UW News
The latest news from the UW
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
Tag(s): Chris Thachuk • College of Engineering • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering
UW partners in new postdoctoral program to diversify the science and engineering faculty at America’s research universities
At our nation’s research universities, including the University of Washington, underrepresented minorities make up less than 6% of the faculty across non-medical science, technology engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. This severe underrepresentation among faculty has persisted for decades and comes, in part, from a lack of diversity among the doctoral students and postdoctoral scholars in these fields who elect to pursue faculty positions.
Tag(s): Joy Williamson-Lott • Julia Parrish • Mark Richards
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.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Chemical Engineering • Mary Lidstrom • Office of ResearchFebruary 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.
Tag(s): archaeology • College of Arts & Sciences • College of Engineering • Department of Anthropology • Department of Chemical Engineering • Department of Chemistry • Ian Kretzler • Samson JenekheFebruary 17, 2021
Q&A: ShakeAlert earthquake early warning system arriving in Pacific Northwest
After years in development, an earthquake early warning system known as ShakeAlert is on the cusp of being released in Oregon and Washington. Harold Tobin, director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, answers questions about the coming rollout.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Department of Earth and Space Sciences • earthquakes & seismology • Harold Tobin • Pacific Northwest Seismic Network • ShakeAlert
ArtSci Roundup: Katz Distinguished Lecture: Ruth Wilson Gilmore, Contemporary Environmental Issues In Taiwan, Global Perspectives on Restorative Justice & Race, and More
During this time of uncertainty and isolation, find solace in digital opportunities to connect, share, and engage. Each week, we will share upcoming events that bring the UW, and the greater community, together online. Many of these online opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students have access to Zoom Pro via UW-IT. Joff…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • College of the Environment • Comparative History of Ideas Program • Department of Dance • Department of English • Department of Gender Women and Sexuality Studies • Department of Geography • Environmental Studies • Henry Art Gallery • Jackson School of International Studies • Jazz • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • Meany Hall for the Performing Arts • School of Art + Art History + Design • School of Law • School of MusicFebruary 16, 2021
UW books in brief: Historian Anand Yang explores British ‘penal transportation’; world music textbooks by Patricia Shehan Campbell
Historian Anand Yang writes about the British history of shipping of convicted criminals to other continents; and new world music education books from ethnomusicologist Patricia Shehan Campbell.
Tag(s): Anand Yang • College of Arts & Sciences • Jackson School of International Studies • Patricia Campbell • School of Music
UW chemist and oceanographer named Sloan Fellows
Two faculty members at the University of Washington have been awarded early-career fellowships from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The new Sloan Fellows, announced Feb. 16, are Ashleigh Theberge, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Jodi Young, an assistant professor in the School of Oceanography.
Tag(s): Ashleigh Theberge • Jodi YoungFebruary 10, 2021
Online tool displays Pacific Northwest mountain snow depth
How’s the snow on Northwest mountains this year? Overall a little deeper than normal, but it depends where you look. A new collaboration between the University of Washington, the Northwest Avalanche Center lets you see how the current snow depth compares to past years for nine sites in Washington and two in Oregon.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Karin Bumbaco • Office of the Washington State Climatologist • weather
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.
Tag(s): Ayokunle Olanrewaju • Bobby Wilson • College of Arts & Sciences • College of Engineering • Franck Kalume • James Carothers • Jessica Ray • School of Medicine • Tam'ra-Kay Francis • UW Bothell • Warren BuckFebruary 9, 2021
ArtSci Roundup: Monsen Photography Lecture, Meany On Screen: Martha Graham Dance Company, and More
During this time of uncertainty and isolation, find solace in digital opportunities to connect, share, and engage. Each week, we will share upcoming events that bring the UW, and the greater community, together online. Many of these online opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students have access to Zoom Pro via UW-IT. Monsen…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Dance • Department of Germanics • Department of Political Science • Henry Art Gallery • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • Meany Hall for the Performing Arts • School of Music
Faculty/staff honors: Holocaust commemoration, new compositions, a top local album of 2020
Recent honors and achievements by UW faculty include a keynote address at a national Holocaust commemoration event, an album of new compositions and a best-of-2020 musical nod from the Seattle Times.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Devin Naar • Jackson School of International Studies • Melia Watras • School of Music • Sephardic Studies Program • Stroum Center for Jewish Studies • Ted Poor
Limiting warming to 2 C requires emissions reductions 80% above Paris Agreement targets
Even if all countries meet their Paris Agreement goals for reducing emissions, Earth has only a 5% chance of staying below 2 C warming this century, a previous study showed. But reductions about 80% more ambitious, or an average of 1.8% drop in emissions per year rather than 1% per year, would be enough to meet the Paris Agreement’s temperature goal.
Tag(s): Adrian Raftery • climate change • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of StatisticsFebruary 8, 2021
UW physicist pens math-free tour of quantum mechanics and technology
Morales has authored a seven-part series for Ars Technica on quantum mechanics for a general audience. One article in the series is rolling out each week from Jan. 10 to Feb. 21. Morales sat down with UW News to talk about the series, quantum mechanics and what he hopes the public can learn about this seemingly odd and possibly intimidating realm of science.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Physics • Miguel Morales • Q&AFebruary 5, 2021
To counter health impacts of racism, UW School of Nursing establishing Center for Antiracism in Nursing
Systemic racism has for generations undermined the health of individuals and communities across America, a public health crisis that has made the pandemic even more deadly and destructive for people of color. Recognizing that nurses play a central role in and hold major responsibility for the health of individuals and communities hit hard by historic…
Tag(s): Ana Mari Cauce • Azita Emami • Butch de Castro • Center for Antiracism in Nursing • population health • School of Nursing
New nationwide survey shows MAGA supporters’ beliefs about the pandemic, the election and the insurrection
New data from the University of Washington, collected just before and after the Capitol riot, reveals fervent Trump voters’ opinions about race, gender, the pandemic and the 2020 election.
Tag(s): Christopher Parker • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Political ScienceFebruary 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.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • College of Engineering • Department of Applied Mathematics • Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering • Eli Shlizerman
Global warming found to be culprit for flood risk in Peruvian Andes, other glacial lakes
Human-caused warming is responsible for increasing the risk of a glacial outburst flood from Peru’s Lake Palcacocha, threatening the city below. This study is the first to directly link climate change with the risk of flooding from glacial lakes, which are growing in number and size worldwide.
Tag(s): climate change • College of the Environment • Department of Earth and Space Sciences • Gerard Roe • glaciersFebruary 3, 2021
Public hearing notice: Rule-making hearing for Chapter 478-121 WAC
Notice is hereby given that a public hearing will be held from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021, via a Zoom conference meeting. The details of the hearing are available on the University Policy and Rules Office website.
February 2, 2021
ArtSci Roundup: Patty Hayes – The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Impacts of Systemic Racism, Book Launch: Union by Law, and More
During this time of uncertainty and isolation, find solace in digital opportunities to connect, share, and engage. Each week, we will share upcoming events that bring the UW, and the greater community, together online. Many of these online opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students have access to Zoom Pro via UW-IT. In…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • Comparative History of Ideas Program • Department of Anthropology • Department of Cinema & Media Studies • Department of Classics • Department of English • Department of History • Department of Political Science • Department of Sociology • Henry Art Gallery • Jackson School of International Studies • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • Meany Hall for the Performing Arts • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering • Simpson Center for the Humanities • Stroum Center for Jewish Studies
‘Making Amends’ podcast explores remorse, intention among men at Oregon prison
“Making Amends,” a new podcast by University of Washington professor Steve Herbert, explores themes of atonement among men incarcerated at the Oregon State Penitentiary.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Law Societies & Justice Department • Steve HerbertFebruary 1, 2021
Marine organisms use previously undiscovered receptors to detect, respond to light
Single-celled organisms in the open ocean use a diverse array of genetic tools to detect sunlight, even in tiny amounts, and respond. The discovery of these new genetic “light switches” could also aid in the field of optogenetics, in which a cell’s function can be controlled with light exposure.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Ginger Armbrust • marine microbiology • oceanography • School of Oceanography
UW books in brief: African American political theory, philosophy and migration, data science for health
Notable recent books written or edited by UW faculty include an exploration of African American political theory, a book on philosophy and migration and a textbook on health data science.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Philosophy • Department of Political Science • Jack Turner • Michael Blake • Michael McCann • Ruth EtzioniJanuary 31, 2021
Bleeding gums may be a sign you need more vitamin C in your diet
Current advice from the American Dental Association tells you that if your gums bleed, make sure you are brushing and flossing twice a day because it could be a sign of gingivitis, an early stage of periodontal disease. And that might be true. So if you are concerned, see your dentist. However, a new University…
Tag(s): Department of Oral Health Sciences • Phillipe Hujoel • population health • School of DentistryJanuary 28, 2021
Official notice: UW determination of non-significance adoption of existing document
The UW Bothell Husky Village Redevelopment project is being proposed in Development Area D of the campus to provide residence halls, apartments, dining, gathering and office space.
UW installs strikingly unique public sculpture at new Hans Rosling Center for Population Health
At nearly 7 feet tall, “The Seated IV” first graced the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s facade in September 2019 as part of a commission titled The NewOnes, will free Us. Four “Seated” sculptures by Wangechi Mutu were the first works to take up the positions on The Met’s facade since it was completed in 1902. On…
Tag(s): Hans Rosling Center for Population Health • Henry Art Gallery • population health • Shamim MominJanuary 27, 2021
Undergrad’s first novel, optioned for a movie, features big robots and even bigger feelings
UW student Zoe Mikuta’s first book, “Gearbreakers,” is set to come out June 29. Categorized in the young adult genre, it tells the story of Eris and Sona, who live under a tyrannical regime enforced by 100-foot-tall mecha robots. She’s sold the film rights to “Gearbreakers” and is currently working on its sequel.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of English • Shawn Wong • Zoe Mikuta
ArtSci Roundup: Meany On Screen: Cuarteto Latinoamericano, Maria Gaspar: Disappearance Landscape, and More
During this time of uncertainty and isolation, find solace in digital opportunities to connect, share, and engage. Each week, we will share upcoming events that bring the UW, and the greater community, together online. Many of these online opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students have access to Zoom Pro via UW-IT. Outpost:…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of History • Department of Political Science • Department of Sociology • Henry Art Gallery • Law Societies & Justice Department • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • Meany Hall for the Performing Arts • School of Art + Art History + Design • School of Music
In Brazil, many smaller dams disrupt fish more than large hydropower projects
A new University of Washington paper quantifies the tradeoffs between hydroelectric generation capacity and the impacts on river connectivity for thousands of current and projected future dams across Brazil. The findings confirm that small hydropower plants are far more responsible for river fragmentation than their larger counterparts due to their prevalence and distribution.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Julian Olden • School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
On nights before a full moon, people go to bed later and sleep less, study shows
Sleep cycles in people oscillate during the 29.5-day lunar cycle: In the days leading up to a full moon, people go to sleep later in the evening and sleep for shorter periods of time. The team, led by researchers at the University of Washington, observed these variations in both the time of sleep onset and the duration of sleep in urban and rural settings — from Indigenous communities in northern Argentina to college students in Seattle, a city of more than 750,000. They saw the oscillations regardless of an individual’s access to electricity, though the variations are less pronounced in individuals living in urban environments.
Tag(s): circadian rhythms • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Biology • Horacio de la Iglesia • planetary science
$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.
Tag(s): Anat Caspi • College of Engineering • Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering • Mark Hallenbeck • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering • Taskar Center for Accessible Technology • Washington State Transportation Center
Purported phosphine on Venus more likely to be ordinary sulfur dioxide, new study shows
A University of Washington-led team has revisited and comprehensively reinterpreted the radio telescope observations underlying a widely reported 2019 claim that phosphine gas was present in the atmosphere of Venus. In a paper accepted to the Astrophysical Journal, they report that sulfur dioxide, a common gas in the atmosphere of Venus, is likely what was detected instead of phosphine.
Tag(s): astrobiology • Astrobiology Program • astronomy & astrophysics • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Astronomy • planetary science • preprint • Victoria Meadows • Virtual Planetary LaboratoryJanuary 26, 2021
Anti-poverty policies can reduce reports of child neglect
A University of Washington study analyzes how a state’s refundable Earned Income Tax Credit can lead to fewer reports of child neglect, by reducing the financial stress on families.
Tag(s): Ali Rowhani-Rahbar • Department of Epidemiology • Department of Pediatrics • Erin Morgan • Evans School of Public Policy & Governance • Frederick Rivara • Harborview Injury Prevention & Research Center • Nicole Kovski • population health • School of Medicine • School of Public Health • Stephen MooneyJanuary 25, 2021
Nicolaas Barr translates powerful Dutch coming out memoir ‘Djinn’
Nicolaas Barr of the UW’s Comparative History of Ideas Department talks about his translation of “Djinn,” a memoir by Tofik Dibi, who served for six years as a member of the Dutch Parliament.
Tag(s): Comparative History of Ideas Program • Nicolaas Barr
Emeritus professor Robert Edmonds pens history of forestry science at the UW
A talk with Robert Edmonds, professor emeritus in the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, who has written a new history of UW forestry research and education called “Saving Forest Ecosystems: A Century Plus of Research and Education at the University of Washington.”
Tag(s): Robert Edmonds • School of Environmental and Forest Sciences
Ancient food scraps provide clues to past rainfall in Australia’s Northern Territory
A new study led by the University of Queensland and involving the University of Washington provides a glimpse into the Australia’s ancient climate and early human occupation.
Tag(s): Ben Marwick • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of AnthropologyJanuary 22, 2021
The 7 rocky planets orbiting TRAPPIST-1 may be made of similar stuff
A study accepted by the Planetary Science Journal shows that the planets of the TRAPPIST-1 system share similar densities. That could mean they all contain roughly the same ratio of materials thought to be common to rocky planets, such as iron, oxygen, magnesium and silicon — though they appear to differ notably from Earth.
Tag(s): Astrobiology Program • astronomy & astrophysics • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Astronomy • Eric Agol • planetary science • Virtual Planetary LaboratoryJanuary 20, 2021
‘Oxford Handbook of Electoral Systems,’ co-edited by UW’s Robert Pekkanen, out in paperback, online
A book co-edited by Robert Pekkanen of the UW’s Jackson School of International Studies brings together top scholars to study the origins and effects of electoral systems in the United States and other democracies.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Jackson School of International Studies • Robert Pekkanen
ArtSci Roundup: Meany On Screen: Kodō, The Wound Makes the Man: Trans Figuring Chicanx Masculinities, and More
During this time of uncertainty and isolation, find solace in digital opportunities to connect, share, and engage. Each week, we will share upcoming events that bring the UW, and the greater community, together online. Many of these online opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students have access to Zoom Pro via UW-IT. Meany…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • Comparative History of Ideas Program • Department of Communication • Department of History • Department of Sociology • Henry Art Gallery • Jackson School of International Studies • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • Meany Hall for the Performing Arts • Simpson Center for the Humanities • Stroum Center for Jewish Studies • wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ - Intellectual HouseJanuary 19, 2021
UW health law expert: COVID-19 vaccine rollout presents ethical, logistical questions
University of Washington law professor Pat Kuszler provides perspectives on the ethical issues of COVID-19 vaccine distribution.
Tag(s): COVID-19 • Patricia Kuszler • School of Law • School of Medicine • School of Public Health« Previous Page Next Page »
