Research

  • Big Data in the Night Sky

    Astronomers at the DiRAC Institute have been preparing for a flood of data from the new Rubin Observatory. Now undergrads have joined the effort.

    December 2022 Perspectives
  • Q&A: Managing Washington’s gray wolf population – through fear

    Wolf management in Washington has been controversial. Rob Anderson, who obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Washington, explains the dynamic of managing a species through fear.
    UW News
  • The rise of true crime media

    As true crime takes over our streaming services, it leads us to wonder — what’s up with our fascination with true crime? According to Stephen Groening, an associate professor in the department of cinema & media studies, there are two types of true crime media. Writer Hannah Bahram investigates the popularity of true crime media over the past few years.

    The Daily
  • The paradox of ‘Mary Sue’

    A look at the origin, evolution, and discourse of the archetype. Regina Yung Lee, associate teaching professor of gender, women & sexuality studies, said in an email. “[She] is considered a hallmark of bad fan fiction.” 

    Lee, who teaches “Introduction to Gender and Fandom,” explains that this term has evolved to become attached to almost every original female character. 

    The Daily
  • Infants less likely to contract COVID, develop severe symptoms than household caregivers

    In one of the first studies to explore how COVID-19 specifically affects older infants, researchers from the University of Washington and at institutions at four other locations in the Western and Southern U.S. found that the number of infected people in a household was the factor most closely linked with the infant’s likelihood of being infected.

    UW News
  • UW professor authors book on monetization of Black womanhood

    Timeka Tounsel, a professor in the department of communication, published her first book. Titled “Branding Black Womanhood: Media Citizenship from Black Power to Black Girl Magic,” the book discusses the ways in which Black women's images are monetized in the commercial media marketplace.

    The Daily
  • Isotope data strengthens suspicions of ivory stockpile theft

    A study led by Thure Cerling, a professor at the University of Utah, and co-authored by Sam Wasser, a University of Washington professor of biology, used carbon isotope science to show that tusks from a guarded government stockpile in Burundi have somehow made their way into the hands of illegal ivory traders.
    UW News
  • Endangered fruit-eating animals play an outsized role in a tropical forest — losing them could have dire consequences

    A new study by researchers at the University of Washington shows that losing a particular group of endangered animals — those that eat fruit and help disperse the seeds of trees and other plants — could severely disrupt seed-dispersal networks in the Atlantic Forest, a shrinking stretch of tropical forest and critical biodiversity hotspot on the coast of Brazil.
    UW News
  • Chamber Dance Company shifts focus, reimagines repertoire in return to stage

    Comprised of University of Washington graduate students, the Chamber Dance Company works to perform, record and archive dance works of artistic and historical significance. This year, the company will exclusively perform contemporary works created within the last 15 years.
    UW News
  • New faculty books: Black womanhood and corporate branding, reexamining Indigenous earthworks and more

    Black womanhood and corporate branding, Indigenous mound building and volunteering for the Peace Corps are among the subjects of recent and upcoming books by University of Washington faculty.

    UW News
  • The Research Search

    The University of Washington is a top research university, with many opportunities for undergraduates to participate in research. Here's how to find the best opportunity for you.

    10/02/2022 | College of Arts & Sciences
  • UW research team uses sound waves to move ‘excitons’ further than ever before, leading toward faster and more energy efficient electronics and optical devices

    A research team led by UW Electrical & Computer Engineering and UW physics professor Mo Li has developed a method of using soundwaves to move excitons farther than previously thought possible. This allows them to be used to create transistors, switches, and transducers — leading to faster and more energy-efficient computing and optical devices.

    University of Washington College of Engineering
  • UW joins industry-academia alliance to accelerate research in neuroscience

    The University of Washington has joined the Alliance for Therapies in Neuroscience (ATN), a long-term research partnership between academia and industry geared to transform the fight against brain diseases and disorders of the central nervous system. Launched in 2021 by the University of California, San Francisco, UC Berkeley, Genentech — a member of the Roche group — and Roche Holding AG, the ATN seeks to accelerate the development of new therapies for a broad range of brain and central nervous system conditions.

    UW News
  • Feed your brains well: Meet neuroscientist Chantel Prat

    Released last month, “The Neuroscience of You: How Every Brain is Different and How to Understand Yours,” is Chantel’s first book, and it arrived with a splash. A small tsunami, really; the highly anticipated text has been described by reviewers as “marvelous,” “hilarious,” “highly accessible,” “charming,” and “the smartest, clearest, and funniest book I’ve ever read about the brain.”

    The Whole U
  • These female hummingbirds evolved to look like males — apparently to evade aggression

    1 in 5 adult female white-necked jacobin hummingbirds look like males. New research from the University of Washington shows that this is a rare case of "deceptive mimicry" within a species: Females with male-like plumage are trying to pass themselves off as males, and as a result receive a benefit in the form of reduced aggression from males.
    UW News