iSchool alumni help power Smartsheet's growth

Friday, August 3, 2018

Graduation loomed and Cameron Doane needed a job. He was finishing up the Informatics program in 2017 at the University of Washington’s interdisciplinary Information School. Then he took a class on developing Android phone apps from Lecturer Ted Neward, who works at Smartsheet, a Bellevue-based software company.  At the end of the course, Neward mentioned that Smartsheet had available internships. “I said, ‘Well, how about a full-time job?’ He said, ‘We’ve got those, too,’” Doane recalled. Connection made. A few weeks later, Doane landed a job with the rapidly

iSchool hiring new faculty at all ranks and across disciplines

Thursday, August 2, 2018

The iSchool is growing.  We are responding the increased demand for research on information problems and for highly qualified information professionals. The UW iSchool is hiring multiple positions at all ranks and across disciplines.  Successful candidates will join an award-winning, equity minded faculty with global impact and a commitment to a leading student experience. We are seeking outstanding applicants in the areas of library and information science and information management/information systems at all ranks. Applicants will be considered for Assista

Understanding how connecting online drives motivation offline

Wednesday, August 1, 2018

Information School doctoral candidate Li Zeng received the best paper award of the 10th International Conference on Social Computing and Social Media (SCSM). Titled "Stay Connected and Keep Motivated: Modeling Activity Level of Exercise in an Online Fitness Community," the paper examines the relationship between the size of an online fitness user's community network and the user's actual fitness behaviors. Zeng co-authored the paper with iSchool Assistant Professor Emma Spiro and Zack Almquist, assistant professor of sociology and statistics at the University of Minnesota. The team analy

Susan Hildreth leaves her mark by bringing together faculty, students, libraries

Monday, July 30, 2018

Susan Hildreth has accomplished a lot in her career. In more than three decades as a librarian, she’s had stints as city librarian in San Francisco and Seattle, and state librarian in California. She managed a $250 million budget as director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services from 2011-15. But until she became the Information School’s first Distinguished Practitioner in Residence, she had never done an academic research project. A research project was a key ingredient in the job, though, and part of what attracted Hildreth to take on the role. Funded by a 10-year, $1.4 mill

Two iSchool students selected as ARL Diversity Scholars

Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Two University of Washington Master of Library and Information Science students were selected as Association of Research Libraries Diversity Scholars. iSchool students Joan Hua and Nam Jin Yoon, along with the other 13 in the cohort, will participate in the 2018–2020 Initiative to Recruit a Diverse Workforce. ARL Diversity Scholars receive a stipend, mentoring, leadership and professional development, and career placement assistance. They will also have the ability to apply for four academic library internships through a partnership with EBSCO Information Services. Access to mentoring

Jevin West talks 'Calling BS' on radio shows

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Information School Assistant Professor Jevin West and Biology Professor Carl Bergstrom went on a pair of local radio shows recently to discuss their “Calling Bullshit” class. On KUOW radio’s “The Record” with Bill Radke, West discussed “fake news” and encouraged media consumers to watch out for things that sound “too good to be true.” “We ask the students to question their source: Who’s telling me this? How do they know it? And what do they have to gain from it?” West said. Radke asked which is developing faster: society’s ability to produce fake news or its

Professor David Levy encourages mindful use of technology

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

People who work in the technology sector are increasingly paying attention to the potential downsides of their work, Information School Professor David Levy said in an interview with Zeit Online, a German website. “Smartphones and apps on them are extremely useful in everyday life, but they can also be harmful. We need these devices, yet they are problematic,” Levy said in a Q&A with the website. Levy was asked whether social media companies and other app providers can be expected to be mindful of their potential harm when they have a financial incentive to prompt users to k

Rivkah Sass, '78, named iSchool's 2018 Distinguished Alumna

Thursday, June 28, 2018

Rivkah Sass believes that public libraries are vital to a healthy community, a belief she has put to work over a long career as a librarian. Sass, a 1978 graduate of the University of Washington Information School and the library director for the Sacramento Public Library system, has been named the iSchool’s 2018 Distinguished Alumna. “I am incredibly grateful for this tremendous honor,” Sass said. “I’m sure that not a week goes by that I don’t talk about how grateful I am to have gone to the University of Washington and how much that education meant to me.” Sass took leade

7 iSchool students win ALA Spectrum Scholarships

Friday, June 22, 2018

Seven University of Washington Master of Library and Information Science students were among the 62 winners of 2018-19 Spectrum Scholarships, the American Library Association has announced. iSchool winners include Jazmine Applin, Amanda Chin, Riko Fluchel, Karen Sánchez, Julie Varee, Kelli Akemi Yakabu and Nam Jin Yoon. Applin, who lives in Berkeley, California, is an online student beginning the MLIS program this fall. She hopes to combine her interests in systems building and digital tools with her desire to serve others and support marginalized communities. She currently is a senior

Informatics student, WINFO win HUB Awards

Friday, June 22, 2018

The Women in Informatics (WINFO) student group and iSchool student Shaarika Kaul are among the winners of the 2018 University of Washington HUB Awards. The HUB Awards are granted annually in the spring in four categories: academics, activities, alumni and athletics. Award recipients’ names are engraved on the Hall of Fame wall on the first floor of the HUB. WINFO won the Husky Empowerment Award, given to a student organization that has successfully engaged UW students. WINFO held more than 20 events during the 2017-18 academic year, including its annual Hackathon, company tours and

Open letter from iSchool faculty on federal immigration policies

Friday, June 22, 2018

An open letter from University of Washington Information School faculty regarding federal immigration policies resulting in family separation and inhumane treatment. The recent policy mandating the separation or detention of children is reminiscent of former U.S. policy (1870s-1970s) that forced Native children as young as 4 into military and church-run schools, hundreds and sometimes thousands of miles away from their homes. The lasting impact from this assimilation agenda for Native peoples is still measurable in the form of addiction, abuse, suicide, and mental health issues among surviv

MLIS alumna named UW's 2018 Distinguished Librarian

Friday, June 15, 2018

Leslie Hurst, a 2003 alumna of the Information School’s Master of Library and Information Science program, has won the 2018 University of Washington’s Distinguished Librarian Award for her work as head of teaching and learning at the UW Bothell and Cascadia College library. The honor for Hurst was among the Awards of Excellence announced recently by UW President Ana Mari Cauce and Provost and Executive Vice President Jerry Baldasty. The award recognizes excellence in librarianship, as it benefits the academic community through innovative approaches to practice, research, teach

Nature app wins funding to explore commercial potential

Thursday, June 14, 2018

NatureCollections, an app developed by researchers at the University of Washington Information School and School of Environment and Forest Sciences, has been a hit with parents and kids during trials. Now it’s taking a step toward reaching a bigger audience. The team behind the app recently won a $50,000 award to explore its commercialization potential. The Population Health Innovation Award, funded jointly by UW CoMotion and the Population Health Initiative, supports entrepreneurial innovations that seek to improve people’s health and well-being. The funding is intended to bridge t

Library Journal features Rolf Hapel, iSchool's next professor of practice

Monday, June 11, 2018

Rolf Hapel, the University of Washington Information School’s incoming Distinguished Practitioner in Residence, was featured in a recent Library Journal Q&A, in which he fielded questions about the challenges and opportunities for libraries around the world. Hapel has a distinct perspective on the future of libraries. He was a driving force behind the creation of the Dokk1 library and cultural center in Aarhus, Denmark, where the library plays a central role in civic life. “For me librarianship is very much about developing democracy and developing an ongoing conversation around

Informatics student leaders to serve as gonfalonieres at UW Commencement

Friday, June 8, 2018

Graduating Informatics students Ethan Anderson and Joycie Yu will represent the Information School as gonfalonieres — banner carriers — at the University of Washington Commencement ceremony on June 9 at Husky Stadium. Gonfalonieres are nominated by their program advisors and must exemplify graduate education at the UW: excellence in learning, teaching, mentoring and/or research. They are announced by name as they lead their school’s graduates into the stadium. They are also featured in the commencement program and sent to the news media for recognition. Anderson describes himse