Research

As computer programming becomes an increasingly valued skill in the workforce, there is a greater need to understand how people learn to code most effectively. UW News spoke with co-authors Chantel Prat, a UW professor of psychology, and Chu-Hsuan (Iris) Kuo, a recent UW doctoral graduate of psychology, about their research, the future of teaching computer programming and more.

Hummingbirds, I realized, are not just adorable. They're also jerks. Yes, jerks. But don't take my word for it. Alyssa Sargent, doctoral student of biology at the UW, is quoted.

A tradition dating back to 1874, election as an AAAS Fellow is a lifetime honor, and all fellows are expected to meet the commonly held standards of professional ethics and scientific integrity.

At a recent workshop, researchers and journalists debated how to announce a potential discovery of extraterrestrial life. Victoria Meadows, professor of astronomy at the UW, is quoted.

How embracing more integrated approaches to the humanities and centering students’ experiences can create opportunities for new curricular programs and benefit existing ones. Brian Reed, professor of English and Divisional Dean of Humanities at the UW, is mentioned.

There's a spot on the UW Bothell campus that is known for murders. Not the kind that elicit blood-curdling screams. The kind punctuated by caws and the flapping of thousands of wings, which may be equally terrifying — depending on your opinion of crows. Loma Pendergraft, lecturer of psychology at the UW, is quoted.

Scientists have completed the construction of the world’s biggest camera after two decades of work for the Rubin Observatory in Chile. Željko Ivezić, professor of astronomy at the UW, is quoted.

Eclipses past and present arenât just opportunities for incredible sights. Generations of researchers have used them to study phenomena ranging from the sun itself to the fabric of the universe. UW News intervewed Emily Levesque, author and associate professor of astronomy, about what scientists past and present have learned by studying eclipses.

Alejandro Rico-Guevara, assistant professor of biology at the UW and curator of ornithology at the UW Burke Museum, remembers when he first realized he was a hummingbird guy — not like an "I fill my hummingbird feeder every week" guy but an “I want to know everything about these birds” guy.

Last May, a team led by physicists at the University of Washington in Seattle observed something peculiar. The University of Washington team reported the FQAHE for the first time, in a specially designed 2D material: two sheets of MoTe2 stacked on top of one another and offset by a twist. Xiaodong Xu, professor of physics at the UW, is quoted.

In Singapore’s growing microcosm of modern multiculturalism, literary translators bridge people across walks of life. These skilled story-weavers shoulder the responsibility of making our far-reaching roots accessible to readers around the world. Nazry Bahrawi, Assistant Professor of Asian Languages and Literature, is quoted.

"The next generation of optical systems demands lenses that are not only lighter and thinner than ever before, but also uphold uncompromising image quality. This demand has fueled a surge of efforts to develop ultra-thin sub-wavelength diffractive optics, known as meta-optics. ... In a new paper published in Nature Communications, a team of researchers, led by Professor Arka Majumdar at the University of Washington, introduced a new design framework termed 'MTF-engineering,'" writes Anna Wirth-Singh, a UW doctoral student in the physics department.

Last week, children's book author JK Rowling tweeted some more nonsense about transgender people. In this case, she disputed the fact that Nazis destroyed early research on the community. Laurie Marhoefer, professor of history at the UW, is featured.

Living in a neighborhood with greater poverty in adulthood is tied to lower ovarian reserve, according to a study published online March 5 in Menopause. Anwesha Pan, a doctoral student of anthropology at the UW, is mentioned.

Certain chemicals break down a primrose’s key fragrance molecules, blunting its scent. The UW's Jeff Riffell, professor of biology, and Joel Thornton, professor of atmospheric sciences, are quoted.