Natural Sciences Division

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.

Smoke and fog shrouded the Puget Sound region as fires continued to burn throughout the West Sunday morning, adding a new layer of anxiety and distress to a summer of pandemic, civil unrest and economic decline. Jane Simoni, professor of psychology at the UW, is quoted.

As a kid growing up in Kennewick, Danielle Reed (BA, Psychology, 1984), was drawn to eating kale, dandelion and other sharp-flavored greens—but their bitter taste repelled most of her friends. That made her wonder why. When she was a student at the UW in the 1980s, she learned about the study of physiological psychology, or the biological explanations for how our minds work. Next came the opportunity to conduct research that examined animals’ food intake and what drove their approach to food.

Emeritus Professor Eric Adelberger, Professor Jens Gundlach, and Professor Blayne Heckel are the recipients of the 2021 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics.

SpaceX’s attempts to dim the spacecraft in its megaconstellation fall short of eliminating disruptions to the world’s ground-based observatories. Meredith Rawls, a research scientist in astronomy, is quoted.

Three physics professors at the UW have been awarded the Breakthrough Prize in physics.

Researchers at the UW, working on the understanding of gravity, have been awarded the Breakthrough Prize in fundamental physics.

Three UW physics professors have won the 2021 Breakthrough Prize in Physics.

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.

UW students, alumni, and faculty explain how COIVD-19 has disrupted Black life.

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.

In a paper published July 23 in Population and Development Review, Daphne Liu, a doctoral student in statistics at the UW, and Adrian Raftery, a UW professor of statistics and sociology, explore two nuanced questions: Is increasing contraceptive use or reducing demand more effective in family planning? And, is it the number of years girls attend school or the overall enrollment of children in school that makes education a factor in fertility?

Several missions this year are seeking out life on the red planet. But would we recognize extraterrestrials if we found them? Michael Wong, a postdoctoral astronomy researcher, is referenced.