Research

  • The robots are here to fix your relationships

    Couples are using (and loving) AI-powered apps for everything from conversation starters to sex tips. Therapists are less convinced they can replace the human touch. The UW's Nicholas Velotta, doctoral student of sociology, and Pepper Schwartz, professor of sociology at the UW, are mentioned.
    08/25/2025 | Allure
  • Secrecy and enforced disappearances: WA human rights group sounds alarm about ICE

    The UW's Center for Human Rights is warning that federal immigration action has crossed a new boundary, breaking International humanitarian law. Angelina Godoy, professor of law, societies, and justice and of international studies, as well as director of the Center for Human Rights at the UW, is quoted.
    08/24/2025 | KUOW
  • Student opinions on phone bans in school part of new Washington study

    When the Peninsula School District implemented one of Washington's first bans on cell phones in the classroom two years ago, Keyna Houston said it could not have come soon enough. Unsurprisingly, teachers have had by far the most positive reaction to these policies, reporting less stress, better ability to manage their classrooms and perceived social benefits for their students, according to new research out of the UW. Luca Magis-Weinberg, assistant professor of psychology at the UW, is quoted.
    08/21/2025 | Kitsap Sun
  • Opinion: AI hype is fading fast

    "Perceptions of AIs relentless march toward becoming more intelligent than humans, even becoming a threat to humanity, came to a screeching halt Aug. 7. That was the day when the most widely followed AI company, OpenAI, released GPT-5, an advanced product that the firm had long promised would put competitors to shame and launch a new revolution in this purportedly revolutionary technology. As it happened, GPT-5 was a bust," writes Michael Hiltzik. Emily M. Bender, professor of linguistics at the UW, is quoted.
    08/21/2025 | Los Angeles Times
  • Rubin Observatory is ready to revolutionize astronomy

    Perched on a high, flat-topped mountain called Cerro Pachn, the Rubin Observatory was conceived back in the 1990s to give astronomers the unprecedented ability to probe the cosmos in every dimension. With a wide and deep view of the sky, Rubin can investigate some of the universes slowest, most eternal processes, such as the assembly of galaxies and the expansion of the cosmos. eljko Ivezi, professor of astronomy at the UW, is quoted.
    08/21/2025 | Science News
  • Q&A: How marginalized artists invented the Broadway musical

    A new book from David Armstrong, University of Washington affiliate instructor of drama, is an historical and cultural account of how the Broadway musical was predominantly created by people marginalized from mainstream society. The book, Broadway Nation: How Immigrant, Jewish, Queer, and Black Artists Invented the Broadway Musical, traces this history through four major eras.

    08/18/2025 | UW News
  • New faculty books: Language instruction, the yoga of power, and more

    New faculty books from the University of Washington include those from Asian languages and literature, applied mathematics and the Jackson School of International Studies.

    08/14/2025 | UW News
  • New salamander-like species, saber-toothed predator and others uncovered from Permian Period

    What was the Permian Period like? What creatures thrived there before the period came to an abrupt end? Thanks to efforts by an international research team, 17 years of fossils collected in Africa may help us paint a better picture of this time period before the Great Dying event altered life on our planet. Christian Sidor, curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Burke Museum and professor of biology, is quoted.
    08/13/2025 | Discover Magazine
  • Making political decisions with the help of voter guides, pamphlets and... ChatGPT?

    Today the UW announced the results of a study looking at the potential influence artificial intelligence can have on our political decision making.Jillian Fisher, doctoral student of statistics and of computer science and engineering at the UW, is interviewed.
    08/07/2025 | KUOW
  • AI chatbots sway political opinions but education could offer protection

    If youve faced the frustrating challenge of trying to pull a friend or family member with opposing political views into your camp, maybe let a chatbot make your case. New research from the UW found that politically biased chatbots could nudge Democrats and Republicans toward opposing viewpoints. Jillian Fisher, doctoral student of statistics and of computer science and engineering at the UW, is quoted.
    08/06/2025 | GeekWire
  • Going deep on the Vera Rubin Observatory, with eljko Ivezi

    What will Rubin Observatory discover that no ones expecting? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Chuck Nice learn and answer cosmic queries about the Vera Rubin Observatory, the Legacy Survey of Space and Time and our next big tool to uncover more about the universe with Zeljko Ivezi, professor of astronomy at the UW.
    08/06/2025 | StarTalk
  • Scientists create prototype of robot designed to cannibalize parts of other robots and build them into itself

    Should robots be able to cannibalize each other so they can accelerate their evolution, bringing them closer to resembling self-sufficient lifeforms capable of living independently of their human masters? Philippe Martin Wyder, a postdoctoral fellow of applied mathematics at the UW, is quoted.
    07/29/2025 | Futurism
  • Analysis: When socialists win Democratic primaries: Will Zohran Mamdani be haunted by the Upton Sinclair effect?

    "It has happened before: an upset victory by a Democratic Socialist in an important primary election after an extraordinary grassroots campaign," writes James Gregory, professor of history at the UW.
    07/29/2025 | The Conversation
  • UW researcher lands grant to bring chip-based beam-steering LIDAR to market with new startup

    Basic research is critical to innovation, but to have a real impact, that innovation has to make its way out of the lab. Thats the reasoning behind the Activate Fellowship, one of the nations most prestigious awards for science-based entrepreneurship. Now Bingzhao Li, a postdoctoral scholar in electrical and computer engineering at the UW, has been named one of its latest recipients. Hes also the UWs first.Mo Li, professor of physics and of electrical and computer engineering at the UW, is quoted.
    07/29/2025 | GeekWire
  • Los Angeles' 1936 'bum blockade' targeted American migrants fleeing poverty and drought during the Great Depression

    The two-month patrol stopped supposedly suspicious individuals from crossing into California from other states. But its execution was uneven, and the initiative proved controversial. James Gregory, professor of history at the UW, is quoted.
    07/25/2025 | Smithsonian Magazine