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David Stearns joins the iSchool

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

The iSchool’s newest senior lecturer, David Stearns, brings a broad background in technology, professional work and research to his new position starting in August. Stearns, who has a Ph.D. in Science and Technology Studies from the University of Edinburgh, worked for 12 years in the software industry, including nine years at Microsoft, where his projects involved designing and building �첥����, or designing tools to help other developers build systems more easily. His dissertation was titled, “Think of it as Money”: A History of the VISA Payment System, 1970–198

Analyzing big data: What makes a Halo gamer great?

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Jeff Huang, who will graduate with his doctorate degree in June, had done research on games before so he thought, why not do something fun in his fourth and final internship at Microsoft Research and apply methods he used in his dissertation research to look at how video game skills develop and what sets the top players apart from the rest. The result was a Best Paper Honorable Mention for “Mastering the Art of War: How Patterns of Gameplay Influence Skill in Halo” that will be awarded at CHI 2013 in Paris in April. This is Huang’s second Best Paper Honorable Mention. His first was

Women in Informatics students champion iSchool outreach

Thursday, April 4, 2013

The iSchool’s newest student organization, Women in Informatics (WINFO), has already sponsored a variety of creative social and educational events to help female students in the Informatics program connect with each other and with other women in STEM majors across the UW campus. The leadership (pictured left) includes Courtney Dutton, Stella Stuckey, Jenna Tollefson, and Jenna Terhar. WINFO, which was formed at the beginning of the 2012 school year, has the formal goal of “empowering women to thrive as producers of technology by establishing and maintaining a network of women that offer

iSchool faculty included in $2.5 million SSHRC research grant

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

iSchool faculty Barbara Endicott-Popovsky and Joseph T. Tennis are members of the InterPARES team that secured a $2.5 million grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for their proposal, “Trust and Digital Records in an Increasingly Networked Society.”  The project, led by Luciana Duranti at University of British Columbia, is the latest phase of ongoing research that began in 1999 and focuses on long-term preservation and verification of digital records for a variety of users.  The goal of the new project is to propose legal and other infrast

David Levy interviewed on KUOW Weekday

Friday, March 29, 2013

iSchool Professor David Levy was interviewed today by Steve Scher on KUOW's Weekday about his work teaching students to focus their attention when distractions are everywhere. The interview was sparked by a recent article on Levy in the Chronicle of Higher Education. Levy used the example of crossing a street to identify the kinds of skills that would cross-over to other times where focus is important, such as being at work and reading an email. He categorized these skills as first, focusing attention on the task at hand; second, having an open a

Linking in the locked up: iSchool student investigates digital literacy behind bars

Friday, March 29, 2013

Every day, prisons release thousands of inmates into the outside world — a high-tech, hyper-connected world they may no longer recognize. “Many people leaving prison are totally overwhelmed by the presence of digital tools everywhere they look. They are realizing that a whole world has passed them by while they were incarcerated,” says iSchool Ph.D. candidate Lassana Magassa. A lack of digital literacy can set them up for failure as they try to transition back to society, he says. Government, social, and health services have gone online. Digital tools are required to access educationa

iSchool collaborates on next version of ChronoZoom

Thursday, March 28, 2013

The �첥���� (iSchool) is working with Microsoft Research, University of California Berkeley, and Moscow State University to develop the next version of ChronoZoom, as the project moves from the current beta format to a more robust educational tool. ChronoZoom, a data visualization tool that allows anyone to interactively explore the history of the universe, received the 2013 South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive Award for Education Resource. The SXSW Interactive Awards recognize the years’ best new digital work and celebrates technologists who are building tomorrow's interac

Documents That Changed the World: 'Casablanca' Letters of Transit, 1942

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

For the latest installment of his Documents that Changed the World podcast series, Joe Janes chose a completely fictional document that nevertheless became well known: The famous “letters of transit” from the 1942 movie “Casablanca” starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. In the podcasts, Janes, professor in the �첥����, explores the origin and evolving meaning of historical documents both famous and less known. UW Today presents these periodically, and all of the podcasts are available online. A contrivance of the film’s (multiple) writers, the imaginary let

David Levy profiled in Chronicle of Higher Education

Monday, March 25, 2013

David Levy’s research and teaching has increasingly attracted the attention of national media. Levy is a professor at the University of Washington Information School (iSchool). The Chronicle of Higher Education recently sent a journalist to interview Levy and attend his class, ‘Information and Contemplation’, to report about his work on the distracting nature of technology and what we can do about it. The result is an in-depth profile on how Levy puts his research into practice, both in the classroom and in his personal life. “I have taught at the iSchool since 2001 where I ha

Amy Ko receives Software Engineering Innovation Foundation (SEIF) award

Friday, March 22, 2013

iSchool Assistant Professor Amy Ko is one of a handful of researchers to receive a $25,000 SEIF grant from Microsoft Research intended to advance software engineering applications and tools, particularly those using a natural user interface (NUI). Microsoft believes that NUI-based applications can promote digital inclusion of older adults, people with disabilities or other underserved populations. Teens, especially girls, are one such population. Ko’s project will engage teenagers in writing and diagnosing computer software applications. Her award-winning project will create a mob

iSchool alumni named Movers & Shakers

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Three iSchool graduates were selected as Movers & Shakers by Library Journal (LJ) in their 12th annual celebration of up-and-coming leaders in the library field. Alene Moroni, M.Libr. '94, Susan Anderson-Newham, MLIS '98, and Audrey Barbakoff, MLIS '10 were among 50 people from around the world who are described by LJ as 'innovative, creative, and making a difference." Moroni, dubbed the Ebook Whisperer in her LJ profile, is the manager of selection and ordering in the collection management services department in the King County Library System in Issaquah, WA. Ebo

UW team wins Annual Pacific Rim Regional Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition

Friday, March 15, 2013

The University of Washington Seattle team, including students from the iSchool's Informatics program, won this year's Pacific Rim Regional Cyber Defense Competition (PRCCDC) that took place on March 23 and 24 at Highline Community College. The annual competition pits teams of students from 12 Pacific Northwest colleges and universities against their peers and those already working professionally in the cybersecurity field.  As the winning team, UW Seattle will compete in the National Championship on April 19 in San Antonio. During both th

Audrey Barbakoff, MLIS '10, named Mover & Shaker

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

The Library Journal calls Audrey Barbakoff, MLIS '10, a 'Ferry Godmother' for her role in starting and leading a book club on the Seattle to Bainbridge ferry commute. Barbakoff was named a 2013 Mover & Shaker along with 49 others from across the country. She was hired in 2011 as the Adult Services Librarian at the Bainbridge Island Library, part of the Kitsap Regional Library system. Although the book club was highlighted by the Journal and has received local media attention, Barbakoff is credited with creating programs to increase the number of thirtysomethings who come to the Bai

iSchool awarded best paper and note honorable mentions at CHI

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

iSchool Associate Professor Wanda Pratt and Ph.D. candidate Jeff Huang, and their colleagues, won Best Paper Honorable Mentions Award for the CHI 2013 conference and Associate Professor Jacob Wobbrock won Best Note Honorable Mention. Of the nearly 2000 papers submitted to CHI this year, these papers were among the less than 5% of submissions to receive this designation. Best Paper Honorable Mention: Mastering the Art of War: How Patterns of Gameplay Influence Skill in Halo, by  J. Huang (Univ. of Washington, USA), T. Zimmermann (Microsoft Research, USA), N. Nagapan (Micros

Kabir Shahani, Informatics 2004, sells his startup in major deal

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Appature, a Seattle healthcare marketing startup co-founded by CEO Kabir Shahani, was sold to IMS Health. Shahani, who graduated from the iSchool Informatics program in 2004 and is member of the Informatics Advisory Board, joined a startup called Blue Dot following a stint at Avanade after graduating. Blue Dot failed and as he reflected in Geekwire's interview, "the frustration of the first (startup) was not having a seat at the table that we wanted. And we felt like the only way that we could have it, was to start it ourselves. I like to think that we built a culture and