Profiles

A new book from David Armstrong, University of Washington affiliate instructor of drama, is an historical and cultural account of how the Broadway musical was predominantly created by people marginalized from mainstream society. The book, Broadway Nation: How Immigrant, Jewish, Queer, and Black Artists Invented the Broadway Musical, traces this history through four major eras.

Derek Sheffield, ’90, ’99, a poet and English teacher, was appointed Washington State’s Poet Laureate in April by Governor Bob Ferguson. A passionate naturalist known for co-editing the best-selling “Cascadia Field Guide: Art, Ecology, Poetry” with Elizabeth Bradfield, ’94, and CMarie Fuhrman, Sheffield is “always packing” binoculars and hand lens and birds by ear—often in the woods near his home in Leavenworth. He has butterflied alongside Robert Michael Pyle, ’69, ’73, the lepidopterist, and once exchanged letters with Pulitzer-winning biologist E.O. Wilson.

Before earning his UW degree in American Indian studies, Devin Sampson-Craig took a break to act in a Netflix film about basketball players on the Navajo Nation reservation.

Lisa K. Bambach’s path to becoming a design educator has been shaped by over a decade of professional experience, a deep commitment to collaborative inquiry, and a passion for shaping the future of design.

Adrienne Fairhall and David Hertzog are among 120 new members and 30 international members elected in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research."

Before women could vote, Clara McCarty of Steilacoom became the UW's first graduate and a pioneer for women in public service.

Meet the four new graduates honored as College of Arts & Sciences Dean's Medalists for 2025. 

MFA alum Brian Christian explores the tricky dynamics between human behavior and artificial intelligence. After moving to Seattle—drawn by both it’s tech and literary scenes—he decided to pursue a master’s in creative writing at the UW. He studied creative nonfiction and poetry but did not lose touch with his affinity for computer science.

From promoting punk bands to designing light festivals, Terry Morgan has shaped Seattle’s cultural landscape for over 50 years. As an African American studies major at the UW, Morgan, ’76, studied widely outside his major, learning video art from art faculty Bill Ritchie and electronic music from Glenn White.

This year marks the 55th anniversary of the Distinguished Teaching Award, the UW’s highest teaching honor. And now, drumroll please, here are this year’s stars.

Lindsay Schwarz, '03, received the highest honor handed out by the U.S. government to scientists and engineers in independent research. Schwarz graduated from the UW with a bachelor’s degree in cell and molecular biology.

Brain-computer interfaces, or BCIs, can help people with severe injuries or impairments regain the ability to communicate or move their arms and legs through robotic substitutes. The devices, which are about the size of a dime and are implanted on the surface of a persons brain, serve as a communication link between the brains neural...

Imagine sitting in a movie theater watching a film youve been anticipating for months. Suddenly, the screen goes blank. It only lasts a second, but thats long enough to disrupt the experience. Its also long enough, says Mal Ahern, to remind you of the physical infrastructure behind what we so often see as an immaterial...

Recent faculty books from the University of Washington include those from linguistics, Slavic languages and literature and French. UW News spoke with the authors of four publications to learn more about their work. Scrutinizing and confronting AI hype Emily M. Bender, UW professor of linguistics, co-authored The AI Con: How to Fight Big Techs Hype...

Speculative fiction author Anselma Prihandita (PhD, language and rhetoric, 2025), a Nebula Award winner, finds that her creative writing bolsters her scholarly work in unexpected ways.