engineering • Department of Chemical Engineering • Department of Chemistry • Department of Genome Sciences • Department of Materials Science & Engineering • Department of Radiology • eScience Institute • František Tureček • Jay Shendure • Jihui Yang • Jim Pfaendtner • Molecular Engineering & Sciences Institute • School of Medicine • School of Nursing • Washington State Academy of Sciences • Xiaoming Yang • Xiaosong LiJuly 14, 2022
UW professor’s new book and course on sexual harassment in engineering seek to disrupt culture of silence
Denise Wilson, a University of Washington professor of electrical and computer engineering, is working to end the prevalence of sexual harassment in engineering. She and her colleague Jennifer VanAntwerp of Calvin University are co-authors of “Sex, Gender, and Engineering: Harassment at Work and in School,” published in April by Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Denise Wilson • Department of Electrical & Computer EngineeringJuly 13, 2022
Determination of non-significance: Basketball Training Facility / Health & High Performance Center
Pursuant to the provisions of WAC 197-11-340 and WAC 478-324-140, the University of Washington hereby provides public notice of: Determination of non-significance for the Basketball Training Facility / Health & High Performance Center project.
July 12, 2022
UW study strengthens evidence of link between air pollution and child brain development
Air pollution is not just a problem for lungs. Increasingly, research suggests air pollution can influence childhood behavioral problems and even IQ. A new study led by the University of Washington has added evidence showing that both prenatal and postnatal exposure to air pollution can harm kids. The study, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, found…
Tag(s): Catherine Karr • Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences • School of Medicine • School of Public Health • Yu Ni
New faculty books: Threats to US democracy, early history of gay rights, and more
Federalism, queer history, the impact of the Russian Revolution on Jewish communities, and the evolution of Filipinx American studies are among the subjects of recent and upcoming books by UW faculty.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of American Ethnic Studies • Department of History • Department of Political Science • Jackson School of International Studies • Jake Grumbach • Laurie Marhoefer • Rick Bonus • Sasha SenderovichJuly 11, 2022
ClearBuds: First wireless earbuds that clear up calls using deep learning
UW researchers created ClearBuds, earbuds that enhance the speaker’s voice and reduce background noise.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Ira Kemelmacher-Shlizerman • Ishan Chatterjee • Maruchi Kim • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering • Shwetak Patel • Shyam Gollakota • Steven Seitz • Vivek JayaramJuly 8, 2022
Sweetened beverage taxes produce net economic benefits for lower-income communities
New research led by University of Washington professors James Krieger and Melissa Knox found that sweetened beverage taxes redistributed dollars from higher- to lower-income households.
Tag(s): Center for Studies in Demography & Ecology • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Economics • Department of Urban Design and Planning • Deven Hamilton • Health Systems and Population Health • Jessica Jones-Smith • Jim Krieger • Lina Walkinshaw • Melissa Knox • Philip Hurvitz • School of Public HealthJuly 5, 2022
Determination of non-significance: Site W27 Project
Pursuant to the provisions of WAC 197-11-340 and WAC 478-324-140, the University of Washington hereby provides public notice of: Determination of non-significance
Tamara F. Lawson named dean of the School of Law
Tamara F. Lawson has been named to the next Toni Rembe Endowed Deanship of the University of Washington’s School of Law, Provost Mark A. Richards announced today. Her appointment, set to begin Aug. 16, is subject to approval by the UW Board of Regents.
Tag(s): Elizabeth Porter • Mark Richards • School of Law • Tamara LawsonJune 30, 2022
André Ritter named dean of the School of Dentistry
Dr. André Ritter has been named the next dean of the University of Washington’s School of Dentistry, Provost Mark A. Richards announced today. His appointment, set to begin Sept. 16, is subject to approval by the UW Board of Regents.
Tag(s): Andre Ritter • Gary Chiodo • Mark Richards • School of DentistryJune 29, 2022
‘Safety in numbers’ tactic keeps Pacific salmon safe from predators
A new University of Washington study that leverages historical data has found unique support for a “safety in numbers” hypothesis by showing that Pacific salmon in larger groups have lower risk of being eaten by predators. But for some salmon species, schooling comes at the cost of competition for food, and those fish may trade safety for a meal.
Tag(s): Andrew Berdahl • College of the Environment • salmon • School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences • Tom QuinnJune 27, 2022
Top predators could ‘trap’ themselves trying to adapt to climate change, study shows
A study led by University of Washington researchers shows that over a 30-year period, African wild dogs shifted their average birthing dates later by 22 days, an adaptation that allowed them to match the birth of new litters with the coolest temperatures in early winter. But as a result of this significant shift, fewer pups survived their most vulnerable period because temperatures during their critical post-birth “denning period” increased over the same time period, threatening the population of this already endangered species. It is the first study to show that large mammalian carnivores are making major changes to their life history in response to a changing climate.
Tag(s): Briana Abrahms • Center for Ecosystem Sentinels • climate change • conservation • Department of Biology • ecologyJune 24, 2022
‘Folks on the ground have been activated and ready’: UW expert on reproductive justice and the U.S. Supreme Court
Bettina Judd, associate professor of gender, women and sexuality studies at the University of Washington, discusses the U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade.
Tag(s): Bettina Judd • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Gender Women and Sexuality StudiesJune 22, 2022
Q&A: New book from UW professor examines history, consequences of fifth columns
A new book co-edited by Scott Radnitz, associate professor in the University of Washington Jackson School of International Studies, features original papers on the roots and implications of the politics surrounding real and imagined fifth columns.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Jackson School of International Studies • Scott Radnitz • Simpson Center for the HumanitiesJune 21, 2022
New study: 2021 heat wave created ‘perfect storm’ for shellfish die-off
A team led by the UW has produced the first comprehensive report of the impacts of the 2021 heat wave on shellfish.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Environmental Studies • Friday Harbor Laboratories • Megan Dethier • P. Sean McDonald • School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences • Teri King • Washington Sea Grant • Wendel RaymondJune 17, 2022
Q&A: New children’s book shows how natural world inspired inventor to create medieval robots
“Robots and Other Amazing Gadgets Invented 800 Years Ago,” a children’s book by the UW’s Faisal Hossain and Qishi Zhou, shares the inventions of Ismail Al-Jazari, a 12th-century polymath considered by many to be the “father of robotics.”
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering • Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering • Faisal Hossain • Qishi ZhouJune 16, 2022
Q&A: Healthier soil leads to more-nutritious food, argues new book by UW geomorphologist David Montgomery
David Montgomery, a UW professor of Earth and space sciences, discusses soil health, food nutrients and human health. He is co-author of “What Your Food Ate,” being published this month.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • David Montgomery • Department of Earth and Space Sciences
Newly documented population of polar bears in Southeast Greenland sheds light on the species’ future in a warming Arctic
A new population of polar bears documented on the southeast coast of Greenland use glacier ice to survive despite limited access to sea ice. This small, genetically distinct group of polar bears could be important to the future of the species in a warming world.
Tag(s): Applied Physics Laboratory • biology • climate change • College of the Environment • Kristin Laidre • polar science • Polar Science Center • School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences« Previous Page Next Page »
