Perspectives Newsletter

• 

  UW Undergrad Names 2026 Rhodes Scholar

  Neuroscience and medical anthropology major Shubham Bansal has been named a 2026 Rhodes Scholar, one of the most prestigious awards for U.S. students.

  UW Undergraduate Academic Affairs
• 

  10 Arts & Sciences Stories from 2025

  As 2025 comes to a close, we're sharing 10 of the year's many stories about Arts & Sciences research, teaching, student accomplishments, and more.

  Perspectives newsletter
• 

  Share Your UW Love Story

  Are you an Arts & Sciences alum who met your partner at the UW? Share your story! You may be included in an upcoming Valentine’s Day feature story.

Opportunities to Explore

• 

  Rodney McMillian: Neighbors

  Through May 24, 2026
  Henry Art Gallery
  Rodney McMillian explores how the social and political histories of the US shape our daily lives. In this multimedia show at the Henry, McMillian presents a landscape overgrown with the lingering effects of physical, political, and social violence.
   

• 

  Fossil Finders Noon Year’s Eve Party

  December 31, 10 am - 1 pm
  Burke Museum of History & Culture
  Enjoy fossilized fun at the Burke’s “Noon Year’s Eve” event! Hold fossils at a touch table and dig pits designed for young learners ages 3–8. Visit a photobooth, and craft a 3D dimetrodon to take home. And join a “Noon Year’s Eve” countdown and dino dance party! (Note: The Burke will close at 2 pm on New Year’s Eve.) 

• 

  Trump in the World 2.0 Lecture Series

  Mondays, January 12 – March 9, 2026, 5:00 pm - 6:20 pm
  Livestream, with in-person option for UW students
  Join us for Trump in the World 2.0, a series of talks on the international impact of the second Trump presidency, moderated by Danny Hoffman, director of the Jackson School of International Studies and Stanley D. Golub Chair of International Studies. Register to receive the livestream link. Students interested in taking this as a 2-credit/no credit course should visit MyPlan for full details.

  January 5: Students-only session; no public livestream
  January 12: The European Partnership in Trade and Security
  January 26: The Past, Present, and Future of Diplomacy
  February 2: The US, India and the World
  February 9: Rising Authoritarianism: Views from the Middle East
  February 23: Foreign Aid on the Ground
  March 2: What Was Intelligence and What Comes Next?
  March 9: The China Question(s)

  No lecture on the January 19 and February 16 holidays. This series is sponsored by the Jackson School and UW Global. 

• 

  Grad Lab Dance Concert

  January 22-24, 7:30 pm, January 25, 2:00 pm
  Meany Hall – Studio Theatre
  The inaugural Grad Lab Concert debuts an evening-length work co-created and performed by UW Dance MFA candidates Jake Bone, marco farroni leonardo, Alice Gosti, Jillian Roberts, and Tracey Wong. Through five distinct artistic perspectives, the piece weaves a vibrant tapestry of movement — exploring lineage, experimentation, and care.

In The News

• Free Speech Concerns

  A decade of cancel culture and the assassination of Charlie Kirk have reinvigorated the discussion about free speech — what exactly it is, and what it isn't. James Long, UW professor of political science, and Seattle University professor Andrew Siegel are interviewed.

  Northwest Now on PBS

• 'There's no silver bullet.' Seattle researchers say autism answers lie in early diagnosis, interventions

  Getting help for parents of children with autism and receiving an early diagnosis can be costly and slow. Annette Estes, director of the UW Autism Center and a UW research professor of speech and hearing sciences, is quoted.

  KUOW

• Common PNW fish, uncommon feature: Teeth on its forehead

  The spotted ratfish, sometimes called a ghost shark, is one of the most common fish in the Puget Sound, with teeth in an unexpected place. Authors of a spotted ratfish study say this is not only unusual but also tells us something very interesting about evolution. Karly Cohen, a postdoctoral researcher at the UW's Friday Harbor Labs, is interviewed.

  KUOW

• Washington has the pieces for a quantum ecosystem. Now the state needs a game plan — and money

  There’s a quantum paradox in Washington. The state has strong ingredients for a quantum technology hub: powerful giants like Microsoft and Amazon, a hardware leader in IonQ, and world-class research at UW and PNNL. Yet it may be falling behind states that are pushing forward on quantum. Charles Marcus, UW professor of physics and of materials science and engineering, is quoted.

  GeekWire

• Elderly Asian Americans learn to protect themselves as crime, scams hit Seattle’s Chinatown-International District

  A targeted community safety program in the Chinatown-International District attracted 100 elderly residents and their family members, with support from a coalition of organizations that included the UW Department of American Ethnic Studies.

  Northwest Asian Weekly