University of Washington

Wash. universities look to 'redshirt' freshman engineers for one year

Gabriel Spitzer — Mon, 13 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Some freshmen engineering students at Washington’s largest universities will get an extra year to find their footing, thanks to a new “academic redshirting” program.

The idea of redshirting comes from college sports, and here’s how it works: When Huskies quarterback Keith Price joined up as a freshman in 2009, he didn’t take the field. Instead he got a year of practice and workouts to acclimate before starting his four years of eligibility.

Now the University of Washington, along with Washington State University, want to apply that to academics.

Should in-demand college degrees cost more to earn?

Gabriel Spitzer — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Should students earning in-demand degree pay more?

That's the idea behind behind differential tuition, which would allow colleges to raise the price of earning expensive, sought-after degrees like engineering and computer science.

Some local students are rallying against the idea and urging their schools not to boost tuition to match their majors' demand.

Universities say research funding cuts may bring job cuts

Tom Banse — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 00:59:00 +0000

The Northwest's public universities pull in massive amounts of federal research dollars. It totaled $1 billion last year at the University of Washington. Oregon State University won close to $200 million in federal research funds. The University of Idaho is counting on $100 million this year.

Hearing in a noisy classroom gets better with training

Gabriel Spitzer — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 00:55:24 +0000

New research out of the University of Washington finds hearing-impaired kids can train their ears and brains to hear better in a noisy classroom. Students with limited hearing have an especially tough time making out what someone is saying if, say, kids in the back are whispering, or a classmate has a cough.

Washington colleges top lists for most Peace Corps volunteers

Gabriel Spitzer — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 01:24:53 +0000

Maybe it’s something in the water: Washington schools top the lists of large, medium and small colleges producing the most Peace Corps volunteers. It’s the first time one state has dominated all three categories of the Peace Corps’ list.

How a Boeing worker invented computer graphics for movies

Jake Ellison — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 20:53:02 +0000

In a blast from the past, the public radio show Bullseye dug up Seattle’s connection to the first video showing the genesis of computer-generated images or graphics in movies.

In 1980, Boeing employee and University of Washington graduate Loren Carpenter presented a two-minute computer generated movie call “Vol Libre” that almost immediately revolutionized moviemaking.

Study: Kids get developmental boost from phones, social media

Jake Ellison — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 21:02:44 +0000

Instead of increasing kids’ isolation, a new study from the University of Washington suggests life on the digital frontier is helping kids reach developmental milestones.

Phones and social media help kids share personal problems and build a sense of belonging, the UW noted in a press release.

Dash of salt in clouds may fight global warming, UW scientist says

KPLU — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 22:00:38 +0000

By Todd Bishop of Geekwire

A group of scientists, including a University of Washington atmospheric physicist, wants to test the theory that pumping sea salt into the sky over the ocean would combat global warming by creating clouds that reflect more sunlight back into space.

Video: 'We've got the Higgs,' UW and CERN scientist declares

Jake Ellison — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 10:24:29 +0000

In this video, shot just after results of the Large Hadron Collider at the European Organization for Nuclear Research or CERN were announced, University of Washington physics scientist Gordon Watts declares – "We've got the Higgs."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6enNgPrYlTA

CERN finds Higgs-like (God) particle; UW scientists, up late, celebrate discovery

Jake Ellison — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 07:01:06 +0000

A University of Washington physics professor with connection to the experiments at the CERN Large Hadron Collider said a Higgs-like particle has been discovered.

"We have discovered something ... and quite frankly I can't see how it can be anything other than the Higgs but we need scientific proof to close that door," said Gordon Watts, a physics professor at UW, at a tavern-based seminar tonight in lower Queen Anne with nearly 150 colleagues and science aficionados. "We just do not have the data yet to determine what the flavor of Higgs it is that we see.

"I am positive. My gut tells me that is what this is."

UW Regents approve 16 percent tuition hike

The Associated Press — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 20:51:07 +0000

The University of Washington Board of Regents has approved a 16 percent tuition increase for in-state undergraduate students. With the increase, tuition and mandatory fees for the 2012-13 academic year will total $12,401. That's a $1,564 increase. The regents also voted Thursday to allocate 30 percent of the increased tuition dollars to financial aid. The tuition increase is equal to the amount allocated in the state budget for the current biennium. Lawmakers OK'd double-digit tuition increases to make up for similar cuts in state dollars going to the university.

Greenland's ice melting more slowly than expected

Richard Harris — Thu, 03 May 2012 23:43:59 +0000

A new study has some reassuring news about how fast Greenland's glaciers are melting away.

Greenland's glaciers hold enough water to raise sea level by 20 feet, and they are melting as the planet warms, so there's a lot at stake.

A few years ago, the Jakobshavn glacier in Greenland really caught people's attention. In short order, this slow-moving stream of ice suddenly doubled its speed. It started dumping a whole lot more ice into the Atlantic.

NW youth motivated by anti-Kony video are spreading word, joining groups

Evan Hoover — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 21:52:06 +0000

'We have reached the tipping point between apathy and activism and we can no longer ignore these tragedies.'

Signaling the power of viral marketing, an army of young people have sprung up overnight to fight against the infamous African warlord Joseph Kony and his militia the LRA. Millennials across the Northwest are becoming motivated by the video campaign to join the Invisible Children, the group behind the viral video detailing Kony's atrocities.

Alison Guajardo, Vice-President of the University of Washington’s Invisible Children chapter told KPLU about the club’s exponential growth that occurred practically overnight.

Film on Earth Liberation Front up for Oscar, raises specter of UW arson and WTO

Jake Ellison and Rob Manning — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:10:41 +0000

A documentary on a cell of the radical environmental group that claimed responsibility for the arson that destroyed a University of Washington research facility in 2001 has been nominated for an Oscar.

The documentary’s exploration of the ideology and tactics involved in radical environmental actions and the law enforcement agencies determined to make arrests raises again the intense passions and dramatic consequences surrounding the arson at UW.

UW has more seats for in-state applicants in 2012

The Associated Press — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 20:03:30 +0000

The University of Washington says it will have more room for in-state students in this fall's freshman class.

This gift for the class of 2012 comes from the Legislature and the fact that UW has received fewer applications from freshmen hopefuls.