Natural Sciences Division

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.

Meghna Shankar, graduating with degrees in physics and computer science, found joy and balance by also performing in the UW Symphony Orchestra. 

"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.

By analyzing records from the U.S. Social Security Administration, two scientists at the University of Washington and Ohio University have discovered that the popularity of certain month and season names for girls varies by geographic region in the continental United States. The name April dominates monthly names in southern states where spring arrives early in the year. June is more popular in northern states where spring blooms later. Autumn is also more prevalent in the northern U.S., a region known for its brilliant fall foliage.

Parents get an endless supply of rules and unsolicited opinions about what to do and what not to do with their kids. But the truth is there's no handbook. Shannon Dorsey, professor of psychology at the UW, is quoted.

Two University of Washington faculty members have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences for 2023: Gunther Uhlmann, the Robert R. and Elaine F. Phelps Endowed Professor in Mathematics at the UW; and Philip Greenberg, professor of medicine and of immunology at the UW.

Along the U.S. Pacific coast, droves of alien creatures about the size of a doughnut are washing up on beaches and leaving a mat of briefly blue debris that soon fades to a crackly white -- hiding just how bizarre these tiny animals are. Julia Parrish, UW professor of biology and of aquatic and fishery sciences and director of COASST, is quoted.

The Husky 100 recognizes 100 UW undergraduate and graduate students who are making the most of their time at the UW.

This week, attend the annual Schiedel Lecture, learn about the transactional relationship between mental health research and care, enjoy the Improvised Music Project Festival held by UW students and faculty and more.

Peter Ward, a UW professor of earth and space sciences and of biology, is an expert on one of the oldest and least understood animals on earth -- the nautilus.

The UW's Nancy Allbritton, dean of the College of Engineering and professor of bioengineering; Kai-Mei Fu, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and of physics; and Charles Marcus, professor of materials science and engineering and of physics, are quoted.

The new UW Biology Greenhouse is a place for research, for classes, and for anyone who enjoys spending time with plants.

An international team of scientists has for the first time detected neutrinos created by a particle collider. The discovery — announced March 19 by the Forward Search Experiment, or FASER collaboration — promises to deepen scientists’ understanding of the nature of neutrinos, which are the most abundant particle in the cosmos. FASER’s detector picked up neutrinos generated by the Large Hadron Collider, which is based at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland.

An international team of scientists has for the first time detected neutrinos created by a particle collider. The discovery — announced March 19 by the Forward Search Experiment, or FASER collaboration — promises to deepen scientists’ understanding of the nature of neutrinos, which are the most abundant particle in the cosmos. FASER’s detector picked up neutrinos generated by the Large Hadron Collider, which is based at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland.

Recent recognition of the University of Washington includes the Bloomberg Law 2022 Law School Innovation Program “Top Legal Education Program” for the UW Tech Policy Lab, 2023 Seattle Aquarium Conservation Research Award for Vera Trainer and 2023 Chambliss Astronomical Writing Award for Emily Levesque.