Informatics team helps get WSDOT's app in gear

Tuesday, May 26, 2026

The Washington State Department of Transportation app features extensive transportation information such as schedules, traffic alerts and weather reports, but it hasn’t been updated in about seven years. A team of Informatics students has kickstarted a redesign to help users take full advantage of the state’s public transportation. Seniors Arohee Kumar, Jules Braun, Keilani Uehara, Audrey Phan (pictured above, from left) and Daniel Bejar are developing a modernized version of the iOS Washington State Department of Transportation app, aiming to improve the user experience and create a

MSIM team helps media company harness its archive

Monday, May 25, 2026

Converge Media is an Emmy-winning video producer based in Seattle. For 10 years, it has been telling and uplifting the stories of the Black community in the Northwest. In that time, it has collected a massive archive of videos and photos — 160 terabytes. But when Converge was first beginning its work, it didn’t have a great system for labeling its content. It has a wealth of content featuring members of the Black community. What it doesn’t have is a great way to find that content. A group of University of Washington Information School students are working to help solve that pro

For Capstone, MLIS students help rural archives thrive

Wednesday, May 20, 2026

As residents of rural communities, Sophie Cade and Emily Prines understand that small archives and museums are often under-resourced. The two saw an opportunity to use their Master of Library and Information Science Capstone project to help their local archives. The online MLIS students are conducting research on the practices of rural community archive centers and museums for their Capstone project. Cade and Prines plan to provide management recommendations to enhance the capabilities of these small institutions. Cade, who lives in Olympia, focused on archives in rural Was

Student group's startup career fair attracts 200

Wednesday, May 13, 2026

The Association of Information Management Students recently hosted a startup career fair. With a turnout of around 200 students and 11 startups, conversation among employers and students could be heard echoing outside the HUB’s Lyceum. The Association of Information Management Students, or AIMS, advocates for student interests and promotes leadership by strengthening the bond between information, technology and people. AIMS President Elisheba Choppala has been leading AIMS for the past year. Two fellow AIMS leaders, Moniyat Chowdhury and Vedica Bafna, worked with Choppala

Impact awards honor 2 alumni working on frontiers of AI

Monday, May 11, 2026

The 2026 UW Information School Alumni Impact Awards honor a startup entrepreneur and an expert in value-sensitive design, both working at the forefront of the AI revolution.Distinguished Alumni Award recipient Prem Kumar, Informatics ’06, is the CEO of Humanly, a startup he founded in 2020. Humanly is a job candidate recruitment platform that uses artificial intelligence to automate candidate evaluation for employers, as well as to aid job seekers in their job search and career development. Humanly has grown rapidly in the past few years, serving more than 200 companies and raising $48

Museum visitors see impact of Museology students' theses

Monday, May 11, 2026

The Seattle Children’s Museum’s beloved Mountain exhibit is getting an update, thanks to a Museology thesis project. During the final quarter of the UW Information School’s Museology program, students complete their theses. In the form of research or a project, completed theses show future employers students' successes, interests and experiences in real museums. Zoe Velie, Brittany Matthews and Betty Mfalingundi's (pictured at top, from left) project is sponsored by the Children’s Museum. Through the update, the three students are prioritizing a focus on local representa

Ph.D. candidate leads research combating 'tilt' in esports

Monday, May 11, 2026

Sitting side-by-side or across the world from their teammates, esports players in competitive video gaming train intensively to win. Games like League of Legends, Dota and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive are popular worldwide and can draw multimillion-dollar prize pools. The camaraderie and thrill of the games keep players returning, but gaming can also affect their health and well-being.To better understand how teens conceptualize a “healthy player” and sustain mental well-being in gaming, University of Washington Information School Ph.D. candidate Johnny (Yeonhee) Cho has been working o

People analytics expert: Data reveals workforce's secrets

Thursday, May 7, 2026

The challenge for many companies these days isn’t simply finding talented employees; it’s retaining them. High compensation? Remote working opportunities? These perks don’t always keep workers around. But the field of people analytics can provide managers with the tools they need to better understand their hiring practices and workforce. And few people understand the subject better than Heather Whiteman, an associate teaching professor for the University of Washington Information School. “Many people have never heard of people analytics outside of human resources,” sai

Data science career outlook: Problem-solvers in demand

Tuesday, April 28, 2026

As a senior principal data scientist at Navy Federal Credit Union, Rahul Zende uses the predictive power of data to build solutions that enable better organizational decision-making and deliver improved service to members. “As much as we can anticipate our members’ needs ahead of time, that is for the better,” Zende said. For example, he builds predictive models to anticipate when members might be in the market for a car loan. Knowing that helps the nonprofit credit union reach out with strategies to help those with lower credit scores boost their chances of qualifying.“Then

Leadership brings out the best in MSIM student

Thursday, April 23, 2026

Early in her career, Elisheba Choppala worked as an intern for a consumer-packaged goods company. She worked on data analysis, and that experience made it clear how much businesses rely on clear information. The internship became a permanent position, and Choppala used data analytics to support the company for several more years. When Choppala was ready to continue her education, she was also looking for a change. Originally from Abu Dhabi, she’d been in the Midwest for eight years. She was ready to live somewhere new and, as she looked into her options, everything kept pointing toward

6 Information School students honored in 2026 Husky 100

Monday, April 20, 2026

The University of Washington honored six students from the Information School in the 2026 Husky 100. Awarded to graduate and undergraduate students making the most out of their time at the UW, the Husky 100 is celebrating its 10th anniversary. The Information School honorees consist of four Informatics students and two Ph.D. students. The recognition grants these students opportunities to expand their networks among the UW community, academically and professionally. Charles Bugre is a Ph.D. candidate researching the use of mobile technology in illiterate populations. I

Informatics student blends history, technology and service

Tuesday, April 14, 2026

Growing up in a small town in Central Washington, Diego Licea aspired to attend college and set his sights on the University of Washington.“I'd heard it was a challenging school to get into,” he said. “If it wasn't UW, I felt like maybe I had sold myself short. So I applied during my senior year, and I was able to get in.”Now as a junior in the Informatics program, Licea continues to make his mark on the Information School community.After completing the Running Start program in high school, he originally planned to major in history, but once he got to campus, he took some time to

Professor's work helps to advance Indigenous librarianship

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Indigenous data has a history of bad management from non-Natives, says UW Information School Assistant Professor Sandy Littletree (Eastern Shoshone/Navajo). Library collections may include sacred songs, ceremonies and stories that were gathered without consent and never meant to be shared. Archival information on tribal cultures is often misleading, inauthentic, disrespectful. Even Western cataloguing systems may be biased, says Littletree, who works with the Library of Congress updating such subject headlines as “Indian Influences on Art.”The label suggests Native Americans are mere side

AI for Organizations certificate to launch in autumn

Wednesday, April 1, 2026

The University of Washington Information School is introducing a new graduate certificate geared toward professionals in organizations that are responding to the opportunities and challenges represented by artificial intelligence. The new Graduate Certificate in AI for Organizations program is anticipated to begin accepting applications in June for online courses beginning this autumn. The proposal has been submitted to the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities for review.This new offering was inspired by significant demand from professionals and employers voicing the nee

MisinfoDay brings Washington educators to UW

Tuesday, March 31, 2026

Approximately 120 teachers, librarians and educators from across Washington gathered at the University of Washington’s Seattle campus on March 17 for a day of learning activities and professional development organized by the Center for an Informed Public and designed to help educators find ways to improve the way they teach information literacy skills in their communities.MisinfoDay utilized a dual approach in 2026. Instead of only hosting high school students on campus for a day of learning, the CIP assembled educators from across Washington for a day of professional development workshops,