Department of Biology

“General chemistry has a terrible reputation on most college campuses. It’s seen as a killer—a place where dreams of careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) go to die. Now the data have spoken, and their message is clear: The bad rep is justified. And the numbers are especially bleak for students who are underrepresented in STEM,” writes Scott Freeman, teaching professor emeritus in biology at the UW.

Hana Ra, UW Biology ’20 alumna, discusses her involvement with the OceanEYEs Citizen Science Project.

A National Science Foundation survey found that in 2016, scholars who identified as Black or African American were awarded just 6% of all doctorates in life sciences, and less than 3% of doctorates in physical and Earth sciences. Overt harassment and subtle intimidation during fieldwork compound the discrimination that Black scientists and those from other underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds already feel in academic settings. Christopher Schell, assistant professor of interdisciplinary arts and sciences at UW Tacoma, and Scott Freeman, principal lecturer emeritus in biology at the UW, are quoted.

Free-jazz pioneer Gary Peacock (BS, Biology, 1976), has passed away.

The CDC this week adjusted its guidance for coronavirus exposure to say people without symptoms “do not necessarily need a test.” Carl Bergstrom, professor of biology, is quoted.

Carl Bergstrom, professor of biology, discusses America's "pandemic spiral."

She's spent little time in Latin America and her Spanish, by her own account, is just “mas o menos.” She’d never coaxed a deal out of proud, broke governments. Yet in a single week, Jennifer O’Neil (BS, Mathematical Biology, '02), helped seal the debt restructuring of Argentina and Ecuador, propelling her into prominence at BlackRock Inc. and in the clubby, male-dominated world of sovereign bond negotiations.

Scott Freeman, principle lecture emeritus, and Elli Theobald, assistant teaching professor of biology, explain why lecturing actively harms underrepresented minority and low-income students.

Carl Bergstrom, biology professor, discusses university privacy laws and their relation to COVID-19 data.

Center for Conservation Biology orca researcher Deborah Giles explains Southern orca resident presence in the Salish Sea.

Christian Sidor, biology professor, discusses the history of hibernation.

Carl Bergstrom, biology professor, explains America's lack of a strategy for asymptomatic testing.

Carl Bergstrom, professor of biology, explains how missteps from public health agencies worry health experts.

Megan Whitney, doctoral student in biology, and Christian Sidor, biology professor discuss new evidence suggesting a species that roamed the Earth with the dinosaurs hibernated.

Deborah Giles, researcher from the Center for Conservation Biology, and her dog, Eba, research killer whales in the Puget Sound.