computer science
September 2, 2023
Cities at your fingertips
Two graduate students seeking a better transit experience invented an app that is used by millions across the U.S.
November 27, 2022
Genius at work
The MacArthur Foundation honors Yejin Choi, a professor who teaches human language to computers.
July 6, 2021
Seeing myself in a 125-year-old photograph
I'm a computer science major, but it was an art history class that shaped how I understand our complex and broken world, and also allowed me to better know myself as an Asian American.
March 3, 2021
Quantum leap
UW scientists work toward a revolution in computing power, and consider the side effects it would cause.
March 30, 2020
Eye on baby's breath
A UW team has used hardware similar to an Amazon Echo to create a smart speaker that detects the breathing motions of an infant’s chest.
March 12, 2020
Fishing for arsenic
Researchers study the movement of water and heavy metals’ impact on aquatic life in lakes near Tacoma.
June 4, 2019
Inventing the future
The UW's Gates Center is a ‘new landmark’ for computer science and engineering.
March 1, 2019
Busier bees
Using teeny, tiny batteries and sensors, insects provide a valuable eye in the sky for agriculture.
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.
June 27, 2017
Welcome back, Paul Allen
Before he funded UW's computer science labs, Paul Allen got kicked out of them.
September 1, 2016
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.
December 1, 2015
Tech that knows
A new wearable technology developed at the UW called MagnifiSense can detect what devices and vehicles the user interacts with.
March 1, 2015
Baby face
It’s a game parents like to play: What will my child look like when she grows up? A computer could now answer the question in less than a minute.
December 1, 2014
Phone training
Mobile phones have become second-nature for most people. What’s coming next, say UW researchers, is the ability to interact with our devices not just with touchscreens, but through gestures in the space around the phone.
September 1, 2014
About everything
Computer scientists from the UW and the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Seattle have created the first fully automated computer program that teaches everything there is to know about any visual concept.
June 1, 2014
Mobile medicine
A collaboration between UW Computer Science and Engineering and PATH, a Seattle-area non-governmental organization, has led to a simple, ingenious solution to a dilemma facing women in Sub-Saharan Africa who wish to store breast milk. While medical care and safe water are not always available, most Africans today have smartphones.
March 1, 2014
Got data. Now what?
At the UW, the best minds are collaborating to ask questions and harness the power of “Big Data” to find answers and seek solutions to advance the common good.
December 1, 2013
Healthy tech
Julie Kientz's sense of discovery spawned a career predicated on using technology to help others and improve their health.
September 1, 2013
Wi-Fi lifestyle
Thanks to gesture-recognition technology developed by University of Washington computer scientists, you may soon be able to brew a pot of coffee, shut off your computer, and turn up the stereo with just a few waves of your hands.
March 1, 2013
Virtual guardian
Tadayoshi Kohno’s efforts to stop hackers are the stuff of science fiction movies.
December 1, 2012
Smarter on asthma
Researchers at the UW and Seattle Children’s have developed a smartphone app that gives an accurate reading of lung function.
December 1, 2011
Futuristic fellow
Shwetak Patel, a UW assistant professor in computer science & engineering and electrical engineering for the past three years, has been honored as one of this year’s MacArthur Fellows.
March 1, 2011
The business of gaming
If you still think video games are for teens in the rec room, it might be time for a closer look at what’s become the biggest entertainment phenomenon since television.
The science of gaming
UW faculty, students and alumni are using computer-game technology to solve some of humankind's most vexing problems.
June 1, 2010
Mobile goes global
The Open Data Kit, a suite of tools developed by computer scientists and engineers at the University of Washington, makes it possible to use mobile devices for social change in the developing world.
December 1, 2009
Self-destructing data
“The Internet never forgets.” That’s Tadayoshi Kohno, an assistant professor of computer science and engineering, explaining the inspiration behind a new program called Vanish, which causes data posted online to self-destruct.
September 1, 2009
Tablets of mystery
An ancient mystery, a modern-day academic debate, and state-of-the-art computer science—these are the elements of recent research by Rajesh Rao, UW associate professor of computer science and engineering.
March 1, 2009
Lifelines and vital signs
Richard Ladner is developing a variety of accessibility technologies to help people who are blind or deaf use computers, communicate and — perhaps closest to his heart — learn.
September 1, 2007
Star searcher
Finding the best time to buy plane tickets is just one of the amazing Web search breakthroughs created by Oren Etzioni.
June 1, 2007
Direct approach
The new dean of the UW College of Engineering doesn’t have an engineering degree. But that’s not the only surprising aspect of Matt O’Donnell.
March 1, 2007
Climbing fast
At age 19, Nodira Khoussainova already has her bachelor’s degree from the University of Auckland in New Zealand and is a year into the Ph.D. program in computer science and engineering at the UW.
March 1, 2006
Mating dance
Scientists have been able to link skillful dancing to established measures of human desirability and attractiveness.
December 1, 2003
Paul Allen, unplugged
Paul Allen looms over Seattle and the nation as one of America's legendary entrepreneurs, computer visionaries and philanthropists.
September 1, 2003
Up and coming
Four new buildings open this fall to meet the UW's 21st century teaching, research and public service missions.
June 1, 2003
Air fare assistance
Researchers at the UW and the University of Southern California announced a new computer program called Hamlet that predicts the best time to buy an airline ticket.
March 1, 2002
Building named for Allen
Investor and philanthropist Paul G. Allen has given $14 million to the University of Washington to ensure the completion of a new facility for the university’s nationally ranked Department of Computer Science and Engineering.
September 1, 2001
Microsoft gift
In a major departure from its normal giving practices, Microsoft Corp. has made a $7.2 million contribution to a new home for the University of Washington’s nationally ranked Department of Computer Science and Engineering.
December 1, 1999
Gifts for computer science
A $3 million gift from the Gates Foundation will create two endowed chairs in Computer Science, the first in the department.
September 1, 1999
New UW awards
Three UW units have won a new award that recognizes collaboration across department lines to improve undergraduate education.
September 1, 1997
Construction prepares UW campus for 21st century learning
Alumni returning to campus for football games, arts events or conferences this fall will find new buildings and ongoing construction.
September 1, 1996
UW computer scientist awarded National Medal of Science
Computer Science and Engineering Professor Richard M. Karp, known for tackling seemingly insoluble problems, received a 1996 National Medal of Science.
December 1, 1994
Smarter computers
Software engineers are creating programs that will turn computers into the ultimate in personal assistants.
September 1, 1990
State of the art
Engineers have invented an image-processing system that may be the world's sharpest, fastest and least expensive.