College of Arts and Sciences

At the the 2024 annual meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology in Seattle, researchers discussed the increased use of artificial intelligence and machine learning for learning about things like spiders, bats, bees, elephants and other creatures. Jeff Riffell, a professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

A group of Arts & Sciences faculty known as the Dean’s Academy Futurists are  imagining what higher education might look like after 2050 and envisioning new models for the liberal arts

In her book “Grandmothering While Black: A Twenty-First Century Story of Love, Coercion and Survival,” LaShawnDa Pittman, associate professor of American ethnic studies at the UW, plumbs the nuances of the role of contemporary Black grandmothers in today’s landscape.

The National Institute on Aging may let funding lapse for a yearslong study of nearly 50,000 pet dogs, which could also offer insight into human health. Daniel Promislow, professor of biology and of laboratory medicine and pathology at the UW, is quoted.

As the nation’s political attention now turns toward the Hawkeye state, WalletHub compared Iowa’s demographic likeness and public opinions with the U.S. using 22 key metrics. James Long, professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

Alejandro Rico-Guevara, assistant professor of biology at the UW and curator of ornithology at the UW Burke Museum, has dedicated his life to looking at hummingbirds in ways other people can’t. What he’s learned changed the world’s understanding of hummingbirds and, at times, has been of great use to humans.

Starting in 2025, the Vera C. Rubin observatory will increase the number of known objects circling the sun by roughly tenfold, spotting new comets, exotic asteroids from other stars, and perhaps even the elusive Planet Nine. The UW's Mario Jurić, professor of astronomy, and Pedro Bernardinelli, postdoctoral fellow in astronomy, are quoted.

Organizers hope to save long-running project on canine aging and longevity. Daniel Promislow, professor of biology and of laboratory medicine and pathology at the UW, is quoted.

To build a brand—and to fill a room—Ms. Bodnar has played not on her name but on consumers’ desire to do good with their dollars and belong to something bigger than… well, beauty. Call her the Estée Lauder that hustle culture built. Karissa Bodnar, School of Art alumni, is featured.

On Monday, when Washington plays Michigan for the national title, it will have been 128 days since the Husky football ride began. The UW's Sonny Sixkiller, senior associate general manager at UW Athletics, and Kyle Crowder, professor of sociology, are quoted.

A proposal to build a far-flung set of radio antennas to measure the cosmos is one of 13 far-out concepts to receive seed funding from the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts program, also known as NIAC. Matthew McQuinn, associate professor of astronomy at the UW, is quoted.

Holly Barker, a University of Washington teaching professor of anthropology, and three current members of the UW football team â Ulumoo Ale, Makell Esteen and Faatui Tuitele â are studying how the skills they develop to maximize their chances of victory on the field have applications outside the stadium. Their work, which is ongoing, is showing that the research methods and analytical abilities of student-athletes are applicable in academic and research settings, as well as jobs in a variety of fields.

You don’t interrupt your quiet life in a Seattle suburb and book a plane ticket to war-torn Sudan unless you have a really good reason. Not right now, in the middle of a brutal conflict between rival forces that’s killed more than 12,000 people and displaced 7 million. Christopher Tounsel, associate professor of history at the UW, is quoted.

Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf has been learning American Sign Language and has taken some of this newfound knowledge to the field, signing his celebrations after scoring. What began as a hobby has become a means of self-expression, and as Metcalf has gained attention for signing during games, he has realized it has a great significance to those who use ASL to communicate and the deaf community. The UW's Dan Mathis, assistant teaching professor of linguistics, and Kristi Winter, associate teaching professor of linguistics, are quoted.

Devices that connect brains to computers are increasingly sophisticated. Can the nascent neurorights movement catch up? Sara Goering, professor of philosophy at the UW, is quoted.