Social Sciences
December 1, 2015
'Scarface' found
A team of scientists has identified a new species of “pre-mammal” based on fossils unearthed in Zambia’s Luangwa Basin in 2009. Its discoverers include Christian Sidor, UW professor of biology and curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Burke Museum.
Sweet gratitude
Gratitude is universally considered a social good—the warm feeling that results from a kindness received. But it can have a dark side: It can impel us to eat more sweets, according to new research by Ann Schlosser, professor of marketing at the Foster School of Business.
September 1, 2015
Cellphone guilt
A new UW study finds that cellphone use at playgrounds is a significant source of parental guilt, as well as a powerful distraction when children try to get caregivers’ attention.
Space explorers
Fifty years is no time at all for a universe that dates back 13.8 billion. But for those who study the sky, the past five decades have changed everything.
June 1, 2015
Mindfulness
Whether it’s coping with college or taming an addiction, mindfulness has real medical and practical benefits, and it’s something UW researchers have been exploring for decades.
A startling find
Since she was a student in pharmacy school, Shelly Gray has felt a strong connection to the situation many elderly patients find themselves in: “I was struck by how many different medications older adults are taking, as well as their struggle with trying to keep those medications straight,” she recalls.
March 1, 2015
Character: Janis Avery
Janis Avery has one mission in life: shoring up support for foster children so they can make the grade in school.
December 1, 2013
Distracted drivers
In Washington state’s first study to examine driver use of electronic devices, UW investigators saw that more than 8 percent of drivers were engaging with such devices behind the wheel, higher than previously estimated.
September 1, 2012
USDA report off base
If you fill your shopping cart with healthy foods, it will cost you less than if you purchased highly processed “junk” food full of high fat and sugar content, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says. Not so, says Adam Drewnowski, professor of epidemiology in the UW School of Public Health.
Tree-sized benefits
Professor James Lutz, UW research scientist in environmental and forest sciences, is the lead author of the largest quantitative study yet on the importance of big trees in temperate forests.
Champions for children
Under a new arrangement with the State of Washington, the UW School of Social Work will lead the first comprehensive statewide program to train social workers and caregivers who work with Washington’s vulnerable children and families.
June 1, 2012
Green light
More than 40 UW students from a variety of disciplines are building a car for the future as part of the EcoCAR 2 competition.
December 1, 2011
Tall order
Thanks to a grant from the National Science Foundation, Earth and Space Sciences Professors Bernard Hallet and Howard Conway are trying to determine whether glaciers speed up or slow erosion in the Himalaya.
The market knows
The next time you hear the federal government announce that the gross domestic product has dropped, say, 3 percent, don’t believe it. Instead, look to the stock market.
More talk, less pot
A study shows that a brief, voluntary chat with an adult led to a 20 percent decrease in marijuana use for teens who are frequent users.
September 1, 2011
Boost for Head Start
Two UW College of Education researchers, both with previous classroom experience, are going to find out which teaching and learning practices are best for kids in Head Start.
June 1, 2011
Uncloaked
Books such as "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" are part of a crime novel tradition dating back to at least 1965 in Scandinavia—a tradition Andrew Nestingen, associate professor of Scandinavian Studies, has followed for years.
Mother-child bonds
A Social Work doctoral candidate assembled a research panel of mothers, corrections officers and early childhood professionals—three groups that wanted a deeper understanding of the mother-child connection in prison..
March 1, 2011
Sink to Sound
Researchers are using a new method for collecting old-fashioned data: They are employing real people—citizen scientists—to study changes in the environment.
An eye on soldiers
The U.S. Department of Defense awarded a five-year grant to the University of Washington School of Social Work’s Innovative Programs Research Group to develop and test an intervention for at-risk soldiers.