Perspectives Newsletter

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  A "Fitness Rave" Collaboration

  The Fitness Rave, a UW experimental performance event in March, was part aerobics workout, part performance, part dance rave, and part social experiment.

  Perspectives newsletter

Opportunities to Explore

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  Everybody

  May 21 – May 31 (times vary)
  Floyd and Delores Jones Playhouse (4045 University Way NE)
  In this play adapted from the 15th-century morality play Everyman, “Death” summons “Everybody” to give a presentation to “God” on their life and why they have lived it the way they have. Professor Chi-wang Yang directs this School of Drama production, in which the performers’ roles are determined by a lottery each night.

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  Finding True North: Reflections on the Translation of Arabic Literature

  May 21, 7 pm
  Walker Ames Room (room 225), Kane Hall
  The 2026 Farhat J. Ziadeh Distinguished Lecture in Arab and Islamic Studies features Professor Shawkat M. Toorawa (Yale University), who will share his unique insights from his research and translations over his long career, including studies on the history of Arabic literature, translations of the poetry of Adonis and the Quran, and numerous translation projects as an executive editor for the Library of Arabic Literature. Presented by the Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures.

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  Sacred Breath: Indigenous Writing and Storytelling Series

  May 21, 5:00 – 7:00 pm
  wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ Intellectual House (UW Seattle campus)
  The Sacred Breath series features Indigenous writers and storytellers sharing their craft. In May, Beth Piatote will read from her play Antikoni, a bold and urgent reimagining of Sophocles' Antigone, framed through a Native perspective and set within a museum filled with Indigenous belongings. Presented by the Department of American Indian Studies. Free, with RSVP recommended.

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  Modern Music Ensemble

  May 29, 7:30 pm
  Meany Hall – Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater
  The Modern Music Ensemble (Cristina Valdés, director) premieres new works written especially for the ensemble by UW student composers Yongwoo Lee, Oliver Schoonover, Eddie Mospan, and Yonatan Ron. Several of the composers join the ensemble for a performance of Alexis Porfiriadis' "The most delicate flower."

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  2026 UW MFA + MDes Thesis Exhibition

  Through June 14
  Henry Art Gallery
  See the work of Master of Fine Arts and Master of Design students from the School of Art + Art History + Design, on view at the Henry Art Gallery. A digital publication will be produced in conjunction with the exhibition to highlight the students’ work and the Henry’s commitment to this exciting and important step in their development. 

In The News

• UW research team creates a new type of optical chip

  An optical chip engineered by a research team led by Arka Majumdar, UW professor of physics and electrical & computer engineering, could help to lower costs and increase energy efficiency of many advanced technologies such as AI, data center interconnects, and sensing/imaging applications for medical devices as well as a vast array of other electronics.

  UW Electrical & Computer Engineering

• Seattle memorial for 1886 Chinese expulsion gains key donors

  A 14-foot bronze sculpture commemorating the violent expulsion of Seattle’s Chinese community in 1886 has moved closer to reality. Civic leaders, community historians, and media professionals gathered to announce the project had reached its fabrication funding threshold, more than two decades after the idea was first conceived. Connie So, UW teaching professor of American ethnic studies, is quoted.

  Northwest Asian Weekly

• Q&A: UW scientists decode the logic behind cells’ mysterious protein stockpiles

  Paul Wiggins, UW associate professor of physics and of bioengineering, explains a surprisingly relatable behavior prompting bacteria to stockpile huge reserves of essential proteins rather than taking the seemingly more efficient approach of making just enough to survive.

  UW News

• Tiny fossil in Spain may have just rewritten the origin story of weasels

  A single fossil jaw recently found in Spain is forcing scientists to rethink the timeline of one of nature’s most agile hunters, the weasel. The tiny bone suggests that ancestors of modern weasels were already on the move more than six million years ago, far earlier than expected. Chris Law, UW principal research scientist of biology and affiliate curator at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, is quoted.

  earth.com