UW News blog

December 2, 2020

COVID-19 vaccines may not prevent spread of virus, so mask-wearing, other protections still critical

Excitement and relief over news of vaccines that help prevent people from getting sick, winding up in the hospital or dying from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, are warranted, says 乱伦社区鈥檚 Dr. Larry Corey. But, these messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines may not prevent people from getting infected or spreading the virus. Answering questions around how vaccines affect transmission of the virus is 鈥渙f obvious importance鈥� and research will be conducted once people begin getting vaccinated, Corey…

Scientists organize to tackle crisis of coral bleaching

At the current rate of global warming, mass coral bleaching is expected to become more frequent and severe worldwide. An international consortium of scientists, including a coral researcher from the 乱伦社区, has created the first-ever common framework for increasing comparability of research findings on coral bleaching.

November 30, 2020

ArtSci Roundup: Katz Lecture: Remaking the Silicon Society, The Button: The New Nuclear Arms Race and Presidential Power from Truman to Trump, and more

During this time of uncertainty and isolation, find solace in digital opportunities聽to connect, share, and engage. Each week, we will share upcoming events that bring the UW, and the greater community, together online.聽 Many of these online opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students have access to聽Zoom Pro via UW-IT.聽 Katz Lecture: Margaret O’Mara, “Remaking the Silicon Society” December 8, 4:30 PM | Online How might a pandemic year of digitally mediated life change society for…

November 24, 2020

Study shows plant extinction is more common than previously realized

A photograph of a museum specimen of a now-extinct plant species.

A new study reveals that 65 plant species have gone extinct in the continental United States and Canada since European settlement, more extinctions than any previous scientific study has ever documented.

Four UW faculty members named AAAS fellows for 2020

The American Association for the Advancement of Science has named four 乱伦社区 faculty members as AAAS Fellows, according to a Nov. 24 announcement from the organization. The four are part of a cohort of 489 new fellows for 2020, which were chosen by their peers for 鈥渢heir scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.鈥�

Q&A: Animal Crossing to K-pop: Gaming, music fandom groups provide human connection during the pandemic

A screenshot of people gathered around a table in the game Animal Crossing. There are cakes and balloons and everyone is smiling.

In this Q&A, UW Information School associate professor Jin Ha Lee discusses how video game and music fandom communities can be “places of light” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

November 19, 2020

The 2020 census: deadlines, politics and what may come next

The 2020 census has been subject to court fights, shifting deadlines and pandemic-related process adjustments. Sara Curran, director of the UW Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology, explains the developments with this year’s count.

November 17, 2020

UW part of $5.8M contract to study wireless charging on moon

A team of organizations 鈥� led by the space technology company Astrobotic and including the 乱伦社区 and the UW spinout WiBotic 鈥� has received a $5.8 million contract to develop a line of lightweight, ultrafast wireless chargers that could help both humans and robots live and work on the moon.

November 13, 2020

More to watch: UW Libraries expands online resources during pandemic, emphasizing arts, equity

piano and sheet music - story is about UW Libraries opening up wider online access to texts and media during the pandemic

Students in the arts and other fields will have greater access to research texts and media thanks to an expansion of online resources by UW Libraries to help meet the needs of remote learning during the pandemic.

November 2, 2020

Video: Free coronavirus testing for UW community open for more enrollment

The Husky Coronavirus Testing program, powered by the Seattle Flu Study, launched on Sept. 24 and now has more than 12,500 members of the UW community enrolled and has conducted more than 10,000 tests.

October 29, 2020

Models show how COVID-19 cuts a neighborhood path

A research team led by UC Irvine and the 乱伦社区 has created a new model of how the coronavirus can spread through a community. The model factors in network exposure 鈥� whom one interacts with 鈥� and demographics to simulate at a more detailed level both where and how quickly the coronavirus could spread through Seattle and 18 other major cities.

October 22, 2020

COVID-19: CDC advisory committee hones in on vaccine rollout recommendations

When a vaccine to fight COVID-19 has been approved by the FDA for distribution, it鈥檚 unlikely that at first there will be enough doses for everyone. Consequently, the United States will need an equitable and effective plan for who gets those first doses, how they get them and who鈥檚 next. Just as important, that plan 鈥� like the vaccine itself 鈥斅爃as to be trusted and accepted by the general public. To accomplish this complicated and potentially fraught task, the CDC聽Advisory…

UW seeks Latinos caring for relatives, friends with dementia to develop better training program

With Latinos 1.5 times more likely to have dementia than non-Latino whites, among other health disparities, researchers at the 乱伦社区 are hoping to better understand Latino family caregivers and adapt the training available to those caregivers. To do that, the UW Department of Health Services is seeking to interview Latino caregivers for a study to increase the cultural relevance of聽STAR-C聽聽training 鈥� a non-pharmacological intervention endorsed by the Administration on Aging that trains caregivers to manage the behavioral and…

October 21, 2020

Pandemic further isolating older adults, as senior services struggle to adapt

older man sitting on park bench with laptop

A new UW study of senior services in Washington during the COVID-19 pandemic reveals providers’ concerns about isolation, and worsening mental and physical health among older adults.

October 19, 2020

Three UW faculty members elected to National Academy of Medicine; emeritus professor earns service award

Patrick Heagerty, Dr. Joel Kaufman and Sean Sullivan.

The National Academy of Medicine on Monday announced the election of 100 new members, including three from the : Patrick Heagerty, Dr. Joel Kaufman and Sean Sullivan. In addition, David Eaton, dean and vice provost emeritus of the UW鈥檚 Graduate School, was recognized for outstanding service.

October 15, 2020

Are climate scientists being too cautious when linking extreme weather to climate change?

Climate science has focused on avoiding false alarms when linking extreme weather to climate change. But when meteorologists warn of hazardous weather, they include a second key measure of success — the probability of detection.

October 12, 2020

Engineering lecture focuses on contact tracing: Monitoring COVID-19 infections while respecting privacy

A photo of the front of the Gates Center

This fall the UW鈥檚 annual engineering lecture will feature Stefano Tessaro, an associate professor in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering.

UW awarded NIH grant for training in advanced data analytics for behavioral and social sciences

With a grant from the National Institutes of Health, a five-year, $1.8 million training program at the 乱伦社区 will fund 25 academic-year graduate fellowships, develop a new training curriculum and contribute to methodological advances in health research at the intersection of demography and data science.

September 30, 2020

UW researchers driving around Seattle to track COVID-19 response over time

A panoramic view of a street corner. Cars and a pedestrian are labeled

UW researchers developed a project that scans the streets every few weeks to document how Seattle has reacted to the pandemic and what recovery looks like.

September 28, 2020

Q&A: UW researchers clicked ads on 200 news sites to track misinformation

A study by UW researchers found that both mainstream and misinformation news sites displayed similar levels of problematic ads. UW News had a conversation with the team about this research, where ads on news sites come from, and how things might change leading up to the election.

September 17, 2020

Environmental health professor emeritus Sverre Vedal serves on committee studying respiratory effects of Southwest Asia military service

Dr. Sverre Vedal, 乱伦社区 professor emeritus of environmental and health sciences, served on an expert committee for the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine studying the long-term respiratory health impacts of military service in Southeast Asia. Vedal is a pulmonary physician.

Dr. Sverre Vedal, UW professor emeritus of environmental and health sciences, served on an expert committee for the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine studying the long-term respiratory health impacts of military service in Southeast Asia.

September 11, 2020

Evans School interim dean receives $2M NSF grant to study 鈥榤egafires鈥�

Alison Cullen, professor and interim dean of the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance at the 乱伦社区, will study “megafires” with a new $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation.

September 9, 2020

UW joins Public Interest Technology University Network

The 乱伦社区 has joined forces with schools across the country to be part of the Public Interest Technology University Network, or PIT-UN.

September 4, 2020

Rankings: UW is among the best in the nation, world according to three news outlets

Three new rankings out this month place UW among the best schools in the nation and the world.

September 3, 2020

First responders get training on how to decontaminate masks

A 乱伦社区-led team has developed a box that can decontaminate N95 respirator masks using ultraviolet light.

August 31, 2020

UW receives NSF funds for investment in an interdisciplinary quantum future

The National Science Foundation has awarded $3 million to establish a NSF Research Traineeship at the 乱伦社区 for graduate students in quantum information science and technology. The new traineeship 鈥� known as Accelerating Quantum-Enabled Technologies, or AQET 鈥� will make the UW one of just 鈥渁 handful鈥� of universities with a formal, interdisciplinary QIST curriculum.

August 27, 2020

Frequently asked questions: torpor in Antarctic Lystrosaurus

An artist's rendition of an ancient vertebrate called Lystrosaurus

This FAQ discusses evidence for a hibernation-like condition in Lystrosaurus, a mammal relative that lived in the Antarctic portion of Pangea about 250 million years ago. This discovery was enabled by high-resolution of incremental growth marks preserved in the tusks of Lystrosaurus.

August 26, 2020

Global ranking: UW is No. 16 in the world

The 乱伦社区 is No. 16 in the world 鈥� No. 3 among U.S. public universities 鈥� on the聽2020 Academic Ranking of World Universities, released this month.

August 14, 2020

UW team developing model to help lower COVID-19 infections in King County, guide eventual vaccine distribution

A UW Medicine worker wearing personal protective equipment stands outside a car at a drive up testing clinic

A UW team has received a grant to develop a model that uses local data to generate policy recommendations that could help lower COVID-19 infections in King County.

July 31, 2020

Empathy and understanding: UW psychologists offer tips on relationships during the pandemic

乱伦社区 psychologists say there are ways to approach interactions with friends and loved ones that can provide a positive path forward and help maintain healthy relationships during the pandemic.

July 29, 2020

Rankings roundup: UW rises to No. 26 in the world, fourth among US publics; Bothell, Seattle campuses lead list of colleges that 鈥榩ay off the most鈥�

The 乱伦社区 was recognized this week in two separate rankings for its global impact in teaching and research, as well as for its value to graduates compared to cost of attendance.

Expert FAQ: Wildfires in the Pacific Northwest during the COVID-19 pandemic

The 乱伦社区 has a long history of leading research into the impacts of wildfires from an ecological and health perspective. We worked with two experts to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about wildfires in the Pacific Northwest, including the ways that the pandemic is increasing our community鈥檚 vulnerability to extreme wildfire events in the region.

July 16, 2020

7 乱伦社区 researchers elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences in 2020

Seven scientists and engineers at the 乱伦社区 have been elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences, according to an announcement July 15 by the academy.

July 1, 2020

乱伦社区 releases finalized Sustainability Action Plan

The Sustainability Action Plan includes five guiding principles and 10 measurable targets along with annual actions to reach those targets. Each year,鈥痶he UW will evaluate鈥痶he immediate actions needed over the next fiscal year鈥痶o respond鈥痶o鈥痗hanging realities and needs across our campuses.

June 29, 2020

Trouble paying medical bills can lead to longer episodes of homelessness, new study shows

A new 乱伦社区 study of people experiencing homelessness in King County finds that unpaid medical bills were their primary source of debt, and that debt extended their period of homelessness by an average of two years.

June 25, 2020

Sleep improving for university students under stay-at-home orders

In a study published June 10 in Current Biology, a team from the University of Colorado Boulder and the 乱伦社区 reports that a group of students at CU Boulder generally got more sleep after widespread stay-at-home orders and social distancing guidelines were put into place in mid-March.

June 24, 2020

Study asks Washington state residents to describe food security and access during pandemic, economic downturn

A new online survey for Washington state residents has launched to gather data on how the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic downturn have affected food access and economic security. The Washington State Food Security Survey, which went live June 18 and runs through July 31, is open to all Washington state residents aged 18 or over.

June 23, 2020

Video: Students create videos, capping new UW class on music as a form of protest

With the nation debating its response to COVID-19 and witnessing protests against racial injustice and police violence, undergraduate students enrolled in 鈥淰isual Anthropology of Protest Music鈥� examined how communities use music to share their lived experiences and confront oppression.