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Washington Sea Grant oversees the SoundToxins program, which monitors for harmful algal blooms in Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and helps flag toxins before shellfish producers ship off their product.

Permanent Daylight Saving Time would lead to darker mornings from November to March. This would mean darker commutes for everyone, but how much would it affect children going to school? Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ researchers did the math for 14 out of the 19 states that preapproved the change. Using school start times, enrollment data, and latitude and longitude measurements, the team calculated just how many days each child would be commuting to school in the dark and then added the trips together.

Using preliminary data from the Simonyi Survey Telescope at the NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory, scientists have discovered a new dwarf planet candidate in our solar system. If confirmed, the distant world would join Pluto, Ceres, Eris, Haumea and Makemake as our system’s sixth official dwarf planet.

Researchers estimate that changes to how the Postal Service collects and processes mail could cause tens of thousands of otherwise valid ballots to be rejected. These mail delays disproportionately impact rural voters and those in outlying suburban communities. 

Come curious. Leave inspired. The Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ offers an exciting lineup of in-person and online events. From thought-provoking art and music to conversations on culture, history, and science, the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ community invites you to explore, learn, and connect across disciplines throughout the University. And you don’t have to wait until November: Take a look at everything still happening in October. Go directly to the week you’d like to view: Week 1: November 2 – 8 Week 2: November 9 – 15…

A coalition of housing developers, community organizations, childcare providers and educators today broke ground on the Mount Baker Redevelopment and Rainier Rising Early Learning Campus. The 3.8-acre project is expected to create 400 affordable apartments, provide high-quality childcare and be home to a first-of-its-kind early childhood learning center.

Scientists and policymakers use scenarios called Shared Socioeconomic Pathways to project how today’s choices affect tomorrow’s world. But for complex subjects like public health, these intentionally simple scenarios don’t capture every complexity.

A group of 175 researchers, including eight from the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ, co-authored a commentary published in Earth’s Future and the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society that provides a roadmap for future climate assessments in the U.S. by synthesizing the science and identifying research priorities based on existing gaps.

A Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ-led center for optoelectronics — technologies that combine light and electronics — brings researchers from 14 universities across the U.S. together with the mission to develop new materials to transform information technology with light. Founded in 2021, NSF IMOD has received a second round of funding from the NSF to continue its work for the next five years.

The Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ today broke ground on a $231.1-million Chemical Sciences Building. Once completed, the state-of-the-art facility will be a nexus for collaborative research and teaching that will help the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ define the next 100 years of science education and breakthroughs.

A NASA satellite originally designed to study large bodies of water may also be able to monitor most of the world’s irrigation canals, according to a new Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ study. This capability could help farmers and water managers around the world manage resources, prepare for droughts and improve food security in their communities.

Explore recent research from the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ: ancient capybara and palm fossils found in the desert, a window into the bottom of the food web, waves that go a different way, environmental advocacy in Colombia, the mechanics of blood clotting and a superconducting surprise.

Come curious. Leave inspired. The Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ offers an exciting lineup of in-person and online events. From thought-provoking art and music to conversations on culture, history, and science, the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ community invites you to explore, learn, and connect across disciplines throughout the University. Sign up to receive a monthly notice when the ArtSci Roundup has been published. Go directly to the week you’d like to view: Week 1: September 28 – October 4 Week 2: October 5 – 11 Week 3:…

A Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ-led research team has discovered the best-preserved fossil feathers from the Mesozoic era — in fossilized dinosaur poop. Some of these feathers have features that look like modern birds’ feathers. This finding can help researchers better understand why and how some birds survived the catastrophic event 66 million years ago that killed 75% of life on the planet.

American public health agencies don’t routinely test wastewater for sexually transmitted infections, but new research led by the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ and the Washington State Department of Health found that such methods could be used to effectively identify Chlamydia trachomatis, the bacteria that causes chlamydia.

Melinda Webster, a research scientist at the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµâ€™s Applied Physics Laboratory, is the lead author on a new study that catalogs changes in Arctic and Antarctic sea ice over the past 50-plus years. She spoke with Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ News about the story behind the numbers.

Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ researchers gathered eight kids on campus to explore how they played with AI toys. The kids initially were curious, asking introductory questions, such as “What is your name?â€� But after communication breakdowns, the kids turned to antagonizing the toys, calling them “uglyâ€� and “evilâ€� and joking about throwing them in the ocean.

After tracking birds in the Puget Sound lowlands for 12 years, researchers conclude that birds respond better to some development configurations than others, highlighting measures developers can take to protect native species while still meeting the region’s growing demands.

AI systems such as Google’s Gemini Storybook now let parents or teachers conjure illustrated, personalized kids stories. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ researchers found that when six leading AI models made stories about talking animals, 57% of characters were either gender neutral or ungendered, 41% were male, and just 2% were female.

Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ researchers created the Landslide Exposure Database, the first resource that maps per-building landslide vulnerability across the United States. The study estimates that roughly 6.5 million U.S. residents are highly vulnerable to landslides, and overturns the conventional picture of landslide risk in the U.S. by identifying high concentrations of exposure in Appalachia as well as a surprising urban-rural divide.

Researchers at the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ are investigating how genetic changes impact the severity of schizophrenia symptoms. A new study supports the idea that deletions in genes that regulate early brain and neuron development are associated with more severe features of schizophrenia spectrum disorders, particularly lower cognitive abilities.

Eight Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ researchers have been selected as Fulbright Scholars for 2026-2027 and will pursue studies around the world.  Fulbright Scholars are college and university faculty, administrators and researchers, as well as artists and professionals, who build their skills and connections, gain valuable international insights and return home to share their experiences with their students and colleagues. This year’s Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ cohort represents a variety of disciplines, including sciences, engineering, business, environmental sciences, electrical and computer engineering, and computer science….