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December 12, 2014

Online tool lets Washington residents calculate carbon tax impacts

91爆料 computer scientists have partnered with members of the Carbon Washington grassroots campaign to create an online tool that lets residents calculate how a state carbon tax swap proposed by the organization would impact them financially. The calculator offers information users can’t find elsewhere and is meant to be a neutral, unbiased tool. “The tool should be very useful to voters trying to decide their position on the carbon tax policy. Many people will have broader societal motivations…

Art exhibit on polar field research opens Friday

Marine mammal expert Kristin Laidre, a polar scientist at the 91爆料 Applied Physics Laboratory and in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, studies Arctic mammals in their native habitat. She focuses on polar bears and narwhals, an Arctic whale with a distinctive spiral tusk. In spring 2013 she invited Seattle watercolor artist Maria Coryell-Martin to join an expedition to West Greenland and share an artist’s perspective on what it’s like to do research in the far north. (Coryell-Martin is…

I-LABS co-director part of White House Summit on Early Learning

The co-director of the 91爆料鈥檚 Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences is among officials from around the country participating in today鈥檚 White House Summit on Early Education. Patricia Kuhl, a world-renowned scientist in early language and brain development, joins state and local policymakers, school district superintendents, community leaders and others for the summit. Participants are expected to share their ideas about best practices and effective strategies, with the goal of expanding access to high-quality early education for children nationwide. Kuhl…

December 9, 2014

New book by Jos茅 Alaniz studies superheroes through the lens of disability studies

Superheroes are generally assumed to be healthy and virtually immortal, tending their superpowers as they save the planet time and again. But a new book by Jos茅 Alaniz, 91爆料 associate professor of Slavic languages and literatures, seeks to redefine the contemporary image of the superhero. “Death, Disability, and the Superhero: The Silver Age and Beyond,” published this fall by University of Mississippi Press, draws on DC and Marvel comics from the 1960s to the 1990s to investigate how death and…

December 5, 2014

‘Music from the War to End All Wars’: A student performer’s view

Jane Heinrichs is a doctoral student in piano performance at the 91爆料 School of Music and will perform in two of the three concerts that comprise the three-part series “Music from the War to End All Wars.” The series begins Sunday, Dec. 7, in Brechemin Auditorium, and continues on March 3 and May 8, 2015. So, does knowing the historical context of a piece of music affect how she approaches and performs it? Not exactly, Heinrichs said, “but it is…

91爆料 chemistry faculty member snags NSF early career award

Andrew J. Boydston, a 91爆料 associate professor of chemistry, has received a Faculty Early Career Development Award from the National Science Foundation. The award is intended to support junior faculty who “exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research,” according to the NSF. Boydston received the award for his proposal to develop materials that apply mechanical force to drive chemical reactions that release small organic molecules. Those small molecules could be…

December 3, 2014

Join a Google+ hangout on Southern Ocean climate

Join some of the world’s leading experts on the Southern Ocean for a webinar on Thursday, Dec. 4, from 11 a.m. to noon Seattle time. Viewers can log on here with a Google account, or watch on YouTube. “91爆料-built sensors to probe Antarctica鈥檚 Southern Ocean” 91爆料 Today | Sept. 11, 2014 The Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling project, based at Princeton University, is a six-year collaborative effort to improve understanding of the Southern Ocean’s role in climate….

Music meets history in three-concert series on World War I

The creative spirit “does not hunker down or hide” in difficult times, Robin McCabe, 91爆料 professor of piano, was reminded as she researched the three-concert series she organized, “Music from the War to End All Wars.” The School of Music presents this series starting Dec. 7 and continuing March 8 and May 3, 2015.

Competitive award to fund new approaches to artificial intelligence work

Four 91爆料 researchers have received the Allen Distinguished Investigator award for their work in artificial intelligence research. The awards, totaling about $2.7 million to the 91爆料 from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, will fund early stage research in several areas of artificial intelligence. The recipients from the 91爆料 are Jeffrey Heer, an associate professor of computer science and engineering; Ali Farhadi, an assistant professor of computer science and engineering; Hannaneh Hajishirzi, a research scientist in electrical engineering;…

Arts Roundup: Lectures, music 鈥 and 91爆料 Symphony and Opera Theater

This week there are lots of events to keep students, staff and faculty busy before finals. Don鈥檛 miss 鈥淚dleness,鈥 the second Factory Showroom exhibit at the Jacob Lawrence Gallery, or the 91爆料 Symphony and 91爆料 Opera Theater performing a version of Puccini鈥檚 opera 鈥淕ianni Schicci.鈥

December 2, 2014

‘Mirage Earth’ exoplanets may have burned away chances for life

Planets orbiting close to low-mass stars are prime targets in the search for life. But new research led by an astronomy graduate student at the 91爆料 indicates some such planets may have long since lost their chance at hosting life because of intense heat during their formative years.

December 1, 2014

School of Law to host discussion of Michael Brown case Dec 2

Seattle-based criminal defense attorney Jeff Robinson will join the 91爆料 School of Law in a discussion of factual, ethical and legal issues relating to the use of deadly force by law enforcement officers in communities of color. He will be joined by Washington Supreme Court Justice Sheryl Gordon McCloud. The event is titled “‘You Can Observe a Lot Just by Watching’ 鈥 The Killing of Michael Brown and the Transparent Grand Jury Investigation” and will take place from…

Next Green Seed Fund proposal deadline Dec. 11

The Green Seed Fund 鈥 a grant fund for campus environmental research projects 鈥 is accepting proposals through Dec. 11 for the next round of grants. The Green Seed Fund aims to promote and fund research projects that advance sustainable research while contributing to the university鈥檚 sustainability goals. The fund was launched in 2013, and in its inaugural year 15 proposals totaling nearly $1 million were submitted. From that pool, proposals were selected and awarded nearly $279,000 in funding. A…

Renowned educator and author John Goodlad dies

Influential educator and former 91爆料 professor John Goodlad died Nov. 29 at his Seattle home. He was 94. Goodlad came to the 91爆料 in 1984 after serving as dean of the Graduate School of Education at the University of California at Los Angeles. He created the Center for Educational Renewal at the 91爆料 to conduct research on teacher education and school renewal. Additionally, he established the independent Seattle-based Institute for Educational Inquiry to apply research findings to school…

November 26, 2014

Dan Evans to visit Evans School for public conversation Dec. 3

The 91爆料 Evans School of Public Affairs will host its namesake, former Washington governor and senator Daniel J. Evans, for a conversation from noon to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 3, in the Parrington Hall Forum. Evans served as governor from 1965 to 1977, then moved on to the presidency of Evergreen State College. When Senator Henry M. Jackson died in 1983, Evans was appointed in his place, and served in the senate until 1989. In 1993, then-Gov. Mike…

Arts Roundup: Exhibitions, music 鈥 and ArtBreak with Barbara Ciega

The holiday season is officially upon us and the arts host a lineup of events to get you in the festive spirit. The School of Music paves the way with performances ranging from the Percussion Ensemble to CarolFest. If you鈥檙e looking for an exhibition to explore, the Burke Museum鈥檚 recently opened 鈥淗ere & Now: Native Artists Inspired鈥 will be the perfect option after the Thanksgiving bustle.

Event focuses on militarized policing and protests

“Militarized Policing and Public Protest: From the WTO Protests to Ferguson鈥 is the topic of a documentary video screening and panel discussion at the 91爆料 on Tuesday, Dec. 2. The event, from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center, starts with a screening of 鈥淭his Is What Democracy Looks Like.鈥 The 72-minute documentary was made from footage shot by more than 100 鈥渕edia activists鈥 during the 1999 World Trade Organization protests in Seattle….

November 24, 2014

Last chance to donate: 91爆料 Combined Fund Drive ends Dec. 5

91爆料 faculty and staff have until Dec. 5 to contribute to this year鈥檚 91爆料 Combined Fund Drive, part of Washington state鈥檚 workplace giving campaign. Donors can choose from more than 4,000 nonprofits operating locally and globally. You can give a one-time donation or give all year through payroll deduction. Donations are tax-deductible. The 91爆料CFD has raised $1,885,617 so far, and organizers hope to surpass $2.2 million in pledges this year. From local food banks to environmental causes to 91爆料 departments…

Mike Honey remembers singer John Handcox in ‘Smithsonian Folkways’ article

91爆料 historian Michael Honey learned about folk singer and union organizer John Handcox through a mutual friend whose name might be familiar: Pete Seeger. Honey tells of the 1985 meeting, and of “Sharecropper’s Troubadour,” the book he came to write about Handcox (with Seeger penning the foreword), in an article in Smithsonian Folkways Magazine. 91爆料 Today wrote about Honey’s book in January, 2014. In 1940, Woody Guthrie joined Seeger and folklorist Alan Lomax in collecting Handcox’s work into…

Study: US attracting fewer educated, highly skilled migrants

The U.S. economy has long been powered in part by the nation鈥檚 ability to attract the world鈥檚 most educated and skilled people to its shores. But a new study of the worldwide migration of professionals to the U.S. shows a sharp drop-off in its proportional share of those workers 鈥 raising the question of whether the nation will remain competitive in attracting top talent in an increasingly globalized economy. The study, which used a novel method of tracking people through…

Sea-star wasting culprit is virus

Disintegrating sea stars 鈥 a process described as melting, with the arms detaching and crawling away from each other 鈥 is being caused by a virus that’s been detected in West Coast waters for more than 70 years. That’s according to new findings published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by 24 co-authors including the 91爆料’s Carolyn Friedman, a professor of aquatic and fishery sciences, and Colleen Burge, who earned her bachelor’s and…

November 21, 2014

3 91爆料 professors to speak in local TEDxRainier event

Three 91爆料 professors will join a congressman, a mountain climber, inventors, architects, advocates, an astronaut and even a barista at this year’s TEDxRainier event, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22, at Marion Oliver McCaw Hall at聽Seattle Center. The independently run, one-day event is in its fifth year in Seattle, modeled after the popular TED Talks. The 2014 local event brings together Seattle-area thinkers and innovators to share ideas on the theme “The Known and the…

November 20, 2014

Cost of meeting basic needs rising faster than wages in Washington state

A Washington family of four must spend 46 percent more on average to make ends meet today than 13 years ago, according to a new report from the 91爆料. The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Washington State 2014, released Thursday (Nov. 20), provides a sobering look at how much it costs individuals and families statewide to meet basic needs 鈥 and how far short they鈥檙e falling. The study found that Washington families with two adults, a preschooler and a school-aged…

November 19, 2014

Arts Roundup: Drama, dance 鈥 and 鈥楾he Picture of Dorian Gray鈥

Have you ever considered the implications of privacy around art and cultural institutions? Then don鈥檛 miss the three-day symposium 鈥淪urveillance and Privacy: Art, Law and Social Practice鈥 hosted by the Henry Art Gallery and the Center for Digital Art and Experimental Media (DXARTS).

Deadlines approach for Awards of Excellence nominations

Do you know an outstanding 91爆料 employee, alumnus, student or retiree who contributes to the richness and diversity of the university community? Honor that person with an Awards of Excellence聽nomination. Nominations are due beginning in November and continuing in succeeding months for the 2015 91爆料聽Awards of Excellence聽categories. Details of awards and nomination procedures follow. Alumnus Summa Laude Dignatus Award The highest honor bestowed upon a 91爆料 graduate recognizes an outstanding alumnus or alumna, distinguished for service…

What are our survival chances? Astrobiology meets sustainability science

We Homo sapiens and our energy-gobbling technologies are changing the very ecology of the Earth. But even as these human-caused changes unfold, some wonder whether we have doomed ourselves to extinction. In a new paper in the journal Anthropocene, 91爆料 astronomer Woodruff Sullivan and co-author Adam Frank, a University of Rochester astrophysicist and a 91爆料 alumnus, suggest this might not be the first time “where the primary agent of causation is knowingly watching it all happen and pondering…

November 18, 2014

Dark conversation: Webcast to explore the hunt for dark matter

As you might guess from the name, dark matter is quite elusive. Its particles make up about one-quarter of the mass of the universe and as much as 85 percent of all matter. But it apparently does not interact with light or other matter and so it’s never been directly observed. In a webcast Thursday, Nov. 20, three scientists including 91爆料 physicist Gray Rybka will discuss how close we are to actually identifying dark matter. They will talk…

‘Building the Bionic Man’ lecture on campus this week

The latest in the Seattle Arts & Lectures SAL U series will look at technologies that could help repair a person’s cognitive or sensory-motor functions. “Brain-Computer Interfaces: Building the Bionic Man” is at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19, in Kane Hall room 110. The speaker is Rajesh Rao, a 91爆料 professor of computer science and engineering and director of the Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering. Rao’s research involves聽understanding聽computational principles in the brain’s ability to learn, process and store information, then…

Top Canadian limnology award goes to Daniel Schindler, 31 years after his father won it

Daniel Schindler, a 91爆料 fisheries ecologist who explores aquatic ecosystem dynamics, has been named the 2015 Frank Rigler Award recipient. The award is the highest honor given by the Society of Canadian Limnologists and recognizes major achievements in the field of limnology by Canadians or those working in Canada, the society says. Schindler, born in Ontario, holds dual U.S. and Canadian citizenship. His father David Schindler won the Rigler award in 1984, the first year it was given…

Home prices up, sales down in third quarter of 2014

In the third quarter of 2014, home sale prices increased, but sales themselves were fewer in Washington state. The statewide median sales price for a single family home stood at $277,100 according to the聽Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies聽in the 91爆料’s College of Built Environments. This is an increase of 2.3 percent from the second quarter and a 5.2 percent increase over the $263,400 median resale price recorded in the third quarter of 2013. Conversely, while the seasonally…