College of Arts and Sciences

Come curious. Leave inspired. Wherever you are, the University of Washington offers opportunities to learn and connect with the ideas, people, and research shaping our world. This summer, visit campus for the latest exhibitions at the Henry Art Gallery and Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, or join us from anywhere through recorded lectures, podcasts, virtual experiences, and more. As a public university, we’re proud to share the knowledge, creativity, and discoveries of the UW with communities near and...

The UWs CoMotion program announced 10 startups that secured UW-licensed intellectual property over the past year. Eight are in healthcare, spanning diagnostic tools, medical devices and new therapeutics. The other two focus on K-12 education or climate change. The UW's Michael Malone, doctoral student in mechanical engineering, Jan Whittington, associate professor of urban design and planning, Min Sun, professor of education, Scott Kennedy, associate professor of pathology in the UW School of Medicine, Dr. Ian Bennett, professor of family medicine and of psychiatry and behavioral sciences in the UW School of Medicine, Dr. Misbah Keen, professor of family medicine at the UW School of Medicine, Larry Mauksch, clinical professor emeritus of family medicine, Jae-Hyun Chung, associate professor of mechanical engineering, Andrea Stocco, associate professor of psychology, and David Baker, professor of biochemistry in the UW School of Medicine and director of the UW Institute for Protein Design, are mentioned.

One of the most endangered sea creatures of the Pacific Ocean is getting a leg up in the kelp forests of Washingtons San Juan Islands: a 24-armed sea star called the sunflower star. Researchers are working with the Samish Indian Nation to bring this pizza-sized predator back from the brink of extinction after a vast underwater pandemic. Jason Hodin, a research scientist at the UW Friday Harbor Laboratories, is quoted. Tess Chapman, Chloe Schwab and Julia Knopf, all research assistants at the UW Friday Harbor Laboratories, are mentioned.

John Gottman, professor emeritus of psychology at the UW, found that the couples who stayed together weren't the ones who avoided conflict. They were the ones who knew how to interrupt it before it became destructive.

Arts & Science faculty, students, and alumni were among the recipients of 2026 UW Awards of Excellence for their teaching, volunteerism, and innovation. 

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

Meet the four graduating students selected by the College of Arts & Sciences as 2026 Graduate Medalists for their accomplishments. 

Daryl Maeda brings his extensive leadership expertise to the UW College of Arts & Sciences in July, as he becomes the next Katherine and John Simpson Endowed Dean.  

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.

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.

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.

International migration continues to drive population growth in King County, and experts say employment-based visas for specialized workers are an important part of that trend. Sara Curran, director of the UW's Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology and professor of international studies, of sociology and of public policy and governance, 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.

Across the globe, human activities are changing the way our planet smells. Jeff Riffell, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

While the majority of the world just wants to swat mosquitoes, three University of Washington researchers find these insects fascinating. They told UW News what it's like to study mosquitoes and why these critters are actually really important.