Touchscreen readers appear to show impact of iSchool research

Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Tim Paulding ran his fingers across the smooth glass screen of an iPod Touch for the first time in 2010. He was working as a counselor at a summer camp for blind kids outside Grand Rapids, Michigan, when a friend handed him the then top-of-the-line iPod.Paulding, who is blind, was familiar with Symbian and Windows mobile phones, which featured keyboards with raised buttons. “I loved them — I could type so fast on those keyboards,” he said. Then he felt the iPod touchscreen. “I’m like, ‘Dude, what am I gonna do with a touchscreen?’ It's crazy. I can't feel anything,” Pauldi

Museology exhibition shows students' curatorial skills

Friday, March 14, 2025

The Museology program’s Exhibit Development course teaches the fundamentals of creating a museum exhibition, taking students through the development process from concept to installation. Students recently put their installation skills to the test, presenting four walk-through exhibitions in the Alder Commons. The March 3 exhibits each showcased a central theme, incorporating an interactive element and at least one personal artifact from every group member. Class instructor and iSchool Assistant Teaching Professor Lane Eagles said these pop-up exhibits “are a real testament to [th

MSIM duo among Forbes' '30 Under 30' for social impact

Wednesday, March 12, 2025

One Master of Science in Information Management student and one alum have earned a spot in the 2025 Forbes 30 Under 30 for Social Impact, a recognition for young innovators making tangible difference in the world. Nishit Bhasin (pictured above, at left), ‘24, and Lakshya Garg (at right), a current MSIM student, co-founded IncSkill during the winter break of 2023 when they were unable to return to their home country of India. While many students take a break from academics during the holidays, Bhasin and Garg spent their time participating in hackathons and product-bu

RAISE expo highlights research on responsible AI

Monday, March 10, 2025

Four Information School Ph.D. students were among the researchers who shared their work at the first RAISE Winter Exposition, a showcase for the group’s research on responsible artificial intelligence.Hosted in the Zillow Commons at the Paul G. Allen Center for Computer Science and Engineering, the event highlighted original research, ongoing projects and published work, including that of Nicholas Clark, Preetam Damu, Anna-Maria Gueorguieva and Navreet Kaur. Responsibility in AI Systems and Experiences (RAISE) is an interdisciplinary center dedicated to research and education in the are

New student group supports Muslim Informatics students

Friday, March 7, 2025

Students Safa Jamal, Zareen Tasnim and Naiyyra Abdel Aziz met at the iCommunity Kickoff and Breakfast at the beginning of the 2023-24 academic year. Over fruit plates and bagels at the Husky Union Building, the Informatics majors were inspired to form a new student group. At that event, Anind Dey, dean of the University of Washington Information School, spoke with the crowd of newly admitted students about the importance of welcoming people of all backgrounds.“We got to hear a lot of leaders at the iSchool, such as Dean Dey and Cynthia del Rosario, talk about diversity initiatives,” J

iSchool's first TA and Pre-Doctoral Lecture awards announced

Thursday, March 6, 2025

Teaching assistants and pre-doctoral lecturers play a crucial role in shaping students’ academic experiences. The Information School recently recognized two of them — Ph.D. candidates Erin Beneteau and Mandi Harris — for their contributions in the classroom. Nominated by students, they are the first to receive iSchool TA and Pre-Doctoral Lectureship awards.Beneteau (pictured at left above) has long been involved at the iSchool, working as a TA, a research assistant and as a pre-doctoral lecturer, she recently received her Ph.D at the end of 2024. Her research focuses on the quality of li

Summit speakers call on online MSIM students to innovate responsibly

Thursday, March 6, 2025

Dozens of online students and several alumni from the Information School’s Master of Science in Information Management program gathered at the University of Washington campus for the third annual MSIM Online Student Summit to discuss responsible innovation and artificial intelligence. The Feb. 20-21 summit began with a Friday evening reception at Kane Hall, where iSchool Dean Anind Dey led off with remarks stressing the importance of designing responsible information systems that are secure and values-driven.“The speed at which the tools have increased have made it so that a

Grant funds MLIS students' work in community archives

Tuesday, March 4, 2025

Community archives are an important way of preserving knowledge and making it accessible, including for historically marginalized groups whose stories are often ignored or misrepresented. Such archives, however, rarely have the resources they need. A new grant will help address some of that problem while giving iSchool students a chance to gain hands-on experience working with community archives.Marika Cifor, an associate professor at the University of Washington Information School and the principal investigator on the project, has been awarded a $850,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation. Cifo

Museology student group aims to strengthen bonds

Tuesday, March 4, 2025

Museums play an important role in learning, storytelling and community, and UW Museology students have fostered a place on campus for just that.The two-year Museology master’s program features a cohort model to connect students with peers in hands-on learning scenarios. To help build a sense of community and engage with the iSchool more broadly, students recently formed MUSER, a registered student organization.The RSO’s primary mission is to foster an inclusive and supportive environment, providing opportunities for professional growth and meaningful connections with the UW network at larg

MSIM graduate named Presidential Management Fellow

Wednesday, February 26, 2025

MSIM ‘24 graduate Adrian Lavergne was selected as a Presidential Management Fellow (PMF) finalist. Until recently, the PMF was a prestigious leadership development program for advanced degree holders, offering a pathway into careers in the federal government. Lavergne’s interest in public service was shaped early in life – his father served in the Air Force, and he later followed a similar path by joining the U.S. Army. While studying law and policy as an undergraduate, he was deployed in the Middle East for a year. When he returned to complete his bachelor's degree, Laver

Where kids and tech collide, Katie Davis helps guide parents

Friday, February 21, 2025

To post, or not to post? That is the question.Or rather, that is one of many questions facing young people, their parents and their teachers in today’s fast-paced digital world. For educator Melissa Chittenden, who has worked at multiple elementary and middle schools, the list of questions she hears is long:  When should young people post online? Which social media sites are suitable? Which apps are safe for young children or teens? How much screen time is OK? “Families are seeking advice,” Chittenden said. “At every school I’ve worked, everybody is looking at how to n

Hundreds of students, alumni turn out for iSchool Career Fair

Friday, February 14, 2025

Despite the morning’s sparkle as snow covered the UW Seattle campus, iSchool students and alumni gathered for the 2025 UW iSchool Career Fair.The annual iSchool Career Fair offers the community the opportunity to network with employers that are particularly interested in recruiting UW Seattle students and alumni for part-time, full-time and internship positions. In the HUB Ballroom on Feb. 6, 455 students and alumni arrived with their resumes and portfolios in hopes of connecting with representatives of the 13 employers in attendance, including Accenture, ChildCare Careers, Costco Whole

As she teaches kids, Ph.D. student learns from them too

Thursday, February 13, 2025

In a complex world, educating children about adult issues like climate change may present a daunting challenge. However, for iSchool Ph.D. candidate Itza Carbajal, equipping youth with the skills to understand these topics is second nature.This winter, Carbajal is spending her Saturdays teaching 3rd-5th graders about fashion and the environment through the University of Washington Robinson Center for Young Scholars. The Saturday Enrichment Program offers extracurricular learning opportunities for students in grades K-8. Now in her third year with the Robinson Center, Carbajal is teaching a cla

Study finds strong negative associations with teenagers in AI models

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

A couple of years ago, Robert Wolfe was experimenting with an artificial intelligence system. He wanted it to complete the sentence, “The teenager ____ at school.” Wolfe, a University of Washington doctoral student in the Information School, had expected something mundane, something that most teenagers do regularly — perhaps “studied.” But the model plugged in “died.”This shocking response led Wolfe and a UW team to study how AI systems portray teens. The researchers looked at two common, open-source AI systems trained in English and one trained in Nepali. They wanted to com

In times of crisis, count on iSchool students and alumni

Monday, February 10, 2025

As last month’s devastating wildfires raged in Los Angeles, the city’s residents faced a barrage of falsehoods on social media along with erroneous evacuation alerts from official sources. In search of timely, accurate information, millions turned to Watch Duty, a free and nonprofit app that tracks wildfires and firefighting efforts. The app shot to the top of the charts on Apple and Android stores.In a public emergency, in the corporate world, or in our day-to-day lives, people need quality information to make decisions. That underpins what we teach across all our programs at the Informat