The ShakeAlert earthquake early warning system has been rapidly expanding since its launch in 2021. Now, researchers at 91���� affiliated Pacific Northwest Seismic Network (PNSN) have finished all planned installations, bringing the two-state total to spread across Washington and Oregon.

ShakeAlert detects ground motion from earthquakes before it is felt, giving people precious time to drop, cover and hold on. An earthquake exceeding magnitude 5 will trigger an automated cell phone alert from the , or WEA, which also sends AMBER alerts. Millions of people benefit from the network as is, but the researchers are still exploring ways to improve it.

“When we launched ShakeAlert, we felt confident that we had enough seismic stations to do a good job with early warning, but that wasn’t the optimal number. Now, with the buildout complete, we have coverage where it was lacking at launch,” said , director of PNSN and a 91���� professor in Earth and space sciences.

However, expanding the network to include sensors on the ocean floor could help Pacific Northwest residents contend with the area’s greatest hazard — the Cascadia Subduction Zone.

The West Coast is a hotbed for seismic activity. Nestled in the , an array of volcanoes circling the Pacific Ocean where 90% of Earth’s quakes occur, the region’s volatile geology clashes with its growing population. Early warning systems can give people seconds to minutes of time to prepare for shaking, and a sense of how strong it will be.

Just over a year ago, a midsized earthquake under Orcas Island offered ShakeAlert in Washington. Multiple seismometers in the area picked up the signal and ran it back to headquarters for verification. The earthquake wasn’t quite big enough to trigger a WEA automated alert, or cause major damage, but in the affected region it did notify people��with early warning apps such as MyShake, as well as all Android mobile devices.

“The system detected the earthquake rapidly, accurately assessed its magnitude and automatically sent out a warning — all in a handful of seconds,” said Tobin. “It was the first event that met all the criteria in Washington and it worked really well.”

During a larger earthquake, warnings will be automatic no matter the app or operating system. Warnings will also trigger certain public safety measures: Schools can connect PA systems to ShakeAlert for rapid updates, public transit may slow trains to avoid derailment and fire station doors will go up to allow firetrucks out even if electricity is lost.

Right now, the system is most effective for land-based earthquakes because the sensors are on land. Expanding the sensor network to include offshore, ocean bottom seismometers could improve detection and warning time for offshore earthquakes, namely a much-anticipated megathrust earthquake at the Cascadia Subduction Zone.

“The fundamental problem we have is that our seismic network — hundreds and hundreds of stations — is on land, but the biggest earthquake hazard comes from off our coast,” Tobin said. “Earthquake detection works much better when the earthquake is in the area of your network, not off to one side.”

Seismometers can be placed on the ocean floor, but they must be connected to cables for early warning, which is expensive. Japan installed an impressive that cost $120 million following the devastating 2011 earthquake. The country now has more than 200 seismometers covering its subduction zones.

The Cascadia Subduction Zone has a handful of existing offshore sensors — five near Vancouver Island and two off the coast of Oregon. A 91����-led project this summer to the Oregon cable, which spans hundreds of seafloor miles, crossing the subduction zone twice. None of the offshore sensors are in the ShakeAlert network, but adding them could be impactful.

, a 91���� postdoctoral researcher in Earth and space science, recently at the Seismological Society of America’s annual meeting detailing the potential benefits of adding offshore seismic monitoring.

Krauss found with modeling that incorporating just a few ocean bottom sensors improved detection time for offshore earthquakes and warning time for millions of people. In hypothetical earthquake scenarios, the sensors picked up ground motion faster and improved magnitude estimates because they were closer to the fault.

“ShakeAlert is all about figuring out that an earthquake is happening as fast as possible, so having sensors nearby is essential,” Krauss said. “But in these magnitude 8 or 9 scenarios, it’s not just about detecting it, but realizing how big it is, and fast.”

The researchers also explored incorporating telecommunications cables into the sensor network using a method called distributed acoustic sensing (DAS), which records ground motion based on cable stretch. Incorporating DAS could extend the reach of existing cables even further than sensors, translating to “huge warning time improvements,” Krauss said.

Different combinations produced varying improvements in both detection and warning time, depending on where the hypothetical earthquake occurred. Regardless, having sensors always beat not having them. While there are several hurdles to clear before ocean bottom sensors can be brought into ShakeAlert, Krauss said none are insurmountable.

“Although we’ve marked this milestone of completing our station buildout, that doesn’t mean we’re not continuously improving the ShakeAlert system,” Tobin said. “We’re working to make it faster, better and more reliable.”

For more information, contact Tobin at htobin@uw.edu and Krauss at zkrauss@uw.edu.����

Cauce is the immediate past 91���� president, having stepped down at the end of her second five-year term in 2025. She is one of five new��councilors��elected to three-year terms on the NAM Council. ��

Cauce arrived at the 91���� in 1986 as an assistant professor and eventually served as executive vice provost, dean of the 91���� College of Arts & Sciences,��provost��and president. Cauce’s career has been defined by a commitment to improving the health and well-being of individuals and communities through psychology, public��health��and public service. She has championed health equity and interdisciplinary approaches that bring together medicine, public��policy��and community partnerships, helping reshape how institutions address complex health challenges and improve lives.��

��was first conceived in the 1960s and officially launched in 1970 to provide a source of independent, evidence-based guidance to inform health policy decisions. The organization has national standing and makes recommendations informed by research, rather than business or political interests. ��

Fish that split their lives between fresh and salt water often face obstacles getting back and forth. Dams and roads fracture river networks and interfere with traditional migratory routes, sparking concerns about fish health and abundance, as well as biodiversity on a broader scale.

Efforts to restore fish passage are cropping up across the country, but these projects come with hefty price tags. In a new study, , 91���� researchers explore whether this money is being well spent by examining the process that determines which projects are prioritized.

The current standard, called score and rank, involves evaluating barriers one by one and assigning a score based on potential gains, such as habitat expansion. Top-ranking projects become leading candidates for funding, but score and rank systems don’t always account for barriers in the full river context. High-scoring projects can yield stranded investments, where removing the barrier doesn’t have the desired outcome because of other barriers downstream or immediately upstream.

“Ideally, barriers that are most downstream will score higher, because they need to come out before the fish can benefit from upstream restoration, but approaches to scoring vary, so this isn’t always the outcome,” said lead author , a 91���� associate professor of marine and environmental affairs.

As an alternative to score and rank, this study presents a mathematical computer program called optimization. Optimization synthesizes many inputs to make the most of a budget. It can serve as a performance indicator for other systems and highlight opportunities for improving an underperforming system.

“It’s looking at a portfolio instead of going barrier by barrier. In doing so, you can explicitly account for watershed connectivity and evaluate the performance of score and rank,” Jardine said.

As concerns about the health of rivers mounted in recent years, state and federal governments have allocated billions of dollars toward reconnecting them. Fragmentation is an established threat to biodiversity, and recent studies show that a vast majority of river length is not protected by conservation measures.

Washington state is in the midst of a court ordered multibillion dollar effort to remove barriers that block salmon and steelhead from swimming upstream to spawn. The combines score and rank with optimization in a hybrid approach. Similar projects elsewhere tend to use score and rank.

“I think people see optimization as a black box because it’s not as obvious why a barrier rose to the top of the priority list,” Jardine said. “With score and rank, they understand the scores and the process, but we don’t really know what the outcome will be.”

In this study, researchers use fish passage in Western Washington as a case study to compare score and rank to optimization. They show that score and rank performs decently well when the only goal is opening up as much habitat as possible, but adding other variables into the mix, such as habitat quality, compromises its performance.

While optimization has the capability to balance variables, it might not work for everyone. The program needs data to run and someone with a mathematical background to run it. Still, even small tweaks to the score and rank approach can produce results that rival optimization.

“Major change is hard, but minor changes may be enough,” Jardine said.

Because these projects often represent the values of multiple stakeholders, it’s important to include safeguards against stranded investments.

“You need to work from downstream up to make sure the success of a project isn’t contingent upon other projects,” Jardine said. “We’re spending a lot of money on this, but the total cost of restoring all barriers is much higher than the budget, so it’s really important that we make the most out of the financial resources that we have.”

Additional co-authors include , a 91���� postdoctoral researcher in environmental and marine affairs; , who completed this research as a 91���� master’s student in environmental and marine Affairs;�� J Kahn, who completed this research as a 91���� master’s student in quantitative ecology and resource management; Andrew Cooke, a 91���� research consultant in environmental and forest sciences, , a 91���� research scientist in environmental and forest sciences; , a 91���� associate professor of aquatic and fishery sciences and , , , and of NOAA.

This study was funded by Washington Sea Grant and the Rae S. and Bell M. Shimada Endowed Faculty Fellowship in Memory of Warren S. Wooster.

For more information, contact Jardine at jardine@uw.edu.�� ����

The human mouth is full of wonders. It’s home to hundreds of species of bacteria, fungi, viruses and protozoa, which work in delicate harmony to maintain our oral health. Sometimes, though, this complex system — known as the oral microbiome — can fall out of balance. Anaerobic bacteria build up on the tongue and in the little pockets between our teeth and gums. There, they break down organic matter and spew out a foul odor.

To rebalance the oral microbiome and cure chronic halitosis, researchers at the 91���� are embarking on a first-of-its-kind experiment. These clinical trials transplant bacteria and other minuscule critters from healthy donors into patients with halitosis. If successful, the healthy microbiota will crowd out the bad and patients’ bad breath will improve.

“We know the oral microbiome can get out of whack. The question is, can you rebalance it? That is the hypothesis we’re proposing,” said , a 91���� professor of restorative dentistry and co-lead of the project.��

The experimental procedures build off recent breakthroughs in , commonly known as stool transplants, which have become a go-to treatment for gastrointestinal infections and bacterial imbalances.��

The research team has so far completed four transplants, with preliminary evaluations underway. They’re seeking pairs of participants — a patient with chronic halitosis and a donor, ideally an intimate partner, family member or trusted friend — to undergo these relatively simple procedures.

To start, researchers complete a full periodontal exam of the donor to ensure their microbiome is healthy. Then they collect bacteria from the donor and suspend it in a small volume of saline. At the same time, recipients undergo a deep cleaning to remove the harmful bacteria and disrupt the — the thin, sticky layer of microorganisms that lines surfaces in the mouth. Recipients rinse with the donor solution, and researchers inject a concentrated version into the gumline. Ninety days after the transplant, participants self-report whether their breath has improved.��

“What we’re trying to do is severely disrupt the original bacteria, and then we bring in the new guys to take hold and establish a new biofilm,” said co-lead , a research scientist and affiliate faculty member in the 91���� School of Dentistry. “If we bring enough of the new bacteria and they outcompete the ones that we disrupted, the healthy ones will take over. It’s a numbers game.”��

This research was funded by the Dean and Margaret Spencer Clinical Research Fund. Co-investigators include professor of clinical practice and professor , both of the 91���� School of Dentistry. For more information, to reach the researchers or to inquire about participating, contact Pozhitkov at pozhit@uw.edu or Wee at awe@uw.edu.

Recent recognition of the 91���� includes the Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, the Rosentiel Award for contributions to ocean science, and the 2026 Distinguished Community Engagement Award

Assistant professor of chemistry awarded 2026 Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award��

, assistant��professor��of��chemistry��at the��91����, received��a 2026 Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award from the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation. The award supports early-career faculty in the chemical sciences who have created an outstanding independent body of scholarship and��demonstrated��a strong commitment to education.����

Each Camille Dreyfus��teacher-scholar��receives an unrestricted research grant of $100,000. Golder was one of 17 scholars selected for the 2026 award.����

Golder’s research focuses on the design and reconstruction of plastics, with an emphasis on improving polymer integrity and sustainability. The work explores how chemical design can support stronger, more adaptable materials while addressing broader challenges in plastic waste and long-term environmental impact.��

Golder said the foundation’s support will give his group the flexibility to continue pursuing “the boldest and most exciting ideas” over the next five years.��The��recognition��also��reflects the hard work and creativity of his research group over the past six years, he said.��

Principal oceanographer receives Rosenstiel Award��

, principal oceanographer at the 91���� Applied Physics Laboratory��and affiliate��assistant��professor��at the School of��Oceanography, received the��2026 Rosenstiel Award. The award, created in 1971 by the Rosenstiel Foundation, honors mid-career scientists whose work has made significant and growing impacts in their fields.����

The award is presented each year on a rotating basis across marine geosciences, atmospheric sciences, marine biology and ecology, ocean��sciences,��and environmental science policy. Whalen was invited to present a lecture at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine,��Atmospheric,��and Earth Science, where the award was presented in April.����

Whalen studies small-scale physics��in the ocean, including processes that generate turbulence��and mix the water, along with how these processes��interact with the dynamics of the water across ocean basins. Her work helps scientists better understand the physical drivers that shape climate and marine environments.��

Whalen said she was honored to receive the award and to join the ranks of oceanographers whose work she admires. Receiving the award also gave Whalen the opportunity to visit the Rosenstiel School, where she met with faculty and students and learned more about their work.

Professor receives Distinguished Community Engagement Award��

,��professor of ethnic, gender and labor studies and American Indian studies and adjunct professor of education at 91���� Tacoma��received the 2026 Distinguished Community Engagement Award in the project category. Montgomery is also an adjunct professor of bioethics and humanities at the 91���� School of Medicine.��The award recognizes her leadership of the Indigenous Speaker Series and Community Engagement: Promoting Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Multigenerational Community Learning.��

Through support for the Haida Sails Resurgence Project and the Northwest Maritime Center, Montgomery’s work has created meaningful opportunities for co-learning, cultural��exchange,��and the uplifting of Indigenous Knowledge Systems through place-based and multigenerational learning experiences.��

Montgomery’s community-engaged scholarship focuses on amplifying Indigenous voices, supporting dialogue around cultural and traditional lived experiences and strengthening partnerships that connect academic spaces with community knowledge. The Indigenous Speaker Series, which Montgomery created in 2015, has become a platform for sharing place-based Indigenous��knowledges��and expanding conversations across communities.����

“As a visitor to the Pacific Northwest, it is an honor to continue the responsibility to uplift place-based Indigenous��knowledges��and nurture the reciprocity of community partnerships,” Montgomery said.��

The 91���� kicked off Pride Month on Monday with a ceremonial flag raising. Just after noon, the large rainbow flag — the Progress Pride Flag — unfurled to cheers from a crowd of about 100 people, the largest gathering in the history of the Pride Flag raising on campus.

While speakers at Monday’s event reflected on the solidarity and importance of community, the ceremony also served as a time to mourn the loss of Juniper Blessing, the 91���� student slain last month. Blessing identified as a part of the 91���� LGBTQIA+ community. A moment of silence was held in Blessing’s memory.

“Pride Month signifies a time of joy and celebration, but it also marks a time for unity, remembrance, and solidarity,” Alan Galvez, co-chair of the 91���� Queer Faculty Staff Alliance and a senior advisor in the 91���� Student Activities Office, told the crowd. “Juniper Blessing lived her life the way she felt was right for her. To live in a world authentically as yourself means that you may face a world that may not understand you, but that’s where we use our voices and stand strong together, so we ensure that no one gets left behind or forgotten in our challenges ahead.”

Pride Month commemorates the 1969 Stonewall riots, when queer activists sparked a lasting gay-rights movement. Seattle’s gay pride activities culminate at the end of June with a parade that draws thousands of visitors.

University leaders on Monday also announced the to support students whose leadership, community involvement or lived experience reflects a meaningful connection to the LGBTQIA+ community and who are studying or actively engaged in music at 91����. Blessing was an atmospheric sciences and music studies sophomore and a member of the University Chorale.

“As we begin Pride Month, I encourage all of us to celebrate in the spirit of love, resilience, openness, and joy,” said Rickey Hall, vice president for Minority Affairs & Diversity and the 91���� Diversity Officer. “Even as we grieve, we can honor one another by showing up for community and carrying forward the values that pride represents.”

Is it a doctor’s job to get the best outcomes for their patients or to tell the truth? What happens when these two things are not aligned? These are questions that 91���� students have to wrangle with in Biol 180: Introductory Biology. The goal, says , 91���� assistant professor of biology, is to have students experience a more nuanced side of biology. There is not always one right answer, and issues of power and relationships often come into play.

Theobald aims to connect the biology concepts the students learn in class to real-world issues, something she hopes will help both retain students in the biology major at the 91���� and help non-majors in the class with their future careers.

Just how common is it for biology curricula to include real-world examples? One way to answer this question is to look at educational resources for biology instructors.

In published in Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Science Education Research, Theobald and her team examined almost 3,000 science guidelines and assessment questions from 16 sources — including MCAT practice questions and questions from the Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science and AP biology tests — for any connections to society. Of the approximately 200 elements — about 7% — that had real-world implications, many discussed ethics and public health issues.

91���� News spoke with Theobald; lead author , 91���� postdoctoral fellow in biology; and co-author , 91���� doctoral student in biology, to find out more about these results and what they mean for biology education today.

Why do you think so few learning objectives and assessment questions were connected to real-world examples?

Carly Busch: One reason is probably that there’s a perception that real-world connections are not a part of the primary purpose of the course, that they only belong as an addendum or an aside.

This perception makes sense in some ways, given how departments and institutions have conceptualized biology and what biology undergraduate students expect to get out of a biology degree. But the lack of these connections to society was also remarkable, because I think they play a really important role in developing undergraduate students holistically and broadly as they continue on in their science careers. Real-world examples can support students’ interest in science and help them develop their scientific identity.

Madison Meuler: I think there is also a belief of, “Oh well, this is an intro biology class. If this person is going to be a scientist, they’ll get training in the societal stuff later.” But I think there’s value in having this type of information even in intro courses.

Students in these courses may or may not go on to major in biology, and may or may not pursue a career in STEM. But even if this is their only science course in college, what could they take away from it that can help them be an informed citizen in the world?

Science plays a huge role in politics and in a lot of decisions that affect people’s day-to-day lives. It’s a missed opportunity if you’re not making those connections in the classroom. We want students, regardless of their future careers, to at least walk away being equipped with some skills to critically analyze the role that science is playing in society.

You found that roughly half of the questions that did mention society only vaguely referenced real-world scenarios. Can you give examples of implicit versus explicit mentions?

CB: So the most vague mention was from the American Association of Immunologists’ recommendations for an undergraduate immunology course. This is one of the advanced subtopics that they list: the implications of Emil Von Behring’s . We coded it as a vague mention because some of those implications could be related to society, not only focused on scientific experiments.

An example of explicit incorporation is from the bioinformatics core competencies. It asks students to explain the implications, good and bad, of being able to walk into a doctor’s office and have your genome sequenced and analyzed, or of being able to obtain genetic information from direct-to-consumer testing services. There we have a very clear example of students being asked to think about how the science concept fits in with society.

Do you think that connecting science to society can help retain students in science?

CB: We haven’t tested this yet, but based on prior research, there is reason to believe that incorporating these connections is going to help students be more engaged in what they’re learning in class. Engagement is closely tied to students’ performance outcomes, which often make or break their decision to persist in a major.

There is also a theory that helping students apply what they’re learning in the classroom to things happening in their lives and in their communities .

This is something I am excited to study in the future — to understand how making these connections expands students’ perceptions of what science is and who does science. The types of research questions that most scientists ask are on topics they personally are interested in. Maybe they study wildflowers in Washington because they love hiking, and they’ve always been struck by how beautiful the flowers are. That’s the beauty of being an academic researcher: You get to explore all of the different things that you’re curious about.

MM: Connecting content to real-world experiences could also increase retention by helping students feel a sense of belonging in the classroom. You’re far less likely to persist in a class if you feel like you don’t belong in that physical space, right? The course content definitely plays a role in that.

I think that making these connections between content and societal issues could help students start thinking things like, “Oh, this is a thing I care about, how could I design a study that could provide evidence to help inform a policy decision?”

Elli Theobald: Students have said to me, “I don’t want to be a scientist because I want to help people.” And that’s a problem. If we’re teaching science in a way that makes it feel like it isn’t helping people, then we’re doing something wrong. It’s just such a huge disservice to biology because we’ll lose so many amazing and capable students who could push our field forward.

This study looked at biology education resources. Do you know if biology instructors are already incorporating more real-world connections in their courses? ��

CB: If instructors aren’t getting support but they’re still making these connections in the classroom, it’s because they are putting that onus on themselves and choosing to add it. I applaud all instructors who are making these connections, and I fully expect that more connections are being made than and in these resources. We are currently collecting actual course materials from intro bio courses to see where instructors are making these connections.

But I also think that it would be such a valuable resource for instructors to have more support in making those connections. Here’s where I think really bolstering the amount of resources for instructors could provide more scaffolding for instructors to be able to provide a variety of connections, or to even recognize opportunities to make these connections in the course objectives. One of my hopes for this work is that it helps to provide motivation for those sorts of materials.

ET: Instructors are amazing. They’re working so hard to connect the content in some way to students’ lives, or to find the best, coolest examples. They need to have support from their institutions to be able to do more of this in their classrooms.

This research was funded by The National Science Foundation.

For more information, contact Theobald atellij@uw.edu Busch at cbusch3@uw.edu and Meuler at mmeuler@uw.edu.

Plants may not appear aggressive, but they can still defend themselves while under attack. When caterpillars chomp the leaves of bean plants, these plants release gases that lure predatory wasps. The wasps prey on the caterpillars, saving the plants from further destruction. In a paper , a 91����-led team demonstrated that this defense strategy is run by a protein called INR, or inceptin receptor. The researchers grew bean plants with naturally occurring mutations in the INR gene alongside plants with functional INR in an experimental field in Oaxaca, Mexico. The knock-out plants didn’t emit gases and attracted far fewer wasps. This result helps explain a previous study by this team that first identified the biochemical pathway behind this defense mechanism. These results also showcase how the tiny actions of a single protein can affect the behavior of wasps and caterpillars, and in turn, protect the health of the plant. This could benefit nearby plants as well, the researchers said. Beans are often grown alongside “,” such as corn, with the idea that each plant provides a benefit for the others. Beans help make the soil richer for their companions, and, through the actions of INR, could also protect their neighbors from pests.

For more information, contact senior author , 91���� associate professor of biology, at astein10@uw.edu.����

The other 91���� co-authors are , , , and . A full list of co-authors and funding is included .

Decades of satellite data show Himalayan rivers migrating rapidly in response to climate change

The movement of rivers is often described in terms of flowing water, but the path a river takes can also change. Some migration is normal, but in the Himalayas, rivers seem to be scrambling faster than scientists anticipated. In a study , researchers show that rivers in the Tibetan Plateau moved twice as much from 2000 to 2020 as they did from 1980 to 2000. As glaciers melt and frozen ground thaws in response to rising temperatures, rivers are inundated with silty meltwater from surrounding glaciers. The water picks the path of least resistance through softening ground. The “movement” includes small lateral shifts, big swings that cut off entire sections of river and occasionally, . The international team attributes their observations to climate change, which is driving temperatures up faster here than many other places. More than 2 billion people rely on these rivers for fresh water and researchers are concerned about communities downstream, as well as the potential for similar patterns that may play out elsewhere.

For more information, contact co-author , 91���� professor of Earth and space sciences at bigdirt@uw.edu.����

A full list of co-authors and funding is .

Researchers shrink eye-catching structure down to the nano scale��

made using a network of freestanding bars suspended by a web of thin, tense cables. The organization of the bars and cables allows the network of tension and compression forces to lock everything into place, creating a lightweight yet stiff structure. Tensegrities of different sizes are common in nature — examples include and the that help living cells maintain their shape — as well as in diverse manmade structures like , and . Now, a team of engineers at the 91���� have found a way to create tensegrities as small as five micrometers across — roughly a tenth of the width of a human hair. in the aptly-named journal Small, researchers used a specialized and a resin compound to print bar-and-cable structures about 30 micrometers across. They then heated the materials to 900 degrees celsius, causing the structures to shrink by over 80%. As they shrank, the thinner cables constricted more than the bars, resulting in nanostructures with specific, locked-in levels of stress that were up to 250% stiffer than the starting structures. The team is now working on ways to build larger materials composed of tiny tensegrities, which could eventually usher in a new class of stiff, light and impact-resistant materials.

For more information, contact lead author , a 91���� doctoral student of mechanical engineering.

Other 91���� co-authors are , , Zainab S. Patel, , and . Funding information is included .��

Scientists find a key water source for atmospheric rivers

In December 2025, brought a seemingly endless onslaught of precipitation to Washington that caused and washed away roads and homes. In published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 91���� researchers help explain where all that water came from. They describe a link between the , a weather pattern that brings moisture east across the Pacific, and atmospheric rivers. Hypotheses about this connection have emerged from previous studies, but researchers couldn’t physically draw it until now. By tracking precipitation and wind patterns from 2000 to 2024, the 91���� researchers show that heavy rainfall and flooding are more likely when MJO is active, which happens several times a year. By identifying the MJO as a key moisture source for powerful atmospheric rivers, the researchers hope to improve forecast accuracy and give people more lead time to prepare for incoming storms.

For more information, contact co-author , 91���� professor of atmospheric and climate science at shuyic@uw.edu.

Other 91���� co-authors are and . Funding information is .

Maeda also was appointed a professor of American ethnic studies. He succeeds Dianne Harris, who will complete her service this year.

Maeda has previously served as the dean of the University of Colorado Boulder College of Arts and Sciences where he also was a professor of ethnic studies. He is an interdisciplinary cultural historian and is a nationally recognized scholar in Asian American studies and comparative ethnic studies.

“Dr. Maeda brings a wealth of experience to all aspects of the role of Katherine and John Simpson Endowed Dean for the College of Arts & Sciences, including a deep commitment to shared governance,” Serio said. “Throughout the selection process, Dr. Maeda repeatedly elevated the broad strengths of the College of Arts & Sciences, and the students, staff and faculty who define them, as foundational to leading the path forward through a framework of opportunity for all.”

Since joining CU Boulder as an assistant professor in 2005, Maeda has served as chair of the Department of Ethnic Studies, associate dean for student success in the College of Arts and Sciences, and dean and vice provost of undergraduate education. Maeda served as interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences since June 2024 until he was appointed dean earlier this year. He is returning to the 91���� where he was an acting assistant professor in the Department of History from 2001 to 2002.

“I am deeply honored to serve the College of Arts & Sciences and grateful for the opportunity to partner with its exceptional faculty, students and staff,” Maeda said. “Together, we will build on the college’s distinguished tradition of discovery, creativity and public impact while advancing an inclusive and inspiring vision for the future.”

The College of Arts and Sciences at CU Boulder has 1,300 faculty members and 400 staff members. The college also has approximately 15,000 undergraduates in 49 majors and more than 2,000 graduate students in 36 doctoral programs and 35 master’s programs. As dean, Maeda managed an annual budget of more than $250 million and led a collaborative process that created the college’s budget allocation model. Under his leadership, the college established new records for first-year retention and six-year graduation rates and set a record for highest annual fundraising in the college’s history.

Maeda has published two books and numerous articles and book chapters on Asian American activism in the 1960s and 1970s. His most recent book, a cultural history of the iconic martial artist and actor — and former 91���� student — Bruce Lee, was published in 2022.

Maeda earned his doctoral and master’s degrees in American culture from the University of Michigan. He also holds a master’s in ethnic studies from San Francisco State University and a bachelor’s in mathematics from Harvey Mudd College.

grew up in the United Kingdom surrounded by soccer. He’s always loved sport, but his academic focus — he’s a 91���� master’s student in South Asian Studies researching the history of memory in diaspora communities — is far removed from the playing field.

But Josan brought his passion for sport, particularly soccer — known as football to most of the world — with him to the United States. When packing for the move, he even found room in his suitcase for a prized soccer jersey he received as a Christmas present when he was 13. When Josan arrived at the 91����, he started searching for ways to engage in sport scholarship.

“My interest comes from how sport creates identity and how much of our cultural connection comes from sport,” Josan said. “That obviously has good parts, but it also means sport becomes very politically loaded. We see both in the wider scale kind of conversations about sports and politics today.”

Josan found a way to nurture his combined interests when he took a course with , professor in 91���� Bothell’s School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences and director of the in the Jackson School of International Studies. The two developed a relationship, which led Krabill to ask Josan to serve as the managing editor for a new website: .

Whether people are counting the days until the — games will be played in Seattle from June 19 through July 6 — or wondering what all the hype is about, the Global Sport Lab’s syllabus was created as a way for anyone to learn more about the history and politics of the tournament.

“Pavandeep is an incredibly talented, thoughtful guy,” said Krabill, who also served as the editor for the syllabus. “There is no way the project would have happened without him.”

The idea for the syllabus emerged from the creation of similar resources for social movements and newsworthy events. There is a Black Lives Matter syllabus, for example. And during the protests that occurred in Ferguson, Missouri, after Michael Brown was fatally shot by a police officer in 2014, a Georgetown University professor launched the.

“What those syllabi did really well was put current events into larger historical, cultural and political contexts,” Krabill said. “The idea was to do the same thing with the World Cup — imagining someone who is really interested in the politics and controversies around this event and wants to dig deeper and find more analysis.”

World Cup: The Syllabus is divided into seven sections: FIFA; migrations; protest and resistance; arts and culture; human rights; stadiums; and technology. Each page offers analysis written by experts, discussion questions and a suggested reading list.��

The website was curated by an editorial team of six leading experts in global football, including Krabill. Krabill and Josan had multiple, hours-long meetings with the other five academics, many of whom have sat on FIFA panels and produced some of the most widely read resources on global soccer.

“I’ve read a lot of what these experts have produced in the past, and I never thought I’d be chairing meetings with them,” Josan said. “It’s sometimes a bit surreal when you work with people that you’ve read before. It was exciting learning about their insights, not just from what they’ve studied and their research, but also from their lived experiences. That was fascinating to me.”

Krabill wrote the syllabus’ introduction, and , a 91���� student in visual communication design, designed the site.“There is no right or wrong way to engage with the syllabus, and we want people to engage however they see fit,” Josan said. “If there’s a particular category that speaks most to you, start with that one.”

The website is also structured to help guide readers who don’t have a preference or don’t know where to begin. In these cases, Josan recommends starting with the first section, which focuses broadly on FIFA. From there, the topics narrow down. The syllabus isn’t specific to this summer’s World Cup, either. The hope is for the resource to remain relevant for future events, including for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

“The Women’s World Cup has been gaining a lot of prominence, a lot of popularity,” Josan said. “Attendance numbers are higher than they’ve ever been for women’s sport across the board, and specifically for women’s football. So, we’re hoping this project doesn’t stop when the 2026 final is played. It’s something that will continue to be updated.”

Even people with no interest in soccer can find something in the syllabus worth exploring, Josan said.

“The syllabus is designed to cross the boundary between football and other topics that are of interest to our society,” he said. “I’d encourage anyone to engage with this, especially if you live in an area that’s going to host a World Cup game. There is going to be so much that you’ll learn, and you might be able to connect the dots when you see things play out in our local area.”

For more information, contact Lauren Kirschman at lkirsc@uw.edu.