In the May 2017 issue:
- Dean's Message
- Research - Deceiving Google's AI; AccessMap; Singing posters and talking shirts
- Campus News - Direct to College admission; Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering; STARS program wins $2.2M
- Events - 2016 lecture series videos; Diamond Awards; 2017 WiUX Conference
- In the Media - Video games help model brain’s neurons; How misinformation spreads on the web; More state investment needed to meet demand for engineers
Dean's MessageWe thank you for taking the time to learn more about the exciting, ongoing work at UW Engineering and for reading Washington Engineer. Read message » |
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Research
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UW security researchers show that Google’s AI tool for video searching can be easily deceived A new tool from Google that uses machine learning to automatically analyze and label video content can be deceived by periodically inserting a photograph into the videos, which leaves the system vulnerable to adversarial attack. After UW researchers inserted an image of a car into a video about animals, for instance, the system returned results suggesting the video was about an Audi. The Verge | Digital Trends | Quartz | The Telegraph | BBC | Motherboard | Ars Technica |
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New route-finding map lets Seattle pedestrians avoid hills, construction, accessibility barriers AccessMap — a UW project spearheaded by the Taskar Center for Accessible Technology — launched a new online travel planner offering customizable suggestions for people who need accessible or pedestrian-friendly routes when getting from point A to B in Seattle. Grist | TechCrunch | The Seattle Times | Seeker | Daily Journal of Commerce | GeekWire |
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Singing posters and talking shirts: UW engineers turn everyday objects into FM radio stations A new technique pioneered by UW engineers enables “singing” posters and “smart” clothing to send audio or data directly to your car’s radio or your smartphone by piggybacking on ambient FM radio signals. Smithsonian | CBC | KING5 | Gizmodo | New Atlas | Digital Trends |
Campus News
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UW College of Engineering announces Direct to College admission for 2018 incoming freshman class The UW College of Engineering is taking a significant step to improve undergraduate engineering students’ educational experiences by offering Direct to College admission beginning with the entering freshman class of 2018. The change will assure incoming freshman students who are admitted into the college and their families that they will be able to pursue an engineering degree at the UW. The Seattle Times | GeekWire |
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$50M endowment establishes the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Washington
With a $50 million endowment that will propel the UW to the forefront of computer science education and innovation, the University has established the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering. The Board of Regents named the school after Allen — the internationally renowned entrepreneur, philanthropist and computing pioneer — in recognition of his longstanding support for the mission of the University and CSE. The Wall Street Journal | Bloomberg | GeekWire | Inside Philanthropy | The Seattle Times | The Chronicle of Philanthropy |
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College of Engineering’s STARS program wins $2.2M to improve access for low-income students
A University of Washington program aimed at increasing the number of economically and educationally disadvantaged students from Washington who graduate with engineering degrees has received a 3-year, $2.2 million grant from the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship fund, with support from Microsoft. The Seattle Times |
Events
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Watch the 2016 lecture series |
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Diamond Awards The Diamond Awards honor outstanding College of Engineering alumni and friends who have made significant contributions to the field of engineering. |
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2017 WiUX Conference The third annual Women in User Experience conference supports women in the field of User Experience and Design with speakers, interactive workshops, lightning talks, and open networking with UX professionals and recruiters. |
In the Media
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Video Games Help Model Brain’s Neurons The New York Times | April 24, 2017 Thousands of people are playing a new game developed by the UW Center for Game Science and the Allen Institute for Brain Science called “Mozak,” which uses common tricks of the video game medium — points, leveling up, and leader boards that publicly rank the performance of players — to crowdsource the creation of three-dimensional models of neurons. GeekWire | Boing Boing |
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How misinformation spreads on the web
NPR’s Weekend Edition | April 9, 2017 When tragic events happen, social media quickly fills with rumors and fake stories. NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks to Kate Starbird, UW assistant professor of Human Centered Design and Engineering, about misinformation on the web. The Huffington Post | Seattle Times | KUOW | KIROTV |
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More state investment needed to meet demand for engineers
The Seattle Times | March 2, 2017 More kids in the state of Washington are graduating from high school with the passion and the qualifications to pursue higher education in STEM fields. But we don’t have the capacity in our universities to provide these students with the education required to qualify for a bow wave of engineering jobs, writes Michael B. Bragg, the Frank & Julie Jungers Dean of Engineering at the UW. |