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The latest news from the UW

April 3, 2017

UW lands at No. 9 with 45 subjects ranked in the top 10 in Center for World University Rankings inaugural subject list

The University of Washington landed at No. 9 with 45 subjects ranked in the top 10 in the Center for World University Rankings’ inaugural subjects ranking. The ranking features the top global universities in 227 subjects covering all academic disciplines in the sciences and social sciences. This is the highest the UW has placed in a global subject ranking.

UW security researchers show that Google’s AI tool for video searching can be easily deceived

University of Washington security researchers have shown that Google’s new tool that uses machine learning to automatically analyze and label video content can be deceived by inserting a photograph periodically into videos. After they inserted an image of a car into a video about animals, for instance, the system thought the video was about an Audi.

March 31, 2017

Music played by EEG featured in DXARTS Spring Concert April 6

The Disklavier is an electromagnetic piano that — like the UW-created encephalophone recently reported on by the Seattle Times — is played by brain waves alone, via an electroencephalogram. UW audiences can see and hear this new technology in “Music of Today: The DXARTS Spring Concert,” April 6, in Meany Hall.

March 29, 2017

Arts Roundup: Last chance for Chuck Close Photographs, Piano and Cello Faculty Recital, Brechemin Piano Series; Music of Today: DXARTS

This week in the arts, get a last look at the comprehensive survey of the photographic work of Chuck Close; hear faculty artists play Beethoven; enjoy piano works from School of Music students; check out groundbreaking new works and modern classics by faculty and guest composers. Chuck Close Photographs Through April 2| Henry Art Gallery Don’t miss the final days of the first comprehensive survey of the photographic work by renowned American artist Chuck Close (born 1940), featuring over ninety photographic works from 1964 to…

March 28, 2017

After much media attention, UW Information School’s ‘Calling BS’ class begins

The very name of the class, when proposed, seemed to fire imaginations nationwide and beyond. Now with the beginning of spring quarter, the UW Information School’s new course “Calling Bullshit in the Age of Big Data” is getting started.

Public notice: Availability of a final supplemental environmental impact statement

The University is proposing a site selection and construction of a new above and below grade building to create a physical convening space and compelling catalyst for Population Health endeavors across all three UW campuses, the region and the world, creating a high profile marker for the UW’s commitment to Population Health, as outlined in President Ana Mari Cauce’s May 2016 address to the community.

Parents who play ‘Pokémon GO’ with kids: ‘It wasn’t really about the Pokémon’

In the first study to survey and interview parents who play Pokémon GO with their children, families report a number of side benefits, including increased exercise, more time spent outdoors and opportunities for family bonding.

Distinguished educator and humanitarian Dr. Johnnetta Cole to be UW’s 2017 commencement speaker

Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole, former president of Spelman College and Bennett College, and recently retired director of the National Museum of African Art, will be the featured speaker at the University of Washington’s Commencement exercises Saturday, June 10.

March 23, 2017

Jackson School to offer lectures for students on ‘Trump in the World’

Faculty with the UW Jackson School of International Studies will explore the impact of the 2016 election on their respective areas of expertise in a new two-credit class titled “Trump in the World: International Implications of the Trump Presidency.”

UW Chemistry to establish a prestigious postdoctoral fellowship thanks to $12 million commitment from professor emeritus Larry Dalton and Nicole Boand

Building upon a long legacy of supporting scientific innovation and education, professor emeritus Larry Dalton and his wife, Nicole Boand, have committed $12 million to the UW Department of Chemistry.

March 22, 2017

Race, health, justice topics for March 31 UW symposium on medical ethics

The interdisciplinary 2017 Benjamin Rabinowitz Symposium in Medical Ethics on March 31, titled “Race, Health & Justice,” will explore inequities in health and health care and place them in political, economic and historical context.

March 21, 2017

Hans Dehmelt — Nobel laureate and UW professor emeritus — has died at age 94

Hans Georg Dehmelt, Nobel physics laureate and professor emeritus at the University of Washington, died in Seattle on March 7, 2017 at age 94. Dehmelt was a celebrated scientist who, in a research career spanning more than half a century, developed methods to isolate atoms and subatomic particles and measure their fundamental properties with high accuracy.

March 20, 2017

Public notice: Availability of a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) — UW Bothell/Cascadia College Campus Master Plan

Public Notice University Of Washington Pursuant to the provisions of WAC 197-11-455 Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement and WAC 478-324-140, the University of Washington hereby provides public notice of the: Availability of a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) Project Name: University of Washington Bothell/Cascadia College Campus Master Plan Proponent: University of Washington Bothell and Cascadia College Description of Proposal: The UW Bothell and Cascadia College Campus Master Plan will guide development, building on the 2010 (rev 2011) Campus Master Plan…

Adrian Raftery receives Ireland’s St. Patrick’s Day Medal for contributions to statistics

On March 15 at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., Prime Minister Enda Kenny of Ireland honored Adrian Raftery, a professor of statistics and sociology at the University of Washington, for his diverse contributions to the field of statistics. Kenny presented Raftery with the St. Patrick’s Day Medal, which is awarded each year by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI). Raftery, who has worked at the UW since 1986, develops new statistical methodology, with a focus on the social, environmental and health sciences….

March 14, 2017

In times of plenty, penguin parents keep feeding their grown offspring

A research team led by University of Washington biology professor Dee Boersma reports that fully grown Galapagos penguins who have fledged — or left the nest — continue to beg their parents for food. And sometimes, probably when the bounty of the sea is plentiful, parents oblige and feed their adult offspring.

March 13, 2017

UW Medicine’s primary care, family and rural medicine programs lead nation again; many other UW disciplines highly ranked

For the 23rd time in the past 24 years, the University of Washington ranked as the No. 1 primary care medical school in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2017 Best Graduate School rankings released Tuesday. The UW’s Information School jumped from No. 3 to No. 2 in the nation for library and information studies programs.

March 9, 2017

$50M endowment establishes the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Washington

A $50 million endowment for the newly established Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering will propel the UW to the forefront of computer science education and innovation for generations to come.

March 8, 2017

Arts Roundup: Cino Nights, Pippin, a Faculty Recital and the Elements of Architecture

This week in the arts, see a former medical marijuana dispensary transformed into a makeshift theater cafe; experience the School of Drama’s telling of the Tony-winning Pippin; hear a faculty piano recital; see Shen Wei Dance Arts defy categorization in a fusion of calligraphy, dance, and choreography; and get a framework of the Elements of Architecture in a group exhibition from the School of Art + Art History + and Design. Cino Nights 7:30 p.m., March 4, 11, 18| 5267…

March 7, 2017

‘Pippin’: Dance, drama, music team for UW Musical Theater Program’s third production, March 8-19

Director Wilson Mendieta discusses “Pippin,” the third production of the UW’s Musical Theater Program, running March 8 – 19 in the Floyd and Delores Jones Playhouse Theater.

March 3, 2017

‘Poor writing makes for poor science’: Scott Montgomery publishes new edition of popular ‘Guide to Communicating Science’

Scientific research that doesn’t get communicated to the public may as well not have happened at all, says Scott Montgomery in the second edition of “The Chicago Guide to Communicating Science.”

March 1, 2017

Arts Roundup: Brechemin Piano Series, Dobet Gnahoré, PIPPIN and more

As March marches in, UW welcomes an assortment of musical productions to campus.  Enjoy a free performance by UW music students; experience the diverse musical talents of African artist Dobet Gnahoré; and see the School of Drama, School of Music, and Dance Program team up to tell the classic story of PIPPIN. Brechemin Piano Series 7:30 p.m., March 2 | Brechemin Auditorium UW music students perform works for piano at this free concert. More info. Dobet Gnahoré 8 p.m., March 2 | Meany Theater…

Polar Science Weekend attractions range from old-fashioned ice sled to future NASA satellite

University of Washington polar scientists are holding the 12th annual Polar Science Weekend, Friday through Sunday, March 3-5, at Pacific Science Center in Seattle. This year’s lineup includes a simulation from NASA of its new ICESat-2 instrument. Visitors can get scanned by an instrument above their head that measures a person’s height using an infrared distance sensor. The real ICESat-2 satellite, scheduled for launch in 2018, will map the Earth’s ice surfaces to very high precision, from space. During the…

Singing posters and talking shirts: UW engineers turn everyday objects into FM radio stations

A new technique pioneered by University of Washington engineers enables “singing” posters and “smart” clothing to send audio or data directly to your car’s radio or your smartphone by piggybacking on ambient FM radio signals.

February 28, 2017

UW security researchers show that Google’s AI platform for defeating Internet trolls can be easily deceived

UW researchers have bypassed Google’s new machine learning system that aims to curb toxic comments in online discussion forums can by simply misspelling or adding unnecessary punctuation to abusive words.

UW among Peace Corps’ 2017 Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges & Universities

The Peace Corps announced Tuesday that the University of Washington (UW) ranked No. 2 among large schools on the agency’s 2017 Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges and Universities list. There are 73 Huskies currently volunteering worldwide. UW ranks No. 3 all-time for total volunteers and has achieved elite top three status in the large school category for 13 consecutive years.

Universities establish joint center to use data for social good in Cascadia region

University of British Columbia and the UW announced the establishment of the Cascadia Urban Analytics Cooperative to use data to help cities and communities address challenges from traffic to homelessness. The effort will bring faculty, students, and community stakeholders together to solve problems, and is made possible thanks to a $1-million gift from Microsoft.

UW CSE announces the Guestrin Endowed Professorship in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

University of Washington Computer Science & Engineering announced today the establishment of the Guestrin Endowed Professorship in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. This $1 million endowment will further enhance UW CSE’s ability to recruit and retain the world’s most outstanding faculty members in these burgeoning areas.