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Opinion and analysis
Recent opinion and analysis pieces written by UW-affiliated experts. See The Conversation for only the analysis pieces.
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Full archive of opinion and analysis stories
- Opinion: Wear a helmet, don’t drink and ride: the preventable perils of e-scooters | The Seattle Times1 week ago
"There’s no question the use of e-scooters comes with significant safety risks, especially when it comes to head injuries. Unfortunately, helmet use has been almost nonexistent. As their use has soared, e-scooter-related injuries continue to rise," writes Dr. Beth Ebel, professor of pediatrics in the UW School of Medicine. Xinyao De Grauw, research scientist in the UW School of Medicine, is mentioned. - Opinion: Seattle innovation hub will help get climate tech off the ground | The Seattle Times2 weeks ago
"Seattle’s infrastructure, aerospace and tech workforce, clean energy grid mix, climate policy and geographic location make it the ideal place for climate tech and clean energy technology companies to locate and grow," co-writes François Baneyx, UW vice provost for innovation and director of CoMotion. - Analysis: How constitutional guardrails have always contained presidential ambitions | The Conversation2 weeks ago
"As Donald Trump’s second inauguration fast approaches, concerns he threatens American democracy are rising yet again. Some warnings have cited Trump’s authoritarian rhetoric, willingness to undermine or malign institutions meant to constrain any president, and a combative style that strives to stretch executive power as far as possible," writes Victor Menaldo, professor of political science at the UW. - Analysis: 4 reasons why the US might want to buy Greenland — if it were for sale, which it isn’t | The Conversation3 weeks ago
"Whether or not Trump has actual plans this time around to advance any attempt in Washington to own Greenland is far from clear. But given the incoming president’s repeated statements and invocation of national security, it’s worth considering what strategic value Greenland might actually have from the perspective of the U.S.’s geopolitical priorities," writes Scott Montgomery, lecturer of international studies at the UW. - Opinion: Frustrated by medical bills and phone trees? AI might help | The Seattle Times1 month ago
"We are missing a window of opportunity to address the very real barriers patients face at every step of care, costing them significant time and money," writes Bianca Frogner, professor of family medicine in the UW School of Medicine. - Analysis: What if you could rank food by ‘healthiness’ as you shopped? Nutrient profiling systems use algorithms to simplify picking healthy groceries | The Conversation1 month ago
"Imagine a world where food on grocery store shelves is ranked by its healthiness, with simple, research-backed scores. In some countries, that world already exists," writes Dr. Christopher Damman, clinical associate professor of gastroenterology in the UW School of Medicine. - Opinion: Arctic tundra changes are a dire warning for us all | The Guardian1 month ago
Phoebe Barnard, affiliate professor of interdisciplinary arts and sciences at UW Bothell, and Liliana Karesh say we are at a crossroads of humanity, and governments around the world need to draft new constitutions to navigate the future more wisely. - Analysis: Blood tests are currently one-size-fits-all — machine learning can pinpoint what’s truly ‘normal’ for each patient | The Conversation2 months ago
"(D)espite (complete blood count's) ubiquity, the way clinicians interpret and use it in the clinic is often less precise than ideal. Currently, blood test readings are based on one-size-fits-all reference intervals that don’t account for individual differences," writes Brody Foy, assistant professor of laboratory medicine and pathology in the UW School of Medicine. - Opinion: Climate advocates finally won in WA — how? By not talking about climate | The Seattle Times2 months ago
For the past decade or so, Aseem Prakash, professor of political science at the UW, has been teaching a course on climate politics in the UW’s political science department. During that time, there have been three climate change initiatives on the ballot here. He’s had a front row seat for how policymakers, activists and campaigners have sought to frame and spin one of the toughest issues in politics. - Analysis: How right-wing media is like improv theater | The Conversation2 months ago
"If you’ve ever wondered how the right-wing media ecosystem operates and why it’s effective, try viewing it as a form of improvisational theater or improv," write the UW's Kate Starbird, professor of human centered design and engineering and co-founder of the Center for an Informed Public, and Danielle Lee Tomson, research manager at the CIP. - Analysis: 208 million Americans are classified as obese or overweight, according to new study synthesizing 132 data sources | The Conversation2 months ago
"Nearly half of adolescents and three-quarters of adults in the U.S. were classified as being clinically overweight or obese in 2021. The rates have more than doubled compared with 1990," writes Marie Ng, affiliate associate professor of health metric sciences at the UW Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. - Opinion: Bomb cyclones, electricity outages and climate resilience | Forbes2 months ago
"Climate policy should not become associated with halted mobility, dark and cold buildings, and spoiled food in refrigerators. An important collective (as opposed to household) level response to outages is to strengthen grid resilience via undergrounding power lines," write the UW's Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science. - Analysis: New maps show high-risk zones for whale-ship collisions − vessel speed limits and rerouting can reduce the toll | The Conversation2 months ago
"Imagine you are a blue whale swimming up the California coast, as you do every spring. You are searching for krill in the Santa Barbara Channel, a zone that teems with fish, kelp forests, seagrass beds and other undersea life, but also vibrates with noise from ship traffic. Suddenly, the noise gets louder," writes Anna Nisi, a postdoctoral scholar of biology at the UW. - Opinion: The US response to bird flu is not reassuring the world | The New York Times3 months ago
"As a virus scientist in South Africa, I’ve been watching with dread as H5N1 bird flu spreads among animals in the United States. The pathogen poses a serious pandemic threat and has been detected in over 500 dairy herds in 15 states — which is probably an undercount. And yet, the U.S. response appears inadequate and slow, with too few genomic sequences of H5N1 cases in farm animals made publicly available for scientific review," writes Tulio de Oliveira, affiliate professor of global health at the UW. - Opinion: Falling in love with reading will change your life | The Atlantic3 months ago
"As a professor, I agree with my colleagues who have noticed the declining literacy of American students at elite universities. However, I am not sure if the schools are entirely to blame," writes Ione Fine, professor of psychology at the UW. - Opinion: Washington voters favor pollution cap but not transitioning from gas | Forbes3 months ago
"While voters overwhelmingly rejected I-2117 by a 62%-38% margin (that is, voted to continue cap-and-invest), they narrowly supported I-2066 by a 51% - 49% margin (that is, they opposed transitioning from gas)," write the UW's Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science. - Analysis: In hundreds of communities across the US, finding a dentist is like pulling teeth − but in 14 states, dental therapists are filling the gap | The Conversation3 months ago
Dr. Donald Chi, professor of oral health sciences at the UW, explains the kind of training that dental therapists receive, the critical need for them throughout the U.S., and how they have affected the communities they serve. - Opinion: On lame-duck AI bill, Congress shouldn’t push too far | The Hill3 months ago
"Artificial intelligence holds the potential to bring a commercial and economic rebirth for the United States and its allies. Yet the U.S. Congress is getting skittish. Its leaders are reportedly negotiating a lame-duck bill to regulate the AI industry," writes Oren Etzioni, professor emeritus of computer science and engineering at the UW and former CEO of the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence. - Analysis: ‘Inflation is radioactive’: Trump’s victory is part of a global populist wave of voters throwing out incumbents | The Conversation3 months ago
The UW's political science professors James Long and Victor Menaldo are interviewed on whether the U.S. election was the latest eruption of populism across the globe. - Opinion: Whooping cough vaccine vigilance is slipping in WA | The Seattle Times3 months ago
"This week, the Washington State Department of Health reported that so far this year 1,099 cases of whooping cough have been reported compared to just 45 at the same time last year," write Dr. Helen Chu, professor of medicine in the UW School of Medicine, and Collrane Frivold, a doctoral student in epidemiology at the UW. - Analysis: Misinformation is more than just bad facts: How and why people spread rumors is key to understanding how false information travels and takes root | The Conversation3 months ago
"On Sept. 20, 2024, a newspaper in Montana reported an issue with ballots provided to overseas voters registered in the state: Kamala Harris was not on the ballot. Election officials were able to quickly remedy the problem but not before accusations began to spread online, primarily among Democrats, that the Republican secretary of state had purposefully left Harris off the ballot," co-write Kate Starbird, associate professor of human centered design and engineering at the UW and co-founder of the Center for an Informed Public, and Stephen Prochaska, a doctoral student in the UW Information School and a researcher at the Center for an Informed Public. - Analysis: This Atlanta neighborhood hired a case manager to address rising homelessness — and it’s improving health and safety for everyone | The Conversation3 months ago
"Homelessness has surged across the United States in recent years, rising 19% from 2016 though 2023. The main cause is a severe shortage of affordable housing. Rising homelessness has renewed debates about use of public space and how encampments affect public safety," writes Ishita Chordia, a UW doctoral student in the Information School. - Analysis: Halloween candy binges can overload your gut microbiome — a gut doctor explains how to minimize spooking your helpful bacteria | The Conversation3 months ago
"Sugar and other ingredients in Halloween treats can cast a sickly spell on the trillions of microorganisms that reside in your gut, collectively known as the gut microbiome," writes Dr. Christopher Damman, clinical associate professor of gastroenterology in the UW School of Medicine. - Analysis: I’ve been studying misinformation for a decade — here are the rumors to watch out for on US Election Day | Nature3 months ago
"We can anticipate many false claims, including alleged mass voting by noncitizens or ‘suspicious vans’ outside polling booths. We should quickly counter them," writes Kate Starbird, associate professor of human centered design and engineering at the UW and co-founder of the Center for an Informed Public. - Opinion: Hurricanes Helene and Milton should motivate us to bury power lines | Forbes3 months ago
"Hurricanes Helene and Milton remind us of electricity infrastructure’s vulnerability to extreme weather events. However, at least one Florida community, Babcock Ranch, managed to avoid electricity shutoffs from downed power lines," write the UW's Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science. - Opinion: From climate purist to climate pragmatist — the case of Kamala Harris | Forbes4 months ago
"Kamala Harris of 2024, in a sharp deviation from Kamala Harris of 2016-20, epitomizes the emerging climate pragmatism," write the UW's Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science. - Opinion: The ethics of the marketplace are detrimental to our universities | The Seattle Times4 months ago
"As the media has focused on DEI initiatives and student encampments at our universities, most Washingtonians are likely unaware of the crisis brewing within our flagship institutions. Hints of trouble surfaced at Washington State University in March, when two former provosts and several tenured faculty went public with their concerns about administrative bloat, deep cuts to teaching and plummeting faculty morale," writes Jonathan Warren, professor of international studies at the UW. - Opinion: UW Tacoma is welcoming a new class — here's how Tacomans can help them succeed | Tacoma News Tribune4 months ago
"You’re correct if you sense a change in the air in Tacoma. But it has nothing to do with the weather. All of us at the University of Washington Tacoma are excited about starting a new academic year. And we’ve got a lot to be excited about," writes Mentha Hynes-Wilson, vice chancellor for student affairs at UW Tacoma. - Opinion: It's time for patients to own their health care data | Newsweek4 months ago
"Health care data exists in many forms, from medical records held in health care facilities to information captured through daily routines and lifestyle choices. This includes vital signs, medication details, allergies, medical histories, physician notes, and other critical data points that provide a comprehensive picture of an individual's health," writes Dr. Sam Browd, director of The Sports Institute in the UW School of Medicine. - Opinion: I-2117 would threaten Washingtonians’ health with dirtier air | The Spokesman-Review5 months ago
"That’s why, as a pulmonologist who specializes in treating critically ill patients, I feel a responsibility to sound the alarm about an effort in Washington state that would devastate protections against the scourge of air pollution: Initiative 2117, which will be on our ballots in November," writes Dr. Vin Gupta, affiliate assistant professor of health metrics sciences at the UW Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.
