UW News
The latest news from the UW
May 13, 2016
UW researchers unleash graphene ‘tiger’ for more efficient optoelectronics
In traditional light-harvesting methods, energy from one photon only excites one electron or none depending on the absorber’s energy gap, transferring just a small portion of light energy into electricity. The remaining energy is lost as heat. But in a paper released May 13 in Science Advances, Wu, UW associate professor Xiaodong Xu and colleagues at four other institutions describe one promising approach to coax photons into stimulating multiple electrons. Their method exploits some surprising quantum-level interactions to give one photon multiple potential electron partners.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • College of Engineering • Department of Materials Science & Engineering • Department of Physics • Xiaodong XuMay 12, 2016
Washington home prices up 8.1 percent over last year in first quarter of 2016
Washington state’s housing market showed the continuing effects of low supply in the first quarter of 2016, with sales limited and most markets less affordable, according to the Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies.
Tag(s): College of Built Environments • Peter Orser • Runstad Department of Real Estate
Anti-kickback, conflict of interest and whistleblower regulations; supplemental compliance resources
Anti-kickback, conflict of interest and whistleblower regulations Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR 52.203-7) require the University to implement procedures designed to prevent and detect violations of the Anti-Kickback Act of 1986 (41 USC 51-58). This is published as a reminder of the policies and procedures in place at the University of Washington. Kickback defined. “Kickback” as…
UW study: state-licensed marijuana canopy enough to satisfy recreational and medical markets
The amount of marijuana allowed to be grown by state-licensed producers in Washington is enough to satisfy both the medical and recreational marijuana markets, a University of Washington study released today finds. The state Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) tasked the UW-based Cannabis Law and Policy Project (CLPP) with calculating the “grow canopy,” or square…
Tag(s): Cannabis Law and Policy Project • Sam Mendez • Sean O'Connor
Tour UW Libraries’ new Conservation Center May 25
UW Libraries invites the public to tour its new state-of-the-art Conservation Center on the fifth floor of Suzzallo Library, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, May 26.
Tag(s): Department of American Ethnic Studies • Juan Felipe Herrera • UW LibrariesMay 11, 2016
Skull specializations allow bats to feast on their fellow vertebrates
Over their 52-million-year history, a few bats have evolved a taste for their fellow vertebrates. Now biologists at the University of Washington and the Burke Museum of History and Culture are shedding light on how these so-called “carnivorous bats” adapted to the daunting task of chowing down their backboned prey.
Tag(s): Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Biology • evolution • Sharlene Santana
Arts Roundup: MFA Dance Concert, Photomedia Graduation Exhibition – and ‘Short Takes’ on Orpheus
This week, visit the School of Art + Art History + Design for a visiting scholar lecture or graduation exhibition, and engage directly with the artists at the Burke Museum’s Native Art Market. Catch the annual MFA Dance Concert or a performance by the School of Music’s Daana Quartet. Explore the enduring legacy of the…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • Department of Dance • Jacob Lawrence Gallery • School of Art + Art History + Design • School of Music
UW-led suicide prevention initiative planned for Washington colleges and universities
The University of Washington is leading a new, four-year collaboration aimed at promoting mental health and preventing suicide at colleges and universities around the state. The initiative is a partnership between Forefront: Innovations in Suicide Prevention — an organization in the UW School of Social Work — and the New York-based Jed Foundation, which focuses…
Tag(s): Forefront • Jennifer Stuber • suicide
New project to shine light on dark places around UW campus
An interdisciplinary team of students, faculty and staff together with lighting design experts is asking the UW community those questions as part of a new plan to improve the efficiency and sustainability of outdoor lighting around the Seattle campus.
Tag(s): Campus Sustainability Fund • Christopher Meek • Office of the University Architect
UW researchers secure prestigious MURI grants for self-cooling lasers and fluid mechanics
University of Washington professors Peter Pauzauskie and Alberto Aliseda are part of two U.S. Department of Defense Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) grants to develop innovative approaches to cutting-edge fields of engineering.
Tag(s): Alberto Aliseda • College of Engineering • Department of Materials Science & Engineering • Department of Mechanical Engineering • Peter Pauzauskie
Paper gets ‘smart’ with drawn-on, stenciled sensor tags
Researchers from the University of Washington, Disney Research and Carnegie Mellon University have created ways to give a piece of paper sensing capabilities that allows it to respond to gesture commands and connect to the digital world.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering • Josh Fromm • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering • Shwetak PatelMay 10, 2016
UW part of NOAA-led cruise to study West Coast ocean acidification
University of Washington students, faculty and staff are part of the fifth West Coast Ocean Acidification Cruise that will investigate changes to ocean chemistry from Baja to British Columbia. The ship left Thursday from San Diego to begin sampling on Mexico’s northern coast. It will stop May 21 at San Francisco’s Exploratorium Pier, then travel…
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean and Ecosystem Studies • ocean acidification • oceanography • School of Oceanography • Washington Sea Grant
Brain pattern predicts how fast an adult learns a new language
Some adults learn a second language better than others, and their secret may involve the rhythms of activity in their brains. New findings by scientists at the University of Washington demonstrate that a five-minute measurement of resting-state brain activity predicted how quickly adults learned a second language. The study, published in the June-July issue of…
Tag(s): Chantel Prat • I-LABSMay 9, 2016
Vicente Rafael explores link between translation, historical imagination in book ‘Motherless Tongues’
UW history professor Vicente Rafael says his new book, “Motherless Tongues: The Insurgency of Language amid Wars of Translation,” asks longstanding questions about the relationship between history and language.
Tag(s): books • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of History • Vicente Rafael
This five-fingered robot hand learns to get a grip on its own
A University of Washington team of computer science and engineering researchers has built a robot hand that can not only perform dexterous manipulation – one of the most difficult problems in robotics – but also learn from its own experience.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Emo Todorov • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering • Sergey Levine
Early Earth’s air weighed less than half of today’s atmosphere
The idea that the young Earth had a thicker atmosphere turns out to be wrong. New research from the University of Washington uses bubbles trapped in 2.7 billion-year-old rocks to show that air at that time exerted at most half the pressure of today’s atmosphere. The results, published online May 9 in Nature Geoscience, reverse…
Tag(s): College of the Environment • David Catling • Department of Earth and Space Sciences • geology • Roger BuickMay 6, 2016
Academics, artists collaborate on UW book arts exhibit ‘Just One Look’
Thirty-two colorful and creative artist books on display as part of the exhibit “Just One Look,” in University of Washington Libraries’ Special Collections department, in Allen Library. The exhibit co-curated by UW alumna Lauren Dudley with Sandra Kroupa, UW book arts and rare book curator.
Tag(s): Catherine Connors • Department of Classics • Kathryn Topper • Sandra Kroupa • Simpson Center for the Humanities • UW LibrariesMay 5, 2016
Two-minute warnings make kids’ ‘screen time’ tantrums worse
Giving young children a two-minute warning that “screen time” is about to end makes transitions away from tablets, phones, televisions and other technological devices more painful, a new University of Washington study has found.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering • Julie KientzMay 4, 2016
Arts Roundup: School of Music Scholarship Recital, ArtVentures – and Native Art Market
This week in the arts, see the world-renowned Martha Graham Dance Company perform at Meany Hall and witness the talent of the next generation at the 2016 School of Music Scholarship Recital. Explore production design at a UW Drama exhibition, take an ArtVenture at the Henry Art Gallery and shop for Native American art at…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture • Henry Art Gallery • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • Meany Hall for the Performing Arts • School of Drama • School of Music
Urban planning symposium May 5 addresses ‘The Future City’
What possible future scenarios lie ahead for urban design, and how will big data and new technologies affect science and decision-making? The UW Graduate School’s Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Urban Design and Planning will tackle such questions in a daylong symposium May 5.
Tag(s): College of Built Environments • Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program in Urban Design and Planning • Urban@UWMay 3, 2016
Dennis L. Hartmann elected to National Academy of Sciences
Dennis Hartmann, a UW professor of atmospheric sciences, was elected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Dennis Hartmann • Department of Atmospheric and Climate ScienceMay 2, 2016
UW-led team wins $10M EPA grant for air pollution research
To help address the nation’s pressing need for better air quality, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded a research team co-led by a University of Washington civil engineer a $10 million Air, Climate and Energy (ACE) grant.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering • Julian Marshall
New health sensing tool measures lung function over a phone call, from anywhere in the world
University of Washington researchers have developed SpiroCall, a new health sensing tool that can accurately measure lung function from anywhere in the world over a simple phone call.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering • Shwetak PatelApril 29, 2016
UW professor helps TV star Lea Michele discover her Sephardic heritage
The upcoming season finale of TLC’s popular program “Who Do You Think You Are,” airing May 1, will feature UW professor Devin Naar helping television star Lea Michele learn about her Sephardic Jewish ancestry.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Devin Naar • Jackson School of International Studies • Sephardic Studies Program • Stroum Center for Jewish Studies
New UW program aims to create ‘brotherhood’ for male students of color
For some young men of color, college might seem a world away. To an African-American boy growing up in poverty, a Latino son of migrant farmworkers or a young Native American man living on a remote reservation, the path to post-secondary education can be hard to visualize. And once on campus, the reality can be…
Tag(s): Brotherhood Initiative • College of Education • Ismael Fajardo • Joe Lott
Architecture professor Jeffrey Ochsner featured in young filmmaker’s Gum Wall documentary screening May 1
When 8-year-old filmmaker Celia Jensen and her dad decided to make a film about Seattle’s Gum Wall, Jeffrey Ochsner, professor of architecture and associate dean for academic affairs in the UW College of Built Environments, was happy to help.
Tag(s): College of Built Environments • Department of Architecture • Jeffrey OchsnerApril 28, 2016
Wolf hunting near Denali, Yellowstone cuts wolf sightings in half
Visitors to national parks are half as likely to see wolves in their natural habitat when wolf hunting is permitted just outside park boundaries, according to a new study.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Laura Prugh • School of Environmental and Forest Sciences
Sir? Caballero? Anthony Geist awarded knighthood by Spain
Anthony Geist, professor of Spanish and Portuguese Studies, has been awarded one of Spain’s highest civil honors — a knighthood.
Tag(s): Anthony Geist • Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies • UW Study Center in LeónApril 27, 2016
Arts Roundup: 3D4M Graduation Exhibition, Daedalus Quartet – and the Martha Graham Dance Company
UW World Series presents its final two performances of the school year: Daedalus Quartet and the Martha Graham Dance Company. Graduating students from the School of Art + Art History + Design’s 3D4M program showcase their works at the Jacob Lawrence Gallery, and the UW Dance Program and the Henry Art Gallery collaborate in a…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • Department of Dance • Henry Art Gallery • Jacob Lawrence Gallery • Meany Center for the Performing Arts • School of Art + Art History + Design • School of Drama • School of Music
‘Walk-DMC’ aims to improve surgery outcomes for children with cerebral palsy
A UW mechanical engineer has developed a new assessment of motor control in children with cerebral palsy called Walk-DMC, which could help predict which patients are — or are not — likely to benefit from invasive surgical interventions.
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Department of Mechanical Engineering • Kat SteeleApril 25, 2016
Music improves baby brain responses to music and speech
Rock your baby in sync with music and you may wonder how the experience affects her and her developing brain. A new study by scientists at the University of Washington’s Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS) shows that a series of play sessions with music improved 9-month-old babies’ brain processing of both music and…
Tag(s): Christina Zhao • I-LABS • Patricia KuhlApril 21, 2016
UW’s Jerry Franklin honored for lifetime of forest research, policy
Jerry Franklin, a professor of environmental and forest sciences, was honored by the Pinchot Institute for Conservation for his lifelong work in forest ecology, conservation and policy.
Tag(s): College of the Environment • Jerry Franklin • School of Environmental and Forest Sciences • Thomas DeLucaApril 20, 2016
Cash in the trash: Interactive composting, recycling station shows savings in real time
An interactive recycling and composting station installed this spring at PACCAR Hall is showing the University of Washington community exactly how much money can be saved by composting and recycling correctly. And it seems to be doing its job well.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Karen Cheng • Kristine Matthews • Linda Wagner • PACCAR Hall • Peter Lape • School of Art + Art History + Design
4 UW professors elected as fellows in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Four University of Washington professors join 172 other academics as newly elected fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the group announced Wednesday.
Tag(s): Anna Karlin • Donald Grayson • Lawrence Loeb • Patricia Ebrey
Arts Roundup: The Music of Harry Partch, Force Continuum – and Arty Party
This week in the arts, UW Drama opens their production of Force Continuum, and the School of Music presents two visiting artists: mezzo-soprano Michaela Martens and chamber ensemble Decoda. You can also hear the groundbreaking music of Harry Partch or attend the Henry Art Gallery’s annual Arty Party. Directions for a Cloud-Crowd 7 p.m., April…
Tag(s): ArtsUW • DXARTS • Henry Art Gallery • School of Art + Art History + Design • School of Drama • School of Music
UW experts call Paris climate agreement ‘bold,’ ‘encouraging’
As the U.S., China and other countries sign the Paris Agreement to reduce emissions and limit climate change, UW experts talk about the possibilities and risks in what could be a turning point for global economies.
Tag(s): Aseem Prakash • Clean Energy Institute • clean or renewable energy • climate change • College of Arts & Sciences • College of the Environment • Daniel Schwartz • Dennis Hartmann • Luanne Thompson • Nives Dolsak • Scott L. MontgomeryApril 19, 2016
‘Shakespeare, Music, and Memory’ April 29 is colloquium, concert
A daylong colloquium, “Shakespeare, Music and Memory” will bring scholars and musicians to the University of Washington campus April 29 for lectures ending with a concert of Shakespeare-themed songs by the School of Music’s Collegium Musicum ensemble. The free events were organized by JoAnn Taricani, associate professor and chair of the School of Music‘s Division…
Tag(s): Andrew Tsao • College of Arts & Sciences • Collegium Musicum • JoAnne Taricani • School of Drama • School of Music • Simpson Center for the Humanities
States with punitive justice systems have higher rates of foster care, study finds
The number of children in foster care across the country is driven not solely by child abuse and neglect, but by states’ varying politics and approaches to social problems, a new University of Washington study finds. States with more punitive criminal justice systems tend to remove children from their homes far more frequently than those…
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Sociology • Frank EdwardsApril 18, 2016
Board of Regents approves first University of Washington master’s program through Global Innovation Exchange
The University of Washington Board of Regents has approved the Master of Science in Technology Innovation degree, a 60-credit interdisciplinary program developed by the Global Innovation Exchange.
Tag(s): GIX
Early analysis of Seattle’s $15 wage law: Effect on prices minimal one year after implementation
Most Seattle employers in a UW-led study said in 2015 they expected to raise prices on goods and services to compensate for the city’s new $15 per hour minimum wage law — but a year after implementation such increases are not in evidence.
Tag(s): Center for Demography and Ecology • Evans School of Public Policy & Governance • Heather Hill • Jacob Vigdor • Jennifer Otten • Jennifer Romich • Mark Long • School of Public Health • School of Social Work • Scott Allard • Seattle Minimum Wage Study« Previous Page Next Page »
