Marika Cifor uncovers history of AIDS activism in new book

Wednesday, June 8, 2022

Information School Assistant Professor Marika Cifor recently published her first book, titled Viral Cultures: Activist Archiving in the Age of AIDS. The book explores the history of AIDS activism and how its story is preserved.  Published and released by the University of Minnesota Press in June, Cifor’s book is the first to take a critical lens to the archives that have helped keep the history and work of AIDS activism alive. Cifor specifically examines the documentation of AIDS activism in the United States and the infrastructure that has been used to preserve past activist efforts

Convocation celebrates hundreds of iSchool graduates

Monday, June 6, 2022

The University of Washington Information School honored graduating students from its undergraduate and graduate programs at Convocation on June 4 at Hec Edmundson Pavilion.  The ceremony began with remarks from Dean Anind Dey. He urged those in attendance to celebrate the dedicated group of students who persevered through a challenging few years. Before introducing the keynote speaker, Dey encouraged the graduating class to continue to be leaders beyond the iSchool.  “As you move forward in your lives and careers, I encourage you to continue to foster and grow your commun

MSIM students create nutrition app for dementia patients

Monday, June 6, 2022

Mobile apps promoting a healthy diet have proliferated, but older users, especially those with dementia, continue to be neglected.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 5.6 million people aged over 65 in the United States are living with Alzheimer's disease, which is the most common cause of dementia.  Amidst these troubling statistics, a group of Master of Science in Information Management students partnered with the University of Washington School of Nursing to create an app called Olitor that helps seniors eat healthier and adhere to a Mediterranean d

For Capstone, Informatics students help businesses clear the air

Wednesday, June 1, 2022

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, businesses and organizations became increasingly concerned about ensuring quality air in their workspaces, but most lacked the resources and information to do so.  For their Capstone project at the Information School, eight Informatics students came together to close this gap and develop a responsive web app that helps employers select an appropriate air filter for the size of their business.  The Clean Air Tool web app provides a personalized experience for users, similar to a virtual consultation. Users are asked a series of questions rega

MSIM students study broadband needs of disabled users

Friday, May 27, 2022

Take a moment to consider Jane, a 32-year-old who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at age 23 and who recently gave birth to her first child. Jane lives on the first floor of a Long Island apartment building with her husband, Dave. After the birth, Jane received the physical and mental assistance at the hospital for someone with a long-term condition who has undergone such a major life change. After returning home, she’s struggled with multiple issues, including postpartum depression and difficulties breastfeeding. Moreover, Jane grew up with parents without disabilities and her im

Two-day hybrid Capstone gala event increases access to annual student showcase

Friday, May 27, 2022

Hundreds of students, faculty, partners and friends attended the University of Washington Information School’s annual Capstone gala event on May 24 and 25.  The two-night event featured nearly 200 Capstone 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 sponsored by a faculty researcher or an outside organization, offering students the opportunity to contribute to a solution for a research problem or real-world challenge. Informatics s

Capstone team helps company save valuable time

Wednesday, May 25, 2022

CuriosityBased, a Seattle company, is dedicated to improving workplaces by helping build trust and collaboration among coworkers. One of the key ways it does that is through its “7 Forms of Respect” assessments. The results can help colleagues understand how to work together more effectively. But taking the results and putting them into an understandable form was a long, tedious process. It was too much for a company with only two full-time employees. Now, thanks to iSchool students working with CuriosityBased, work that used to take about 20 minutes takes less than a minute. This

MLIS Capstone project has kids reading and moving

Friday, May 20, 2022

With pandemic precautions and wariness lingering, Information School Master of Library and Information Science students Jakob Collins and Joanne Dallas combined reading with outdoor activity for Longview residents this year.  They implemented a StoryWalk program for the Longview Public Library, where they both work.  StoryWalks take children’s book pages, mount them to posts and install them along outdoor paths. Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, Vermont, with the help of Rachel Senechal, formerly of the Kellogg-Hubbard Library, created StoryWalk to encourage reading and being

MSIM student named a Slade Gorton Leaders Fellow

Monday, May 16, 2022

Nicola Kalderash, a Master of Science in Information Management (MSIM) student, was recently named a Slade Gorton Leaders Fellow at the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR).Kalderash is pursuing the Early-Career Accelerated track and is set to graduate with his master's degree this summer. His interest in policy and technology is what drew him to apply for the fellowship at NBR, an independent research institution working to inform and strengthen Asia-Pacific policy and affairs. Each year, NBR selects six students across the Pacific Northwest for a six-month fellowship. This offers tho

MLIS Capstone team helps kids control the narrative

Friday, May 13, 2022

The three iSchool students were nervous their first day working with Compass Housing Alliance youth. They went in with only a skeletal program itinerary, a bunch of name tags and craft supplies, and a powerful idea. They would use participatory design methods learned in graduate MLIS studies to help these youth co-create a storytelling program.  They’d take their cues from the kids, use their input to shape each step, and put democracy to work in the community room at the housing complex, which serves people who are low-income or experiencing homelessness. “Our goal was to empower

INFO 402 students choose their own adventure

Wednesday, May 11, 2022

Dylan Mckone embarked on a supernatural adventure in her INFO 402 class, exploring the intersection of technology and the representation of horror in entertainment. For her final project in the Gender, Race, and Information Technology class, Mckone (pictured above) did a video essay on how older technology is used to heighten fear in horror forms of media. Katherine Cross, the instructor of the course winter quarter, empowered Mckone and her other students to choose their own adventure by asking them to develop a thesis about the cultural impact of information technology and explore the rel

iSchool alumni awards honor 2 digital difference makers

Tuesday, May 10, 2022

The University of Washington Information School’s 2022 alumni awards honor two graduates who advocate for the rights of individuals on the internet — one from within a big tech firm and one as an outsider at a nonprofit. Sunny Consolvo, this year’s Distinguished Alumni Award recipient, works as a user experience researcher at Google, where she focuses on security, privacy, safety and prevention of abuse. Meanwhile, Gennie Gebhart, recipient of the Graduate of the Last Decade (GOLD) Alumni Impact Award, is the activism director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit that

'Your fingers are the keyboard': Ph.D. candidate builds innovative tool

Friday, May 6, 2022

You try to remember the name of that movie, but it just won’t come to you. So you tap your fingers on your thighs and your smart glasses know exactly what you’re seeking. Information School Ph.D. candidate Mingrui “Ray” Zhang imagines a future like that — where we can type anywhere as if there were a keyboard at our fingertips. In fact, TypeAnywhere is the name of a text entry tool created by Zhang and collaborators. TypeAnywhere uses sensors on people’s fingers to simulate the presence of a keyboard wherever they tap. A paper on the project is one of four contributions from Zha

Directed Fieldwork gives MLIS students a head start on careers

Wednesday, May 4, 2022

Helene Williams recently received a note from a school librarian who wanted to thank Williams for connecting them with a Master of Library and Information Science student for Directed Fieldwork. The librarian was grateful for the ways the student had helped, including categorizing picture books, researching alternatives for the Dewey Decimal System and setting up for a book fair.“Wow, she is such a gift. I just want to share how delighted I am to have her in the library,” the librarian wrote.It’s a response Williams, the University of Washington Information School’s Directed Fieldwork

iSchool researchers honored for excellence at CHI 2022

Friday, April 29, 2022

UW Information School Professor Amy J. Ko is one of eight scholars who will be inducted into the CHI Academy at this year’s CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.  Conferred by the Association for Computing Machinery’s special interest group for human-computer interaction, the CHI Academy is recognized as the highest honor in the field. Ko expressed her surprise and appreciation for the award, especially given that her research straddles numerous disciplines. “I’ve never been in just one academic community and so my work often falls through the cracks and does