UW News
The latest news from the UW
November 26, 2024
From classrooms to KEXP, UW lecturer shares love of Indigenous music
When he isn’t lecturing at the University of Washington or pursuing his doctoral studies at the University of California, Davis, Tory Johnston (Quinault) co-hosts a global Indigenous radio show, Sounds of Survivance.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of American Indian Studies • Jessica Bissett Perea • Tory JohnstonNovember 25, 2024
Video: UW-led research links wildfire smoke exposure with increased dementia risk
An analysis of the health care records of 1.2 million Southern California residents found that higher long-term smoke exposure was associated with a significant increase in the odds that a person would be diagnosed with dementia. Exposure to non-wildfire PM2.5 also increased a person’s risk of dementia, but to a much lesser degree.
Tag(s): Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences • Joan Casey • School of Public Health • wildfiresNovember 21, 2024
UW among best universities in the world for interdisciplinary science
The University of Washington was ranked No. 15 in the world for interdisciplinary scientific research, according to a new list published earlier this month by the U.K.-based Times Higher Education. The UW placed in the top 10 among U.S. institutions. Among U.S. public institutions, the UW placed fifth.
Tag(s): Rankings
ArtSci Roundup: December 2024
From campus to wherever you call home, we welcome you to learn from and connect with the College of Arts & Sciences community through public events spanning the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. We hope to see you this December. Open Exhibits Henry Art Gallery Through March 2025 | Overexposures: Photographs from the…
Tag(s): Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • Department of Anthropology • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • School of Music • Simpson Center for the Humanities • Stroum Center for Jewish Studies • UW Honors Program
Fewer than 7% of global hotspots for whale-ship collisions have protection measures in place
A new study led by the University of Washington has for the first time quantified the risk for whale-ship collisions worldwide for four geographically widespread ocean giants that are threatened by shipping: blue, fin, humpback and sperm whales. In a paper published online Nov. 21 in Science, researchers report that global shipping traffic overlaps with about 92% of these whale species’ ranges. Only about 7% of areas at highest risk for whale-ship collisions have any measures in place to protect whales from this threat. These measures include speed reductions, both mandatory and voluntary, for ships crossing waters that overlap with whale migration or feeding areas.
Tag(s): Anna Nisi • Briana Abrahms • Center for Ecosystem Sentinels • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Biology • whales
Q&A: Promises and perils of AI in medicine, according to UW experts in public health and AI
UW News sat down with experts in public health and AI to discuss AI could enhance health care, what’s standing in the way, and whether there’s a downside to democratizing medical research.
Tag(s): artificial intelligence • Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences • Department of Neurology • Gary Franklin • Information School • Lucy Lu Wang • School of Medicine • School of Public HealthNovember 20, 2024
UW addresses USDA inspection report findings at WaNPRC
A routine inspection of the University of Washington’s animal care and use program conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on Oct. 8 identified issues that the UW had self-reported and corrected before the inspection took place.
Tag(s): Washington National Primate Research Center
In the ‘Wild West’ of AI chatbots, subtle biases related to race and caste often go unchecked
University of Washington researchers developed a system for detecting subtle biases in AI models. They found seven of the eight popular AI models they tested in conversations around race and caste generated significant amounts of biased text in interactions — particularly when discussing caste. Open-source models fared far worse than two proprietary ChatGPT models.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Hayoung Jung • Information School • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering • Preetam Dammu • Tanu MitraNovember 18, 2024
Q&A: UW professor discusses how academia can help battery manufacturing in the US
Jie Xiao, University of Washington professor of mechanical engineering, talks about batteries and how academia can help support the growing domestic battery manufacturing industry.
Tag(s): batteries • College of Engineering • Department of Mechanical Engineering • Jie Xiao
Q&A: A new medical AI model can help spot systemic disease by looking at a range of image types
UW assistant professor Sheng Wang discusses BiomedParse, an AI medical image analysis model that works across nine types of medical images to better predict systemic diseases. Medical professionals can load images into the system and ask the AI tool questions about them in plain English.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering • Sheng WangNovember 14, 2024
Deborah H. Fuller tapped to lead WaNPRC
The University of Washington named Deborah H. Fuller, a professor of Microbiology at the UW School of Medicine, the next director of the Washington National Primate Research Center. Fuller started in the new role on Nov. 1, said Vice Provost of Research Mari Ostendorf.
Tag(s): Deborah H. Fuller • Mari Ostendorf • Washington National Primate Research Center
AI headphones create a ‘sound bubble,’ quieting all sounds more than a few feet away
A team led by researchers at the University of Washington has created a headphone prototype that allows listeners to hear people speaking within a bubble with a programmable radius of 3 to 6 feet. Voices and sounds outside the bubble are quieted an average of 49 decibels, even if they’re louder than those in the bubble.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering • Shyam GollakotaNovember 11, 2024
UW recognizes Veterans Day with ceremonies and events
The University of Washington’s annual Veterans Day ceremony, held on Monday at the Medal of Honor Memorial near Parrington Hall, honored those who have served and featured music by the Husky Marching Band. The Monday ceremony kicked off a number of events during Veteran Appreciation Week at UW. UW alum Dr. Dana Covey, ’84, U.S….
November 8, 2024
Miniature backpack-like tags offer insight into the movement of hummingbirds
A team led by scientists at the University of Washington and the University of Aberdeen attached tiny “backpack” trackers to hummingbirds in the Colombian Andes to learn more about their movements. As they report in a paper published Oct. 10 in the journal Ecology and Evolution, the tracking system will aid conservation efforts in this region by revealing the previously hidden movements of hummingbirds and other small animals.
Tag(s): Alejandro Rico-Guevara • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • conservation • Department of BiologyNovember 5, 2024
Reconstructing ancient Andean climate provides clues to climate change
As Earth faces unprecedented climate change, a look into the planet’s deep past may provide vital insights into what may lie ahead. But knowledge of the natural world millions of years ago is fragmented. A 15-year study of a site in Bolivia by a joint U.S.-Bolivia team has provided a comprehensive view of an ancient ecosystem when Earth was much warmer than it is today, and changed how we look at the Andes.
Tag(s): Caroline Strömberg • climate change • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Biology • paleontology
What UW political experts will be watching for on Election Day
Before the results of the 2024 election start rolling in, UW News asked three University of Washington professors of political science to discuss what’s on their minds heading into the final hours.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Political Science • James Long • Scott Lemieux • Victor MenaldoNovember 4, 2024
NASA funds effort to study effects of the space environment on living organisms
NASA has awarded a five-year, $2.5 million grant to establish a regional scientific consortium based at the University of Washington, in partnership with Washington State University and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The consortium will use an interdisciplinary approach to explore how the space environment — both in low-Earth orbit and beyond — affects living things.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • College of the Environment • Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics • Department of Genome Sciences • Department of Pharmaceutics • Kristi Morgansen • Mari Ostendorf • space science • UW Medicine
UW President, Provost commit to new processes, policies, training and more in response to antisemitism and Islamophobia task force reports
The University of Washington on Monday announced several improvements and new practices to address concerns of antisemitism and Islamophobia that were raised in a recent climate assessment and associated task force reports.
October 31, 2024
AI tools show biases in ranking job applicants’ names according to perceived race and gender
University of Washington researchers found significant racial, gender and intersectional bias in how three state-of-the-art large language models ranked resumes. The models favored white-associated names 85% of the time, female-associated names only 11% of the time, and never favored Black male-associated names over white male-associated names.
Tag(s): Aylin Caliskan • Information School • Kyra WilsonOctober 30, 2024
UW researcher reveals ‘everything you (n)ever wanted to know’ about parasites in new children’s book
Chelsea Wood, a University of Washington associate professor of aquatic and fishery sciences, has an upcoming children’s book titled “Power to the Parasites! Everything You (N)ever Wanted to Know About the Creepy Crawlies Hidden in Your Home, Your Food, Your Pets – and Maybe Even in You!” The book introduces kids to the world of parasitism.
Tag(s): Chelsea Wood • College of the Environment • School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
Report: UW drives nearly $21 billion, 112,000 jobs to help support Washington’s economy
Across its three campuses, the University of Washington generated a total impact on the state’s economy of $20.9 billion in fiscal year 2023, according to an economic contribution analysis released today. The study further concludes that the economic activity of the UW system supported or sustained 111,951 jobs statewide.
Tag(s): Economic Impact ReportOctober 29, 2024
Estate of Stan and Alta Barer makes transformational gift to UW School of Law to support global sustainable development program
The University of Washington on Tuesday announced a transformational gift from the estate of Stan and Alta Barer to the School of Law, expanding the couple’s namesake institute: The Barer Institute for Leadership in Law & Global Development. The gift will support the recruitment of additional international fellows, increase scholarships, endow faculty positions and create more global impact.
Tag(s): Ana Mari Cauce • Anita Ramasastry • Barer Institute for Law and Global Human Services • School of Law • Tamara Lawson
Q&A: After developing a better way to count homelessness, UW researchers discuss how more accurate data can help providers and people
America’s homeless services system relies on a massive amount of data, and at first glance, that data is exacting. Federal reports describe the country’s unhoused population in granular detail, listing precisely how many people are experiencing homelessness in each city along with detailed demographic data. Want to know how many people ages 55-64 slept outside…
Tag(s): Amy Hagopian • Department of Sociology • Health Systems and Population Health • homelessness • Population Health Initiative • School of Public Health • Zack AlmquistOctober 24, 2024
ArtSci Roundup: November 2024
From campus to wherever you call home, we welcome you to learn from and connect with the College of Arts & Sciences community through public events spanning the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. We hope to see you this November. Election & Democracy Events November 7 | Trust on the Ballot: Voting in…
Tag(s): Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of American Indian Studies • Department of Anthropology • Department of Classics • Department of Comparative History of Ideas • Department of Dance • Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures • Department of Psychology • Department of Scandinavian Studies • drama • DXARTS • Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies • Henry Art Gallery • Jackson School of International Studies • Japan Studies Program • Meany Hall for the Performing Arts • School of Drama • School of Music • Select Department of Gender • Simpson Center for the Humanities • South Asia Center • Stroum Center for Jewish Studies • UW Honors Program • Women & Sexuality Studies • Women & Sexuality Studies Department of Gender • wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ - Intellectual HouseOctober 23, 2024
Video: UW historian on medieval European monsters, and the meaning of monsters
Charity Urbanski, a teaching professor of history at the UW, studies monsters and monstrosities in medieval Europe. One of her interests is the purpose monsters served for medieval Europeans, and what we can learn about medieval European society by looking at their monsters, which served as vehicles for expressing anxieties and fears.
Tag(s): Charity Urbanski • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of History
Rocky planets orbiting small stars could have stable atmospheres needed to support life
A new study finds that rocky planets orbiting small stars do have the potential for stable, life-supporting atmospheres. The finding supports continued study of the TRAPPIST-1 system and other top candidates in the search for life outside our solar system.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Department of Earth and Space Sciences • Joshua Krissansen-Totton • planetary science
From accessibility upgrades to a custom cat-food bowl, this mobile 3D printer can autonomously add features to a room
University of Washington researchers created MobiPrint, a mobile 3D printer that can automatically measure a room and print objects onto the floor. The team’s graphic interface lets users design objects in a space that the robot has mapped out. The prototype, which the team built on a modified consumer vacuum robot, can add a range of objects to rooms.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Daniel Campos Zamora • Jon Froehlich • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & EngineeringOctober 22, 2024
Paws of polar bears sustaining ice-related injuries in a warming Arctic
Polar bears in some parts of the high Arctic are developing ice buildup and related injuries to their feet. The changes appear to be an unexpected consequence of climate change, related to changing conditions in a warming Arctic.
Tag(s): Applied Physics Laboratory • College of the Environment • Kristin Laidre • polar science • Polar Science Center • School of Aquatic and Fishery SciencesOctober 21, 2024
Sweetened beverage taxes decrease consumption in lower-income households by nearly 50%, UW study finds
New research from the University of Washington investigated responses to sweetened beverage taxes using the purchasing behavior of approximately 400 households in Seattle, San Francisco, Oakland and Philadelphia. Researchers found that after the tax was introduced, lower-income households decreased their purchases of sweetened beverages by nearly 50%, while higher-income households reduced purchases by 18%.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Economics • Health Systems and Population Health • Jessica Jones-Smith • Melissa Knox • School of Public HealthOctober 17, 2024
ArtSci Roundup: Frontiers of Physics Lecture, Film Screening, Washin Kai Lecture and more
This week, attend the Frontiers of Physics lecture, join the South Asia Center for a film screening, head to Kane Hall for a Washin Kai lecture, and more. Election & Democracy Events October 22 | State of Trust: Washington’s Political Climate and Voter Priorities, Online What is the current level of trust in our electoral system?…
Tag(s): Center for South Asian Studies • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of American Indian Studies • Department of Asian Languages & Literature • Department of Classics • Department of Scandinavian Studies • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • Simpson Center for the Humanities
Life could exist on Mars in shallow meltwater pools below icy surface, study suggests
Researchers think meltwater beneath Martian ice could host microbial life. New results show that dusty ice could allow deeper layers to melt, while allowing enough sunlight through to support photosynthesis.
Tag(s): Aditya Khuller • Applied Physics Laboratory • College of the Environment • Department of Earth and Space Sciences • space science • Stephen WarrenOctober 15, 2024
Annual President’s Address 2024: Creating Impact through Courage, Compassion and Collaboration
University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce delivered her final annual address of her term on Oct. 15. The audience was invited to attend at the Henry Art Galley and remotely via livestream.
Tag(s): Ana Mari Cauce
Antisemitism and Islamophobia task forces issue final reports, findings and recommendations to UW leadership
Final reports from the University of Washington’s task forces on antisemitism and Islamophobia were released Tuesday. The task forces were established by UW President Ana Mari Cauce on March 7, 2024, with the goal of assessing “how students, faculty and staff are experiencing discrimination or harassment because they are Jewish and/or Palestinian, Middle Eastern or Muslim on our campus, and to what degree they feel the climate is supportive and welcoming.”
Q&A: New book shows how innovation inequality fuels America’s political divide
Victor Menaldo, UW professor of political science, co-authored the forthcoming book, “U.S. Innovation Inequality and Trumpism.” The book focuses on how former President Donald Trump — like other populists that came before him — exploits ‘innovation inequality,” or the divide between areas that are more technologically advanced and those that aren’t.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Political Science • Victor MenaldoOctober 14, 2024
UW’s 2024 entering class is most diverse
The University of Washington’s newest freshman class is the most diverse in the school’s 164-year history, and the incoming class at UW Bothell is the largest since the school first welcomed students in 1990, while UW Tacoma’s enrollment increased 4% over last year.
October 10, 2024
ArtSci Roundup: Election Events, Meany Hall Performances, Artist Panel and more
This week, attend the Conversation on Race, Gender, & Democracy lecture at Kane Hall, check out performances at Meany Hall, learn from a panel of artists at Henry Art Gallery, and more. Election & Democracy Events October 14, 6:30 – 8:00 pm | The 2024 Election: A Conversation on Race, Gender, & Democracy featuring Dr. Christina Greer, Kane…
Tag(s): Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of American Indian Studies • Department of Communication • Department of History • Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures • Department of Political Science • Henry Art Gallery • Meany Hall for the Performing Arts • Simpson Center for the HumanitiesOctober 9, 2024
UW ranks among best in the world, fourth among US public institutions
The University of Washington is among the best universities in the world, according to the 2025 World University Rankings published Wednesday by Times Higher Education.
Tag(s): RankingsOctober 8, 2024
How to Steal an Election: New UW course examines democracy’s vulnerability
James Long, University of Washington professor of political science, launched a new course this quarter. “How to Steal an Election” highlights the types of politicians who try to steal elections, and how and what can be done to secure them.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Political Science • James LongOctober 4, 2024
Q&A: New dataset provides a robust picture of Hurricane Helene’s destruction — and could help design more resilient communities
UW researchers collaborated with people at multiple institutions to collect pre-storm data and place sensors to measure storm surge levels and wave height during Hurricane Helene’s landfall.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering • Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering • Michael Grilliot • RAPID FacilityOctober 3, 2024
ArtSci Roundup: Democracy Discussions series, Ellison Lecture, Faculty Recital and more
This week, head to Kane Hall for a Conversation on Race, Gender, & Democracy, attend the fall Ellison Lecture featuring the chief foreign-affairs correspondent of The Wall Street Journal, check out a faculty recital, and more. October 7, 12:00 – 1:00 pm | Biology Seminar | Bears in Bathtubs: How Behavior and Life History Shape…
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Biology • Department of Cinema & Media Studies • Department of Comparative History of Ideas • Department of Dance • Jackson School of International Studies • Meany Hall for the Performing Arts • School of Music • Simpson Center for the Humanities« Previous Page Next Page »
