Dear Friends of Engineering,

As we welcome our University of Washington students, faculty and staff back to campus for a new academic year, I am excited to share recent news highlighting innovative research, broad impact and exciting growth for UW Engineering.

In this issue of Washington Engineer, you'll read about research teams that are uncovering and addressing important problems of our time — ranging from unacceptable disparities in the amounts of air pollution that people of different races breathe to potential security vulnerabilities in the DNA processing industry.

I’m also thrilled to share that the UW Board of Regents has approved the naming of our new computer science building as the Bill & Melinda Gates Center for Computer Science & Engineering. This naming was made possible by more than $30 million in gifts from Microsoft Corporation and a group of local technology and philanthropic leaders who are longtime friends and colleagues of the couple — gifts made as a gesture of gratitude and admiration. The Gates Center will enable us to prepare more students to be the innovators and entrepreneurs of tomorrow, following the example of Bill and Melinda Gates.

The fall is filled with many events, including our annual lecture series on the promise and pitfalls of the 21st century data revolution, from managing online misinformation to storing data in DNA. Thank you again for reading Washington Engineer and taking the time to learn how the UW is transforming Washington and the world.

Michael B. Bragg
Frank & Julie Jungers Dean of Engineering