Research

  • The Quantum Quest

    Quantum science is poised to tackle problems of mind-boggling complexity, with UW faculty and students in Arts & Sciences and Computer Science & Engineering playing a key role in quantum research.

    December 2024 Perspectives
  • NSF awards UW partners $13.6M to broaden access in the sciences

    The UW’s Molecular Engineering and Materials Center and Center for Integration of Modern Optoelectronic Materials on Demand, in collaboration with partner institutions, have been selected for NSF Partnerships for Research and Education in Materials (PREM) awards totaling $13.6 million to broaden participation and access to materials science resources, education, training, and career opportunities at minority-serving institutions.   

    UW Department of Chemistry
  • Fewer than 7% of global hotspots for whale-ship collisions have protection measures in place

    A new study led by the University of Washington has for the first time quantified the risk for whale-ship collisions worldwide for four geographically widespread ocean giants that are threatened by shipping: blue, fin, humpback and sperm whales. In a paper published online Nov. 21 in Science, researchers report that global shipping traffic overlaps with about 92% of these whale speciesâ ranges. Only about 7% of areas at highest risk for whale-ship collisions have any measures in place to protect whales from this threat. These measures include speed reductions, both mandatory and voluntary, for ships crossing waters that overlap with whale migration or feeding areas.
    UW News
  • Researchers at UW improve upon survey-based system for better homeless counts

    Assessing the size of the homeless population is full of challenges and has often led to undercounts, but a team of researchers at the University of Washington has developed a system that they say fills in those gaps. Zack Almquist, a UW associate professor of sociology, and Amy Hagopian, professor emeritus of health systems and population health, are interviewed.
    KOMO 4
  • What exactly happens when the nucleus of an atom splits in two?

    Nuclear fission has powered our world and medical advancements for decades, yet some of its secrets have remained elusive. Aurel Bulgac, professor of physics at the UW, is quoted.
    Earth.com
  • Miniature backpack-like tags offer insight into the movement of hummingbirds

    A team led by scientists at the University of Washington and the University of Aberdeen attached tiny âbackpackâ trackers to hummingbirds in the Colombian Andes to learn more about their movements. As they report in a paper published Oct. 10 in the journal Ecology and Evolution, the tracking system will aid conservation efforts in this region by revealing the previously hidden movements of hummingbirds and other small animals.
    UW News
  • Reconstructing ancient Andean climate provides clues to climate change

    As Earth faces unprecedented climate change, a look into the planetâs deep past may provide vital insights into what may lie ahead. But knowledge of the natural world millions of years ago is fragmented. A 15-year study of a site in Bolivia by a joint U.S.-Bolivia team has provided a comprehensive view of an ancient ecosystem when Earth was much warmer than it is today, and changed how we look at the Andes.
    UW News
  • Can axions save the universe?

    The hunt for dark matter is shifting from particles to waves named after a laundry detergent. Gray Rybka, associate professor of physics at the UW, is quoted.
    The New York Times
  • Americans are hoarding their friends

    Much of what can make linking friends scary — insecurity, envy, an instinct to hold tight to the people you love — isn’t new; it’s fundamentally human. But keeping your friends to yourself, what I call “friend hoarding,” is a modern practice. Katherine Stovel, professor and chair of sociology at the UW, is quoted.
    The Atlantic
  • How much energy does it take to make a baby? Researchers are rethinking what they know

    Across the animal kingdom, models have vastly underestimated the energy costs of reproduction. Lauren Buckley, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.
    Nature
  • A look inside Puget Sound’s declining bull kelp beds

    Kelp has vanished from about 80% of the shorelines around which it once grew in Puget Sound, according to a 2023 report from Washington’s Kelp Forest Monitoring Alliance. Megan Dethier, a research professor of biology at the UW and director of the UW's Friday Harbor Laboratories, is quoted.
    The Seattle Times
  • New funding will help UW researchers make “scents” of air pollution’s effect on pollinators

    The $900,000 award — from a collaboration between the Kavli Foundation and the National Science Foundation — will fund work by biology’s Jeff Riffell and atmospheric and climate science’s Joel Thornton. The strengths in climate science, environmental change and neuroscience that span the College of the Environment and the College of Arts and Sciences uniquely positions the UW to bridge these fields and answer novel questions.

    College of the Environment
  • War’s public health impacts are vast — tallying them is difficult

    New research is shedding light on how war inflicts mortality, displaces families and erodes mental health. Nathalie Williams, professor of sociology and of international studies at the UW, is quoted.
    Salon
  • Rubin Observatory telescope team installs its huge mirror

    The Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s 8.4-meter Simonyi Survey Telescope in Chile has now been equipped with all three of its mirrors, plus a camera for good measure. James Davenport, research assistant professor of astronomy at the UW, is quoted. The UW's Željko Ivezić and Mario Jurić, both professors of astronomy, are mentioned.
    GeekWire
  • Kitsap County schools enact phone bans, following Gig Harbor's lead

    Success in Gig Harbor comes as more schools are looking to reign in cell phones. Four of the five school districts in Kitsap County now have bans, a pair of which are new this fall. Central Kitsap, the lone holdout, plans to have a ban by early next year. Lucía Magis-Weinberg, assistant professor of psychology at the UW, is quoted.
    Kitsap Sun