Natural Sciences Division

A new study from the UW found that persistent heat waves in the marine environment linked to climate change are leading to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of seabirds several months later. Julia Parrish, UW professor of biology and of aquatic and fishery sciences and director of COASST and lead author of the study, is inteviewed.

A team led by scientists and engineers at the University of Washington has announced a significant advancement in developing fault-tolerant qubits for quantum computing. In a pair of papers published June 14 in Nature and June 22 in Science, they report that, in experiments with flakes of semiconductor materials — each only a single layer of atoms thick — they detected signatures of “fractional quantum anomalous Hall” (FQAH) states. The team’s discoveries mark a first and promising step in constructing a type of fault-tolerant qubit because FQAH states can host anyons — strange “quasiparticles” that have only a fraction of an electron’s charge. Some types of anyons can be used to make what are called “topologically protected” qubits, which are stable against any small, local disturbances.

The four new graduates honored as College of Arts & Sciences Dean's Medalists for 2023 are all working to improve our world, in different ways. 

A poem by alum Patricia Clark (BA, 1974), about a UW astronomy class she took 51 years ago, is now headed to the moon on a NASA flight. 

By studying the light atoms emitted when stimulated by a laser, they were able to detect vibrations sometimes referred to as atomic "breathing," a feature fundamental to nature's building blocks. The UW's Mo Li, professor of physics and of electrical and computer engineering; Adina Ripin, a doctoral student in physics; and Ting Cao, assistant professor of materials science and engineering, are quoted.

Astronomers spotted a stellar explosion in the Pinwheel Galaxy last month. Within a week, James Davenport, research assistant professor of astronomy at the UW, and his colleagues were searching the stars for radio signals from alien civilizations who might have seen the same thing.

Sapna Cheryan, professor of psychology at the UW, and her colleagues want U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to consider not telling grads to, "Follow your passions," in his commencement address on Saturday. Instead, in this interview Cheryan shares alternative advice for graduating students.

Meghna Shankar, graduating with degrees in physics and computer science, found joy and balance by also performing in the UW Symphony Orchestra. 

"Public understanding of science is essential for democracy. Misleading readers to score political points with an argument that scientists have exchanged merit and objectivity for progressive ideology is a disservice to science and the public alike," writes Carl Bergstrom, professor of biology at the UW, in a letter to the editor.

By analyzing records from the U.S. Social Security Administration, two scientists at the University of Washington and Ohio University have discovered that the popularity of certain month and season names for girls varies by geographic region in the continental United States. The name April dominates monthly names in southern states where spring arrives early in the year. June is more popular in northern states where spring blooms later. Autumn is also more prevalent in the northern U.S., a region known for its brilliant fall foliage.

Parents get an endless supply of rules and unsolicited opinions about what to do and what not to do with their kids. But the truth is there's no handbook. Shannon Dorsey, professor of psychology at the UW, is quoted.

Two University of Washington faculty members have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences for 2023: Gunther Uhlmann, the Robert R. and Elaine F. Phelps Endowed Professor in Mathematics at the UW; and Philip Greenberg, professor of medicine and of immunology at the UW.

Along the U.S. Pacific coast, droves of alien creatures about the size of a doughnut are washing up on beaches and leaving a mat of briefly blue debris that soon fades to a crackly white -- hiding just how bizarre these tiny animals are. Julia Parrish, UW professor of biology and of aquatic and fishery sciences and director of COASST, is quoted.

The Husky 100 recognizes 100 UW undergraduate and graduate students who are making the most of their time at the UW.

This week, attend the annual Schiedel Lecture, learn about the transactional relationship between mental health research and care, enjoy the Improvised Music Project Festival held by UW students and faculty and more.