The Ģ����Ƶ today announced a multimillion-dollar gift to establish the Winbond Endowed Fund for Excellence in the College of Engineering, supporting research, education and innovation for students, faculty and staff.

The $12 million gift from Winbond Electronics Corporation America, a U.S. subsidiary of Taiwan-based Winbond Electronics Corporation, a global semiconductor company and leading provider of memory and integrated circuit solutions, provides the College with the flexibility to make strategic investments in exceptional people, promising ideas and emerging opportunities.

“Winbond’s investment in the College of Engineering reflects tremendous confidence in our faculty and students and strengthens our ability to advance discovery in emerging technologies. Deepening the Ģ����Ƶ’s partnership with Winbond also creates new opportunities to connect with leading companies and scholars across the Pacific Rim,” said Ģ����Ƶ President Robert J. Jones. “The fact that this partnership is championed by Ģ����Ƶ alumnus Arthur Chiao makes it all the more special to the University.”

Winbond’s chairman, Arthur Y.C. Chiao, (MS ‘80 Electrical Engineering) has spent more than three decades helping shape Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, advancing innovation in memory and logic integrated circuits, strengthening independent research and development capabilities and fostering collaboration across industry, academia and government. Chiao envisions the new fund as a catalyst for breakthrough discoveries, early-stage research and interdisciplinary collaboration, enabling the College to pursue bold initiatives and respond to evolving opportunities in engineering, technology and fields of future strategic importance. Examples include semiconductors, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies and advanced manufacturing, areas where the Ģ����Ƶ Engineering already leads, and could expand to include other emerging fields.

“Seattle is a gateway to the Pacific Northwest of North America, and the Ģ����Ƶ will play an important role in connecting future technology innovation between North America and East Asia,” Chiao said.

The fund will support research, faculty recruitment and retention, student scholarships and fellowships, research infrastructure, interdisciplinary collaborations and emerging opportunities across the College.

The work will build upon existing Pacific Rim collaborations and further interconnect the Ģ����Ƶ with industry and research across the globe.

“Arthur Chiao’s vision, leadership and lifelong commitment to the Ģ����Ƶ make this gift especially meaningful. This investment strengthens our ability to attract talent, foster innovation and deepen collaborations across the Pacific Rim, creating new opportunities for students and researchers while advancing the technologies that will shape the future,” said Nancy Albritton, the Frank and Julie Jungers Endowed Dean at the College of Engineering.

For more information, contact Jackson Holtz at jjholtz@uw.edu.��

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More than 100��doctoral��students across the country are eligible based on their pursuit of research on core AI disciplines such as machine learning, computer��vision��and natural-language processing.����

The program’s goal is to support��innovations that will underwrite the next step in the evolution of practical AI.��The $10 million in student funding will be awarded annually for each of the two academic years,��2024–2025 and 2025–2026.��Another $24 million��will be��given��annually��in��Amazon Web Services��(AWS)��cloud-computing credits, bringing the program’s total��value��to��$68 million over two years.������

Each��doctoral��fellow��will be��paired with an Amazon research liaison, a senior scientist working��on a topic related to the��fellow’s��work. Liaisons will meet regularly with��fellows to��offer��guidance and��discuss��real-world implications of their��research. Fellows will also��have opportunities to��pursue their projects��over the summers��as Amazon interns.��

“We’re proud to be part of this impactful initiative and deeply grateful to Amazon for its investment in the next generation of AI leaders,” said Nancy Allbritton,��Frank & Julie��Jungers��Dean of Engineering at the Ģ����Ƶ. “Having nine of our students selected — seven from the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering — is a testament to the strength of our AI research community and the caliber of our��doctoral��programs. This fellowship will accelerate their work on real-world challenges and deepen our collaborative ties with Amazon. Together��we’ll��shape the future of AI to solve real-world challenges and advance technologies that��benefit��society.”��

Universities��selected��fellows��by following guidance��from Amazon to prioritize work that promises to make an impact on practical AI problems.����A complete list of Ģ����Ƶ fellows will be announced��at a later date.��

Funding is intended to cover tuition,��stipends��and fees. Each university receives $1.1 million per year, and the number of fellows funded varies according to the universities’ financial arrangements��with��students.��

Other��participating universities��are:��Carnegie Mellon University; Johns Hopkins University; the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Stanford University; the University of California, Berkeley; the University of California, Los Angeles; the University of Texas at Austin; and the University of Illinois–Urbana Champaign.��

The Ģ����Ƶ��enjoys existing research collaborations with Amazon, through the Amazon Hubs program, the Amazon Scholar program,��Amazon��Research��Awards��and other initiatives.��

For more information:����

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is back for the first time since 2019!

This Ģ����Ƶ College of Engineering event brings thousands of elementary and middle school students from all over Washington to campus to be engineers for a day. Students participate in more than 100 hands-on activities — with names like “Walk on Water” and “Electrochemical Engin-earring” — that demonstrate cool engineering concepts.

This year 3,801 students registered to attend the event on May 2 and 3,495 students registered to attend the event on May 3.

Discovery Days is part of the College of Engineering’s effort to prepare K-12 students for success in STEM. Kids, parents and teachers get a chance to meet Ģ����Ƶ engineering faculty, staff and students for a fun and educational day of activities including making ice cream, creating colorful earrings from titanium metal, building a mini edible bridge, and seeing demonstrations of drones, robots, cars, trucks and aircraft.

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The Ģ����Ƶ is at the forefront of an international effort to innovate the semiconductor industry while building a skilled U.S.-based workforce to design and manufacture chip technology. UPWARDS for the Future will support work already underway in the Ģ����Ƶ’s Washington Nanofabrication Faciliity. Video credit: Kiyomi Taguchi, Ģ����Ƶ News

The Ģ����Ƶ is at the forefront of an international effort to innovate the semiconductor industry while building a skilled U.S.-based workforce to design and manufacture chip technology.

Part of a landmark education partnership that was in May 2023 at the G7 meeting in Japan, the effort brings together researchers and faculty from the U.S. and Japan to support the University Partnership for Workforce Advancement and Research & Development in Semiconductors (UPWARDS) for the Future project. Micron Technology and Tokyo Electron Limited, as founding industry partners, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and universities together are investing over $60 million for the five-year project. Many of the participants are attending kick-off activities at the Ģ����Ƶ this week.

“With our University’s proven track record of using public research investment to spur economic and technological growth, the Ģ����Ƶ is excited to be taking the lead in expanding our capacity to educate professionals and drive discovery in the critical field of semiconductors,” said Ģ����Ƶ President Ana Mari Cauce. “We’re grateful to Senator Cantwell for her leadership and for the collaboration of our partners.”

Modern technology — including household appliances, automobiles, computers and defense systems — relies on semiconductors. The semiconductor was invented in the U.S., yet today the U.S. produces about only 10% of the world’s supply. Recognizing the economic and national security risks this poses, U.S. policymakers passed the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) & Science Act in 2022 to strengthen the U.S. semiconductor ecosystem.

“Our nation’s success in advanced technologies depends on having a skilled workforce. The Ģ����Ƶ will help establish the Pacific Northwest as a leader by training the more than 90,000 students, faculty, and skilled professionals needed to build the most advanced chips right here in the United States,” said Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., who was instrumental in passing the landmark CHIPS & Science bill. “If we want to lead the world tomorrow, we must invest in worker training today.”

Boise, Ida.-based Micron and the partner universities will jointly recruit new faculty members, named as UPWARDS Professors, who will work on high-impact research projects with the industry partners. In addition to their research responsibilities, UPWARDS Professors will also contribute to curriculum development and other UPWARDS for the Future activities, including advising exchange students and graduate fellows. The first cohort of UPWARDS professors, all women, will also participate in industry-led mentoring programs to help gain valuable insights supporting in the advancement of their own careers. The grants will also support graduate fellowships and provide research experiences for undergraduate students.

Initiatives like UPWARDS for the Future prioritize expanding the STEM talent pipeline to reach groups that are underrepresented in the semiconductor industry today. This vision for UPWARDS for the Future aligns with Ģ����Ƶ efforts to close the STEM gender gap, establish pathways into higher education and facilitate new programs dedicated to attracting and retaining historically underrepresented groups. President Cauce and College of Engineering Dean Nancy Albritton are members of the national Education Group for Diversification and Growth in Engineering Consortium, or EDGE. And, last summer, the Ģ����Ƶ joined the Northwest University Semiconductor Network, led by Micron, to grow the next generation of semiconductor experts, by enhancing experiential learning opportunities in the semiconductor industry, and prioritizing access for underrepresented students, particularly in rural and tribal communities.

“We are proud to be part of this innovation partnership and to lead the NSF grant for UPWARDS. As Washington state’s leading educator of engineers and as a leader in chip engineering and workforce development for the global innovation economy, it is an honor to work collaboratively with academic and industry partners to drive advancements in this crucial scientific field,” Albritton said.

In addition to the Ģ����Ƶ, the UPWARDS for the Future partnership includes five U.S. institutions: Boise State, Purdue, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Rochester Institute of Technology and Virginia Tech; and five Japanese universities: Hiroshima University, Kyushu University, Nagoya University, Tohoku University and Tokyo Institute of Technology. The Ģ����Ƶ will share the $10 million NSF grant with the five U.S. institutions, while Micron’s and Tokyo Electron’s $20 million gifts will be shared among the 11 U.S. and Japanese institutions.

“The UPWARDS for the Future program sets a prime model of government-industry-academia partnership, propelling the development of the U.S. semiconductor technology workforce. This initiative stands out with an emphasis on international collaboration, providing students with invaluable insights and experience into the industry’s international supply chain dynamics,” said , Ģ����Ƶ professor of both electrical and computer engineering and physics, as well as a faculty member of the Ģ����Ƶ Institute for Nano-Engineered Systems. Li will lead Ģ����Ƶ’s efforts supporting UPWARDS for the Future.

The UPWARDS program includes five pillar activities, including: Semiconductor Curriculum Design and Implementation; Expanding Women Workforces in Semiconductors; Experiential Learning; US-Japan International Student Faculty Exchange; and Memory-centric Research Projects. At this week’s workshop, the 11 institutions aim to establish across-the-board plans on student exchange, curriculum sharing and standardization, and research collaboration.

Semiconductor engineering is the second strategic university-corporate partnership initiative concluded between American and Japanese academic institutions and the corporate sector since May 2022, when President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made a commitment to advance U.S.-Japan science and technology cooperation. The Ģ����Ƶ also is the lead partner on the Cross Pacific AI Hub partnership announced on April 10, to lead innovation and technological breakthroughs in artificial intelligence. Both UPWARDS for the Future and the Cross Pacific AI Hub are cornerstones of the Ģ����Ƶ’s global impact, building lasting relationships with peer institutions and industry on both sides of the Pacific to support Ģ����Ƶ students, faculty and staff on work to address critical issues.

For more information, contact Li at upwards@uw.edu.

Here’s what other leaders said about UPWARDS for the Future:

“Economic security depends on the ‘3 M’s’: machines, minerals, and minds. The UPWARDS network is developing the workforce that we need to secure semiconductor supply chains and delivering on the promise made by President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida to elevate U.S.-Japan cooperation in advanced science and technology. This innovative university-corporate partnership has become the model for long-term collaboration in transformative technologies.” — U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel

“This past year we have accelerated our collaboration with our ecosystem partners. Collaboration between the UPWARDS universities will cultivate the next generation of the high-tech workforce, ushering in an exciting new era of semiconductor research and manufacturing in the United States and Japan. Micron has made it a priority to increase opportunities for all students, making sure that women, students from underrepresented populations and those from rural or economically disadvantaged communities have equitable access to engineering and science degrees. The impacts of UPWARDS will be far-reaching as we work to meet the demand for semiconductor industry talent over the next two decades.” — April Arnzen, executive vice president and chief people officer, Micron Technology

“Tokyo Electron (TEL) is proud to participate in the U.S.-Japan University Partnership for Workforce Advancement and Research & Development in Semiconductors (UPWARDS) for the Future Program. The objectives of the program are in line with TEL’s vision to leverage our expertise as an industry-leading semiconductor equipment manufacturer and pursue technological innovation in semiconductors, thereby contributing to the development of a dream-inspiring society. Through participation in this program, we aim to help develop a diverse set of skilled individuals capable of leading future innovation in semiconductor technology. The UPWARDS Program is also part of our ongoing efforts in the US to collaborate with industry partners and help grow the talent pipeline for technicians, engineers, computer scientists, and other professionals who will be in high demand as the domestic semiconductor industry, its manufacturing base, and associated R&D activities grow.” —��Alex Oscilowski, president, TEL Technology Center of America

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The Ģ����Ƶ and the University of Tsukuba have entered an innovation partnership with NVIDIA and Amazon aimed at furthering research, entrepreneurship, workforce development and social implementation in the field of artificial intelligence. This U.S.-Japan academic partnership is part of a broad, $110 million effort to build upon the strong ties between the U.S. and Japan and to continue to lead innovation and technological breakthroughs in artificial intelligence.

The groundbreaking agreement involving universities and industry leaders in both countries was announced on April 9th in Washington, D.C. as part of Prime Minister Kishida Fumio’s historic state visit. U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, and Japanese Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Moriyama Masahito announced two new research partnerships in artificial intelligence between the Ģ����Ƶ and the University of Tsukuba and between Carnegie Mellon University and Keio University. These partnerships are supported by $110 million in combined private sector investment from NVIDIA, Amazon, Arm, Microsoft, and nine Japanese companies. Amazon and NVIDIA will each invest $25 million in this collaboration.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity for the Ģ����Ƶ to lead the global conversation on AI and to convene academic researchers, industry experts and governmental leaders to not only advance the workforce, but to change lives and communities by leveraging this powerful technology,” said Ģ����Ƶ Provost Tricia Serio.

“This is an exciting effort that brings together the talents and expertise of cutting-edge, world-class universities,” said Washington Gov. Jay Inslee. “Advancements in AI are happening at a breakneck pace. This collaboration will help provide the research and workforce training for our regions’ tech sectors to keep up with the profound impacts AI is having across every sector of our economy.”

At the invitation of Ambassador Emanuel, the Ģ����Ƶ has been forging ties with the University of Tsukuba over the past year, with a focus on shared expertise in artificial intelligence. Tsukuba is known in Japan for being at the center of scientific research and innovation, much like Seattle’s reputation for fostering technological breakthroughs and being home to some of the world’s biggest technology companies.

“We are honored to work with Amazon and NVIDIA as well as with the University of Tsukuba to advance artificial intelligence and global engagement,” said Nancy Allbritton, dean of the College of Engineering. “Tsukuba is a science city just as Seattle is, and we see a tremendous opportunity to leverage the university and the whole ecosystem to create a better future on both sides of the Pacific. We are grateful to Ambassador Emanuel for catalyzing this landmark partnership.”

Faculty and staff from the College of Engineering will spearhead Ģ����Ƶ interdisciplinary efforts. This multi-year partnership will feature work in areas where AI can drive transformative change to benefit society, including healthcare, robotics, climate change and atmospheric science, among others. The funding will support research awards, post-doctoral and doctoral students, an undergraduate summer research program, and an entrepreneurship bootcamp program.

Artificial Intelligence is the third strategic university-corporate partnership initiative concluded between American and Japanese academic institutions and the corporate sector since May 2022, when President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Kishida made a commitment to advance U.S.-Japan science and technology cooperation. The Ģ����Ƶ also is the lead partner on UPWARDS, a program focused on workforce development for the semiconductor industry supported by Micron, Tokyo Electron Limited and the National Science Foundation.

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Allbritton was selected “for innovation and commercialization of single-cell, analytical, and gut-on-chip technologies for drug screening and for engineering education.”

Drawing from the fields of engineering, chemistry, physics and materials science, Allbritton’s research develops technologies and platforms for biomedical research and clinical care, including the study and analysis of single cells for the treatment of a variety of diseases such as cancer, macular degeneration and HIV. She is an international expert on multiplexed single-cell assays, microfabricated platforms for high-content cytometry combined with cell sorting, and microengineered stem-cell-based systems for recapitulating human organ-level function.

Her work has resulted in over 250 full-length journal publications and patents and led to 15 commercial products. In addition, five companies have been formed based on her research discoveries: Protein Simple (acquired by Bio-Techne in 2014), Intellego, Cell Microsystems, Altis Biosystems and Piccolo Biosystems. She has been nationally recognized for her research and is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Institute for Medical & Biological Engineering, the National Academy of Inventors and the Washington State Academy of Sciences.

As the Frank & Julie Jungers Dean of the College of Engineering, Allbritton is committed to engineering excellence for the public good by fostering high-impact, interdisciplinary research and technology translation and building an inclusive community of faculty, staff and students. She has received numerous awards for her leadership, including the BMES Robert A. Pritzker Award and the Edward Kidder Graham Award for Leadership and Service.

Allbritton is among 114 new members across the U.S. who are honored for contributions to “engineering research, practice or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature” and for contributions to “the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.”

, principal senior technical fellow at Boeing, has also been elected to the academy. Seebergh is a Ģ����Ƶ affiliate professor of chemical engineering.

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Wearing purple hard hats and using gold-plated shovels, officials from the Ģ����Ƶ broke ground Thursday on a new, $102 million to be constructed along Stevens Way east of the Husky Union Building. Once complete, the state-of-the-art 70,000-square-foot building will be an example of a student-focused learning facility backed by both public and private investments. The project aims to fuel economic growth and create a pipeline of future, local engineering talent.

The IEB will provide much-needed space for project-based collaborative learning as well as a student-focused “home” for engineering undergraduates.�� The College of Engineering’s new building will provide a welcoming and inclusive space to introduce students to more engineering pathways and facilitate tomorrow’s discoveries.

“Our great public university is dedicated to creating access to excellence for the students of our state,” said Ģ����Ƶ President Ana Mari Cauce. “With this new facility, we will be able to open doors of opportunity for even more talented, driven future engineers. These future innovators, creators and entrepreneurs will get the kind of student-centered, hands-on training that will empower them to take on the biggest challenges facing our communities.”

College of Engineering Dean Nancy Allbritton thanked the community partners, companies and individuals who already have pledged their support:

• The state of Washington, which has contributed $50 million.
• Boeing, which gave $10 million to name the IEB’s second level, which will feature the AI Engineering Institute.
• Amazon, which announced a $5 million gift on Thursday for the Student Support Suite.
• T-Mobile, which announced a $5 million gift on Thursday to name the Engineering Academic Center focused on student support.
• Ģ����Ƶ alumni, individuals and other organizations who have contributed more than $18 million.

Construction of the IEB is scheduled to be completed by mid-2024.

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Boeing to provide $10 million investment to support new educational space that features focus on AI

The Ģ����Ƶ will break ground this fall on a new, $90 million , thanks in part to a $10 million donation from Boeing. Once complete, the state-of-the-art building will be a leading example of a student-focused learning facility backed by both public and private investments. The state of Washington has also dedicated $50 million to support the project that aims to fuel economic growth and create a pipeline of future, local engineering talent.

relationship with the Ģ����Ƶ dates back more than a century, and this latest investment will support naming rights for the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building’s entire second level, which includes the College of Engineering’s new AI Education Institute and adjacent curricular spaces.

“Investment in engineering education is not just crucial to our region’s economy, it is essential to developing the skilled professionals and catalyzing the discovery and innovation that we need to address our world’s most pressing challenges,” said Ģ����Ƶ President Ana Mari Cauce. “���DZ𾱲Բ�’s significant investment is a reflection of our longstanding and deep partnership, and we are proud to continue working together to advance engineering education, create opportunities for students and expand the pipeline to develop the highly-skilled diverse workforce our region and our world needs.”

The College of Engineering graduates more than 50% of the state’s new engineers. Boeing is a top employer of Ģ����Ƶ engineering graduates, with nearly 1,200 engineering alumni hired in the last five years and 6,500 Ģ����Ƶ alumni currently working for the aerospace company, according to LinkedIn and other data.

“The new Interdisciplinary Engineering Building offers Boeing the opportunity to partner more closely with the university on cutting-edge technologies that enhance the safety and sustainability of our products and services,” said Greg Hyslop, Boeing chief engineer and executive vice president of Engineering, Test & Technology. “Through continued research and talent development, we will advance our work in artificial intelligence, machine learning and other capabilities that support our digital innovation. It helps us all move toward a dynamic and exciting future in the state of Washington.”

Since ���DZ𾱲Բ�’s earliest days, leaders have partnered with the Ģ����Ƶ to nurture talent and foster engineering innovation. In 1917, company founder Bill Boeing gave the Ģ����Ƶ $6,000 to construct a wind tunnel, the same year that Ģ����Ƶ aeronautics courses began. Ģ����Ƶ’s aeronautics department officially was established in 1929, and in 2012 was named the William E. Boeing Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics. Today, Boeing uses a newer wind tunnel at Ģ����Ƶ to test nearly every new airplane the company’s engineers design.

Boeing contributions to Ģ����Ƶ over the years include internships, scholarships and other innovative opportunities for students, especially those who come from marginalized communities, to enter engineering fields.

With dedicated space for Industry Capstone Projects, the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building’s design further promotes close participation from students and regional industry. Boeing alone sponsors more than 10 projects annually, each involving teams of five students, a Ģ����Ƶ professor and a Boeing mentor.

“I’m grateful to Boeing for their support for our new contemporary educational building, the next milestone in our century-long relationship,” said Nancy Allbritton, Frank & Julie Jungers Dean of the College of Engineering. “It sets a tone for industry engagement with our students, which translates directly into strong regional economic growth.�� As we advance a vision of engineering excellence for the public good, we look forward to expanding our partnership with Boeing and other local industry for the benefit of our students and our broader community.”

The Interdisciplinary Engineering Building’s 70,000-square-foot, five-level design — east of the Husky Union Building on Stevens Way — will provide much-needed interdisciplinary space for project-based collaborative learning, as well as a student-focused “home” for engineering undergraduates. By adding the new building, the College of Engineering will provide a welcoming and inclusive space to introduce students to more engineering pathways and facilitate tomorrow’s discoveries.

Interest in engineering has exploded, and since 2009 the Ģ����Ƶ has nearly doubled the number of undergraduate and graduate engineering degrees, but classroom and activity space hasn’t kept pace. With the addition of the new contemporary engineering building to the Seattle campus, the Ģ����Ƶ can focus on cross-college multidisciplinary teamwork, improved diversity and increased engagement with industry — all to prepare students for the engineering careers of the future. In addition to being a home for students, the building will also serve as the front door to industry and a direct connection for hiring students with interdisciplinary skills.

The Interdisciplinary Engineering Building’s architect is KieranTimberlake, and contractor is Hensel Phelps. Construction is scheduled to begin this year and be completed by mid-2024.

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The Ģ����Ƶ and Amazon today announced the , an effort that deepens the relationship between the two organizations and will advance innovation in core robotics, artificial intelligence technologies and their applications.

Amazon’s initial investment of $1.9 million will support a broad set of programs, including fellowships for doctoral students, collaboration among researchers and support for collaborative research events. The hub’s initial focus will accelerate AI, robotics and engineering in the Seattle area while embracing neighboring academic institutions and the public through events.

“We are excited to collaborate with Amazon to advance research and learning in the College of Engineering and beyond,” said Ģ����Ƶ President Ana Mari Cauce. “The incredible potential for world-changing discovery across disciplines and sectors represents the best of what is possible when academia and industry join forces to accelerate innovation here in the Pacific Northwest, home to both our organizations.”

Housed in the College of Engineering, the hub is expected to expand its focus over time and tackle additional challenges at the intersection of technology, industry and society.

“Solving the hardest challenges in science and engineering requires collaboration between bright minds in industry and academia,” said , senior vice president of Customer Fulfillment at Amazon. “This hub deepens our engagement with a research powerhouse sitting in our backyard, empowering Amazon scientists and Ģ����Ƶ researchers to work together to both address those challenges and contribute to the scientific community via open research.”

The hub fosters a new generation of researchers to tackle complex problems, identified by Amazon and addressed through the Ģ����Ƶ’s robotics labs.

“These kinds of real-world challenges and problems are increasingly a scarce strategic resource for researchers in robotics and AI,” said hub inaugural director , who is a professor in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering and is the Milton and Delia Zeutschel Professor in Entrepreneurial Excellence in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering. “The hub will allow our students and faculty to advance the state of the art in some of the most challenging open research problems in robotics and AI. And that’s just the start of the mission.”

“The research hub aligns with our strategic vision to advance engineering excellence for the public good. We’re thrilled to further deepen our relationship with Amazon and to leverage our research strengths to address these types of challenges and develop solutions that will benefit all,” said , Frank & Julie Jungers Dean of Engineering.

, an Amazon Robotics AI principal scientist who will serve as the Ģ����Ƶ research liaison, said the hub will launch with an initial focus on robotics as a collaboration between Amazon Robotics AI and the College of Engineering.

“Addressing challenges in autonomy, computer vision and machine learning is important to both Amazon and the robotics community at large,” Wolf said. “We’ve already built great momentum in defining flagship programs in robotic manipulation and 3D perception at Ģ����Ƶ, and we look forward to expanding our engagement with Ģ����Ƶ and building a joint community of researchers here in Seattle.”

Amazon and the Ģ����Ƶ have worked closely since the 1990s, leveraging their proximity to one another. Amazon has provided learning opportunities for students through project funds and fellowships, support for faculty through professorships and research funding and new spaces for learning and collaboration through capital support. Thousands of Ģ����Ƶ alumni work at Amazon, many serving in executive-leadership positions. Dozens of Amazon professionals have served in volunteer roles at the Ģ����Ƶ over the years, as advisors on Ģ����Ƶ boards and committees.

Many Ģ����Ƶ professors also are , a program designed for academics from universities around the globe who want to apply research methods in practice and help the company solve technical challenges without leaving their academic institutions.

“As someone with deep ties to both organizations, I am delighted the hub will both seed new ideas and deepen the connections between our researchers,” said , director of Robotics AI at Amazon and holder of the Boeing Endowed Professorship at the Allen School. “My Ģ����Ƶ colleagues excel at tackling complex and interdisciplinary problems, and the scale of Amazon’s fulfillment network provides a rich set of problems in AI and robotics. This collaboration will catalyze invention and exploration by bridging our diversity of perspectives and approaches to problem solving.”

For more information, contact Smith at jrs@cs.washington.edu.

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Seven scientists and engineers at the Ģ����Ƶ have been elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences, according to an July 15 by the academy. One-third of the 21 new members for 2020 hail from the Ģ����Ƶ.

The new members are lauded for “their outstanding record of scientific and technical achievement and their willingness to work on behalf of the academy to bring the best available science to bear on issues within the state of Washington.” The academy’s current membership selected 17 of the new members, and four were chosen by virtue of their election to one of the .

New Ģ����Ƶ members who were elected by academy members are:

• , the Frank & Julie Jungers Dean of the College of Engineering and professor of bioengineering, “for outstanding contributions to the design and application of microtechnologies to biomedical research, leadership in interdisciplinary research and education, and entrepreneurial excellence.”
• , professor of chemistry and of materials science and engineering, “for the development of controlled polymerization reactions for conjugated polymers, especially alkyl-thiophenes, for organic electronics applications.”��Luscombe is also a faculty member with the , the and the .
• , professor of Earth and space sciences, “for fundamental contributions to geomorphology, for the elucidation of soils, rivers, and landscapes as underpinnings of ecological systems and human societies, and for reaching broad audiences through trade books on agriculture, microbes, creationism, and fisheries.”
• Sue Moore, research scientist at the in the Department of Biology, “for contributions to the understanding of Arctic marine ecosystems and pioneering the integration of Conventional Science and Indigenous Knowledge to yield better policy decisions.”
• , professor of pharmacology, “for exceptional contributions to the understanding of the molecular mechanisms by which ubiquitin ligases, as a new class of enzymes, control protein ubiquitination in human physiology and diseases, as well as plant growth and development.”

Ģ����Ƶ members who were chosen by virtue of their election to one of the National Academies are:

• , professor of biostatistics and of epidemiology at the Ģ����Ƶ and a faculty member at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, “for pioneering work in the field of designing and analyzing vaccine studies, including studies of HIV vaccines and innovative use of mathematical and statistical methods to study infectious disease.” Halloran was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2019.
• , professor emeritus of civil and environmental engineering, “for contributions to geotechnical earthquake engineering, including liquefaction, seismic stability and seismic site response.” Kramer was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2020.

New members are to be inducted at the annual members meeting, which is currently scheduled for September.

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