College of Arts and Sciences

  • Forget about the AI apocalypse -- the real dangers are already here

    Two weeks after members of Congress questioned OpenAI CEO Sam Altman about the potential for artificial intelligence tools to spread misinformation, disrupt elections and displace jobs, he and others in the industry went public with a much more frightening possibility: an AI apocalypse. Emily M. Bender, professor of linguistics at the UW, is quoted.
    06/16/2023 | CNN
  • Seattle comedian inspires young readers to be themselves in new book

    Seattle-based Korean American comedian Ellen Acuraio, a UW alum with a degree in Photography and Art History — and a TikTok creator with over half a million followers — has released a new children's book: "Be You: Adventures of Penguin and Panda." The book is illustrated by Tremain bowman, who Acuraio connected with on TikTok.

    06/14/2023 | The Seattle Times
  • Words In Review: AI or 'stochastic parrots'?

    You've probably heard chatbots like ChatGPT described as "artificial intelligence." Emily M. Bender, professor of linguistics at the UW, wants you to call it a "text synthesis machine" or "stochastic parrot."

    06/14/2023 | KUOW
  • A nearby supernova could be our chance to hear from aliens

    Astronomers spotted a stellar explosion in the Pinwheel Galaxy last month. Within a week, James Davenport, research assistant professor of astronomy at the UW, and his colleagues were searching the stars for radio signals from alien civilizations who might have seen the same thing.

    06/13/2023 | Inverse
  • Scalpel, forceps, bone drill: modern medicine in ancient Rome

    A 2,000-year-old collection of medical tools, recently unearthed in Hungary, offer insight into the practices of undaunted, much-maligned Roman doctors. Lawrence J. Bliquez, professor emeritus of classics and art history at the UW, is quoted.

    06/13/2023 | The New York Times
  • Are brain implants a privacy issue?

    Brain-computer interface technology can benefit people with disabilities by restoring mobility and communication. Sara Goering, professor of philosophy at the UW, says it also allows potentially monetizable access to the center of our thoughts and feelings.

    06/09/2023 | Marketplace
  • Analysis: Drawing, making music and writing poetry can support healing and bring more humanity to health care in US hospitals

    "The COVID-19 pandemic shined a light on the deep need that people feel for human touch and connection in hospital settings. Having relatives peering through windows at their loved ones or unable to enter hospitals altogether exacerbated the lack of human intimacy that is all too common in health care settings" writes Marlaine Gray, affiliate assistant professor of anthropology at the UW.

    06/09/2023 | The Conversation
  • Video: UW School of Drama lead costumer retires after 15 years

    Inside Hutchinson Hall, home of the University of Washington School of Drama, students work at tables as they learn to assemble patterns based on costume designs. They’re surrounded by dress forms, bolts of cloth, sewing machines and costumes in progress. This is the Costume Shop, the domain of Val Mayse, master dressmaker for the School of Drama.
    06/08/2023 | UW News
  • Analysis: Historians are learning more about how the Nazis targeted trans people

    "In the fall of 2022, a German court heard an unusual case. It was a civil lawsuit that grew out of a feud on Twitter about whether transgender people were victims of the Holocaust. Though there is no longer much debate about whether gay men and lesbians were persecuted, there's been very little scholarship on trans people during this period," writes Laurie Marhoefer, professor of history at the UW.

    06/06/2023 | The Conversation
  • The 'AI apocalypse' is just PR

    Big Tech's warnings about an AI apocalypse are distracting us from years of actual harms their products have caused. Emily M. Bender, professor of linguistics at the UW, is quoted.

    06/05/2023 | The Atlantic
  • Words in review: 'Follow your passions!'

    Sapna Cheryan, professor of psychology at the UW, and her colleagues want U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to consider not telling grads to, "Follow your passions," in his commencement address on Saturday. Instead, in this interview Cheryan shares alternative advice for graduating students.

    06/05/2023 | KUOW
  • ArtSci Roundup: 2023 Awards of Excellence, Graduation, Dino Lecture, Summer Reads and more

    This week and summer, honor the 2023 Awards of Excellence recipients, visit the newly renovated Jacob Lawrence Gallery to see the works of design students, add one of College of Arts & Sciences Dean Dianne Harris’ favorite books to your summer reading list, learn about the largest animals to ever roam the earth at the...

    06/01/2023 | UW News
  • ‘The Wolves’: An honest depiction of teenage girldom

    Being a teenager is stressful, but “The Wolves” captures coming-of-age in all its nuance. Read contributing writer Anikka Stanley’s thoughts on the UW School of Drama’s newest production, running until June 4.

    05/31/2023 | The Daily
  • New funding supports growth of Canadian Studies Program, Foreign Language and Area Studies

    Two grants from the U.S. Department of Education International and Foreign Language Education office will allow the Canadian Studies Center at the University of Washington to award eight to 10 fellowships each year to students studying French or an Indigenous language spoken in Canada.

    05/31/2023 | UW News
  • Opinion: Applying DEI to science

    "Public understanding of science is essential for democracy. Misleading readers to score political points with an argument that scientists have exchanged merit and objectivity for progressive ideology is a disservice to science and the public alike," writes Carl Bergstrom, professor of biology at the UW, in a letter to the editor.

    05/30/2023 | The New York Times