Natural Sciences Division

Through PR2ISM, chemistry postdoc Tam'ra-Kay Francis and others are focused on helping STEM students persist and succeed.

The Seattle Times speaks with several Burke Museum curators to learn the story behind some of its artifacts.

A new UW study has found that "prototypical" women who look and act more feminine are more likely to believed when making allegations of sexual harassment.

Researchers at the UW examined 125 years of astronomical observations of a nearby stellar binary called HS Hydrae, and discovered changes to its eclipses.

A University of Washington-led study, involving more than 4,000 people, found that people were more likely to think “prototypical” women — who are conventionally attractive and appear and act feminine — would be harassed. Bryn Bandt-Law, a doctoral student in psychology at the UW, and Cheryl Kaiser, professor of psychology at the UW, are quoted.

Women who don’t fit female stereotypes of look or personality are perceived as less credible when lodging sexual harassment claims, according to a study published Thursday in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Bryn Bandt-Law, a doctoral student in psychology at the UW, and Cheryl Kaiser, professor of psychology at the UW, are quoted.

DANCE 345: “Boogie, Break, Blues: American Popular & Social Dance Histories” explores the history of social dance movements.

Anyone who has been stung by a jellyfish might think they know more than enough about cnidocytes, the cells that deliver the sting. But a researcher has found that these cells have much more to tell, including insight into a simple evolutionary mechanism that may enable jellyfish, sea anemones, corals, and their relatives — collectively known as cnidarians — to quickly adapt to new environments. Billie Swalla, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

“Death penalty advocates most frequently focus on deterrence [as a justification for the death penalty] — but as research including my own work shows, it has not been shown to be effective,” writes David Barash, professor emeritus of psychology at the UW.

Carley Long, a senior studying art and psychology, and Shiuan Chu, a junior studying art, explain what it is like to learn the art of ceramics at home.

A South African tip led to the discovery of mutations around the world. With infections skyrocketing, “it’s a race against time.” Carl Bergstrom, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

Interested in the College of Arts & Sciences but don’t know what to study? Here are six majors that you may not have discovered yet.

It’s a moth, it’s a plane, it’s … the Smellicopter, a little drone that senses odors with an onboard moth antenna. Seriously, that’s the scientists’ real name for their creation, a system that monitors the electrical signals sent from the antenna of an actual moth, allowing the drone to lock onto the source of a scent and navigate toward it. The UW’s Melanie Anderson, a doctoral student in mechanical engineering, and Thomas Daniel, professor of biology, are quoted.

Whether you want to run a marathon, eat more healthfully or just get off the couch a little more, “for the majority of people, setting a goal is one of the most useful behavior change mechanisms for enhancing performance,” says Frank Smoll, professor of psychology at the UW. “It’s highly individual.” But goal-setting strategies will help you stay the course.

Department of Statistics faculty are featured in this article about their COVID-19 research.