iSchool's 'MisinfoDay' gives teens tools to find truth

Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Is Instagram a reliable news source? How about Snapchat? And when you see a shocking headline, how can you verify that the story is factual? High school students took on questions like these at the Information School’s inaugural “MisinfoDay.” The iSchool welcomed about 200 students to the University of Washington campus on March 19 for the event from four high schools – Seattle’s Franklin and Nathan Hale, Bellevue’s Big Picture, and Toledo High School in southwest Washington. They spent the day learning about what makes misinformation so appealing and picked up some tactics

Research Fair showcases dozens of iSchool projects

Thursday, March 21, 2019

Dozens of researchers from the Information School were on hand March 14 for the 2019 iSchool Research Fair in the HUB on the University of Washington campus. The annual showcase for iSchool research included poster displays of 65 projects, many of them accompanied by the faculty, staff and student researchers who are working on them. The displays highlighted the iSchool’s research efforts in areas as varied as data science and analytics, digital youth, health, human-computer interaction, indigenous knowledge and librarianship. New at this year’s edition of the Research Fair w

‘Calling BS’ duo opens new website asking ‘Which face is real?’

Monday, March 11, 2019

Go ahead, give it a try. Look closely, study the context and click your answer, choosing which of two realistic headshots is actually a real photograph — and which is complete fakery. How did you do? Don’t worry — read the site, and try again. Whichfaceisreal.com is the new website from Jevin West of the University of Washington Information School and Carl Bergstrom of the biology department, the duo who drew wide attention since 2017 for their innovative Information School class, “Calling Bullshit in the Age of Big Data.” As with their Calling B

iSchool's Gomez, collaborators among finalists for top research paper at iConference

Friday, March 8, 2019

A paper co-authored by iSchool Associate Professor Ricardo Gomez is among the five finalists for the 2019 Lee Dirks Award, given to the best research paper at the iConference, the annual gathering of iSchools worldwide. The paper, “Documenting the Undocumented: Privacy and Security Guidelines for Humanitarian Work with Irregular Migrants,” examines how data about vulnerable populations are collected and stored by the organizations that work with them, including higher-education institutions, non-profits and humanitarian groups. It suggests a set of guidelines to strengthen privacy pro

Kaye Gapen, 1943-2019, became a leader in academic librarianship

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

D. Kaye Gapen, who earned her Master of Librarianship at the University of Washington in 1971 and went on to become a leading figure in the field of academic librarianship, passed away Feb. 14. Born in 1943, Gapen earned her BA in sociology at the UW in 1970 before earning her M.Lib. She began her professional career as a cataloger at the College William and Mary, then moved on to Ohio State as assistant head of the Quick Editing section (1972-1974) and head of cataloging (1974-1977). She became assistant director of technical services at Iowa State University in 1977; dean of the Univ

Tara Warming joins the iSchool as Alumni Coordinator

Friday, March 1, 2019

Tara Warming joined the iSchool in November as alumni coordinator. She grew up in Seattle, is a lifelong Mariners fan, and is a proud UW alumna (Sociology). Learn more about Tara’s new role and her goals for alumni engagement at the iSchool.   What will you be focused on as the new iSchool alumni coordinator? I like getting to know people and connecting them to their passions, and that is my overarching goal with the iSchool’s alumni program: I want to create a framework that allows our alumni to create lasting legacies by growing their relationships with mentors, advisors, pee

Informatics student sets an example of resilience

Thursday, February 28, 2019

Godgiven Reamico wants to make a difference in the world. Her story is one of overcoming challenges to build the life she wants. And now, as an Informatics student, she is looking to a future where she can use technology to improve the lives of other people. While she’s working toward a career, she also wants to help people on a personal level. She hopes that by being open about her own personal struggles, she can inspire others — including fellow iSchool students.   “I’m not the only one out there with a powerful story,” she said. “I want to help people like me. I wa

Dean's Message: We want to foster an engaged alumni community

Monday, February 25, 2019

In a little over a year as Dean of the iSchool, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting countless alumni and getting a real sense of the special community we have here. The iSchool is more than just the place where you spend a couple of years earning a degree. It’s where you form meaningful personal and professional connections that will last throughout your life and career. I’ve also found that an alumni community needs to be nurtured. I love to see our graduates stay involved from the moment they leave the school to support both current students and their fellow alumni. The iSchool has

Friedman, Wobbrock among 3 UW faculty to earn top honor in HCI

Wednesday, February 13, 2019

Three University of Washington professors, including two from the Information School, have been inducted into the CHI Academy – recognized as the highest honor in the field of human-computer interaction. iSchool faculty members Batya Friedman and Jacob O. Wobbrock, along with Jennifer Mankoff, a professor in the Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, are among eight people selected this year for their contributions to the field. Each year since 2001, SIGCHI (Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction) has recognized 6-8 people for their contributions to scholarship

Panel: Systemic risk applies far beyond financial sector

Thursday, February 7, 2019

Systemic risk has long been a factor in the financial world, where problems at a large enough firm can threaten the entire system. A prime example is the 2008 housing bubble that triggered a recession and nearly brought down the entire banking industry. But now, “systemic risk extends far past the financial sector,” Information School Lecturer Annie Searle said during a Feb. 6 panel discussion on cybersecurity and systemic risk at the Allen Library on the UW campus. Searle was joined on the panel by Mary Gardner, chief information security officer at F5 Networks, and Michele Turner,

iSchoolers make a strong showing at ALA Midwinter

Wednesday, January 30, 2019

University of Washington Information School faculty, students and alumni were in action throughout the American Library Association Midwinter conference Jan. 25-29 in Seattle. Information School Dean Emeritus Harry Bruce (pictured at top) moderated a well-attended Saturday panel on leadership for the future of libraries. “I’ve asked each of our panelists to be bold and audacious and edgy and controversial because the future of libraries is all of that,” Bruce said while introducing the discussion. Among those on the panel was Susan Hildreth, a past professor of practice at the

Students think big at Winfo Hackathon

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

About 150 University of Washington students gave up a sunny Saturday to solve information problems at the seventh annual Winfo Hackathon on Jan. 12 at the HUB on the UW campus. Many of the students were Informatics majors, but the event was open to all UW students. Hackers were tasked with developing apps and websites around the theme of “A World of Difference” – thoughtful solutions that promote equity. Harkiran Saluja, a freshman from Southern California who joined the Informatics program through the Information School’s Freshman Direct Admission program, was attending her

Numerous iSchool faculty, students, alumni to speak at ALA Midwinter

Wednesday, January 9, 2019

The University of Washington Information School will have a strong presence at the upcoming American Library Association Midwinter Meeting, Jan. 25-29 in Seattle. Former iSchool Dean Harry Bruce will moderate a discussion on “Leadership for the Future of Libraries” at 3 p.m. on Jan. 26. Panelists include Rolf Hapel, the iSchool’s Distinguished Practitioner in Residence, along with his predecessor in the role, Susan Hildreth. The panel also includes iSchool friends and alumni Brian Bannon, Lisa Rosenblum, Marcellus Turner and Cindy Aden. iSchool faculty members Emma Spiro, Jevin Wes