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Informatics student blends history, technology and service

Tuesday, April 14, 2026

Growing up in a small town in Eastern 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 ������̳ 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,

MLIS is former journalist's path to a fresh start

Wednesday, March 18, 2026

Master of Library and Information Science student Jennifer Sheffield grew up in libraries. Carrying home armfuls of books, she described herself as a “voracious reader.” She loved that libraries provided a community where learning is encouraged and curiosity is promoted. Along with easy access to libraries, an accelerated learning program helped Sheffield build a sound literary background, but she recognized that she was getting opportunities that her peers were not.“I think that was my first subconscious understanding of privilege,” she said. As an online MLIS student at the

Luminaries convene at UW to envision Black Information Futures

Monday, March 9, 2026

“The ability to remember is a form of power.”This quote by author and theorist bell hooks was emblazoned across cards given to everyone who attended February’s Black Information Futures Symposium. It was a reminder that the work of collecting, preserving and envisioning information has power that reverberates beyond the halls of academia, beyond even a lifetime.Tracie D. Hall convened the Symposium as part of her Distinguished Practitioner in Residence role at the University of Washington Information School. Invoking the work of hooks, Seattle author Octavia Butler, and Black librar

In return, Research Fair is bigger and livelier than ever

Friday, March 6, 2026

Curiosity, conversation and connection took center stage as the Information School celebrated the work of its research community. On the evening of March 5, the HUB Ballroom echoed with lively discussion as researchers gathered for the return of the Information School Research Fair as an in-person event for the first time since 2019. Organized by Professor and Associate Dean for Research Jevin West, the event marked a significant moment for the Information School to return after seven years.“Research is an endeavor that requires interaction, and we just need to be doing that m

Professor advocates for intellectual property rights in world of AI

Friday, March 6, 2026

Although artificial intelligence models can efficiently produce content, they are trained to scrape pre-existing works without direct attribution. As AI becomes more advanced, concerns about the protection of creator ownership continue to grow.With these violations of individual ownership in mind, iSchool Professor Adam Moore discusses the importance of intellectual property in his new book, “Intellectual Property: Moral and Legal Foundations.”“With all the bells and whistles, along with the more complicated systems to come, AI is not intelligent,” Moore writes. “These systems d

Information School honors 2 Ph.D. students with teaching awards

Tuesday, March 3, 2026

Teaching assistants Jesse Brisbois and Tessa Rose Campbell were recently recognized for the impact they’ve made in the classroom. Through the TA and Pre-Doctoral Lectureship Awards, the University of Washington Information School honors TAs who strive for excellence. Advised by iSchool Associate Professor Clarita Lefthand-Begay, Brisbois is a fourth-year student in the Ph.D. program. She received the TA Award. As a TA for INFO 300 Research Methods, Brisbois said she found many benefits of teaching a research course. “When I started teaching, I was not confident in

Informatics class helps UW students get a handle on AI

Saturday, February 28, 2026

Students today are being asked to engage with artificial intelligence in all aspects of their lives — in their personal lives, education and careers. But it’s a complex topic and so new that it’s difficult to understand how AI works and how it can be used responsibly.A new class from the University of Washington Information School aims to help students across the university gain a broad understanding of AI. Ben Lee (pictured at top), an assistant professor at the Information School, recently taught a pilot of the class, AI Fundamentals, and he will teach it again in spring quar

������̳ students, alumni talk sustainability at summit

Friday, February 20, 2026

About 50 online students and several alumni from the Information School’s Master of Science in Information Management program discussed sustainability in information management at the fourth annual ������̳ Online Student Summit.The Feb. 6-7 summit began with a Friday evening welcome reception in Kane Hall. Dean Anind Dey welcomed ������̳ online students and alumni to the Seattle campus and UW community. “As online students, you are deeply embedded in your professional lives and communities around the world, and today you're physically here,” he told them.Dey introduced this year

As technology changes, our academic mission adapts

Tuesday, February 10, 2026

I have invited Amy J. Ko, Professor and Associate Dean for Academics, to write about our educational mission and how, 25 years in, the Information School is adapting to meet the current moment.— Anind K. Dey, Dean and ProfessorThe ways we seek and use information are constantly evolving. Oral traditions gave way to early writing systems and eventually the printing press. Mass media expanded from newspapers to radio and television, and then later the internet and social media took hold. Each development has transformed society, and we are in another transformational moment now with the emerge

Professor begins series of talks on 'Being Human in the Age of AI'

Tuesday, February 10, 2026

AI’s increasing integration into modern life has sparked fear and uncertainty among the public. With that in mind, Information School Professor Chirag Shah has started a series of talks on the uniqueness of being human amid the rise of artificial intelligence. Shah kicked off the two-year series Jan. 26 with an online presentation titled “Being Human in the Age of AI.” Shah sought to provide his audience with a set of deeper questions concerning AI’s impact on the collective future of humanity.  The series is hosted by Humanities Washington, a non-profit organi

Students dive into software design at Winfo Hackathon

Friday, January 30, 2026

The HUB ballroom filled with the clicks of keyboards and conversation as University of Washington students collaborated during the 14th annual Winfo Hackathon. Over the course of 12 hours, students swam together in the currents of innovation, pushing the boundaries of creativity and ingenuity in the vast ocean of software design. The Hackathon is beginner-friendly and directed toward Informatics underclassmen, though the event welcomes students from all majors and class standings. A total of 341 attendees showed up, ready for the all-day event on Jan. 24, including 256 part

Society + Tech initiative leads lively talk on privacy, surveillance

Monday, January 26, 2026

Would you want police to use facial recognition technology to identify you while you walk down the street? While it’s prohibited in King County, some cities have allowed police to access large surveillance networks that constantly scan people’s faces. The University of Washington Society + Technology initiative discussed concerns about such technology at an after-hours event called “Who’s Watching? Privacy and Urban Surveillance.”On the evening of Jan. 12, chatter filled the event room at Halcyon Brewing Co. in Seattle before Monika Sengul-Jones, the initiative's director of str