Jill Palzkill Woelfer and David Hendry featured in UW Front Porch

Monday, December 19, 2011

Jill Palzkill Woelfer, a Ph.D. student at the University of Washington Information School, has lived in the University District since 1995. Since that time she has noticed a disconnect--despite the prevalence of digital technology, the homeless youth in the area don't have the skills needed to utilize it. While many can claim that computers have assisted them in their interactions with employers and schools, homeless youth (of which there are an estimated 200 to 300 in the University District on any given night) may be less prepared to use these tools, creating a barrier for getting a job.

Eric Meyers wins ALISE/Garfield Dissertation Competition

Thursday, December 15, 2011

The Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) board of directors named iSchool graduate Eric Meyers the winner of the 2012 Garfield Dissertation Competition. His dissertation, "The Nature and Impact of Information Problem Solving in the Middle School Classroom," exemplified "the excellence that ALISE encourages and represents in the LIS community." Meyers, a 2011 Ph.D. graduate, is an Assistant Professor at the University of British Colombia's School of Library, Archival and Information Studies.   The ALISE Research Committee evaluated dissertation submissio

Google research grant awarded to Jeff Huang and Jacob Wobbrock

Friday, December 9, 2011

A proposal to research cursor mining in web search, submitted by Ph.D student Jeff Huang and Associate Professor Jacob Wobbrock, was awarded a $47,000 Google research grant. Huang's dissertation focuses on mouse cursor behaviors and their value in improving web search. His work has found that "hovering over links, and event movement speed and duration, have been shown to correlate with search result relevance and abandonment, suggesting that cursor behavior canpotentially be useful as a feature for ranking." The Google research grant will allow Huang and Wobbrock to explore ways to overc

Centennial issue of iNews showcases donors and alumni

Friday, November 18, 2011

The Fall 2011 issue of iNews highlights both the new and the old. New grants, research, alumni ventures are featured, along with a snapshot of the last 100 years of the iSchool. Here is a summary of the articles and updates in the latest edition. iSchool Awarded $635,000 National Library Leadership Grant from IMLS Dean's Message: Happy 100th Birthday iSchool alumni and friends Centennial Celebration and Timeline Behind the Buzz: iSchool Team Investigates Why Videos go Viral Alumni Updates Donor Honor Role iSchool Alumni Follow Unique Paths to Entrepreneurship What's Six

iSchool's third annual research fair a big success

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

The UW Information School's third annual Research Fair gave move than 100 participants an opportunity to view the research, scholarship, and creative work of the iSchool community and engage in conversation with faculty and students. This year's Fair, held November 17 at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture on the University of Washington campus, showcased diverse research topics reflecting the interdisciplinary and wide-ranging nature of the information discipline. More than 20 posters were presented by faculty and students, including early literacy, public access computing in C

Cynthia del Rosario honored by the UW Multicultural Alumni Partnership

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

The Diversity Community Outreach Award was given to Cynthia del Rosario, iSchool diversity program advisor, at the recent Bridging the Gap Breakfast held annually by the UW Multicultural Alumni Partnership. Guest speakers included UW President Michael Young and and vice provost for the UW Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity Sheila Edwards Lange. The event was emceed by Congressman Jim McDermott and civil rights activist and attorney Constance Rice. Read the story in NW Asian Weekly.

iSchool students study Occupy Seattle

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Brent Bell, Justin Dickson and Andy Donovan choose to study Occupy Seattle as part of a class assignment called Information Ground. They visited the protest camp at different times over a 10-day period, put their findings into a six-page report and presented their experience in class. The graduate students are enrolled in Professor Karen Fisher's Information Behavior class, which is required for all incoming undergraduate and graduate students studying Library Information Science. For this assignment, Fisher asks students to visit a public space of their choice and "become aware of how info

UW iSchool mentioned in NPR story

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Geofff Nunberg's piece on NPR's Fresh Air, Steve, Myself And i: The Big Story Of A Little Prefix, offered his version of the history of the letter 'i' as it relates to Apple products and the internet. He also shared his thoughts on the role iSchools play in connecting people with technology. "It isn't just about computer science anymore, either. That isn't where you go to find out how technology changes people's lives, and where it fails them, or how to make it less intrusive and more humane. Those are the questions people are taking up at the Schools of Information that have sprung up at r

Natascha Karlova, iSchool Ph.D. student, selected as HASTAC scholar

Thursday, October 13, 2011

As one of ten graduate students to serve as HASTAC Scholars for the 2011-2012 academic year, Natascha Karlova will represent University of Washington at the national HASTAC consortium by participating in online intellectual dialogues and networking with scholars face-to-face to discuss theoretical, critical, and technical matters related to digital culture. HASTAC (Humanities, Arts, Sciences, and Technology Advanced Collaboratory) is a network of individuals and institutions inspired by the possibilities that new technologies offer for shaping how people learn, teach, communicate, and organ

College students limit technology use during crunch time

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Findings from Project Information Literacy's (PIL's) latest research study found college students -- only weeks away from final exams and in the library -- tend to winnow down IT devices and what they have up and running so they can manage and control the technology that permeates their lives. Read the report (72 pages, 6.1 MB). Watch the short findings video (2:51 minutes). The ongoing research study is co-directed by the iSchool's Dr. Alison Head and Dr. Michael Eisenberg. Head is a research scientist in the iSchool and a Fellow at Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet & Society. Eise

iSchool hosts international conference for internet researchers

Monday, October 3, 2011

The 12th Annual International and Interdisciplinary Conference of the Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR), held Oct. 10-13 in Seattle, attracted 350 researchers and scholars from 17 countries. This was the first time the conference was held in Seattle at the invitation of the iSchool and Associate Professor Karine Nahon. The theme was participation and performance and attendees convened to consider, analyze and celebrate the many types of performance and participation online and in blended online/offline contexts. Topics included: Creative performances and digital arts Par

CIAC leads workforce expansion in critical field of cybersecurity

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

The National Science Foundation's new $2.1M grant to the Center for Information Assurance and Cybersecurity provides full scholarships to 18 graduate-level scholars in exchange for their commitment to work for the federal government for two years after graduation. The grant affirms the center's growing leadership role in partnering with the information security industry and government to raise public awareness about cyberspace predation. The center, led by Barbara Endicott-Popovsky, is unique in Washington state and is a research hub for innovation and problem-solving. Graduates will help shap

Early literacy the focus of newly awarded IMLS grant

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

The Information School at the University of Washington has been awarded a $635,000 National Leadership Research Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The award builds on a 2009 research planning grant from IMLS that found what librarians have long suspected -- young children progress faster when the adults who look after them are more confident and competent with reading skills. iSchool researchers, led by the Eliza Dresang, Beverly Cleary Professor of Children and Youth, along with partners, the Early Learning Public Library Partnership, the Foundation for Earl

Research project featured in M.I.T. Technology Review

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Finding new ways to interact with computers has become an important area of research among computer scientists, especially now that touch-screen smart phones and tablets have grown so popular. A tablet computer, developed collaboratively by researchers at Intel, Microsoft, and the University of Washington, can be controlled not only by swiping and pinching at the screen, but by touching any surface on which it is placed. The project that produced the new device, called Portico, could eventually result in smart phones or tablets that take touch beyond the physical confines of the device. The pr

Cleary professor Dresang part of landmark study on early literacy

Friday, September 9, 2011

Eliza Dresang, Beverly Cleary Professor for Children and Youth Services, was part of a ground-breaking study on early childhood literacy. Dresang, along with doctoral student Katie Campana, a team of six Pierce County librarians and 31 local day cares, studied how early learning is affected when preschoolers are taught by child care workers who have proper literacy training. They found what librarians have long suspected -- young kids progress faster when the adults who look after them are more confident and competent with reading skills. The results have led the Pierce County Library Syste