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Meet the four new graduates honored as College of Arts & Sciences Dean's Medalists for 2026. 

Many people form sustained personal connections with their local crows. Those who do often consider the attention of these charismatic corvids a privilege and a source of joy. Some even call the animals their friends. Whats harder to determine, though, is whether the crows return the feeling. Carl Bergstrom, professor of biology at the UW, and John Marzluff, professor emeritus of environmental and forest sciences at the UW, are quoted.

The Seattle Homelessness Count is a UW Department of Sociology project led by Professor Almquist with graduate students and UW partners. It develops and pilots new methods for counting unsheltered people experiencing homelessness, with particular attention to individuals who do not actively engage with services and are most likely to be missed by conventional enumeration.

Each May, the United States observes Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, a time for the nation to commemorate and recognize the history and contributions of members within the broader AANHPI community. Because of its vast definition, the term AANHPI has drawn controversy from different communities. Connie So, teaching professor of American ethnic studies at the UW, and Vince Schleitwiler, assistant teaching professor of American ethnic studies at the UW, are quoted.

A spring quarter sabbatical in 2025 provided the time and space for Professor Giselle Wyers to complete and debut parts of "The Lips of the Sky," a multi-movement choral work that premiered at Carnegie Hall in May 2026 in a performance presented by MidAmerica Productions.

A growing body of research shows how air pollution, fertilizers and fungicides are altering the chemical signals that plants and animals use to communicate. Scientists warn that insect reproduction, foraging, navigation and even the pollination of crops could be affected. Jeff Riffell, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

Kasaba served as director of the Jackson School of International Studies (JSIS) for 10 years. Kasaba also served as Director of the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program in Near and Middle East Studies (NMES) intermittently between 2004 and 2024. He’s now retiring from his position after 41 years at UW.

AI-generated journalism provokes distrust from readers, with audiences favoring a human touch. Matthew Powers, professor of communication at the UW, is quoted.

As students, teachers and employers wrestle with the demands of an increasingly AI-powered world, the UW has a new proposition: an interdisciplinary AI minor, with an anthropologist and a computer scientist at the helm. The UW's Magdalena Balazinska, professor and director of the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, and Ben Marwick, professor of anthropology, are quoted.

Burrowing shrimp dig into the sand and make tunnels underground. In doing so they kick up about a handful of sand up to the surface everyday, and bury clams and oysters.Thats a problem for shellfish farmers. Jennifer Ruesink, professor of biology at the UW, is interviewed.