Go public. That's what Cliff Mass learned from his professor, famed astronomer Carl Sagan, as an undergraduate at Cornell University. Sagan shared his science with everyday Americans by writing books and giving talks. Mass, now a UW professor and local weather personality, has done both of those things, as well as appeared on local radio for nearly two decades. But he's found his greatest reach via a modern avenue: blogging.

Alice Ryan stays pretty busy these days. On top of teaching in the School of Social Work, she’s a part-time social worker at Seattle Children’s Hospital and a full-time mother of two. She’s also proof that you’re never too busy to volunteer. For the past year, Ryan has served on the board of the Seattle [...]

Continue Reading →

Don’t eat your vegetables because they’re good for you. Eat them because they’re good. That’s the advice of marketing professor Nidhi Agrawal, who researches consumer psychology. She says whole foods are losing a branding battle against unhealthy alternatives that pitch themselves as flavorful and fun. “The primary association with healthy things should not be health. [...]

Continue Reading →

On a chilly autumn afternoon, sometimes the best place to be is inside. How about sinking into a cozy red seat in Meany Hall? That’s where The Whole U will be hosting Ovations 2015, our annual talent showcase, from 2:00-4:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 22. Last year, nearly 800 staff, faculty, and family members came [...]

Continue Reading →

For design professor Karen Cheng, art is equal parts creativity and critical thinking. "Mostly, I solve problems," said Cheng, who teaches in the School of Art + Art History + Design. "There's a famous designer who said he thought of himself as a doctor who needs patients — the sicker the better. I feel that way, too." Since 2010, she’s worked on UW Medicine’s Code Blue forms, which are filled out when someone has a heart attack in the hospital, and she currently has a grant from the Royalty Research Fund to help people sort their garbage better on the UW campus.

It might seem odd, but Jen Self’s favorite number is 13. She was born on the 13th of April, but that’s only part of the reason. “People are afraid of the number 13. It is an odd number, one that is rather queer and stands out — something that always felt true about me from [...]

Continue Reading →

It's like a magic trick. With the flick of a switch, Cole DeForest and his lab can transform human cells. It starts with a group of stem cells that have the potential to become any other type of cell found in the human body. Most labs manipulate these cells with temperature, pH, or chemical factors, but DeForest and his team use light-based chemistry.

Flu shots — get your flu shots! Influenza is on its way, and while washing your hands and being active will help you stay healthy, the best way to evade the virus is to get vaccinated. But please, don’t bother burning any of your hard-earned bucks. The UW Benefits Office is hosting free flu shot clinics [...]

Continue Reading →

History professor Scott Kurashige hasn't always had a passion for the past. "When I was in high school, history was probably my least favorite subject," said Kurashige, who teaches in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences at UW Bothell. "After 10th grade European history — where I learned next to nothing — the AP teacher banned me from taking 11th grade U.S. history. It was probably the best thing that ever happened to me." It meant he wouldn't have the chance to test out of taking U.S. history in college. And after he enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania, he ended up majoring in the subject.

The school year doesn’t start until the end of September, but class is already in session for Anthony Gill. For the past five years, the political science professor has taught in the Early Fall Start program, which lets incoming freshmen earn five credits before their first quarter. Gill's course is called Introduction to Political Economy. "We teach basic economic reasoning for political scientists," he said. "And we play a lot of games and have a lot of fun doing it."

For an employee, a workplace wellness program might seem like a nice perk. But doctors in the UW School of Medicine believe it’s much more than that. “An emphasis on wellness is a must-have, not a nice-to-have,” said Norman Beauchamp, head of the Department of Radiology. In 2012, Dr. Beauchamp helped launch the School of [...]

Continue Reading →

Start with a question. For centuries, that’s what the scientific method has told us to do. Then, research that question and turn it into a hypothesis to either prove or debunk. But the power of today’s technology has jumbled up the order of that classical approach. Thanks to computers and the Internet gathering endless amounts of information, massive sets of “big data” are often compiled before any questions are posed.