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The latest news from the UW

March 31, 2016

UW, gun-rights groups come together in new law to prevent suicide

After her husband ended his life with a bullet in 2011, Jennifer Stuber went to the two Washington stores where he had bought guns to talk with the owners about suicide prevention. That bold move by Stuber, an associate professor at the University of Washington School of Social Work, eventually led to the passage of a bill signed into state law March 31 by Gov. Jay Inslee. The bill brings together two unlikely partners — the firearms industry and suicide…

March 30, 2016

Arts Roundup: People Sitting in Darkness, Production Design – and Digital Music in 3-D

The School of Drama kicks off spring quarter with a public play reading and exhibition of MFA production design work. Experience digital music in 3D with DXARTS, explore the passage of time at the Henry Art Gallery or contemplate notions of female attractiveness with a UW World Series dance-theater performance at Meany Hall. People Sitting in Darkness April 1-3 | Glenn Hughes Penthouse Theater In this comic adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream set in the early 20th-century Philippines, a…

March 29, 2016

UW to create new real estate minor with gift from Windermere Real Estate founder John Jacobi

The University of Washington will create an undergraduate minor in real estate studies thanks to a $5.4 million gift from retired Windermere Real Estate founder John Jacobi and his wife, Rosalind. The Jacobis’ gift will also support two new endowed faculty chairs at the Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies in the UW’s College of Built Environments.

March 24, 2016

Study: Most tweets following fall Paris attacks defended Islam, Muslims

The fall 2015 Paris terrorist attacks sparked heated social media debates about Islam. A researcher now with the UW Information School, with collaborators, analyzed millions of tweets after those attacks and found most tweets actually expressed support for Islam and Muslims.

March 21, 2016

Better safe than sorry: Babies make quick judgments about adults’ anger

Adults often form fast opinions about each other’s personalities, especially when it comes to negative traits. If we see someone argue with another driver over a parking space, for instance, we may assume that person tends to be confrontational. Two new research studies with hundreds of 15-month-old infants demonstrate that babies form similar generalizations about others and make attempts to appease adults they consider prone to anger. The research, by scientists at the University of Washington’s Institute for Learning &…

March 16, 2016

Arts Roundup: Pianist Jeremy Denk, Grupo Corpo – and White Snow Wood Sculptures

UW World Series presents three events at Meany Hall this week: the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, pianist Jeremy Denk and Brazilian dance company Grupo Corpo. Visit the Henry Art Gallery to see its newest exhibition, “Paul McCarthy: White Snow Wood Sculptures,” or catch one of the last performances of the School of Drama’s “Brooklyn Bridge.” Jeremy Denk 7:30 p.m., March 18 | Meany Theater Pianist Jeremy Denk, winner of the prestigious 2014 Avery Fisher Career Prize, performs a…

March 15, 2016

Medicine, nursing programs top national rankings; dozens more UW programs highly rated

For the 22nd time in the past 23 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 rural medicine and family medicine programs have also led the nation since those rankings began in 1992. In a new ranking this year, the UW’s doctor of nursing practice program is first among 149 programs nationwide. See all UW Medicine and other health sciences graduate…

Documents that Changed the World: ‘Hanging chads’ and butterfly ballots — Florida, 2000

With the Florida presidential primary a day away, Joe Janes is recalling the time of butterfly ballots and “hanging chads” — the presidential election of 2000 — in the latest installment of his podcast series, Documents that Changed the World. In the podcasts, Janes, a professor in the UW Information School, explores the origin and often evolving meaning of historical documents, both famous and less known. “This one has been on my list for a long time,” Janes said. “But…

March 11, 2016

TechConnect annual conference March 24

Members of the UW community are invited to a free daylong conference for technology professionals at the third-annual UW TechConnect Conference March 24. Sean Mooney, a professor of biomedical informatics and medical education and UW Medicine chief research information officer, will kick off the day with a keynote presentation starting at 8:30 a.m. Internet2 Senior VP and Chief Innovation Officer Florence Hudson will lead a morning session on future-proofing your career and environment through diversity and inclusion. Over 35 speakers from…

UW Combined Fund Drive partners with Make-A-Wish to donate airline miles

When Delilah was diagnosed with a congenital liver disorder, her mother Tabitha, recalls, “Doctors told us she wasn’t going to make it.” She’d need a new liver. She spent five months in Seattle Children’s Hospital waiting. It was a time of uncertainty and worry, but doctors eventually found a donor. Along the way, she qualified for a wish through Make-A-Wish® Alaska and Washington. Delilah wished to go on a cruise. Help Make-A-Wish grant a wish to every qualified child by…

March 9, 2016

Arts Roundup: ArtVenture, Vicente Amigo – and Brooklyn Bridge

This week, catch the final events of two series: UW Drama’s Seattle Theatres Lost & Founded play readings and the School of Art + Art History + Design’s Critical Issues in Contemporary Art Practice lectures. Hear performances by the UW Wind Ensemble, UW Symphony, and Latin Grammy Award-winning flamenco guitarist Vicente Amigo. Bring the whole family to campus this weekend for a fairy tale-themed ArtVenture at the Henry Art Gallery. Critical Issues in Contemporary Art Practice: Park McArthur 7:00 p.m.,…

Quintard Taylor’s BlackPast.org history site gets redesign, first executive director

BlackPast.org, the online reference guide to African-American history started by University of Washington history professor Quintard Taylor, is getting an executive director — Chieko Phillips — and a website redesign.

March 8, 2016

Evans School, Ruckelshaus Center featured when public policy administrators gather in Seattle March 17-22

The evolving nature of the public sector will be the topic when professionals and scholars from the UW’s Evans School for Public Policy & Governance and around the world gather in Seattle March 17-22 for the 77th annual conference of the American Society for Public Administration.

March 7, 2016

UW increases focus on Indigenous knowledge

A longhouse-style building opened on the University of Washington campus in March 2015, on land where the longhouses and village of the Duwamish tribe once stood. Intellectual House, or wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ, is a tangible recognition of the area’s original inhabitants. And it is a catalyst for the university’s recent efforts to ramp up Indigenous learning in departments across campus. Over the past three years, the UW College of Arts & Sciences has added seven faculty members focused on Indigenous studies. Those…

$750,000 Mellon Foundation grant will fund research, collaboration in arts

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded the University of Washington a three-year, $750,000 grant to support guest artists in developing new works, and to better integrate arts disciplines into the broader university curriculum.

The grant will support a Creative Fellowships Initiative, under which guest performing artist fellows will be recruited from around the world for one- to three-year residencies in dance, music and theater.

March 2, 2016

Arts Roundup: Strange Coupling, Malpaso Dance Company – and Faculty Chamber Concert

Chamber music takes center stage at the School of Music this week with a Faculty Chamber Concert and Schubertiade, both on March 6. Watch two different dance productions at Meany Hall, see an exhibition of student work at the Jacob Lawrence Gallery, or catch a reading of ‘Sons’ as part of UW Drama’s New Play Workshop series. Strange Coupling March 2-4 | Jacob Lawrence Gallery This short exhibition shows works by students who are applying to partner with professional artists…

UW aids city of Seattle on open data initiative

If people find it easier to get data from the city of Seattle going forward, they can in part thank the University of Washington. A team of UW faculty members and doctoral students spent the past six months working with the city on a new open data policy unveiled last week by Mayor Ed Murray. The policy requires all city departments to make their data as accessible as possible to the public while upholding privacy and security considerations. The UW…

March 1, 2016

The Animals to Hendrix: Authors discuss soundtrack of Vietnam War at March 7 event

For soldiers serving in the Vietnam War, music was a salve, a connection to home and a temporary respite from the horrors of combat. In “We Gotta Get Out of This Place,” Rolling Stone’s #1 Best Music Book of 2015, Doug Bradley and Craig Werner explore the importance of music to U.S. troops in Vietnam, relaying powerful, intimate stories told by veterans themselves. Bradley, a Vietnam veteran, teaches a course on the war with Werner, a professor of Afro-American studies…

Ice cores, polar bears and whale sounds at 11th Polar Science Weekend

Investigate a real ice core from Greenland, survey microbes from the coldest parts of the world, explore an Arctic ice camp and meet with polar scientists – many of whom are from the University of Washington. It’s all part of Polar Science Weekend, returning to Seattle’s Pacific Science Center March 4-6. The three-day event features interactive exhibits and opportunities to talk with top polar scientists who work in some of the most remote and challenging places on Earth. New this…

Doctor, patient expectations differ on fitness and lifestyle tracking

With apps and activity trackers measuring every step people take, morsel they eat, and each symptom or pain, patients commonly arrive at doctor’s offices armed with self-tracked data. Yet health care providers lack the capacity or tools to review five years of Fitbit logs or instantaneously interpret data patients have been collecting about themselves, according to new UW research.

NASA data used to track groundwater in Pakistan

Pakistan’s water managers are using NASA satellites to more effectively monitor groundwater supplies, thanks to a partnership with UW civil and environmental engineers. It’s part of a larger effort to use the vast amount of data and observations collected by Earth-orbiting satellites to better quality of life in developing countries.

University Book Store to relocate South Campus Store’s services and products to flagship store

University Book Store announced Thursday that it has opted to close its store in the University’s South Campus building and move its products and services to the flagship store on University Way Northeast. Though the relocation date has yet to be determined, University Book Store is planning for sometime before June. “Our lease was up for renewal, so it was time to evaluate whether we were successfully fulfilling our mission to provide our students with the materials they needed to succeed,” said…

UW ranks No. 7 on Business First’s top 10 list

The University of Washington was ranked No. 7 by Business First, a Buffalo-based publication, for America’s top 10 best public colleges and universities, the publication released Tuesday, Feb. 23. Business First, owned by American City Business Journals, used a 20-part formula based on academic excellence, prestige, affordability, diversity and economic strength to calculate each of the 477 participating universities’ scores. Out of the six Washington institutions included in the report, the UW ranked first, following by Washington State University (No. 112). UC Berkeley…