Natural Sciences Division

Arts & Sciences alumnus Spencer Kraisler (BA, Mathematics, 2021), currently a doctoral student in aeronautics & astronautics (A&A) in the College of Engineering, is A&A's 2026 Condit Fellow. His research is informed in part by his undergraduate mathematics training in manifold theory, the study of smooth, curved spaces.

Dozens of people across Western Washington and British Columbia reported a bright streak across the sky a little after 9 p.m. Most called it a fireball.Chris Laws, teaching professor of astronomy at the UW, is quoted.

After creating popular social media content analyzing basketball statistics, UW Mathematics doctoral student Maddy Brown created a course to help students present data through storytelling. 

If you happened to spot a honey bee buzzing around Spokane this February, you would be forgiven for thinking it too early in the year for their forage. Rather than waiting for a time of year, honey bees rely on temperature cues to determine when they should begin their flights. Takato Imaizumi, a professor of biology at the UW, is mentioned.

Seabirds are among the indicator species that provide rich insight into the health of their ecosystems. In a new book, Eric Wagner, a research scientist in biology at the UW, follows a team of scientists as they seek to understand how climate change is affecting our region.

"The events of this past year have both instigated and brought to light seismic changes in higher education that will affect us for decades to come. Among the most dramatic is the changing landscape for graduate and professional education, which have long bolstered our countrys competitiveness by serving as a magnet for top international talent," writes Ana Mari Cauce, professor of psychology and UW president emerita.

An astronomical alert system developed at the UW started off with a bang this week, sending out 800,000 notifications about moving asteroids, exploding stars and other celestial changes detected by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile. Eric Bellm, research associate professor of astronomy at the UW, is quoted.

The night sky promises Seattle an array of celestial wonders this year, one of which is a six-planet parade Saturday.Chris Law, a principal research scientist of biology at the UW and an affiliate curator at the UW Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, is quoted.

On Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, when the Vera C. Rubin Observatory a wide-field telescope in Chile fitted with the worlds largest digital camera detected 800,000 cosmic changes in a single night. Eric Bellm, research associate professor of astronomy at the UW, is quoted.

Jennifer Ruesink, University of Washington professor of biology, studies the relationship between the environment and marine organisms, including eelgrass, the primary species of seagrass that resides in the oceans surrounding Washington. In honor of World Seagrass Day, UW News asked Ruesink to explain what seagrass is and what makes the seagrasses in Washington unique.

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory has issued its first real-time alerts of changes in the night sky. The ultrafast alerting system, developed at the UW, will eventually detect up to seven million changes in the cosmos every night and notify scientists around the world.

The peer review process in scientific publishing has reached a critical point where there are too many manuscript submissions and not enough peer reviewers. UW News asked Carl Bergstrom, University of Washington professor of biology, and Kevin Gross, North Carolina State University professor of statistics, to describe this self-perpetuating cycle and potential interventions.

Families and autism experts say that the federal government could do a lot more to support autistic children by increasing access to early diagnosis and intervention. Annette Estes, director of the UW Autism Center and a research professor of speech and hearing sciences at the UW, is interviewed.

Researchers at the UW are pioneering a new approach to construction by using engineered living materials to enhance how buildings are made and maintained in a changing climate. Alshakim Nelson, professor of chemistry at the UW, is quoted.

Last December was the warmest on record for Washington state, which led many garden plants to show signs of small buds as early as February. Takato Imaizumi, UW professor of biology, explains how plants know when to bloom and whether this might change in warmer winters.