A 91爆料 team of computer science and engineering researchers has built a robot hand that can not only perform dexterous manipulation – one of the most difficult problems in robotics – but also learn from its own experience.
May 9, 2016
The latest news from the 91爆料
Early Earth’s air weighed less than half of today’s atmosphere
The idea that the young Earth had a thicker atmosphere turns out to be wrong. New research from the 91爆料 uses bubbles trapped in 2.7 billion-year-old rocks to show that air at that time exerted at most half the pressure of today’s atmosphere. The results, published online May 9 in Nature Geoscience, reverse the commonly accepted idea that the early Earth had a thicker atmosphere to compensate for weaker sunlight. The finding also has implications for which gases…
May 6, 2016
Academics, artists collaborate on 91爆料 book arts exhibit ‘Just One Look’
Thirty-two colorful and creative artist books on display as part of the exhibit “Just One Look,” in 91爆料 Libraries’ Special Collections department, in Allen Library. The exhibit co-curated by 91爆料 alumna Lauren Dudley with Sandra Kroupa, 91爆料 book arts and rare book curator.
May 5, 2016
Two-minute warnings make kids’ ‘screen time’ tantrums worse
Giving young children a two-minute warning that “screen time” is about to end makes transitions away from tablets, phones, televisions and other technological devices more painful, a new 91爆料 study has found.
May 4, 2016
Arts Roundup: School of Music Scholarship Recital, ArtVentures 鈥� and Native Art Market
This week in the arts, see the world-renowned Martha Graham Dance Company perform at Meany Hall and witness the talent of the next generation at the 2016 School of Music Scholarship Recital. Explore production design at a 91爆料 Drama exhibition, take an ArtVenture at the Henry Art Gallery and shop for Native American art at the Burke Museum. Martha Graham Dance Company May 5-7 | Meany Theater 91爆料 World Series鈥� 2015-2016 season concludes with three performances by the Martha Graham…
Urban planning symposium May 5 addresses ‘The Future City’
What possible future scenarios lie ahead for urban design, and how will big data and new technologies affect science and decision-making? The 91爆料 Graduate School’s Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Urban Design and Planning will tackle such questions in a daylong symposium May 5.
May 3, 2016
Dennis L. Hartmann elected to National Academy of Sciences
Dennis Hartmann, a 91爆料 professor of atmospheric sciences, was elected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences.
May 2, 2016
91爆料-led team wins $10M EPA grant for air pollution research
To help address the nation鈥檚 pressing need for better air quality, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded a research team co-led by a 91爆料 civil engineer a $10 million Air, Climate and Energy (ACE) grant.
New health sensing tool measures lung function over a phone call, from anywhere in the world
91爆料 researchers have developed SpiroCall, a new health sensing tool that can accurately measure lung function from anywhere in the world over a simple phone call.
April 29, 2016
91爆料 professor helps TV star Lea Michele discover her Sephardic heritage
The upcoming season finale of TLC’s popular program “Who Do You Think You Are,” airing May 1, will feature 91爆料 professor Devin Naar helping television star Lea Michele learn about her Sephardic Jewish ancestry.
New 91爆料 program aims to create 鈥榖rotherhood鈥� for male students of color
For some young men of color, college might seem a world away. To an African-American boy growing up in poverty, a Latino son of migrant farmworkers or a young Native American man living on a remote reservation, the path to post-secondary education can be hard to visualize. And once on campus, the reality can be daunting. Role models might be lacking, the sense of isolation overwhelming. A new 91爆料 pilot program aims to address those obstacles and boost…
Architecture professor Jeffrey Ochsner featured in young filmmaker’s Gum Wall documentary screening May 1
When 8-year-old filmmaker Celia Jensen and her dad decided to make a film about Seattle’s Gum Wall, Jeffrey Ochsner, professor of architecture and associate dean for academic affairs in the 91爆料 College of Built Environments, was happy to help.
April 28, 2016
Wolf hunting near Denali, Yellowstone cuts wolf sightings in half
Visitors to national parks are half as likely to see wolves in their natural habitat when wolf hunting is permitted just outside park boundaries, according to a new study.
Sir? Caballero? Anthony Geist awarded knighthood by Spain
Anthony Geist, professor of Spanish and Portuguese Studies, has been awarded one of Spain’s highest civil honors — a knighthood.
April 27, 2016
Arts Roundup: 3D4M Graduation Exhibition, Daedalus Quartet 鈥� and the Martha Graham Dance Company
91爆料 World Series presents its final two performances of the school year: Daedalus Quartet and the Martha Graham Dance Company. Graduating students from the School of Art + Art History + Design鈥檚 3D4M program showcase their works at the Jacob Lawrence Gallery, and the 91爆料 Dance Program and the Henry Art Gallery collaborate in a performance piece. 91爆料 Drama‘s production of 鈥淔orce Continuum鈥� continues through May 8. Daedalus Quartet 7:30 p.m., April 29 | Meany Theater This critically acclaimed string…
‘Walk-DMC’ aims to improve surgery outcomes for children with cerebral palsy
A 91爆料 mechanical engineer has developed a new assessment of motor control in children with cerebral palsy called Walk-DMC, which could help predict which patients are 鈥� or are not 鈥� likely to benefit from invasive surgical interventions.
April 25, 2016
Music improves baby brain responses to music and speech
Rock your baby in sync with music and you may wonder how the experience affects her and her developing brain. A new study by scientists at the 91爆料’s Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS) shows that a series of play sessions with music improved 9-month-old babies’ brain processing of both music and new speech sounds. “Our study is the first in young babies to suggest that experiencing a rhythmic pattern in music can also improve the ability…
April 21, 2016
91爆料’s Jerry Franklin honored for lifetime of forest research, policy
Jerry Franklin, a professor of environmental and forest sciences, was honored by the Pinchot Institute for Conservation for his lifelong work in forest ecology, conservation and policy.
April 20, 2016
Cash in the trash: Interactive composting, recycling station shows savings in real time
An interactive recycling and composting station installed this spring at PACCAR Hall is showing the 91爆料 community exactly how much money can be saved by composting and recycling correctly. And it seems to be doing its job well.
4 91爆料 professors elected as fellows in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Four 91爆料 professors join 172 other academics as newly elected fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the group announced Wednesday.
Arts Roundup: The Music of Harry Partch, Force Continuum 鈥� and Arty Party
This week in the arts, 91爆料 Drama opens their production of Force Continuum, and the School of Music presents two visiting artists: mezzo-soprano Michaela Martens and chamber ensemble Decoda. You can also hear the groundbreaking music of Harry Partch or attend the Henry Art Gallery鈥檚 annual Arty Party. Directions for a Cloud-Crowd 7 p.m., April 21 | Henry Art Gallery In this 90-minute performance, artists Anne Walsh, Jim Melchert and 3D4M Assistant Professor Michael Swaine explore the giving and taking…
91爆料 experts call Paris climate agreement ‘bold,’ ‘encouraging’
As the U.S., China and other countries sign the Paris Agreement to reduce emissions and limit climate change, 91爆料 experts talk about the possibilities and risks in what could be a turning point for global economies.
April 19, 2016
‘Shakespeare, Music, and Memory’ April 29 is colloquium, concert
A daylong colloquium, “Shakespeare, Music and Memory” will bring scholars and musicians to the 91爆料 campus April 29 for lectures ending with a concert of Shakespeare-themed songs by the School of Music’s Collegium Musicum ensemble. The free events were organized by JoAnn Taricani, associate professor and chair of the School of Music‘s Division of Music History, are timed to commemorate the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare‘s death in April of 1616. Scholars from several universities will give presentations…
States with punitive justice systems have higher rates of foster care, study finds
The number of children in foster care across the country is driven not solely by child abuse and neglect, but by states鈥� varying politics and approaches to social problems, a new 91爆料 study finds. States with more punitive criminal justice systems tend to remove children from their homes far more frequently than those with generous welfare programs 鈥� meaning that two states with similar rates of child abuse and neglect could have very different rates of foster care…
April 18, 2016
Board of Regents approves first 91爆料 master’s program through Global Innovation Exchange
The 91爆料 Board of Regents has approved the Master of Science in Technology Innovation degree, a 60-credit interdisciplinary program developed by the Global Innovation Exchange.
Early analysis of Seattle’s $15 wage law: Effect on prices minimal one year after implementation
Most Seattle employers in a 91爆料-led study said in 2015 they expected to raise prices on goods and services to compensate for the city’s new $15 per hour minimum wage law — but a year after implementation such increases are not in evidence.
First Salish Sea-wide shoreline armoring study shows cumulative effects on ecosystem
A new 91爆料 study shows that impacts associated with shoreline armoring can scale up to have cumulative, large-scale effects on the characteristics of Salish Sea shorelines and the diversity of life they support.
91爆料 to study link between recession-related stress and health in older Americans
The Great Recession devastated millions of Americans financially 鈥� but what impacts did that economic stress have on their physical and mental well-being? Gillian Marshall, an assistant professor of social work at the 91爆料 Tacoma, wants to answer that question. Marshall was awarded a five-year, $654,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the link between financial hardship and health. She is the first faculty member at 91爆料 Tacoma to receive an NIH Mentored Research Scientist…
April 14, 2016
Author, reporter Lynda V. Mapes discusses year with 100-year-old ‘Witness Tree’ in April 21 talk
Local author and Seattle Times reporter Lynda V. Mapes is the featured speaker in this year’s School of Environmental and Forest Sciences annual Sustaining Our World Lecture, 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday, April 21.
Scientists crack secrets of the monarch butterfly’s internal compass
Each fall, monarch butterflies across Canada and the United States聽turn their orange, black and white-mottled wings toward the Rio Grande and migrate over 2,000 miles to the relative warmth of central Mexico. This journey, repeated instinctively by generations of monarchs, continues even as monarch numbers have plummeted due to loss of their sole larval food source 鈥� milkweed. But amid this sad news, a research team believes they have cracked the secret of the internal, genetically encoded compass that the…
April 13, 2016
Arts Roundup: Violinist Gil Shaham, Pianist Murray Perahia 鈥� and the Kollar American Art Lecture
Visit Meany Hall this week for the chance to hear two world-renowned classical musicians 鈥� violinist Gil Shaham and pianist Murray Perahia 鈥� each perform solo recitals. Join the 91爆料 Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band for an exploration of music by French composers, or catch lectures by artist Buster Simpson and art historian Susan P. Casteras. Artist Talk: Buster Simpson 7 p.m., April 14 | Henry Art Gallery Artist Buster Simpson will discuss the development of his current commission for…
Sally Jewell, U.S. Secretary of the Interior, to be 91爆料鈥檚 2016 commencement speaker
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, a 1978 graduate of the 91爆料 and a former member of the 91爆料 Board of Regents, will be the featured speaker at the 91爆料鈥檚 Commencement exercises Saturday, June 11.
91爆料 study aimed at users of both marijuana and tobacco
If you鈥檙e looking to give up marijuana and possibly cigarettes as well, a group of researchers at the 91爆料 would like to hear from you. The Innovative Programs Research Group, an organization in the 91爆料 School of Social Work, is recruiting people 18 and older for a free marijuana and tobacco treatment trial. The study is aimed at adults who are regularly using both substances, want to quit marijuana and are willing to consider kicking the tobacco habit…
April 12, 2016
91爆料 undergrads to present at national science festivals in D.C.
Two national celebrations of science are happening this week in D.C., and 91爆料 undergraduates will be in the spotlight at both events. Clara Orndorff, a pre-engineering undergraduate聽in the 91爆料 Honors Program, will travel with two fellow underwater roboticists to compete in Wednesday’s White House Science Fair. She will be among more than 100 top students who will showcase their projects, perhaps even to President Barack Obama, at the sixth annual event launched by his administration. The science fair…
91爆料 undergraduate team wins $10,000 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize for gloves that translate sign language
Two 91爆料 undergraduates have won a $10,000 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize for their “SignAloud” invention — gloves that can translate American Sign Language into text or speech.
April 10, 2016
Shakespeare at 400: Drama’s Andrew Tsao on teaching The Bard to new generations
Introducing new generations of students to Shakespeare might be less daunting if begun with study of a single, intriguing line, said Andrew Tsao, 91爆料 associate professor of drama, at recent workshop for educators on the First Folio at the Seattle Public Library. The First Folio is the common name for a 1623 volume formally titled “Mr. Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories & Tragedies.” It was the first to preserve such masterpieces as “Macbeth,” “The Tempest” and “Twelfth Night” in print for future…
April 8, 2016
91爆料 law students lay groundwork for new state privacy office
91爆料 law students played a key role in a law passed last week that aims to better protect privacy and monitor data collection by agencies in the state. House Bill 2875, signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee April 1, establishes the state Office of Privacy and Data Protection. The office will examine what information is being collected by state agencies, work with agencies to reduce the amount of consumer data being collected and monitor citizen complaints. It…
91爆料-led research team wins $7.5M MURI grant to defend against advanced cyberattacks
A 91爆料-led research team has won a $7.5 million, five-year Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) grant from the Department of Defense to better model and mount defenses against stealthy, continuous computer hacking attacks known as “advanced persistent threats.”
April 7, 2016
91爆料 team stores digital images in DNA 鈥� and retrieves them perfectly
91爆料 and Microsoft researchers have developed one of the first complete systems to store digital data in DNA — allowing one to store data that today would fill a Walmart supercenter in a space the size of a sugar cube.
April 6, 2016
3 91爆料 professors recognized by Guggenheim Foundation
Three 91爆料 professors are among the 178 scholars, artists, and scientists from the U.S. and Canada recognized this year by the Guggenheim Foundation.