UW News
The latest news from the UW
January 9, 2020
ArtsUW Roundup: Low Brow/High Culture exhibit opens in the Allen Library, guest pianist Conor Hanick performs, and more
This week in the arts, attend a film screening at SAM, visit museums on campus for free with your Husky card, and more! Guest Artist Recital: Conor Hanick, piano January 13, 7:30 pm | Brechemin Auditorium Brooklyn-based concert pianist Conor Hanick performs works of Galina Ustvolskaya and Morton Feldman on Monday evening and leads a free master class…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Asian Languages & Literature • DXARTS • Henry Art Gallery • Jackson School of International Studies • School of Art + Art History + Design • School of Music • UW Libraries
At gun safety events, 40% of gun owners reported not locking all household guns — even around kids
While waiting for free firearm storage devices at gun safety events held in sporting goods stores across Washington, nearly 3,000 people filled out a one-page survey asking how they stored guns at home and other household information. What the participants reported emphasizes the need for these public events, Seattle Children’s and University of Washington researchers…
Tag(s): Aisha King • Ali Rowhani-Rahbar • Alison C. Roxby • Department of Epidemiology • Harborview Injury Prevention & Research Center • School of Medicine • School of Public Health • Seattle Children's HospitalJanuary 6, 2020
Supporting diversity, inclusion in neuroscience: A conversation about the BRAINS Program with UW psychology professor Sheri Mizumori
A conversation with UW psychology professor Sheri Mizumori about the UW-based program Broadening the Representations of Academic Investigators in NeuroScience — or BRAINS for short — designed to accelerate career advancement for postdoctoral researchers and assistant professors from underrepresented populations.
Tag(s): BRAINS • Cara Margherio • Claire Horner-Devine • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Psychology • Joyce Yen • Sheri Mizumori
Honors for three faculty in aeronautics and astronautics
Three faculty members in the William E. Boeing Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics have received awards for their work.
Tag(s): Behçet Açıkmeşe • College of Engineering • Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics • Justin Little • Uri ShumlakJanuary 3, 2020
ArtsUW Roundup: welcome 2020 with a celebration of Asian American writers, kick-off the Critical Issues Lecture Series, and more
This week in the arts, attend several screenings with the 2020 Southeast Asia x Seattle Film Festival, visit museums on campus for free with your Husky card, and more! Shawn Wong & Tara Fickle January 9, 7:00 pm | The Elliott Bay Book Company Come celebrate the publication of the Third Edition of Aiiieeeee! An Anthology of Asian…
Tag(s): Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Asian Languages & Literature • Department of English • Henry Art Gallery • Jackson School of International Studies • School of Art + Art History + Design • UW LibrariesDecember 30, 2019
Life could have emerged from lakes with high phosphorus
Life as we know it requires phosphorus, which is scarce. So, how did a lifeless environment on the early Earth supply this key ingredient? A new UW study, published Dec. 30 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, finds an answer to this problem in certain types of carbonate-rich lakes.
Tag(s): cell biology • College of the Environment • David Catling • Department of Earth and Space Sciences • evolution • geology • Jonathan Toner
Book notes: Staff member Neile Graham publishes fourth book of poetry, Scotland-inspired ‘The Walk She Takes’
Neile Graham is both a longtime administrator with the College of Built Environments and a published poet — and she has a new book of poetry out, called “The Walk She Takes.”
Tag(s): books • College of Built Environments • Neile GrahamDecember 19, 2019
Mindful travel, Silicon Valley’s evolution, Schumann on viola, Seattle history — UW-authored books, music for the Husky on your list
A teacher discusses respectful world travel, a historian explores Silicon Valley’s evolution, a professor and violist plays the music of Robert Schumann and a late English faculty member’s meditation on Seattle returns … Here’s a quick look at some gift-worthy books and music created by UW faculty in the last year — and a…
Tag(s): Anu Taranath • books • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • Canadian Studies Center • Cecilia Aragon • College of Arts & Sciences • College of Built Environments • College of Engineering • Cuong Vu • Department of Architecture • Department of English • Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering • Information School • Katie Davis • Margaret Willson • Melia Watras • Richard Haag • Richard Karpen • Roger Sale • School of Music • Shawn Wong • Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir • Thaisa Way • Theodore Pietsch • University of Washington PressDecember 18, 2019
Video: Highlights from 2019
As 2019 draws to a close, we present highlights from video stories produced by the UW News team — selections from architecture to zoology, and everything in between
December 17, 2019
Beauty in Brutalism? Architecture professor Alex Anderson reviews the UW’s ‘bunkerlike’ behemoths
A discussion of Brutalist architecture on the UW campus with professor Alex Anderson of the Department of Architecture.
Tag(s): Alex Anderson • College of Built Environments • Condon Hall • Gould Hall • Kane Hall • Schmitz Hall • Suzzallo LibraryDecember 16, 2019
New study seeks to improve the way dentists measure children’s pain during appointments
If you fear a trip to the dentist, you are among a majority of adults that report moderate to high levels of anxiety related to dental care, according to a review of research. And, if you’re afraid of getting into a dental chair, you are more likely to avoid going and are at risk of…
Tag(s): Cameron Randall • School of Dentistry
Faculty/staff honors: Distinguished teaching honor, new editor for environmental health journal, overseeing education in Uganda, Allen School honors
Recent honors to UW faculty and staff include the new editorship of a major journal, a post with the Republic of Uganda and honors from the American College of Physicians, the Association for Computing Machinery and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering • Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences • Department of Family Medicine • Douglas Paauw • Joel Kaufman • Joshua Smith • Magdalena Balazinska • Paul Beame • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering • Sam Luboga • School of Medicine • School of Public Health
Resident orcas’ appetite likely reason for decline of big Chinook salmon
Large, old Chinook salmon have mostly disappeared from the West Coast. A new University of Washington and NOAA study points to the recent rise of resident killer whales, and their insatiable appetite for large Chinook salmon, as the main driver behind the decline of the big fish.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Daniel Schindler • Jan Ohlberger • School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences • Tim EssingtonDecember 12, 2019
ArtsUW Roundup: wrap up the year at the Burke Museum and Henry Art Gallery and see what’s coming up in 2020
To end the year on a high note, take advantage of visiting the museums on campus (free admission, as always, for UW employees and students)! Burke Museum Daily 10 am – 5 pm | Closed on December 25 and January 1 Experience natural and cultural collections at the Burke Museum. The Burke brings research and…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Dance • Henry Art Gallery • Jacob Lawrence Gallery • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • School of Drama • School of Music • UW Libraries
Video: Barrels of ancient Antarctic air aim to track history of rare gas
An Antarctic field campaign last winter led by the U.S. and Australia has successfully extracted some of the largest samples of air dating from the 1870s until today. Researchers will use the samples to look for changes in the molecules that scrub the atmosphere of methane and other gases.
Tag(s): climate • College of the Environment • Department of Earth and Space Sciences • polar scienceDecember 11, 2019
Annual notification: Anti-kickback, conflict of interest, whistleblower regulations and hotlines
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR 52.203-7) require the University of Washington to implement procedures designed to prevent and detect violations of the Anti-Kickback Act of 1986 (41 USC 51-58).
December 10, 2019
UW scientist to lead NASA field study of East Coast snowstorms
To better understand large, disruptive snowstorms, a University of Washington atmospheric scientist will lead a NASA field campaign this winter to fly through major snowstorms along the East Coast. The multi-institutional team will observe snow as it forms in clouds to help with satellite monitoring of snowfall and ultimately improve forecasts.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Department of Atmospheric Sciences • Lynn McMurdie • weatherDecember 9, 2019
Brian Johnson receives $4.9 million from U.S. Department of Energy to support solar energy systems
Brian Johnson, assistant professor in the UW Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, has received a $4.9 million grant across three years from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Tag(s): Brian Johnson • Clean Energy Institute • College of Engineering • Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Jackson School researcher explores nexus of politics, religion in new podcast, ‘ReligioPolitics’
Randy Thompson, a postdoctoral researcher with the UW Jackson School of International Studies will explore the nexus of religion and politics in a new podcast, “ReligioPolitics.”
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Eugene Lemcio • Jackson School of International Studies • James Wellman • podcasts • Randy Thompson • ReligioPoltiicsDecember 6, 2019
ArtsUW Roundup: Jomama Jones performance, Scandinavian 30, and more
This week in the arts, enjoy Beethoven Trio Cycle with School of Music faculty, use the arts to spark dialogue about memory loss, support Indigenous Artists at the Burke, and more! Beethoven Trio Cycle Concert December 9, 7:30 pm | Meany Center Faculty colleagues Craig Sheppard, piano; Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir, cello; and Rachel Lee Priday, violin, present…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Scandinavian Studies • Henry Art Gallery • Jackson School of International Studies • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • School of Art + Art History + Design • School of Drama • School of Music • Simpson Center for the Humanities
Astronomy fellowship demonstrates effective measures to dismantle bias, increase diversity in STEM
Joyce Yen — director of the University of Washington’s ADVANCE Center for Institutional Change, an NSF-funded body to promote female STEM faculty on campus — recently worked with the Heising-Simons Foundation to dismantle bias and promote diversity in a prominent grant that the Foundation awards to postdoctoral researchers in planetary science. In this Q&A, Yen shares the many, sometimes counterintuitive ways bias can work against goals toward greater diversity, equity and inclusion in STEM fields.
Tag(s): ADVANCE Center for Institutional Change • astronomy & astrophysics • College of Arts & Sciences • College of Engineering • College of the Environment • diversity • Joyce Yen • Q&ADecember 4, 2019
Outlook for the polar regions in a 2 degrees warmer world
With 2019 on pace as one of the warmest years on record, a new international study reveals how rapidly the Arctic is warming and examines global consequences of continued polar warming.
Tag(s): Applied Physics Laboratory • College of the Environment • Kristin Laidre • Polar Science Center • School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
Warmer temperatures will increase arsenic levels in rice, study shows
UW researchers have found that warmer temperatures, at levels expected under most climate change projections, can lead to higher concentrations of arsenic in rice grains.
Tag(s): climate change • College of Engineering • Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering • population health • Rebecca Neumann
Joy Williamson-Lott honored for book on civil rights, higher education in South during Jim Crow era
Joy Williamson-Lott, dean of the UW Graduate School and a professor of education, has been honored for her 2018 book “Jim Crow Campus: Higher Education and the Struggle for a New Southern Social Order.”
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of English • Joy Williamson-Lott • Roger Sale • Shawn Wong • University of Washington Press • UW Graduate School
Better wildfire and smoke predictions with new vegetation database
Researchers from the University of Washington and Michigan Technological University have created the first comprehensive database of all the wildfire fuels that have been measured across North America. Ultimately, it can help scientists make more informed decisions about fire and smoke situations.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Maureen Kennedy • School of Environmental and Forest Sciences • Susan Prichard • UW Tacoma • wildfiresDecember 3, 2019
Communities around Sea-Tac Airport exposed to a unique mix of air pollution associated with aircraft
Communities underneath and downwind of jets landing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport are exposed to a type of ultrafine particle pollution that is distinctly associated with aircraft, according to a new University of Washington study, the first to identify the unique signature of aircraft emissions in the state of Washington. The finding comes from the two-year…
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering • Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences • Edmund Seto • Elena Austin • Jeffry Shirai • Jianbang Xiang • Michael Yost • population health • School of Public Health • Sukyong Yun • Tim Gould • Timothy Larson
International studies professor Donald Hellmann to receive Japan government’s Order of the Rising Sun — highest honor for scholars
Donald Hellmann, UW professor emeritus in the Jackson School of International studies and of political science, has been awarded the Order of the Rising Sun from the Government of Japan, in recognition of his contributions in promoting academic exchanges and mutual understanding between Japan and the United States. Hellmann, 86, teaches courses on Japanese government…
Tag(s): awards • College of Arts & Sciences • Donald Hellmann • Jackson School of International Studies
For some corals, meals can come with a side of microplastics
A new experiment by the University of Washington has found that some corals are more likely to eat microplastics when they are consuming other food, yet microplastics alone are undesirable.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Jacqueline Padilla-Gamiño • School of Aquatic and Fishery SciencesDecember 2, 2019
Grants awarded: Speeding the engineering life cycle with data science; developing literacy interventions for students with intellectual disabilities; preventing depression among young women
UW faculty members Roxanne Hudson and Magdalena Balazinska have received grants for research to be conducted over the next few years.
Tag(s): Ariel Rokem • Carly Roberts • College of Education • College of Engineering • David Beck • Elizabeth Sanders • eScience Institute • Jim Pfaendtner • Magdalena Balazinska • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering • Roxanne Hudson
Faculty/staff honors: Housing association nod, honorary doctorate, distinguished fellow, best conference paper
Recent honors to UW faculty and staff members include an honorary doctorate from the University of Bucharest, membership in an inaugural class of distinguished fellows in pharmacology, and a leadership position in a national student housing association.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Daniel Chirot • Department of Pharmacology • Department of Sociology • Information School • Jackson School of International Studies • Jacob Wobbrock • Pamela Schreiber • Resat Kasaba • UW Housing & Food Services • William Catterall
Carpentry Compiler helps woodworkers design objects that they can actually make
UW researchers have created Carpentry Compiler, a digital tool that allows users to design woodworking projects. Once a project is designed, the tool creates optimized fabrication instructions based on the materials and equipment a user has available.
Tag(s): Adriana Schulz • College of Engineering • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering • Zachary TatlockNovember 27, 2019
A method with roots in AI uncovers how humans make choices in groups and social media
Using a mathematical framework with roots in artificial intelligence and robotics, UW researchers were able to uncover the process of how a person makes choices in groups. And, they also found they were able to predict a person’s choice more often than more traditional descriptive methods.
Tag(s): Center for Neurotechnology • College of Engineering • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering • Rajesh RaoNovember 26, 2019
Author, professor Charles Johnson featured on American Philosophy Association posters on diversity
UW English professor emeritus Charles Johnson is one of five people whose likeness is featured on posters promoting diversity and inclusion sent by the American Philosophical Association to every college undergraduate philosophy program in the United States and Canada. And he is in excellent company: The other four people featured, each in a separate poster,…
Tag(s): Charles Johnson • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of English
UW researchers Alex Luedtke, Tyler McCormick receive ‘new innovator’ grants through NIH High-risk, High-Rewards program
Two UW professors — Alex Luedtke and Tyler McCormick — are among 60 researchers the National Institutes of Health has named recipients of its 2019 Director’s New Innovator Awards.
Tag(s): Alex Luedtke • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Sociology • Department of Statistics • eScience Institute • Tyler McCormick
Six UW faculty members named AAAS fellows
The American Association for the Advancement of Science has named six faculty members from the University of Washington as AAAS Fellows, according to a Nov. 26 announcement. They are part of a cohort of 443 new fellows for 2019, all chosen by their peers for “scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.”
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • College of the Environment • Department of Biology • Department of Earth and Space Sciences • Department of Genome Sciences • Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology • Department of Microbiology • Eric Steig • Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation • Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine • Julia Parrish • Karl Banse • Michael Lagunoff • Raymond Monnat • School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences • School of Medicine • School of Oceanography • School of Public Health • Simon Hay
Dads in prison can bring poverty, instability for families on the outside
A new University of Washington study finds that families with a father in prison tend to live in neighborhoods with higher poverty.
Tag(s): Christine Leibbrand • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of SociologyNovember 25, 2019
ArtsUW Roundup: Professor Chadwick Allen presents Earthworks Rising, annual School of Music CarolFest, and more
This week in the arts, Three Sisters closes, Professor Shannon Dudley bridges campus and community, Burke Open Doors allows chatting with researchers, and more! Exhibition: In Plain Sight November 23 – April 26, 2020 | Henry Art Gallery This group exhibition engages artists whose work addresses narratives, communities, and histories that are typically hidden or invisible…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • Center for American Indian and Indigenous Studies • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of English • Ethnomusicology Program • Henry Art Gallery • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • Meany Hall for the Performing Arts • School of Art + Art History + Design • School of Drama • School of Music • Simpson Center for the Humanities
UW astronomy professor Paula Szkody elected to American Astronomical Society leadership
Balancing the needs of open science with national security and journal sustainability, and respecting the beliefs of native populations near observatories are among current issues for the American Astronomical Society, said Paula Szkody, University of Washington professor of astronomy. She has begun a term as president-elect of the AAS, and will serve as the society’s president in 2020-2022.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Astronomy • Paula Szkody
Grants awarded: Studying ‘culturally sustaining pedagogies,’ dual-credit coursework; teaching global perspective in architecture
University of Washington faculty members have been awarded grants for research to be conducted over the next few years. Django Paris, an associate professor in the College of Education, has been awarded a $1 million grant from the Spencer Foundation. With the four-year grant, Paris will work with H. Samy Alim, a professor at the…
Tag(s): Django Paris • Julia Duncheon • Vikram Prakash
New ‘UW Notebook’ section will tell stories of UW faculty and staff
Welcome to UW Notebook, a new section of the UW News site dedicated to telling stories of good work done by faculty and staff members at the University of Washington.
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