Features
December 9, 2020
Holistic view
The first Filipino-American to graduate from UW medical school, Fernando Vega helped open the path to alternative medicine in the U.S.
December 7, 2020
After prison
Ten stories that show how the UW can help people take advantage of second chances.
November 29, 2020
For many UW retirees, service never stops
Retiring from the UW doesn’t end the story for faculty and staff. They are driven to serve their communities on a local or global scale.
Bill Gates Sr.’s legacy
As a leader in public service and champion of the UW, Bill Gates Sr. leaves a legacy far beyond his legal contributions.
October 27, 2020
Black Voices: Viewpoint Magazine Fall 2020
Sociology professor Alexes Harris guest edits a collection of essays from Black voices in the University of Washington community.
Lifting our voices
“We are at a moment for change and we need to apply and support constant pressure and expect certain outcomes,” writes sociology professor Alexes Harris, guest editor of Viewpoint Magazine.“
How can the UW engage?
“Something I hear all the time is that those who are closest to the pain and to the solution are furthest from the power to make the change,” says De’Sean Quinn, a Tukwila City Councilmember.
What the UW has gotten right
“It’s important to take stock of what we’ve accomplished so we can remember that our collective activism, past and present, isn’t in vain,” says LaShawnda Pittman, an assistant professor of American Ethnic Studies.
Are you part of the solution?
“We’re moving in the right direction,” says LeAnne Wiles, director of First-Year Programs in Undergraduate Academic Affairs. “Things we’re doing right now might have seemed radical when I first came to the UW in 2009.”
Justice should be our North Star
“We need an urgent shift in the climate and system stemmed in anti-racism, anti-colonialism, and any other form of discrimination,” says Claire Gwayi-Chore, a Ph.D. student in Global Health.
For our health
The UW is putting its combined brainpower into population health, improving lives around the world.
August 23, 2020
Under Astra’s spell
A Latvian refugee from World War II, the colorful Astra Zarina had a vision to bring UW architecture students to Rome. Today, her students are making sure she is not forgotten.
July 7, 2020
Protein power
Professor David Baker’s audacious approach to creating new proteins may offer new options for stopping disease—including COVID-19.
June 11, 2020
Unearthed and retooled
The unlikely story of two carved canoes, divided by decades, linked in tribal tradition.
Screen gems
Sheltering in place against the novel coronavirus prevented us from photographing our Teachers of the Year as we always do—in person. So we captured them the way students saw them during spring quarter.
June 10, 2020
Meet the photographer: Jackie Russo
A portrait photographer in Mexico City photographed eight UW teachers for our June 2020 issue.
June 4, 2020
Smallpox slayer's wisdom
William Foege, ’61, was instrumental in wiping smallpox off the face of the Earth. The lessons he learned in that fight offer wisdom as we face COVID-19.
May 15, 2020
Front and center
With compassion, innovation and empathy, public health leader Patty Hayes strives to make life better for all of us.
May 12, 2020
Grad students' lifeline
Students from underrepresented communities find funding, social networks and academic support through the Graduate Opportunities & Minority Achievement Program.
April 2, 2020
Impact personified
Alum and former UW regent Jim Ellis was driven to serve the public good.
March 19, 2020
How UW’s startup culture nurtures a growing number of student businesses
UW’s startup culture nurtures a growing number of students, proving that an idea, some energy and valuable mentoring can bring business success.
March 10, 2020
After the ashes
Scientists knew Mount St. Helens would come back to life after the 1980 eruption, but as a new book shows, its resilience still blew them away.
March 5, 2020
Wonder of Warashina
The Smithsonian honors Patti Warashina, ’62, ’64, whose humor and innovative perspectives on the human condition put a new face on ceramics.
December 4, 2019
Seeing himself in the science
Ecologist Christopher Schell believes that tapping into who he is as a person makes his research better.
November 29, 2019
Serving up success
The Foster School's Consulting and Business Development Center boosts entrepreneurs from underserved communities.
November 24, 2019
Legacy of ‘No-No Boy’
Decades ago, he built a foundation for Asian American literature; now, a UW professor is still protecting an alumnus’s classic novel.
September 2, 2019
Jordan Nicholson takes off
How the self-proclaimed lover of life followed his passions to become an accomplished photographer, artist and man about town.
When Dad ran for president
In 1972 and 1976, Sen. Henry “Scoop” Jackson was a candidate for the highest office in the land. I was along for the ride.
Arms to table
Northwest ingredients meet Filipino-influenced cuisine at Archipelago, a Seattle restaurant that has earned rave reviews.
August 25, 2019
The Burke, unwrapped
In an exciting new building designed by renowned architect Tom Kundig, the Burke Museum's work all comes out into the open.
June 2, 2019
Northwest dressed
From timber territory to tech hub, the Northwest passion for fashion has flourished.
March 11, 2019
Down to the core
While the UW may look robust, long-standing cuts in state funding are eroding the school’s ability to maintain buildings, raise salaries and retain faculty.
March 1, 2019
Gaveling man
House Speaker Frank Chopp has spent his life helping underserved members of the Evergreen State.
Master of the tearjerker
Tearjerkers and epic female-driven novels have earned Kristin Hannah, '83, an international following.
Blake Nordstrom, 1960-2019
A longtime leader of a family company, he went out of his way to connect with customers, employees and community members.
The identity solution
PilotED, an elementary school in Indianapolis, believes identity and civic engagement could transform the educational landscape, especially for students of color.
November 30, 2018
The sci-fi future is here
Science fiction has come alive in our modern world—from robots in our homes to the search for life across the universe.
3 hearts, 1 full life
An adventurous alum stricken with heart disease as a young man is thriving after undergoing two heart transplants.
October 19, 2018
First-gens find their way
Resilience, persistence and belonging help students survive the complexities of college.
Helping hungry Huskies
An on-campus pantry works to reduce hunger and end the stigma of food insecurity.
September 11, 2018
The human rights fight
From El Salvador to Spokane, the UW Center for Human Rights seeks justice.
August 30, 2018
‘Yes, I am a boy’
Nonconformist and social media star Kevin Ninh shares his story of self-discovery.
The heart of Puerto Rico
In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, a team of UW engineers and scientists went to Puerto Rico to learn and to help.
New biologies
Nature is an interconnected web of life. A new Life Sciences building takes that to heart.
August 29, 2018
Career puppeteer
If these puppets could talk, they would describe Aurora Valentinetti as the UW's beloved puppeteer.
June 4, 2018
Legends of the IMA
Why did we keep playing softball even after graduating? Because we loved softball and the IMA league was much more fun than other leagues. And we really wanted those championship T-shirts.
June 2, 2018
Mr. Smith’s journey
With core values formed by his Chehalis upbringing, Orin Smith went on to become a business leader who knew how to treat people right.
April 28, 2018
Heart, soul and ice cream
For 85 years, Husky Deli has warmed hearts in West Seattle with scrumptious sandwiches, house-made ice cream and goodies from the world over.
March 4, 2018
Keeper of the flame
A founding member of UW's Black Student Union, Emile Pitre has spent 50 years building solutions from the inside out.
March 3, 2018
Perfectly Claire
Best-selling feminist author Claire Dederer, ’93, on growing up grunge, creating a literary canon for the Northwest, and bad men who create great art.
OMA&D at 50: The people behind the movement
Student activism in 1968 led the UW to create one of the nation’s first offices of minority affairs. Here’s their story. And their outlook for the future.
January 9, 2018
The lunch guy
Fueled by an appetite for social justice, Jeffrey Lew, ’06, set out to end the stigma of school lunch debt.
December 28, 2017
Forging new links
A new type of fire-resistant wood reduces atmospheric carbon and can be made of damaged trees. Could it revive depressed economies in Washington’s rural timber communities?
December 7, 2017
The opioid boom
The prevailing practice for treating addiction to painkillers led to the worst man-made epidemic in modern medical history.
November 15, 2017
Students of nature
The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation is changing the faces—and future—of conservation.
November 8, 2017
The art of preservation
The Conservation Center repairs up to 12,000 items each year.
September 13, 2017
Humanities anyone?
Society’s focus on STEM careers has contributed to a precipitous drop in liberal arts majors. It could be a problem.
September 12, 2017
Scions of Spokane
Ted and Jeremy McGregor operate one of the best alternative weekly papers in the nation.
August 18, 2017
'We came here to contribute'
As an undocumented immigrant, he dreaded going to the dentist. Now he goes the extra mile to put his patients at ease.
June 12, 2017
The Mountaineers
In a time before trails, UW climbers found a way to trek the Pacific Northwest.
May 29, 2017
Man of the city
In his five decades of public service, Norman Rice has helped build a community we are all proud of.
May 8, 2017
Brothers, mentors, friends
Inside the new program advocating for black and brown students on campus.
March 3, 2017
Rhymes on the mic
Rooted in a rich legacy of rhymes, a new class of poets compose verses that channel their cultures and challenge the status quo.
March 1, 2017
Tending to the world
Scientists, doctors and data collectors join forces for population health.
February 27, 2017
Dramatic dynamics
Stereotypes don't have a chance when Kathy Hsieh, '87, takes center stage.
December 29, 2016
In the heart of Yakima
Dulce Gutiérrez, ’14, is making history as one of Eastern Washington’s first Latina city council members.
September 1, 2016
New age of dentistry
Going to the dentist has never been as unpleasant as it’s often made out to be. But new technology and a new teaching philosophy is about to dispel that myth for good. Say ahhh.
Introducing Shwetak Patel
He's one of the brightest thinkers you'll ever meet. Writer Julie Garner pays him a house call and confirms that, yes, he puts his inventions and gadgets to work, but she finds out a whole lot more.
An open invitation
Here we present six alumni who show us the different ways they keep connected, whether they graduated 40 years ago or just this spring.
June 1, 2016
True hued
Brock and Damon Huard both found NFL careers and success after their UW playing days, and both felt drawn to come home.
The torch carrier
Letters from a young man's trip to the 1936 Olympics offer hints of the life he would live.
Dying with dignity
Columns staff writer Julie Garner talks to two men facing death, and the people who care for them.
Always in her element
Whether on a mountain, in a boardroom or on a boat, Sally Jewell is leading the way.
March 1, 2016
How does baby learn?
Researchers with the UW's I-LABS break new ground with their discoveries of how young minds develop.
KEXP rocks its new digs
KEXP and its predecessor KCMU have been a staple of the Seattle music community for four decades. With new digs at the Seattle Center and a 30-year cooperative agreement with the UW, the station enters its next phase as an independent nonprofit.
When compassion was policy
With five children and a sixth on the way, the Nguyen family fled Vietnam. Washington Governor Dan Evans opened the door to a life the family never would have imagined.
2015 shined a spotlight on race
After a year of intensifying protests, the UW opens a dialogue and takes action to promote equity.
December 1, 2015
Restaurateur Renee
She wants to serve the world’s best steak. That’s why chef Renee Erickson, ’95, is now in the ranch business.
An unprecedented president
She is the first woman, first Latina and the first in a long while to be promoted from within to lead the University of Washington.
The dream lab
For more than a century, scientists and students the world over have come to Friday Harbor to learn about the future of our oceans.
The silent stroke
If a stroke should occur, the unparalleled care at UW Medicine's Harborview Medical Center will give you your best shot.
September 1, 2015
25 years of dance
The UW's unique master's program influences dance education across the country.
True to self
As Terra Hoy and others in the UW community know, changing genders is fraught with challenges -- emotional, physical and societal.
June 1, 2015
Welcome to wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ
wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – the Intellectual House – is a place the UW Native American community can call home.
Norm Dicks, retired?
His 36-year career as a Democratic Congressman for Washington’s 6th District may have ended in 2012, but he’s still on the case protecting wildlife and fighting to bolster the economy in his native region.
Top teachers
They walk into a classroom that is filled with a sea of anxious faces. Expectations run high. They take a deep breath and off they go—the process of molding students into scholars is what teachers do everyday. With the greatest of ease? Hardly. Only some have the chops to rise above the rest. Introducing this year’s best of the best.
Soulbound
As the official travel program of the UW Alumni Association, UW Alumni Tours gives alumni and friends the opportunity to grab their passports and suitcases and see the world. Here are three stories of people's adventures with UW Alumni Tours.