UW and the Community

“2020: The Course” gives students an opportunity to hear from UW professors and special guests who will discuss the COVID-19 pandemic, race in the United States, the state of the environment, the economic recession, civic participation, citizenship and this election season and outcomes.

It’s not even Election Day, but Washington voters want their voices heard. On Thursday, the Washington Secretary of State’s office announced that 60.8% of ballots have been received. James Long, associate professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

A research team led by UC Irvine and the University of Washington has created a new model of coronavirus diffusion through a community. 

Mona Lee Locke, UW President Ana Mari Cauce, Seattle Storm co-owner Dawn Trudeau and Seattle fashion designer Luly Yang (BFA, Graphic Design, 1990) comment on hop topics, including masks as a fashion accessory, favorite Halloween costumes, traveling for the holidays and more.

It’s the most expensive race in Washington’s 2020 election. In Washington’s 3rd Congressional District in Southwest Washington, Republican incumbent Jaime Herrera Beutler is fighting for a sixth term against second-time Democrat challenger Carolyn Long. Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs at the UW, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science at the UW, are interviewed.

Haunted houses won't be part of Halloween festivities this year, but a collection of artworks featuring empty and deserted spaces didn't scare the public away from attending the Henry Art Gallery's October-themed edition of its Re/frame series, "Abandoned." 

You probably already know that in certain corners of the internet, people are earnestly arguing that the Earth is flat. A few decades ago, they’d have been printing leaflets or newsletters. Now they can spread their misinformation to a much wider online audience. Mark Alan Smith, professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

After Donald Trump won the presidential election in 2016, people in liberal areas were in shock — and wondering what a Trump presidency would mean for the country. A week after the election, we asked academics to write their thoughts. With hindsight being 2020, KUOW revisits the most prescient of those pieces, including those by 10 UW faculty members.

As we approach the first COVID-19 winter in Seattle, a city with deep Scandinavian roots, a Scandinavian concept known as friluftsliv may also be a helpful model for continuing to spend time outdoors during the coldest, darkest time of the year. Andy Meyer, assistant teaching professor of Scandinavian studies at the UW, is quoted.

Jake Grumbach, assistant professor of political science at the UW, says the increase in minority voters in Washington is due in large part to children of immigrants coming into the electorate. However, he notes that Latino and Asian American voters turn out at lower rates than African American and white voters.

Leela Fernandes, director of the UW Jackson School of International Studies, joins former Attorney General Rob McKenna and KUOW's Ross Reynolds for a preview of the final presidential debate.

Student Life honors DXARTS, the College of Engineering, and Housing & Food Services with the Outstanding New Initiative Award for McMahon 8, a makerspace that provides students, staff, and faculty from the UW with the tools and resources to build and prototype their next great idea.

U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in education rankings, today released the 2021 edition of the Best Global Universities rankings. With data on nearly 1,500 schools, the rankings evaluate universities from dozens of countries on academic research and reputation. The UW is ranked No. 8.

Concerned about the lack of health coverage for undocumented individuals, UW senior Marium Raza is taking action.

The national Alcohol and Drugs History Society has established an annual book prize in the name of longtime University of Washington history professor William Rorabaugh, who died this spring, calling him “a pioneer in the social history of alcohol.”