The latest news from the UW

For UW employees | UW and the community | UW News blog

November 2, 2018

UW Today email is getting a new look

The University of Washington has distributed news to the campus community — in one form or another — since 1975. Such communication began as a way to streamline how faculty, staff and students received important administrative news and was initially published as a pamphlet of memos. In 1983, it evolved into University Week, a weekly printed newspaper with research news and feature stories. The newspaper became an online-only publication in 2008, and the first UW Today email newsletter was sent…

Environment | Honors and awards | Research | Science | UW News blog

‘Ocean memory’ the focus of cross-disciplinary effort by UW’s Jody Deming

UW oceanographer Jody Deming is a leader of a new, interdisciplinary effort that addresses the theme of “ocean memory.”

Environment | News releases | Research | Science | Social science

Racial, ethnic minorities face greater vulnerability to wildfires

Massive wildfires, which may be getting more intense due to climate change and a long history of fire-suppression policies, have strikingly unequal effects on minority communities, a new study shows.

Official notices

November 1, 2018

University of Washington public hearing notice for Nov. 7

Notice is hereby given that a public hearing will be held at 10 am on Wednesday, November 7, 2018, at the University of Washington Police Department Conference Room located at 3939 15th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105.

News releases | Video

UW opens permanent food pantry on campus

Studies suggest that as many as 25 percent of college students nationwide do not get enough food. That’s one of the reasons why the University of Washington on Thursday opened a new, permanent food pantry.

Arts and entertainment | UW and the community

October 31, 2018

ArtsUW Roundup: 20 Years of Pacific Voices, closing weekend of Incident at Vichy, and more

This week in the arts, celebrate the vibrancy, resiliency, and legacies of community members from across the Pacific, see Incident at Vichy before it closes, attend a performance by the Taiwan Philharmonic, and more! 20 Years of Pacific Voices: A Community Celebration November 1, 4–7:30 PM | Pacific Voices Exhibit Gallery at the Burke Museum Celebrate 20 years of community members from across the Pacific who have shared the vibrancy, resiliency, and legacies of their cultures through Pacific Voices at…

Honors and awards | News roundups

October 30, 2018

UW is No. 10 in US News Best Global Universities ranking; No. 2 among US public institutions

The University of Washington maintained its No. 10 spot on the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Global Universities rankings, released Tuesday. The UW is second among American public institutions.

Health and medicine | Research | Science

Suicide more prevalent than homicide in US, but most Americans don’t know it

First-of-its kind research, led by the University of Washington, Northeastern University and Harvard University, delves into public perceptions of gun violence and the leading causes of death in the U.S.

October 29, 2018

UW books in brief: Postwar Japan, American Indian businesses, dictatorship to democracy — and more

Recent notable books by UW faculty members study politics and culture in post-World War II Japan, explore regime change, nonprofit management, documents from the ancient world and more.

Administrative affairs | Environment | Research | Science | UW and the community

October 25, 2018

Q&A: Provost Mark Richards’ welcome lecture asks: ‘What really killed the dinosaurs?’

Provost Mark Richards answers questions surrounding the topic of his welcome lecture, Tuesday afternoon in the HUB Lyceum.

Engineering | Research | UW News blog

Urban Freight Lab will help UPS evaluate its new e-bike delivery service in Seattle

UPS announced today that it will be pilot-testing deliveries with cargo e-bikes in downtown Seattle. This test is expected to last a year, and the University of Washington’s Urban Freight Lab at the Supply Chain Transportation and Logistics Center will help UPS evaluate the study’s outcomes.

Valuing older buildings: Architecture professor’s book argues for reuse rather than wrecking ball

In her new book, Kathryn Rogers Merlino, UW associate professor of architecture, argues for the environmental benefit of reusing buildings rather than tearing them down and building anew.

Engineering | Research | Technology | UW News blog

Creating curious robots: UW researchers get Honda grant to build a mathematical model of curiosity

The University of Washington will lead one of three teams that will partner with the Honda Research Institute to explore the mechanisms behind curiosity and seek advances in artificial cognition. The UW-led team will receive $2.7 million over the next three years to generate a mathematical model of curiosity.

Honors and awards | Research | Science | UW News blog

October 24, 2018

UW physicist Jiun-Haw Chu named Packard Fellow for research on quantum materials

Jiun-Haw Chu, a University of Washington assistant professor of physics and faculty member at the UW’s Clean Energy Institute, has been named a 2018 fellow by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation for his research on quantum materials — substances that exhibit novel combinations of quantum-mechanical properties that could one day transform information technology.

Environment | Research | Science | UW and the community | UW News blog

A dose of nature: New UW initiative to spearhead research on health benefits of time outside

A new University of Washington initiative seeks to advance research on the health benefits of time spent in nature, connecting academic researchers with pediatricians, childcare providers, mental health practitioners and others who work with various populations on critical health issues.

News releases | Social science | UW and the community

New center to recognize American Indian and Indigenous Studies

As the discipline of American Indian Studies approaches its 50th year at the University of Washington, a new research center is in the works: the Center for American Indian and Indigenous Studies, which is supported by multiple colleges and schools.

Arts and entertainment | UW and the community

October 23, 2018

ArtsUW Roundup: Opening weekend of Between Bodies, Incident at Vichy, and more!

This week in the arts, attend UW School of Drama’s season opener, see several musical performances, and attend a exhibition opening. Incident at Vichy October 24 to November 4 | Floyd and Delores Jones Playhouse UW School of Drama’s season opener is a production that the New York Times considered “one of the most important plays of our time” in 1964. The questions at the heart of this story—about evil, complicity, self-preservation, and the death of human decency—are perhaps more…

Environment | News releases | Research | Science | Video

Sockeye carcasses tossed on shore over two decades spur tree growth

In a 20-year study, UW researchers and colleagues have found that nearly 600,000 pounds of sockeye salmon carcasses tossed to the left side of a small, remote stream in southwest Alaska, helped trees on that side of the stream grow faster than their counterparts on the other side.

Health and medicine | News releases | Research | Social science

October 19, 2018

PTSD symptoms improve when patient chooses form of treatment, study shows

A study led by the University of Washington is the first large-scale trial of hundreds of PTSD patients, including veterans and survivors of sexual assault, to measure whether patient preference in the course of treatment impacts the effectiveness of both cognitive behavioral therapy and use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, a type of antidepressant often prescribed for PTSD.

News releases

October 18, 2018

New Faculty Chair George Sandison outlines his priorities

The incoming chair of the Faculty Senate sat down for a Q and A with UW News.

Environment | Research | Science | UW News blog

October 17, 2018

UW atmospheric scientists to study most extreme storms on Earth, up close

UW atmospheric scientists leave next week for a six-week field campaign in South America to study the most intense storms on the planet.

Education | Politics and government | Research | Social science

October 16, 2018

Once there were camps: New book by UW historian Jordanna Bailkin remembers Britain’s ‘forgotten’ 20th-century refugee camps

Today, Britain is not known as a land of camps, but through much of the 20th century — from after World War I to the 1980s — the country was home to dozens of refugee camps housing thousands of Belgians, Jews, Basques, Poles, Hungarians, Anglo-Egyptians, Ugandan Asians and Vietnamese. As University of Washington history professor Jordanna Bailkin writes in her latest book, these camps “were never only for refugees.” They shared such spaces with “Britons who had been displaced by…

Arts and entertainment | UW and the community

ArtsUW Roundup | Peacock in the Desert Lecture, Earshot Jazz Festival Concerts, and more!

This week in the arts, UW faculty take us into the community, from the Seattle Art Museum to the Royal Room. There will be music, art history lectures, drama, and more! SAM Talks: Peacock in the Desert Discussion October 18, 7:00 pm | Seattle Art Museum, 1300 First Avenue, Seattle Dr. Karni Singh Jasol, Director of the Mehrangarh Museum Trust, Jodhpur, and Dr. Sonal Khullar, Associate Professor of Art History at University of Washington, discuss the themes and works on…

October 12, 2018

New UW-authored children’s book offers a robot’s-eye view of the deep ocean

In a new UW-authored book, a cartoon robot takes young readers on a School of Oceanography voyage to explore the deep ocean.

Honors and awards | UW News blog

UW ranked among top 5 most innovative universities in the world by Reuters

The University of Washington is listed at No. 5 on the Reuters Top 100: The World’s Most Innovative Universities, released Thursday. Now in its fourth year, the list ranks the educational institutions doing the most to advance science, invent new technologies and help drive the global economy.

Engineering | Research | UW News blog

Could parcel lockers in transit stations reduce traffic congestion in Seattle?

The University of Washington’s Urban Freight Lab at the Supply Chain Transportation and Logistics Center has been looking for solutions to Seattle’s traffic congestion: Parcel lockers that aren’t owned by a specific company could alleviate the strain. Now the researchers have identified five viable locker locations at three different Seattle Link light rail stations for a future pilot test.

Honors and awards | News releases

October 11, 2018

380,000+ donors help the UW reach campaign milestone two years early

Thanks to the generosity of more than 380,000 donors, the University of Washington met its fundraising campaign goal two years ahead of schedule, and will now seek broad support to enhance the experiences of undergraduate and graduate students, as well as a range of identified college and school priorities.

Environment | Science | UW News blog

UW professor of global health a lead author on new climate report

Kristie Ebi, a UW professor of global health, was a lead author on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s “Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 C” that compares the effects of 1.5 versus 2 degrees Celsius of global warming.

Education | UW News blog

October 10, 2018

How a community reclaimed its Southeast Seattle high school

When Rainier Beach High School was proposed to close in 2008, community members rallied around a new vision for the school, which has since nearly doubled its enrollment and introduced a more rigorous curriculum.

Prescience: Helping doctors predict the future

Researchers at the University of Washington have developed a new machine-learning system, called Prescience, which uses input from patient charts and standard operating room sensors to predict the likelihood that a patient will develop hypoxemia — a condition when blood oxygen levels dip slightly below normal. Prescience also provides real-world explanations behind its predictions.

Arts and entertainment | UW and the community

October 9, 2018

ArtsUW Roundup: Last chance to see 10 Études for Summer, Chamber Dance Company concert, music and fin-de-siecle Vienna, and more

This week in the arts, attend the 2018 Chamber Dance Concert, see the works by ten second year MFA students, attend Cello faculty artist-in-residence Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir’s recital, and more. Chamber Dance Company October 11 to 14 | Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater For its 28th season, the Chamber Dance Company received a National Endowment for the Arts: Art Works grant to present choreography by Harald Kreutzberg (1902-1968). The 2018 concert, Unspoken, addresses matters that are expressed most poignantly with movement––these voiceless works speak fully and…

Engineering | News releases | Research | Science | Video

Researchers develop 3D printed objects that can track and store how they are used

Engineers at the University of Washington have developed 3D printed devices that can track and store their use — without using batteries or electronics. Instead, this system uses a method called backscatter, through which a device can share information by reflecting signals that have been transmitted to it with an antenna.

Environment | News releases | Research | Science

Polar bears gorged on whale carcasses to survive past warm periods, but strategy won’t suffice as climate warms

A new study led by the University of Washington found that while dead whales are valuable sources of fat and protein for some polar bears, this resource will likely not be enough to sustain most bear populations in the future when the Arctic becomes ice-free in summers.

Honors and awards | Science | UW News blog

October 8, 2018

Awards to UW affiliate professor recognize career of conservation and research on penguins

Pablo García Borboroglu, president of the Global Penguin Society and a UW affiliate associate professor of biology, has won the Whitley Gold Award and the National Geographic/Buffett Award for Leadership in Conservation, as well as accolades from the Argentine National Congress, for his research and advocacy for penguin conservation.

Environment | News releases | Research | Science

High-res data offer most detailed look yet at trawl fishing footprint around the world

A new analysis that uses high-resolution data for 24 ocean regions in Africa, Europe, North and South America and Australasia shows that 14 percent of the overall seafloor shallower than 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) is trawled. The paper shows that the footprint of bottom-trawl fishing on continental shelves and slopes across the world’s oceans often has been substantially overestimated.

Race, empire, agency explored in UW history professor’s book ‘Risky Shores: Savagery and Colonialism in the Western Pacific’

A new book by University of Washington history professor George Behlmer seeks to improve understanding of the British colonial era by “reconsidering the conduct of islanders and the English-speaking strangers who encountered them.”

Environment | Science | UW and the community | UW News blog

October 4, 2018

Q&A with Harold Tobin, director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network

Harold Tobin, who joins the UW this fall as a faculty member in Earth and space sciences and director of the regional seismic sensing network, discusses earthquake early warning, seismic risks and the Pacific Northwest’s “big one.”

Arts and entertainment | UW and the community

October 3, 2018

ArtsUW Roundup: Nrityagram Dance Ensemble, Michael Bierut Lecture, and more

This week in the arts, see a performance by an all-female Indian Classical dance ensemble, go to an exhibition opening at 4Culture Gallery, attend a lecture with a renowned graphic designer, and more! Nrityagram Dance Ensemble October 4 to 6, 8 pm | Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater The all-female Indian Classical dance ensemble’s daily life of intensive training and meditation brings to the stage compelling performances that are at once sensual and lyrical. “The only proper response to dancers this…