UW and the Community

PSYCH 210 has become a rite of passage for many UW students and as it is now the most popular course at UW with over 4,000 students taking it annually. But not everyone can take the class. So after five years of writing, McNichols is bringing her lessons to a wider audience with her first book “You Could Be Having Better Sex: The Definitive Guide to a Happier, Healthier, and Hotter Sex Life.”

Undergrad Francesca Espey receives a Mary Gates Scholarship for disability rights research, inspired by observations of society's attitude toward her father's disease. Meet Francesca

While February might be just 28 days, the UW College of Arts & Sciences offers an exciting lineup of more than 40 in-person and online events. From thought-provoking art and music to conversations on culture, history, and science, the UW community invites you to explore, learn, and connect across disciplines throughout the University.

Lydia Berhanu is her own mentor. That’s not to say the University of Washington senior didn’t grow up in a supportive household (she did) or wasn’t surrounded by supportive educators (she was). But when it comes to illuminating her path forward, she’s been the one holding the flashlight.

Upper Skagit elder Vi Hilbert's legacy in language and culture preservation lives on through archival records collected in the Vi Hilbert Collection, first curated and digitized by retired longtime UW Ethnomusicologist Laurel Sercombe and now housed through UW LIbraries, and through a documentary film and symphony she commissioned, Healing Heart of the First People of This Land," staged at the UW in February 2026 by the UW Symphony and soloist (and School of Music alumna) Adia S. Bowen.  

According to the Jacob Lawrence Gallery, allegra was chosen for their unique approach to conceptual practice, interdisciplinary research, and community engagement. Allegra will spend January working with student assistants as well UW academic departments and resources to further develop their artistic work.

Emma Teal Laukitis, ’18, and her sister Claire not only catch and sell Alaska’s most famous fish, they help feed hundreds of thousands Alaskans through their donations.

Hutchinson Hall was abuzz with excitement and anticipation Tuesday, Dec. 2 for one reason and one reason only. Not for any auditions being held, not for any finals, and not for any performance seated to take place that evening. The buzz was solely because UW Drama alumni Joel McHale was coming to speak with the students in the department. 

“This Is Native Land” is a permanent, 3,000-square-foot exhibition at the Washington State History Museum in Tacoma that weaves the stories of Indigenous peoples into the fabric of the 30-year-old institution. Co-curated by Associate Professor Danica Sterud Miller (Puyallup) and Todd Clark (Wailaki), tribal liaison for the Washington State Historical Society, the project engaged more than 100 Native contributors from more than 60 tribes. 

Key collaborators include elder Philip H. Red Eagle, ’83, ’87 (Dakota and Puget Sound Salish); artist Joe Feddersen, ’83, (Colville); Owen Oliver, ’21 (Quinault); current UW museology student Markus Teuton, ’24 (Cherokee); and museum staff, including head of collections Maggie Wetherbee, ’00, and director of audience engagement Mary Mikel Stump, a former UW student. Viewpoint spoke with Miller, who is on faculty at UW Tacoma, for a look at the making of “This Is Native Land.”

"Survivor accounts of the lasting effects of their prostitution at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein and his wealthy friends repeat the story of every trafficked girl and woman on Aurora Avenue in Seattle," writes Debra Boyer, affiliate faculty in the Department of Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies at the UW.

Trump in the World 2.0 Winter Lecture Series, Ancient Mediterranean Incarceration by UW professor Mark Letteney and Matthew D.C. Larsen, a Grad Lab Concert, and 25+ in-person and online events, podcasts, exhibitions, and more.

Can a cartoonist be a novelist? Charles Johnson, professor emeritus of English at the UW, thinks so.

What happens if you let teens craft the rules that dictate their use of phones at school? You get policy ideas with a nuanced, holistic perspective that rival those being officially issued by the adults in leadership. The UWs Youth Advisory Board, a group of approximately 20 teens from Seattle-area schools, recently published its first memo tackling this contentious issue. The UW's Rotem Landesman, doctoral student in the Information School, and Luca Magis-Weinberg, assistant professor of psychology, are quoted.

The Bainbridge Island City Council approved to have local resident and writer Erin Malone, affiliate associate professor of English at the UW, be the citys new poet laureate through 2027. Malone is the author of Sight of Disappearance, a full-length collection of poems.

Looking for gifts that go beyond the typical stocking stuffers? This holiday season, wrap a little UW magic and celebrate learning, culture and connection across the University. From museum and arboretum memberships to books and performances, this curated list highlights meaningful ways you can share the spirit of curiosity and generosity.