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  • Researchers approach new speed limit for seminal problem

    The traveling salesperson problem is one of the oldest known computational questions. Despite seeming simple, the problem is notoriously difficult. Recent work using geometric tools has created a new, faster algorithm, making the biggest runtime leap in decades. Co-developer Thomas Rothvoss, professor of mathematics and of computer science and engineering at the UW, is quoted.
    02/28/2024 | Quanta Magazine
  • Washington University Students Posing

    April 20: Arts and Sciences Events at Admitted Student Day

    Admitted students and families can engage with the College of Arts and Sciences through several department and program specific events over the next few weeks.

    02/26/2024 | College of Arts & Sciences
  • New Faculty Spotlight: Mia Bennett

    "UW is making exciting inroads in data science and data studies, and I’m thrilled to be a part of this interdisciplinary effort, which spans from the humanities to the social and physical sciences and beyond," says Mia Bennett, assistant professor in the Department of Geography.

    02/23/2024 | UW Research
  • ‘On Our Terms’: Creating community based definitions for DEAI terms

    Many terms in the Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (DEAI) field are frequently used but rarely understood fully. A 10 part video series, entitled “On Our Terms,” was released by the Burke Museum, aiming to reflect on these DEAI terms and offer community-based definitions.

    02/23/2024 | The Daily
  • Michael Podlin hiking Mount Brandon in Kerry, Ireland.

    Enlightened Giving

    “I couldn’t ask donors to give if I weren’t also giving,” says Michael Podlin, a former UW fundraiser. Podlin recently included a significant bequest in his estate plans for the Department of Philosophy in the amount of $2 million. This gift dramatically increases the size and flexibility of a modest endowment he established years earlier.

    02/22/2024 | College of Arts & Sciences
  • Analysis: Trump is no Navalny, and prosecution in a democracy is a lot different than persecution in Putin’s Russia

    "The death of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, announced on Feb. 16, 2024, lays bare to the world the costs of political persecutions. Although his cause of death remains unknown, the 47-year-old died while serving a 19-year sentence in a Siberian penal colony," writes James Long, professor of political science at the UW.
    02/22/2024 | The Conversation
  • UW study: How parents talked about Black Lives Matter differed by race

    A new study led by researchers at the UW and Northwestern University found about 80% of parents spoke to their children about the Black Lives Matter movement within a year of the murder of George Floyd. Andrew Meltzoff, professor of psychology and co-director of the UW Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, is quoted.
    02/21/2024 | The Seattle Times
  • Pollution causing problems for nighttime pollinators

    You might not know it, but some moths can smell just as well as dogs. The nighttime insects use their antennae to sniff out flowers heavy with pollen up to a mile away. New research from the UW shows pollution in car exhaust can blunt the flowers’ scent – making it hard for pollinators to find the blossoms. The UW's Jeff Riffell, professor of biology, and Joel Thornton, professor of atmospheric sciences, are quoted.
    02/21/2024 | KNKX
  • TIME 2024 WOMEN OF THE YEAR: The Poet Whose Writing Will Be Launched Into Space

    Ada Limón is no stranger to good news. In 2022, she was appointed the 24th poet laureate of the U.S. Last spring, she was granted a two-year second term. And in October came the announcement that she’d won a MacArthur “genius” grant. Ada Limón, UW School of Drama alumna, is featured.

    02/21/2024 | TIME
  • Pollution is problematic for pollinators — and perhaps your produce

    Air pollution is making it hard for some Washington state flowers to get pollinated, according to a new study in the journal Science. Jeff Riffell, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.
    02/19/2024 | KUOW