iSchool celebrates class of 2021 at online Convocation

Tuesday, June 8, 2021

Family, friends and pets of the iSchool community gathered around their computers, phones and TVs to celebrate the class of 2021 at the iSchool’s online Convocation ceremony on June 5. The ceremony included opening remarks by Dean Anind K. Dey, followed by keynote speaker, Rena Priest, the Washington State Poet Laureate.   Several faculty members shared congratulatory messages with the graduation class. They included Cindy Aden, Katie Davis, Mike Doane, Matthew Saxton, Joseph Janes, Sandy Littletree, Carole Palmer, Nam-ho Park, Chirag Shah, Jaime Snyder and Jevin West. "Whe

MSIM student wins data science award at tech start-up

Monday, June 7, 2021

Chen Song, a Master of Science in Information Management (MSIM) student graduating this spring, was recently awarded the Loxz Digital Excellence in Data Science Award at Loxz Digital Group, a tech start-up that builds machine learning models to enhance business reports for companies.  The award is given each month to one employee who makes outstanding progress in their work. For Song, who is currently a data science intern, she provided vital insights on the company’s survey data and created a white paper about its machine learning methodology. “Her tireless efforts working

By auditing algorithms, iSchool researchers work to better understand misinformation

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, there had been media reports about Amazon book search algorithms putting health- and vaccine-related misinformation at the top of reading lists. But as the pandemic has brought new attention to the risks of algorithm-amplified misinformation, just how bad is the problem? Is there any concrete, empirical evidence to prove or disprove anecdotal stories, opinion pieces and other assertions coming out in popular press in recent years? A paper recently presented by University of Washington Information School researchers at a leading academi

Ricardo Gomez to travel to Colombia with Fulbright fellowship

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

About 400 miles from Bogota, the capital city of Colombia, an expanse of mountainous rainforest known as the Colombian Vaupés is home to the Cubeo Indigenous People. The land, which is part of the Amazon Basin, preserves a rich knowledge system that is integral to protecting the Vaupés’ ecosystem.  But today, the Colombian Vaupés is in danger – governments and multinational corporations are mining the region’s natural resources, damaging the habitat and livelihood of the Cubeo people. Ricardo Gomez, an associate professor at the Information School, was recently awarded

Six scholars to join iSchool faculty

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

The University of Washington Information School is honored to welcome six new faculty members. These hires will inform undergraduate and graduate education in the iSchool’s Informatics, Library and Information Science and Information Management programs. Four scholars join the school as teaching faculty with expertise ranging from data and design to business intelligence and information management. Aylin Caliskan and Lindah Kotut join the iSchool as tenure-track, research faculty. Caliskan investigates the implications of machine intelligence on equity and fairness. Kotut’s research see

Student teams tackle timely topics with Capstone projects

Friday, May 28, 2021

Nearly 650 students, faculty, partners and friends attended the University of Washington Information School’s annual Capstone gala event on May 27. For the second year in a row, the event was held virtually and participation was optional for student teams.  The event featured 90 projects from the iSchool’s Bachelor of Science in Informatics, Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) and Master of Science in Information Management (MSIM) programs. Most projects were team-based with 2-4 students collaborating to solve a real-world information problem, but individual

5 iSchool students among Husky 100

Monday, May 24, 2021

The UW has recognized five students from the Information School for the 2021 Husky 100, awarded to undergraduate and graduate students who demonstrate leadership and commitment throughout their time at the UW.  This year’s 100 winners were selected from nearly 600 applications from all three UW campuses. More than 1,700 students were nominated by peers, faculty and staff.  The iSchool honorees include one student from the Informatics program, one from the Master of Science in Information Management (MSIM) program, one from the Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS)

Informatics team serves up Chinatown restaurants' stories

Sunday, May 23, 2021

Seattle’s Chinatown-International District is the home to exceptional food. If you’d like to learn more about the offerings, it’s not particularly hard to find online reviews. But what about the other side of the story — what if you want to hear directly from the restaurant owners? A group of Informatics students at the University of Washington Information School have created a website that lets restaurant owners tell their stories in their own words. The owners can share the history of their businesses and offer the background on some of their favorite menu items. The group

MSIM team partners with Microsoft to aid job-seekers with disabilities

Friday, May 21, 2021

A person who is blind or deaf or who has autism already faces disheartening challenges in the job search. People with disabilities who are actively looking for work are nearly twice as likely to be unemployed in the U.S. as those without. Applicants with disabilities enter the job market with a vast number of unknowns. What types of workplace accommodations does an employer make? How about during the interview? Does the potential employer share the same values as the applicant? How does the company treat its employees and consumers with disabilities? A team from the University of Wash

Informatics team helps state keep small businesses afloat

Thursday, May 20, 2021

Like many others, junior Informatics student Lauren Ng watched some of her favorite restaurants close forever during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Those and other small businesses struggled to cover the sudden revenue loss that stemmed from weeks of closure and public health guidelines restricting indoor capacity. Even after their doors reopened, the crowds may not return enough to recoup those losses.  Federal funding through the Paycheck Protection Program, administered through banks, helped some but not all who needed money to stay open.  It was an obvious and stark proble

Capstone project gets teens reading and dancing

Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Andrea Alaniz loves to dance. It’s not a skill she thought would be critical as a librarian, but during the pandemic, it’s become a powerful way for her to connect to students. Alaniz is a Master of Library and Information Science student at the University of Washington Information School and she works as the outreach and education coordinator at the Mount Vernon City Library. For her Capstone project, she has been working on La Lectura de Bailar/Reading Dance, a collaboration between the library and the school district to teach Mexican folk dance while promoting literacy and providing

MLIS Capstone team helps Sacramento libraries serve 'unseen' homeless population

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Public libraries must do more to serve the growing number of patrons struggling with poverty and homelessness, says Jamie Poirier, supervising librarian at the San Rafael Public Library in California and soon-to-be UW iSchool graduate. “For a lot of us working in libraries, this is an unseen part of our community. And a lot of us don’t know what we don’t know.” To heighten awareness, Poirier and fellow Master of Library and Information Science students Nancy Nightingale and Kelly Tooker launched a Capstone project exploring ways public libraries are and are not serving this bur

MSIM team makes COVID-19 screening more accessible

Tuesday, May 11, 2021

About 10,000 patients walk through the doors of the International Medicine Clinic at Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center each year. The vast majority of the patients speak a primary language other than English. The experienced reception staff has been able to guide these patients to their appointments or otherwise assist them. Sometimes, the receptionist knows the patient’s first language. Other times it’s a phrase here or there or a hand motion. If needed, the staff has access to on-call interpreters. After the COVID-19 pandemic struck, the clinic made a priority of speeding up pa

Naomi Bishop, '10, honored with iSchool Distinguished Alumni Award

Wednesday, May 5, 2021

Naomi Bishop is an outspoken voice for American Indian children’s literature. She’s an advocate for public health. She’s a proponent of racial equity. Above all, she’s a believer in the power of information to improve people’s lives. Those are just some of the reasons Bishop, MLIS ’10, has been named the recipient of the UW Information School’s 2021 Distinguished Alumni Award, chosen by Dean Anind Dey from a set of finalists selected by past honorees, alumni and iSchool staff. When Bishop began the Master of Library and Information Science program in 2008, she was the lone

Amy Ko authors new book for intro Informatics class

Monday, May 3, 2021

Amy J. Ko, a professor and Informatics program chair at the University of Washington Information School, recently published a book, titled “Foundations of Information,” that examines the application of information in today’s digital world.   The book covers topics such as what information is; how it relates to systems of power; how we use technology to make it work; and how these ideas apply to design, automation, health data science, democracy, and sustainability. Ko aims to simplify “powerful ideas” about information for undergraduate students. “Each chap