UW News
The latest news from the UW
January 22, 2024
Shallow soda lakes show promise as cradles of life on Earth
Field observations from an unusual lake show that in environments known as “soda lakes” phosphate can concentrate at the very high levels needed for the basic molecules of life to emerge. A shallow, salty lake in western Canada gives new support to Charles Darwin’s idea that life could have emerged in a “warm little pond.”
Tag(s): astrobiology • College of the Environment • David Catling • Department of Earth and Space Sciences
Q&A: UW expert on the rise and risks of artificial sweeteners
The rise of artificial sweeteners has made it easier for conscious consumers to reduce their sugar intake, but these products may present their own health risks.
Tag(s): Health Systems and Population Health • Healthy Food America • Jim Krieger • Q&A • School of Public HealthJanuary 19, 2024
UW military rhetoric instructor explores trauma through poetry, writing
Abby Murray doesn’t have a military background, but she is an instructor and fellowship director for the U.S. Army War College fellowship program at the University of Washington. She’s also a poet who has hosted free writing workshops at locations including community centers, military posts and immigration detention centers.
Tag(s): Abby Murray • Jackson School of International Studies • U.S. Army War College Fellowship ProgramJanuary 18, 2024
Preliminary permit process starting for UW housing redevelopment plan
University of Washington development partner Greystar submitted permit numbers paperwork this week for a multiphase plan to invest in some of the University’s existing housing in the neighborhoods east of the main Seattle campus to increase housing options, affordability for its students, faculty, and families, and improve student housing quality.
Tag(s): UW Facilities
ArtSci Roundup: History Lecture Series, Meany Center Dance Performance, “A Kabluna” Film Screening, and more
This week, attend the History Lecture Series on Mediterranean Imprints and Erasures in Seattle, view the film screening of A Kabluna at the University of Washington, head to Meany Hall to enjoy Spain’s premiere dance group Compañía Nacional de Danza, and more. January 22, 7:30 pm | Frequency: Variations, Meany Hall Chamber group Frequency—violinists Michael Jinsoo Lim and…
Tag(s): Canadian Studies Center • Center for Southeast Asia and Its Diasporas • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Asian Languages & Literature • Department of History • Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures • Department of Scandinavian Studies • East Asia Center • Henry M. Jackson Foundation • Jackson School of International Studies • Japan Studies Program • Language Learning Center • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • School of Music • Social Sciences Division • South Asia Center • UW Textual StudiesJanuary 16, 2024
UW research helps California forest managers assess smoke hazards from prescribed burns
An international team led by researchers at the University of Washington built a framework to help land managers assess the air quality implications of land management scenarios with different levels of prescribed burning.
Tag(s): air quality • Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering • Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences • occupational health • School of Environmental and Forest Sciences • School of Public Health • wildfiresJanuary 12, 2024
UW finance, planning and budgeting merge to better serve faculty, staff and students
President Ana Mari Cauce and Provost Tricia Serio announced an organizational and leadership restructuring in the areas of finance, planning and budgeting aimed at improving the effectiveness and efficiency of these areas’ service to the University community. The changes, which take effect Tuesday, Jan. 16, come after an external review determined a unified organization will better serve faculty and academic personnel, as well as staff and students.
Tag(s): Finance and Administration • Office of Planning & Budgeting • Sarah Norris HallJanuary 11, 2024
ArtSci Roundup: Patty Berne on Disability Justice, UW Dance Presents, Interrupting Privilege Museum Exhibition, and more
This week, join Patty Berne for a talk on disability justice, enjoy an evening of live dance performance created by UW Dance, head to the Northwest African American Museum for an Interrupting Privilege Museum Exhibition, and more. January 17, 3:30 pm | Book Talk: U.S. – Taiwan Relations with Bonnie Glaser, Husky Union Building and Online…
Tag(s): Center for Southeast Asia & its Diasporas • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Asian Languages and Literature • Department of Dance • Department of History • Jackson School of International Studies • Japan Studies Program • School of Music • Severyns Ravenholt Endowment • Taiwan Studies ProgramJanuary 9, 2024
Video: UW football fans grateful for ‘amazing’ season
At Monday’s CFP National Championship Game in Houston, Husky Nation turned out, proud in purple and gold, and cheering on a UW team that was undefeated this season. Tens of thousands of fans packed NRG Stadium – some fresh off the Huskies’ Sugar Bowl win in New Orleans – and stayed to the end. Though…
Tag(s): UW Athletics • UW football
Determination of non-significance: N26 and E2 Lots Fleet Charging Project
Pursuant to the provisions of WAC 197-11-340 and WAC 478-324-140, the University of Washington hereby provides public notice of: DETERMINATION OF NON-SIGNIFICANCE Project Name: N26 and E2 Lots Fleet Charging Project Proponent/Lead Agency: University of Washington–Seattle Campus Comment Period Closes: January 23, 2024 Description of Proposal: The University is proposing to install approximately 80 electric…
Q&A: UW researchers answer common questions about language models like ChatGPT
A team University of Washington researchers have published a guide explaining language models, the technology that underlies chatbots.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Noah A. Smith • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering • Sofia Serrano • Zander BrumbaughJanuary 5, 2024
Husky football players take their skills from the field to the classroom and beyond
Holly Barker, a University of Washington teaching professor of anthropology, and three current members of the UW football team — Ulumoo Ale, Makell Esteen and Faatui Tuitele — are studying how the skills they develop to maximize their chances of victory on the field have applications outside the stadium. Their work, which is ongoing, is showing that the research methods and analytical abilities of student-athletes are applicable in academic and research settings, as well as jobs in a variety of fields.
Tag(s): Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Anthropology • Holly Barker • UW Athletics • UW footballJanuary 4, 2024
ArtSci Roundup: History Lecture Series, Dorothy Roberts Lecture, Gallery Exhibits, and more
Start the new year at the Jacob Lawrence Gallery for an exhibition, spend an evening listening to Dr. Dorothy Roberts’ lecture, attend the History Lecture Series, and more. Henry Art Galleries Events January 4, 5:30 – 7:00pm | A/political Rocks and Indigenous Relations to Land: A Lecture with Prof. Christopher Teuton, Auditorium January 11, 5:30…
Tag(s): Center for Anti-Racism & Community Health • Department of American Ethnic Studies • Department of Comparative History of Ideas • Department of English • Department of History • Disability Studies Program • Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies • Henry Art Gallery • Jackson School of International Studies • Jacob Lawrence Gallery • Manning Price Spratlen Center for Anti-Racism & Equity in Nursing • Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity • School of Art + Art History + Design • School of Music • Simpson Center for the Humanities • UW Graduate SchoolJanuary 2, 2024
Video: UW Rorrer Lab seeks new life for plastic waste
At the University of Washington Rorrer Lab, Julie Rorrer, assistant professor of chemical engineering, is teaching students to explore ways to transform plastics into useful chemicals to make new plastic or fuel, shifting away from fossil fuel consumption and reducing waste plastics.
Tag(s): Department of Chemical Engineering • Julie Rorrer • Rorrer LabDecember 28, 2023
Faculty Senate Chair Cynthia Dougherty brings awareness to faculty well-being
When Cynthia “Cindy” Dougherty has a difficult or frustrating day, she jogs around the University of Washington.
Tag(s): Cynthia Dougherty • UW Faculty SenateDecember 27, 2023
Husky walk-on turned All-American sets sights on career in pediatrics
Edefuan Ulofoshio, who started his University of Washington football career as a walk-on, was named a second-team All-American and received first-team All-Pac-12 recognition this season.
Tag(s): Edefuan Ulofoshio • UW Athletics
Cells, microscopes and scientists: Chemical engineering professor’s coloring book makes science accessible
ColorMePhD is a free, all-ages coloring book series created by Julie Rorrer, assistant professor of chemical engineering at the University of Washington. The books bring current doctorate-level research in science and engineering to a general audience.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Chemical Engineering • Julie RorrerDecember 21, 2023
UW statement regarding the outcome of the University of Washington Police Department employment trial
We are disappointed in the decision reached by a King County Superior Court jury today in a racial harassment and retaliation case brought by four former officers and one current UWPD officer. Our attorneys are reviewing options for our next steps, including the potential for an appeal. The University of Washington is committed to providing…
December 19, 2023
How will climate change affect how predators hunt prey? Two UW professors teamed up to find out
Two UW professors teamed up to study how climate change will affect predator-prey interactions in snowy landscapes. Together with a group of researchers, the two measured snow properties that led to a “danger zone,” where prey would sink but predators would not.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • College of the Environment • Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering • Jessica Lundquist • Laura Prugh • School of Environmental and Forest Sciences • snow
Scientists reveal superconductor with on/off switches
Researchers led by Jiun-Haw Chu, a University of Washington associate professor of physics, and Philip Ryan, a physicist at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory, have found a superconducting material that is uniquely sensitive to outside stimuli, enabling the superconducting properties to be enhanced or suppressed at will. This discovery could enable new opportunities for switchable, energy-efficient superconducting circuits.
Tag(s): Clean Energy Institute • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Physics • Jiun-Haw ChuDecember 14, 2023
Seattle metro residents near Amazon delivery stations face more pollution but order fewer packages
UW researchers found that people who live within 2 miles of an Amazon last-mile delivery station are exposed to more delivery-related air pollution despite ordering fewer packages.
Tag(s): Anne Goodchild • College of Engineering • Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering • population health • Travis Fried • Urban Freight LabDecember 12, 2023
Holiday blahs? Why social connection, even talking to strangers, can help
Milla Titova, assistant teaching professor of psychology and director of the Happiness and Well-Being Lab at the UW, offers strategies for joy this holiday season.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Psychology • Milla TitovaDecember 11, 2023
New faculty books: Story and comic collection, Washington state fossils, colonial roots of intersex medicine
Three new faculty books from the University of Washington cover wide-ranging topics: life in the Rio Grande Valley, fossils of Washington state and the colonial roots of contemporary intersex medicine. UW News talked with the authors to learn more. Collection highlights life in Rio Grande Valley “Puro Pinche True Fictions” is a collection of short…
Tag(s): Amanda Swarr • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • College of the Environment • Department of Earth and Space Sciences • Department of Slavic Languages and Literature • Elizabeth Nesbitt • Jose Alaniz • Select Department of Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies Department of Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies
Beluga whales’ calls may get drowned out by shipping noise in Alaska’s Cook Inlet
Around Anchorage, communications among the critically endangered population of Cook Inlet beluga whales may be masked by ship noise in their core critical habitat, accordingly to the first repertoire of their calls.
Tag(s): Arial Brewer • College of the Environment • Cooperative Institute for Climate • Manuel Castellote • Ocean and Ecosystem Studies • School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences • whalesDecember 7, 2023
Appellate court rules in favor of the UW on all counts in developer’s lawsuit over west campus project
The University of Washington has again prevailed on all claims brought by Alexandria Real Estate (ARE) following the UW’s selection of another developer for a new building that will house important clean-energy and medical innovation research, along with other tenants. This time, the clear and concise ruling came from the Washington State Court of Appeals, Division II, confirming Thurston County Superior Judge Carol Murphy’s dismissal of ARE’s three claims — bringing apparent closure to ARE’s nearly three-year effort to delay progress on the project.
Tag(s): Portage Bay Crossing • West campusDecember 6, 2023
ArtSci Roundup: Pints for Puget Sound, Many Messiahs music performance, Native Art Markets, and more
This week, roam the Burke Museum galleries at night to check out their special exhibit We Are Puget Sound, enjoy the Many Messiahs performance by talented musicians, check out the Native Art Markets, and more. December 11, 7:00 pm | Degree Recital: Chiao-Yu Wu, piano, Brechemin Auditorium The School of Music presents a degree recital…
Tag(s): Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of American Indian Studies • Department of French & Italian Studies • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • School of Music • University of Washington • ways of knowing
Social media highlights: UW News in 2023
This year, the UW News social media team shared the inspiring stories of work being done by the University of Washington community with reporters, news outlets and our social media followers. These included stories about new biodegradable plastics that break down at the same rate as a banana and efforts to make technology more accessible….
December 5, 2023
Sleep experts, physicians address effects of increased travel on student-athletes, offer recommendations
With several university athletic programs around the country — including the University of Washington — announcing moves to new conferences that will likely increase travel for student-athletes, a group of sleep and circadian scientists and physicians have published a white paper describing the significance of repeated, chronic jet lag on student-athlete health and performance — both in academics and in sports, and suggesting strategies to reduce the consequences of travel across time zones.
Tag(s): biology • Horacio de la IglesiaDecember 1, 2023
Video highlights: UW News in 2023
This minute-long video is a glimpse at the video stories the UW News office produced in 2023, where UW students, faculty and staff forged new connections and pushed boundaries for a better understanding of the world.
Tag(s): 2023November 30, 2023
More than 40 UW experts on Highly Cited Researchers 2023 List
The University of Washington is proud to announce that more than 40 faculty and researchers who completed their work while at UW have been named on the annual Highly Cited Researchers 2023 list from Clarivate.
Tag(s): Alejandra Tortorici • Alex Greninger • Alexandra C. Walls • Ali Mokdad • Allison Greaney • Andrea Schietinger • Bryan Weiner • Celestia Higano • Charles Marcus • Christopher Murray • Cole Trapnell • College of Engineering • College of the Environment • David Baker • David Cobden • David Pigott • David Veesler • Department of Immunology • Department of Materials Science & Engineering • Department of Physics • Di Xiao • Evan Eichler • Frank DiMaio • Gregory Bratman • Guozhong Cao • Helen Chu • Institute for Protein Design • James Leverenz • Jay Shendure • Katharine H.D. Crawford • Michael Gale • Mohsen Naghavi • Neil King • Philip Mease • Raphael Gottardo • Riza Daza • Sanfeng Wu • Simon Hay • Spencer Wood • Stanley Riddell • Theo Vos • Thomas Montine • Troy Torgerson • UW Medicine • William Banks • William Catterall • William Noble • Xiaodong Xu • YoungJun Park
ArtSci Roundup: WinterFest, Ladino Day with Author Elizabeth Graver, Talk with Joss Whittaker, and more
This week, tune in to Kantika writer Elizabeth Graver’s discussion, Joss Whittaker’s recount on life in the Aru Islands, and the WinterFest presented by the Chamber Singers, University Chorale, University Singers, Treble Choir, Gospel Choir, and UW Glee Club, and more. Dec. 3, 10 a.m. | Ladino Day 2023: ‘Kantika’, a Sephardic Novel by Author Elizabeth…
Tag(s): Center for Southeast Asia & its Diasporas • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Anthropology • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • School of Music • Stroum Center for Jewish Studies • University of Washington
Annual notification: Anti-kickback, Conflict of Interest, Whistleblower Act, 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). In addition, state regulations (RCW 42.40) require the university to provide annual notification to employees of the procedures and protections under the Whistleblower Act. These articles are…
November 29, 2023
AI image generator Stable Diffusion perpetuates racial and gendered stereotypes, study finds
University of Washington researchers found that when prompted to make pictures of “a person,” the AI image generator over-represented light-skinned men, failed to equitably represent Indigenous peoples and sexualized images of certain women of color.
Tag(s): Aylin Caliskan • College of Engineering • Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering • Information School • Sourojit GhoshNovember 28, 2023
Dr. Tim Dellit named CEO of UW Medicine, dean of the University of Washington School of Medicine
Following a national search, Dr. Timothy H. Dellit has been appointed to lead UW Medicine and the University of Washington School of Medicine, UW President Ana Mari Cauce and Provost Tricia Serio announced today.
Tag(s): School of Medicine • UW Medicine
Authentic or ethical? UW study shows best leadership style for inclusive hiring depends on manager’s racial identity
New research from Andrew Hafenbrack, associate professor of management and organization in the University of Washington School of Business, and other institutions examines the impact of leadership style on prospective Black employees who apply for jobs in less-diverse companies.
Tag(s): Andrew Hafenbrack • Foster School of Business
UW research finds that mailing HPV test kits directly to patients increases cervical cancer screening rates
Currently, more than half of all cervical cancers diagnosed in the United States are in people who are overdue for screening or have never been screened. In a new study, researchers report that mailing HPV test kits significantly increased cervical cancer screening rates.
Tag(s): cancer • Department of Epidemiology • Rachel Winer • School of Public HealthNovember 27, 2023
Breathing highway air increases blood pressure, UW research finds
A new study from the UW found that unfiltered air from rush-hour traffic significantly increased passengers’ blood pressure, both while in the car and up to 24 hours later.
Tag(s): air pollution • Department of Biostatistics • Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering • Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences • Joel Kaufman • School of Medicine • School of Public Health • ultrafine particlesNovember 20, 2023
New research aims to reduce fatal bird collisions on campus
A project in the UW College of Built Environments, led by researcher Judy Bowes, is examining how building architecture contributes to bird collisions, and the ways bird-safe glass and other designs can help address the problem.
Tag(s): College of Built Environments • Judy BowesNovember 16, 2023
In the Field: Tracking seismic clues in one of the driest places on Earth
Two University of Washington geophysicists will travel to the Atacama Desert in Chile this month to study a fault system that’s similar to the Seattle Fault in Puget Sound, but in a much different climate that makes it easier to monitor its effects on the landscape.
Tag(s): Alison Duvall • College of the Environment • Department of Earth and Space Sciences • earthquakes & seismology • geology • In the Field
ArtSci Roundup: Baroque Ensemble, Duwamish November Native Art Market, Book Talks, and more
This week, attend the Baroque Ensemble led by Tekla Cunningham, head to the Duwamish November Native Art Market, engage in a discussion on P. Sainath’s book: The Last Heroes: Foot Soldiers of Indian Freedom, and more. November 19, 3:00pm | Baroque Ensemble, Brechemin Auditorium Tekla Cunningham, Artist in Residence and Director for the UW Baroque…
Tag(s): Center for Southeast Asia & its Diasporas • Department of American Indian Studies • Department of Asian Languages & Literature • Department of Cinema & Media Studies • School of Music • Simpson Center for the Humanities • South Asia Center« Previous Page Next Page »
