FCC honors iSchool's Cindy Aden for work to expand broadband access

Tuesday, October 27, 2020

UW Information School faculty member Cindy Aden was recently honored by the Federal Communications Commission for her work to bridge the digital divide in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Aden is among the inaugural recipients of the Digital Opportunity Equity Recognition (DOER) awards.  She was recognized by the FCC for her efforts last spring when, as the Washington State Librarian, she worked alongside multiple companies and nonprofits to provide free broadband access across the state. The project involved 600 drive-in Wi-Fi hotspots, including the Washington State University

Fellowship backs Ph.D. student's research on algorithms and misinformation

Tuesday, October 27, 2020

Prerna Juneja, a Ph.D. student at the Information School, recently won a fellowship from the Social Science Research Council to support her studies on the role of algorithms in spreading misinformation. The Social Data Research and Dissertation Fellowship program, offered by the Social Data Initiative and supported by the Omidyar Network, seeks to encourage multifaceted pathways for collecting and analyzing social data, with the larger aim of cultivating robust research on technology and society.  “I deeply care about algorithmic transparency and accountability.

With her MLIS, librarian was ready for uncharted territory

Monday, October 26, 2020

When COVID-19 required people to adapt quickly, Mandi Harris was ready. After her library canceled in-person events, it took her just a day to shift programs online. Harris, the youth services supervisor at the Coeur d’Alene Public Library, had good role models for online learning — she graduated from the UW Information School’s online Master of Library and Information Science program in 2019. “Being an online student prepared me in ways I never could have guessed,” she said. “The professors were so capable and skilled at teaching online.” Harris’s experience in grad s

iSchool sends large contingent to ASIS&T Annual Meeting

Tuesday, October 20, 2020

The University of Washington Information School is well-represented at this year’s Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T) Annual Meeting, with several faculty members and Ph.D. students contributing papers and posters and participating in workshops and panel discussions. The Oct. 22-Nov. 1 meeting, a top international conference of research on people, information and technology, is being held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Assistant Professor Nic Weber will lead a workshop, “Conceptual Models in Sociotechnical Systems,” on Oct. 22. Weber will be joine

Preventing and mitigating misinformation

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Jevin West, iSchool Associate Professor and Director of the UW Center for an Informed Public, shares an update about the critical role of information professionals in ensuring fair and equitable participation in the 2020 U.S. elections and other democratic processes around the world. You can learn more about the Center and its efforts at cip.uw.edu. The Information School was founded as a library school in 1911. Seven years later, the world experienced one of the worst pandemics in modern history, with an estimated 50 million deaths worldwide. In that same year, John Hopkins Unive

Online MLIS student named Wyoming’s Outstanding Librarian of the Year

Friday, October 9, 2020

Conrrado Saldivar, a student in the online Master of Science in Library and Information Science program at the University of Washington Information School, was recently named Wyoming’s Outstanding Librarian of the Year. This annual award is presented by the Wyoming Library Association and recognizes the outstanding accomplishments of a library employee in the past year. “Winning this award has been a humbling experience, especially because I have only been in the library profession for just over five years and feel like there's still so much more to learn,” Saldivar said. “It sho

For iSchool scholar, art holds key to Native knowledge

Thursday, October 8, 2020

Miranda Belarde-Lewis probably was always destined to study art. On her father’s side, she is Zuni Pueblo, a tribe in the Southwest U.S. with a rich aesthetic tradition and love of adornment. “If there's something that we could paint on, we're gonna paint it,” said the University of Washington Information School assistant professor. “We're gonna make it beautiful.” On her mother’s side, Belarde-Lewis is Takdeintaan Clan from the Tlingit tribe, one of the Native groups in Alaska who cherish stories of the trickster Raven figure: “There’s this phrase that Ravens like shiny

Q&A with Amy Ko on UW's new social-justice educator endorsement

Thursday, October 8, 2020

The UW announced in September that it would launch the state’s first justice-focused computer science educator endorsement with a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). This project is an opportunity to transform how computer science is taught in grades 6-12 throughout the country. iSchool Professor Amy Ko is the grant’s Principal Investigator (PI): Q: Transforming education is a daunting task! Where do you plan to begin? A: The focus of this grant really is on preparing computer science teachers. The hope is that long-term, if we prepare them

Students' 'High School to iSchool' outreach grows

Friday, September 25, 2020

Informatics students have long been the program’s biggest advocates. Led by the Informatics Undergraduate Association (IUGA) and Women in Informatics (Winfo) student groups, they’re putting their energy into “High School to iSchool,” an effort to increase the number of freshman-direct applicants and ensure those applicants come from diverse backgrounds. Senior Informatics major Aaron Zhao is among those leading the effort as IUGA’s diversity director for 2020-21. Zhao said he didn’t know about Informatics when he was in high school, but wishes he had. Students admitted as freshm

UW launches justice-focused endorsement for computer science teachers

Thursday, September 17, 2020

University of Washington researchers and teacher educators are launching a new partnership to prepare computer science teachers who position young people to understand and shape the impacts of computing on their communities. The UW will create the first justice-focused computer science endorsement program for aspiring and practicing teachers in the state with funding from a $1 million National Science Foundation grant to the UW’s College of Education, Information School and Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering. The team will work closely with Shoreline and Highline s

Ricardo Gomez inspires online teaching toolkit

Wednesday, September 9, 2020

The University of Washington houses hundreds of world-class instructors and faculty members who have mastered the art of teaching face-to-face. Yet in March, when the UW was suddenly forced to shut down and switch to remote instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they unexpectedly found themselves pushed to their limits. For many instructors, up was down and down was up. They were presented with new challenges and could not rely on traditional teaching methods as they adapted to the online space. This was especially the case for those were asked to teach online for the first time without

iSchool takes action on diversity, equity, inclusion

Tuesday, September 8, 2020

The University of Washington Information School has several ongoing diversity initiatives and is home to many individuals who are passionate about the value of a diverse faculty, staff and student body. But it hasn’t had a structure in place to ensure action and results. That changed recently with the creation of a new leadership position, associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Wanda Pratt, a professor in the school, took on the role this summer and will serve on an acting basis for 2020-21. Pratt, who has been on the iSchool faculty since 2002, is starting with a li

Jason Yip wins grant to explore kids' 'invisible work' online

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

As the world grows more complicated for teens and tweens, so do the chores they do with and for their families. Young people, especially those whose parents are immigrants or refugees, are increasingly tasked with finding crucial health and financial information online. But the tools they’re using — search engines and technological platforms — are designed for adults. iSchool Assistant Professor Jason Yip has often wondered how they can do a better job for younger users. He recently was awarded a five-year CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to look into this “in

Tanu Mitra adds to 'powerhouse' studying misinformation

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

When Tanu Mitra saw a faculty job posting at the University of Washington Information School late last year, the computer scientist said that she was instantly drawn to it.  “This is the powerhouse,” Mitra said of the iSchool, where she recently started as an assistant professor with expertise in social computing, computer-supported cooperative work and online misinformation.  “What better place to be?” she said in a recent interview, pointing out that the UW’s Center for an Informed Public, where she was recently named a faculty member, was also a particular draw.&nb

iSchool expands access to MSIM, offers fully online options

Tuesday, September 1, 2020

The University of Washington Information School is increasing access to its world-class Master of Science in Information Management (MSIM) degree. Beginning in 2021, the iSchool will offer fully online options for its three program tracks: Early-Career, Early-Career Accelerated and Mid-Career. Admissions and graduation requirements for residential and online students are identical, and all graduates earn the same Master of Science in Information Management degree. Read the full press release. By offering its MSIM degree options online, the iSchool increases access to transformational educat