Seattle, Washington

Sustainable coordination in research labs via graph-enabled idea boards

Our 'graph-enabled idea board' serves as a hub for capturing excess research ideas, allocating microprojects...

De novo protein design for photochemical water oxidation and renewable solar fuels

Photosynthesis sustains the biosphere, but it operates with low overall efficiency. By designing brand new...

Analog Genetic Circuits for Interactive Learning

Can you mimic a biological system using electrical analogs? Could that electrical system be so interactive...

Bring a Triceratops to Seattle

In 2008, Dr. Christian Sidor’s team discovered the bones of a Triceratops in Wyoming. Those bones included...

Dogs, Cats, and Scats: Saving Jaguars, One Poop at a Time

The goal of our project is to improve connectivity of jaguar habitat in southern Mexico, an area of highly...

Crow funerals: What are they thinking about?

Crows have been observed to gather and vocalize around dead members of their own species both anecdotally...

NASA Microgravity University: How does lunar dust react to getting hit?

One of the most dangerous aspects of Lunar and Martian exploration is having to deal with the abrasive dust...

Why are jokes funny?

The first step of my research is to come up with theories for why jokes are funny. Next we will test those...

Training a new generation of scientific beekeepers

It all get's down to how important bees are in the environment and to agriculture, because it's commonly...

Omnioff: a non-toxic alternative to Teflon non-stick cookware

A Teflon-coated frying pan is an example of how you can chemically modify a surface to be non-stick. On...

Tracking Magellanic Penguins

The Penguin Project has been studying the largest colony of Magellanic penguins in the world at Punta Tombo...

How do spammers harvest your e-mail address?

How did the spammers find me? Billions of people receive billions of spam emails per day. This phenomenon...

Urban Pollination: sustain native bees & urban crops

Bee activity on our crop flowers is crucial to human food security, but bees are also declining around the...

How does communication training benefit scientists?

Science can change the world, but only if it is communicated effectively to the public and policy makers...

How does natural gas fracking contribute to air pollution?

Regions of natural gas fracking in Utah, Wyoming and Colorado often experience high concentrations of ground...

UWashington Formula Motorsports: Electric Racecar Development

Each year, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) organizes several different engineering competitions...

Viral Causes of Lung Cancer

We have special access to blood specimens collected from more than 9,000 cancer free people. These individuals...

The DIG Field School: Hands-On Paleontology Experiences for K-12 Science Teachers

The DIG Field School helps make science exciting and relevant for students by giving teachers the chance...

Do coal and diesel trains make for unhealthy air?

There is a proposal to significantly increase the number of trains carrying coal through Washington State...

Can Pet Visits Help Kids With Cancer?

Cancer is hard on kids and their families. Can visits from therapy animals make the time they spend in the...

How Much Carbon is Being Sequestered in Deep Reservoir Sediments?

Up to 18 meters of sediment lays at the bottom of the largest watershed on Washington's Olympic Peninsula...

Giving Children a Better Life: Understanding Developmental Coordination Disorder

When I was young, I had developmental coordination disorder (DCD). I just didn’t know what it was. Children...

Water Purification for Developing Countries

Each year, more than 3.5 million people die from lack of access to clean water in developing countries...

Influence of trains on air quality in Whatcom County?

There is a proposal to significantly increase the number of trains carrying coal through Washington State...

How can NGOs guide fisheries to ecological sustainability?

Fishery improvement projects, or FIPs, have emerged as a way for stakeholders to be involved in improving...

So near and yet so far? Investigating bats on the San Juan Islands

What ecological differences among bats on the San Juan Islands predict which ones are most vulnerable to...

Capturing canine personality

Research on individual differences in animals is growing exponentially, but scientists have yet to develop...

Sequencing the Black Rhinoceros Genome

We are sequencing the genome of a beautiful black rhino. Her name is Ntombi, and she is one of only 5,055...

Understanding Vernal Pool Hydrology and Animal Use

Vernal Pools are temporary wetlands that fill annually and support a unique set of species. The goal of...

Cat and Human Personality Interaction Project

Millions of cats that enter US animal shelters every year are euthanized. Currently, there is little scientific...

The Lenten Season Study: Exploring shifts in diet, lifestyle, and health during Christian Lent

Some Orthodox Christians restrict their consumption of animal products during Lent, the 40+ days before...

Nepalese shrines and parks: hotspots for pathogen exchange between primates and humans?

In Nepal people and primates come into close contact where humans both intentionally and unintentionally...

Developing a new tissue preservation method inspired by Tardigrades

There are two routine ways to preserve tissues: formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded preservation (FFPE) and...

Can we use phytoliths in modern savanna soil to understand past ecosystems?

Phytoliths are microscopic silica particles produced by plants that can be easily fossilized and preserved...

Can we empower science students with communication skills by eliminating the barriers of time and expertise?

Science professors generally don't have the time or expertise to teach cross-cutting skills like communication...