Three 乱伦社区 faculty members听have been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Their work spans environmental science,听computing听and engineering, addressing challenges ranging from climate resilience and ecosystem sustainability to artificial intelligence and accessible healthcare technologies.听
Founded in 1780, the听听recognizes leaders across disciplines whose work advances research, public policy听and the common good. The Academy elects听roughly 250听members each year.听
,听UW听professor听in听the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, was听elected听for research on how climate change,听urbanization, and听land use affect freshwater ecosystems and fisheries.听
Schindler鈥檚 work focuses on salmon habitats, watershed health听and ecosystem resilience in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, helping scientists better understand how environmental change affects ecosystems, wildlife听and communities that rely on fisheries.听
鈥淚鈥檓 deeply honored by the recognition,鈥� Schindler said. 鈥淚鈥檓 also grateful for the colleagues and students at the UW whose听curiosity听and camaraderie have made our science impactful and genuinely fun.鈥�听
,听professor of computer science and engineering and听director of the Allen听School,听was elected听for听contributions to data management and data science,听as well as her leadership roles at UW and nationally.听
Balazinska听develops data management systems and techniques听to help users across domains process complex and large datasets more efficiently and more easily, including tabular data, images and videos,听content听generated by听artificial intelligence,听and scientific datasets. Her work has included systems for cloud analytics, stream听processing, and video听analysis听among others.听听听
Balazinska听said joining the Academy听shows听how far science and engineering have come, while also听highlighting future听opportunities that will听arise as AI reshapes research and discovery.听
鈥淎I has the potential to accelerate progress in ways I couldn’t have imagined at the start of my career,鈥� she said.听
, professor in the听Allen School听and the听Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, was听elected听for research in ubiquitous computing, human-computer听interaction听and sensor-enabled systems.听
Patel develops technologies that use smartphones,听sensors听and machine learning to expand access to healthcare and improve sustainability. His work includes smartphone-based health screening tools designed to improve access to care, as well as technologies that help households听monitor听energy and water use more efficiently.听
Several technologies developed by Patel and his students have been commercialized through startups and later adopted by major companies, including Google.听
Patel said he was 鈥渉umbled and honored鈥� by the recognition and听wants it to encourage听broader thinking about the role of applied computing research.听
鈥淚 hope this serves as a catalyst for others to embrace a broader, more practical perspective on what computing can achieve for society,鈥� he said.听