Graduates at��the ��������’s��151st Commencement,��scheduled for Saturday, June 13, at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium,��will hear from��,��Class of ’83, who shared the��.����

Brunkow, who studied��molecular and cellular��biology at the UW, won the Nobel Prize for “groundbreaking discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance that prevents the immune system from harming the body.”��Brunkow said she plans to inspire graduates to pursue innovations and discoveries��that will make an impact around the world.��

“I’m honored to be addressing the��Class of 2026 at the ��������, the place where I discovered the joy of asking hard questions in a community that believes in possibility,” Brunkow said.��“At the UW, mentors opened lab doors, curiosity was encouraged��and persistence was taught by example. I look forward to celebrating and encouraging the next generation of explorers, creators and changemakers at the institution that sparked my own sense of what a life in science��—��and service��—��could be.”��

Brunkow��shares��the��Nobel��Prize��with��Frederick J. Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi��for their combined research��into��how the immune system works. Brunkow and Ramsdell conducted research together��at��Celltech��Chiroscience,��formerly Darwin Molecular,��in Bothell,��Washington.��They��identified��a mutation in a gene called��Foxp3,��which��makes��mice susceptible to a��systemic autoimmune disorder��and is��manifested by a visible skin condition. Mutations in the human��equivalent of the Foxp3 gene are also responsible for , which has symptoms including intestinal problems,��diabetes��and scaly, itchy skin.����

Later,��Sakaguchi described the role of the��wild-type��Foxp3��gene in the development of certain white blood cells known as regulatory T cells.��These cells, which Sakaguchi discovered, keep other T cells from mistakenly attacking normal tissues. Regulatory T cells also call a ceasefire once the body gets an infection under control.��

Together, these discoveries��led��researchers to develop��a��concept��called “peripheral immune tolerance,”��through��which��the body��keeps��the immune system in check��by��avoiding��autoimmune responses that can damage healthy tissues. The��research��field��based on this concept��holds promise in advancing therapies for cancers and autoimmune��diseases,��and��improving��treatments to reduce transplant rejection.��

“Mary Brunkow’s groundbreaking work reflects the power of curiosity, persistence and discovery to improve lives around the world,” said UW President Robert J. Jones. “We are proud to count her among the ��������’s distinguished alumni and honored to welcome her back to inspire the Class of 2026 as they begin their own journeys of service, leadership and innovation.”��

Brunkow��is��currently��a��distinguished investigator and��senior program manager at the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle. After graduating from��the UW,��she��went on to earn her doctoral degree from Princeton University in 1991.��In addition to being the featured speaker at Commencement, Brunkow��also��will��receive��the Alumna��Summa Laude��Dignata��Award, the highest honor bestowed upon a UW graduate.����

Contact Jackson Holtz at��jjholtz@uw.edu for more information or to arrange an interview with Brunkow.��

Thornton��has served as��interim dean��since last July, filling the position vacated by Maya Tolstoy.��

Thornton,��a��professor and chair of the��College’s��Department��of Atmospheric and Climate��Science,��is an atmospheric chemist who studies the impacts of human activities on air quality and climate through changes to the atmosphere’s composition and chemistry.����

“Throughout the search process, the deep respect for Dr. Thornton as both a scholar and an effective and engaged leader were evident,” Serio said.��“His extensive knowledge of and dedication to the College and its mission will support its continued excellence.”��

Thornton’s��research focus is on the processes which regulate the formation and removal of short-lived greenhouse gases such as methane and ozone, and the formation and growth of airborne particulate matter. These atmospheric components��—��strongly modulated by both human activities and natural processes��—��have important effects on human and ecosystem health, and impact climate through the greenhouse effect and changes to cloud properties.������

“I am truly honored and delighted to have been selected as the Maggie Walker Dean of the College of the Environment,” Thornton��said.��“Supporting the incredible research and teaching that takes place here as interim dean has been an inspiring experience, and I’m looking forward to partnering with our entire community to further grow the impact of this crucial work.”��

The recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER Award and a NASA New Investigator Award, Thornton has also received the Houghton Award from the American Meteorological Society and the ASCENT Award from the American Geophysical Union for his research contributions to the field of atmospheric science.����

He earned his bachelor’s degree in��chemistry from Dartmouth College, and��his doctoral degree��in��chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley.������

The �������� unveiled the 2026 Husky 100, recognizing 100 undergraduate, graduate and professional students from the UW Bothell, Seattle and Tacoma campuses in all areas of study who are making the most of their time at the UW and are making an impact in their communities.

This remarkable achievement — a kind of uber dean’s list — is awarded to students who demonstrate several key attributes, markers that they will be innovators and leaders.

Since 2016, the UW has highlighted 100 students each year, telling their stories on an interactive website, creating a community on campus and as alumni, and inspiring new generations of Huskies.

Here are some key facts about this year’s Husky 100:

• There were 734 applicants and 88 faculty and staff who helped select the final 100.
• Nearly half are Washington residents; students on the list hail from all corners of Washington including Seattle, Bellingham, Spokane, Prosser, Olympia and Warden, and many more.
• There are 72 unique majors, including double majors.
• Seventy-one are seniors; 24 are graduate and professional students; and five are juniors.
• Students are from 16 U.S. states and 13 countries including Ghana, the United Kingdom, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Taiwan and China.

This year’s cohort will be recognized Monday with a celebration at the HUB. Learn more about this year’s Husky 100.

To find out more about students, their hometowns and for interviews, contact Jackson Holtz at jjholtz@uw.ed.

UPDATE April 7, 2026:��The original version of this story omitted two UW programs that were included in the rankings: Occupational Therapy (Tied for 20th) and Physical Therapy (Tied for 31st).��

The ��������’s graduate and professional degree programs again were recognized as among the best in the nation, according to .

Topping this year’s list include programs at the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, the School of Public Health, the School of Nursing, the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering in the College of Engineering and the College of Education. The College of Arts & Sciences and the College of the Environment also had top-rated programs.

In total, 81 graduate and professional degree programs across the UW placed in the top 35 in this year’s U.S. News rankings.

“These rankings highlight the strength and impact of the ��������’s graduate and professional programs,” said UW President Robert J. Jones. “These programs equip students with the skills and knowledge to meet critical workforce needs and serve society, while demonstrating the power of higher education to advance the public good. We are proud to foster an environment where students and faculty can thrive and have a real impact on the world around them.”

While the UW celebrates the success and impact of the programs recognized by U.S. News — and notes that many applicants use these rankings to help them select schools and discover potential areas of study — the University also recognizes shortcomings inherent in the ranking systems.

The UW School of Law and the UW School of Medicine withdrew from the U.S. News rankings in 2022 and 2023, respectively, citing concerns that some of the methodology in the rankings for those specific disciplines incentivize actions and policies that run counter to the schools’ public service missions.

UW leaders continue to work with U.S. News and other ranking organizations to improve their methodologies, to the extent that the organizations are open to it. Schools, colleges and departments continually reevaluate the benefits and potential shortfalls of participating in specific rankings.

Excluding the School of Law and the School of Medicine, 29 UW programs placed in the top 10, and 81 are in the top 35.

��The UW this year placed in the top 10 nationwide in public affairs, biostatistics,�� nursing, computer science, education, psychology, speech and language pathology, statistics and Earth sciences.

The UW’s Evans School of Public Policy & Governance has maintained its top-10 ranking for more than a decade and tied for fifth in the nation this year. The Evans School’s environmental policy program was ranked second, while public finance and budgeting as well as leadership both ranked No. 10.

The UW School of Nursing’s doctor of nursing practice program tied for No. 1 among public institutions. The School of Public Health has maintained its top-10 ranking for more than a decade, coming in this year at No. 9. The school also had three programs in the top 10: biostatistics, environmental health sciences and epidemiology.��

The UW’s programs in speech and language pathology tied for No. 6.�� Two programs from the College of Education placed in the top 10. And the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering this year tied for seventh place overall with three programs ranked in the top 10, including artificial intelligence, programming language and systems.

U.S. News ranks biostatistics in two ways. UW ranked No. 3 as a science discipline that applies statistical theory and mathematical principles to research in medicine, biology, environmental science, public health and related fields. UW’s School of Public Health ranked No. 7 in biostatistics as an area of study that trains students to apply statistical principles and methods to problems in health sciences, medicine and biology. At the UW, biostatistics is a division of the School of Public Health.

In some cases, such as the College of Arts & Science and the Foster School of Business, U.S. News ranks several professional disciplines housed within academic units. Programs in dentistry are not ranked.��

The rankings below are based on preliminary data and may be updated. relies on both expert opinions and statistical indicators.

TOP 10:

Library and Information Studies (overall): Two-way tie for 1st (ranked in 2025)

Public Affairs (environmental policy): 2nd

Library and information studies (digital librarianship): Two-way for 2nd (ranked in 2022)

Library and Information Studies (information systems): 2nd (ranked in 2022)

Biostatistics: 3rd

Physics (nuclear): Two-way tie for 3rd (ranked in 2024)

Nurse practitioner (doctor of nursing practice): Four-way tie for 4th

Evans School of Public Policy & Governance (overall): Four-way tie for 5th

Library and Information Studies (library services for children and youth): Two-way for 5th (ranked in 2022)

Computer science (systems): Tied for 6th

Education (elementary education): 6th

Psychology (clinical): Three-way tie for 6th

Speech-language pathology: Five-way tie for 6th

Statistics: Four-way tie for 6th

Public Health (biostatistics): 7th

Computer science (overall): Three-way tie for 7th

Computer science (programming language): Tied for 7th

Education (secondary education): 7th

Nursing (midwifery): Five-way tie for 7th

Public Health (environmental health sciences): 7th

School of Social Work (overall): 7th (ranked in 2025)

Public Health (epidemiology): 8th

Computer science (artificial intelligence): 9th

Earth sciences: Tied for 9th��

Geophysics: Three-way tie for 9th (ranked in 2024)

Public Affairs (nonprofit management): 9th

School of Public Health (overall): Tied for 9th

Public Affairs (public finance and budgeting): 10th

Public Affairs (public management and leadership): 10th

TOP 25:

Biological sciences: Five-way tie for 16th

Business (accounting): 10-way tie for 16th

Business (entrepreneurship): Five-way tie for 17th

Business (information systems): Three-way tie for 15th

Business (part-time MBA): Three-way tie for 11th

Business (full-time MBA): 20th

Business (management): Five-way tie for 25th

Business (marketing): Eight-way tie for 25th

Chemistry (analytical): Four-way tie for 16th (ranked in 2024)

Chemistry: Seven-way tie for 22nd

Chemistry (inorganic): Three-way tie for 22nd (ranked in 2024)

Computer science (theory): Tied for 11th

College of Education (overall): Tied for 24th

Education (administration): Tied for 11th

Education (curriculum/instruction): Tied for 12th

Education (policy): Tied for 14th

Education (special education): Tied for 12th

College of Engineering (overall): Three-way tie for 22nd

Engineering (aerospace/aeronautical/astronautical): Tied for 17th

Engineering (biomedical/bioengineering): Five-way tie for 12th

Engineering (civil): Four-way tie for 13th

Engineering (computer): 12th

Engineering (electrical): Three-way tie for 22nd

Engineering (industrial/manufacturing/systems): Seven-way tie for 24th

Engineering (materials engineering): Five-way tie for 25th

Library and Information Studies (school library media): Two-way tie for 11th (ranked in 2022)

Mathematics (applied math): 21st (ranked in 2024)

Nursing master’s (overall): Tied for 12th

Nurse practitioner (adult gerontology acute care): Tied for 11th

Nurse practitioner (family): Tied for 15th

School of Pharmacy (overall): Tied for 14th

Physics (overall): Tied for 20th��

Public Affairs (public policy analysis): 14th

Public Affairs (social policy): Tied for 13th

Public Affairs (urban policy): Three-way tie for 21st

Public Health (health care management): Three-way tie for 16th��

Public Health (health policy and management): 11th

Public Health (social behavior): 13th

Sociology (overall): Two-way tie for 22nd (ranked in 2025)

Sociology (population): Two-way tie for 15th (ranked in 2022)

TOP 35:

Business (analytics): Seven-way tie for 32nd

Business (executive MBA): Three-way tie for 29th

Business (finance): Nine-way tie for 31st

Business (international MBA): Tie for 32nd

Business (production & operations): Five-way tie for 27th

Engineering (chemical): Tied for 28th

Engineering (mechanical): 34th

English: Two-way tie for 34th (ranked in 2025)

Fine arts: 15-way tie for 34th

History: Three-way tie for 31st (ranked in 2025)

Mathematics: Four-way tie for 26th

Occupational Therapy: Tied for 20th

Physical Therapy: Tied for 31st

Political science: Five-way tie for 33rd (ranked in 2025)

Since Ryan Calo joined �������� School of Law in 2012, he has become a leading expert on the law and emerging technology.����

Calo believes that few interesting questions — especially around technology — can be resolved by reference to a single discipline.��

Calo is a co-founder of the , and the . He is also a professor in the and an adjunct in the .��

Calo’s newest book, “,” published late last year, is a guide to a legal analysis of regulation and technology. Nearly a decade ago, Calo realized that the most recent book on the topic was published in the 1970s. He decided it was time for an updated resource reflecting current, rapidly evolving technology and the present regulatory environment.��

UW News spoke with Calo about the book and the current legal and policy climate in the United States.

Who is the intended audience for “Law and Technology”?

Ryan Calo: I wrote it primarily for new entrants to the field, be they junior scholars or students. I also hoped that the themes would resonate with more senior scholars and that it would be useful outside of academia for either analysis or instruction. Because ultimately, what the book does is proposes a methodology for analyzing technology from a legal perspective.��

I spent a lot of time interacting with policymakers, staffers on Capitol Hill, people who work for senators and members of Congress. A legislator might come to a staffer and say,�� “Hey, my constituents are really worried about augmented reality or AI. They’re really worried about deep fakes.” That staff member doesn’t really have a place to start, and they end up just calling up experts, reading New York Times articles, talking to industry, but not in any kind of methodical way. This book is designed to help them figure out what’s going on.��

I also hope that this book would be of use to people who are in practice and want to be more methodical about analyzing a given technology.��

Technology evolves fast. How should the legal system and policymakers prepare to navigate the relationship between law and emerging technologies?

RC: Many of us have an expectation that technology is just going to change. It’s just going to evolve, and our job as lawyers or judges or policymakers, is to kind of scramble and accommodate the resulting disruption, and perhaps try to restore the status quo. Part of what I hope to see is legal scholars and policymakers acknowledging that the disruption isn’t inevitable.

We need to empower independent researchers to figure out what’s going on with new technology. Right now researchers are disempowered because they don’t have access to the relevant data and platforms. And many times when they try to get that data, they get served with a cease and desist letter.��

We need to protect whistleblowers and make sure there’s adequate, truly top-notch expertise within government. If you have those things, then you’re much more likely to be able to figure out what could go wrong with these technologies without having to observe the harm unfold over a long period of time, as we have with the internet and now with AI.

You mentioned the School of Law’s leadership in tech policy. How is the UW positioned nationally in this space?

RC: We are really among the leaders in this area.��

The School of Law has a lot of tech policy offerings, including a . Many faculty have contributed to scholarship over the years. We have lots of faculty writing about law and technology.��

We also have been really a model for impactful interdisciplinary collaboration. Law students can work in the clinic or the Tech Policy Lab. I’m one of the founders of the Center for an Informed Public, which bridges human centered and design engineering as well as the Information School and dozens of other departments including psychology, education and even geography.��

A third important example is the . We did a whole year of work mapping out who was doing work in the space — all the centers, all the labs, all the initiatives — all the people on the three campuses identified as working at this intersection.��

We’re leaders across the country at the law school in terms of our student offerings in our research, but we are also part of that interstitial glue. People think of the iSchool, which they should. They think of computer science, which they should. But they also should think about who else is in the center of this, who else is at the heart of it, and the School of Law is a big part of that.

There’s been a lot of news lately about states trying to regulate AI and the federal government pushing back. What’s your perspective?

RC: If I were trying to sabotage the innovation edge of the United States, I would do at least two things, maybe three.��

First, I would divest in basic research. The United States has had an innovation edge over the rest of the world in large part because of decisions made in the 1950s and beyond to invest in basic research. I would dismantle that, and I would try to make it really hard for universities to do research, either by spending less, disrupting the relationships, or messing with overhead in ways that makes research impossible.��

The second thing I would do is make it really hostile for outside innovators to come in and participate in knowledge production here. I would, whether xenophobically or not, try to make it really hard for people with ideas and talent and knowledge to come here to the United States to work on teams with other Americans, to stay here and teach in our schools, to found companies. The second enormous advantage the United States has had is that the country has become attractive because of its commitment to the rule of law and its robust higher ed system, and that’s built on its innovation and investment in research. People from all over the world come here to try and make the next Google and Amazon, or are teaching in our schools and contributing to our ecosystem.��

The third thing I would do in this hypothetical situation is remove non-existent hurdles to transformative technologies like AI. What do I mean? Federal leaders are currently talking about getting out of the way of AI, but there aren’t any regulations about AI, really. There are some state laws that have a kind of European flavor of risk management, like and . There are specific things that states are worried about, including deep fakes and labeling online social media accounts that are automated. There’s almost nothing standing in the way of AI innovation in terms of regulation.��

The way that our system is structured is that the individual states, under our concept of federalism, are supposed to be laboratories of ideas, experimenting with legislation, and showing that it works or it doesn’t. Pretending that you’re pro-innovation because you’re trying to stamp out the very few regulatory hurdles that companies have to have to abide by all in the name of competing with China, which has AI laws, is just senseless. We’re much better off following the wisdom of the founders, who said, “Hey, if you have something new in society, let the states serve as laboratories for different laws, and we can all learn from each other about how that’s going.” That’s classic federalism and it used to be a pillar of conservative thinking.��

The President doesn’t have the power to boss the states around in terms of their legislative capacities. And Congress has taken up the question of whether to try to preempt AI laws, and they resignedly declined. I just want to comment that the overall strategy of the administration has been deeply anti-innovation in its impact, even though it is vociferously proinnovation in its rhetoric.

Any final thoughts?

RC: We have an environment in the U.S. that promotes innovation, sometimes through laws, such as laws that protect intellectual property, and laws that make people feel safe enough to use products and services that companies can sell them to us. There’s not, and never has been, a one-to-one correlation between regulation and promoting innovation. It’s really important that we acknowledge, as a society and community, that sometimes laws are written in the service of innovation. What you want is a favorable regulatory environment, not a complete absence of the rule of law.

For more information, contact Calo at rcalo@uw.edu.��

It all started with a slide rule.

In the fall of 1965, during Cheryl Wright’s first week at the ��������, she went to Suzzallo Library to complete a chemistry assignment. She needed help with a math problem and saw a boy across the reading room who had a slide rule — an analog calculator. The young pharmacy student who helped her that day was Raymond Wilson. Together the couple, who go by Cherie and Ray, did far more than solve a mathematical equation — they married and formed a bond that’s lasted more than six decades.

Cherie and Ray, both members of the Class of 1969,�� went on to have successful academic and professional careers.�� Over the years, their connections to the UW have deepened. They have supported scholarships, created alumni communities, built friendships and professional relationships, and cheered for Husky athletics, including the volleyball, basketball and football teams.

Now, the Wilsons have made a bequest of more than $8 million to be shared among the College of Education, the School of Pharmacy and UW Medicine’s BRaIN Laboratory. Bequests allow donors to direct their assets to causes after their death. The bequest brings the Wilsons’ total giving to more than $10 million and they now will be recognized by the UW as Presidential Laureates.

“This remarkable bequest reflects not only Cherie and Ray Wilson’s generosity, but a lifetime of connection to the ��������. It represents an enduring relationship grounded in gratitude, trust and a shared belief in the power of education and discovery,” said UW President Robert J. Jones. “From their earliest days as students to this extraordinary commitment, they have invested in people, ideas and communities across our university. Cherie and Ray’s impact will be felt for generations, expanding opportunity for students and advancing research that improves lives.”

After graduating from the UW, both Cherie and Ray attended the University of Kansas, where Cherie earned a master’s degree in early childhood development and Ray earned his doctorate in medicinal chemistry. They both earned medical degrees from the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University, respectively.

Cherie and Ray wanted to return to Washington state and eventually settled near Seattle, where Cherie worked as a pediatrician at Seattle Children’s and in private practice in Bellevue. Ray set up a gastroenterology practice at the Everett Clinic. Their career success enabled them to give back to the community in several ways, including philanthropically, with several gifts supporting the UW. For Ray, who was able to attend the UW thanks to scholarships, supporting students today is a way to pay it forward.

“Our giving is out of gratitude for what the University did for us,” Ray said. “It certainly helped me when I didn’t have a lot of money. It’s a privilege to try and help other students who might be struggling to get through school.”

College of Education

Ray was inspired to create an endowed scholarship fund at the College of Education more than a decade ago to support master’s level teacher training for Native Americans. It was a way to honor his high school baseball and basketball coach, Dan Iyall. Iyall, an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, reached legendary status as a pioneer in Washington high school athletics.

Iyall worked for nearly 50 years in education and is a member of the Washington Baseball Hall of Fame. He created the Washington high school baseball championships and is credited with developing a new style of bunting. He coached championship-level teams from four different high schools across Eastern Washington: Coulee City, Deer Park, Oroville and University. He also took a team from Oroville to the Washington State A boys basketball championship.

Wilson said Iyall’s presence reinforced the importance of inclusivity.

“Eventually, I decided we need more people like Dan Iyall,” Wilson said. “We need more teachers like that.”

The bequest will grow the Dan Iyall Native American Support Fund by more than 300%. ��Thanks to the fund, more than a dozen Native American fellows have earned their master’s in teaching. Now, the College will be able to award more fellowships each year.

The Wilsons are also creating the Dean Mia Tuan Endowed Professorship, to recognize Tuan’s leadership and long-standing emphasis on authentic, reciprocal community partnerships and culturally informed problem solving. The new endowment will allow the College to recruit and retain faculty specializing in community- and equity-based education.

“Ray and Cherie are extraordinary people whose generosity reflects a deep commitment to strengthening our communities,” Tuan said. “Their gift will support Native students in becoming teachers while helping diversify Washington’s educator workforce. I am also deeply moved that their gift will establish an endowed professorship dedicated to authentic community partnerships and culturally grounded problem solving.”

School of Pharmacy

Several decades after Ray received financial assistance to attend the UW School of Pharmacy, he teamed up with classmates and launched the Class of 1969 Scholarship Fund. Set up in the 2000s, it was the first School of Pharmacy alumni class to create a fund to help students.

“I came from a small town in Eastern Washington with almost no money, and yet, the University provided me with scholarships and completely covered my tuition,” Ray said.

Wendel L. Nelson, a professor and pioneer in medicinal chemistry, recognized Ray’s talents early on and hired him to work in a lab. The research helped Ray advance his career, and the extra money helped pay for food and housing. More than that, the combination of scholarships and laboratory work enabled Ray to graduate debt-free.

With this bequest, the Wilsons’ generosity supports two additional funds in the School of Pharmacy: The Wendel L. Nelson Endowment in Medicinal Chemistry, named for Ray’s mentor, will support graduate students involved in basic laboratory research in medicinal chemistry. The gift also adds to the Nelson-Mendenhall Summer Scholars Program Fund, which brings undergraduates to the UW School of Pharmacy for a 10-week intensive in pharmaceutical sciences.

“From their longstanding financial support to their ongoing participation in School events, to Ray’s past volunteer leadership, Ray and Cherie have already contributed so much to our School of Pharmacy community, and they have done so with a genuine desire to help students and the School thrive,” said School of Pharmacy Dean Jay Panyam. “The Wilsons’ estate commitment is yet another example of their incredible generosity, and I know it will have a significant and lasting impact for our students.”

UW Biorepository and Integrated Neuropathology (BRaIN) Laboratory in the UW School of Medicine

The Wilsons’ bequest contributes additional funds to the BRaIN Laboratory, part of UW Medicine’s Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology.

Researchers at the BRaIN Lab are studying normal brain anatomy and function and how these change in injury and disease, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, traumatic brain injury and chronic traumatic encephalopathy .

Cherie and Ray�� were introduced to the BRaIN Lab’s groundbreaking research by their former neighbors, Linda and Bob Dahl, whose son, Matthew Dahl, was one of their favorite neighborhood kids. When he died at 24, they were moved to learn about the BRaIN Lab, where Bob and Linda had donated his brain for research and to understand the impact of a childhood traumatic brain injury (TBI). The examination determined that Matt’s childhood TBI had evolved, rather than resolved. The outcome — Matt’s brain showed significant damage — highlighted the importance of such donations and moved the Wilsons to make meaningful philanthropic contributions to the lab.

Cherie said she’s hopeful the BRaIN Lab’s work may lead to treatments that could result in better long-term outcomes for patients.

“Some of these problems are going to be solved,” Cherie said. “Just becoming aware of chronic head injury and the effect on kids is really, really important.”

The BRaIN lab is a global leader in neurological research on many topics, including TBI. With this bequest, the Wilsons support the intersection of pharmaceutical research and brain injury and disease.

“Ray and Cherie’s engagement and generosity will continue to help the BRaIN Lab become a national model for neuropathology research. This generous gift will accelerate our work to better understand the mechanisms of brain injury and disease and to support the development of new strategies for diagnosis, treatment and prevention,” said Dr. Caitlin S. Latimer, director of both the Division of Neuropathology and the BRaIN Lab.

The �������� and Microsoft have announced the expansion of their long‑standing partnership uniting world-class academic research with world-leading technology. UW and Microsoft aim to accelerate AI discovery, prepare students and workers for an AI-driven economy, and help communities understand and use AI responsibly.

The announcement, made today by UW President Robert J. Jones and Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith during an event at the UW’s Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, will increase the University’s access to the most advanced AI computing power, expand internship and applied research opportunities for its students, and develop community AI literacy programs, including a foundational AI course for working Washingtonians.

“Our long-standing partnership with Microsoft demonstrates what’s possible when universities and industry come together to support students and our society, and we are grateful for their continued support,” Jones said. “Together, we’re expanding students’ access to hands-on learning, advancing AI research and strengthening our workforce.”

This announcement builds on Microsoft’s decades-long support of the University, including $165 million of investments in student scholarships and enhancements to the UW’s world-leading computer science and engineering programs. In tandem with ongoing state and federal support, these investments have helped increase access to education and contributed to the state’s highly skilled workforce.

“President Jones has outlined a bold vision for the ��������, one that expands access and affordability in higher ed, forges radical partnerships and strengthens civic health,” Smith said. “It’s essential that this vision includes broad access to AI technology and the skills to use it, so students, workers and communities across Washington are prepared for this new era of computing and can share fully in its benefits.”

The timing of the announcement comes as forecasts predict a need to fill 1.5 million job vacancies in Washington by 2032 — about 640,000 new jobs and 910,000 openings due to retirements, according to Partnership for Learning. Up to 75% of those vacancies will require post-secondary credentials, with four-year and advanced degrees in highest demand. If current trends hold, experts predict a shortfall of nearly 600,000 credentialed workers in Washington over the decade.

“It’s critical that industry, colleges and universities, and policy makers continue to work together to maintain the region’s economy and climate of innovation and discovery,” Smith said. “That includes avoiding going backward by making cuts to core state funding that would make a college degree less accessible to our state’s students.”

The budgets proposed by the Washington State Legislature’s majorities would keep funding for the UW largely stable. Historically, the Legislature has created a fertile environment for workforce growth and training through the Washington Workforce Education Investment Act (WEIA) and the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship (WSOS).

Since passage in 2019, with support from Microsoft and other business leaders, the WEIA has generated more than $2 billion in dedicated funding to expand higher education access in Washington.�� WSOS — a first-of-its-kind public-private partnership in which private employers contribute philanthropic dollars that are matched by the State of Washington to expand access to higher education in high-demand fields — has delivered nearly $150 million in total scholarships statewide, combining private donations and state matching funds. One-third of WSOS scholars attend the UW.

“These new elements of our partnership with Microsoft continue to position the UW and our state as leaders in access to higher education and at the forefront of the emerging technologies that can drive broad-based prosperity,” Jones said.

Microsoft and the UW’s expanded partnership will:

• Provide faculty, researchers and students with access to advanced computing capabilities that enable modern AI training, experimentation and research, and instruction. Microsoft is supplementing this effort by donating Microsoft Azure cloud computing credits to help accelerate the development of a research cloud computing platform.
• Launch a new initiative to connect UW faculty, visiting professors and students with real-world research opportunities at Microsoft. This is based on a new “research marketplace” that will be established and supported by Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab. It will be complemented by 10 additional graduate student-researcher slots per year — eight through the Microsoft Research organization and two in the AI for Good Lab.
• Support undergraduate students as they become civic leaders, helping them build ethical judgment, digital citizenship and agency to co-design how emerging technologies, including AI, will serve communities and democracy.
• Join forces with UW’s Continuum College, an institution serving more than 50,000 learners annually through 400 programs serving young people, working adults and senior citizens. The UW and Microsoft will develop programming that helps Washingtonians navigate AI-related workforce transitions with confidence and purpose. This collaboration will result in new courses and other learning pathways focused on career resilience, evolving job demands and navigating the challenges that accompany shifting career identities.
• Beginning this fall, the UW and Microsoft will launch a new collaboration on Microsoft’s Redmond campus that reimagines how universities and industry work together. This part of the work will deepen workforce‑connected education and applied learning. The collaboration will support the co‑development of select courses and learning experiences for Microsoft employees navigating rapid AI‑driven change, while enabling UW students to learn alongside industry professionals and gain real‑world insight as part of their academic experience. Additional details will be announced later this year.

Since becoming the UW’s 34th president in August 2025, President Jones has set out three key priorities for the University: increasing access to education, including through the goal of making a UW degree debt-free for Washington undergraduates; spurring radical collaborations with businesses and communities to advance positive change; and eliminating any artificial barriers between the University and the communities it serves.

Along with strategic planning underway at the UW, Jones is engaging with corporate and civic leaders, as well as organizations throughout the region, to expand existing partnerships with the UW. Through these relationships, he aims to support access and affordability for students and the economic vitality and social fabric of Washington state and beyond.

For more information, contact Victor Balta at balta@uw.edu.

The �������� has again earned a prestigious recognition for the impact and importance of the connections faculty, students and staff have with local, regional and global communities.

All three UW campuses were recognized with the Carnegie Foundation Community Engagement reclassification, placing the university among nationwide. Officials with the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, who award the designation, noted that these universities are deepening partnerships, centering community assets and addressing urgent societal challenges with clarity and distinction.

“This Carnegie reclassification affirms what I’ve long believed about the role of public universities: our work has to be rooted in partnership and focused on impact for all people,” said UW President Robert J. Jones. “Community engagement isn’t peripheral to our mission — it’s central to how we move the UW forward in service of the greater good. Being recognized again across all three campuses is a real point of pride and speaks to the shared commitment across the UW to working alongside our communities to drive meaningful change.”

The UW’s three campuses were first recognized in 2020 by the Carnegie Foundation as community-engaged campuses. This reclassification is an external acknowledgement of the growing scale and quality of community-engaged work, built on a decades-long foundation. In recent years, the UW has strengthened relationships, expanded partnerships, and launched a tri-campus effort — funded in 2022 by a $3.8 million donation — to strengthen community engagement practices across campuses, develop shared definitions of community engagement, and build a digital clearinghouse to track and facilitate community work. Much of that work is documented on the Community Engagement Knowledge Hub, a website with resources for the UW and community partners.

The UW works with more than 700 different community organizations, including nonprofit providers of health care and other services, local and regional governments, school districts, tribal nations, and small businesses as well as large multinational companies.

The Carnegie Classification for the UW in Seattle recognizes the meaningful and sustained work of faculty, staff and students to engage with the community in genuine partnership, said Ed Taylor, vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.

“These relationships enable students to take up community-informed, academically rigorous work in our civic spaces, leading to a more sophisticated understanding of the complex problems facing society,” Taylor said. “We are honored and humbled by this recognition of our work so far and inspired to continue to deepen our focus on addressing the most pressing needs of our campus and broader community. Sustaining these outcomes at scale requires dedicated infrastructure, student support, and long-term investment from partners.”

For example, via , the UW works with rural and tribal schools statewide. These programs are designed to enrich existing K-12 education, enhance STEM learning and provide opportunities for children in those schools to learn about higher education. UW undergraduates support curriculums, connect with students in communities, all while being guided by UW faculty and staff.

“Our programs work with all different grade levels at various tribal nations here in Washington state, which I think is cool and unique,” said Richard Alejandro Parra, who runs the program and is assistant director of Rural and Tribal Partnerships in the UW.

The Center is a leading coordinator at the UW for community-engaged learning, partnership development and student civic leadership. Each year, it supports thousands of students and hundreds of collaborations with community-based organizations and faculty to strengthen community-driven solutions to complex societal challenges.

“We have students that we’ve worked with since they were fifth graders, and we engage with them throughout their entire K-12 journey,” Parra said. “After graduating, some of those students have come to UW, and they return to their communities to mentor younger students through our programs.”

When the in Snohomish County was looking to expand its capacity to serve recent immigrants, leaders of the small nonprofit reached out to UW Bothell. During more than a decade of collaboration, a symbiotic relationship between LETI and the UW has blossomed, providing critical resources to support LETI’s growth and giving UW students from Bothell and Seattle real-world experience.

This year, more than 40 UW students are engaged in work-study and research at LETI, providing services in education, health and more.

“The community engagement effort that they have is one of the best that I have seen,” said Rosario Reyes, LETI’s founder and president. “I wish other schools would emulate it.”

Employers, like LETI, view UW Bothell as a strong partner in regional workforce development, said UW Bothell Chancellor Kristin G. Esterberg.

UW Bothell faculty and students collaborate with hundreds of community organizations locally and globally. Since first gaining the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, UW Bothell’s commitment to collaboration has deepened. It is underpinned by new policies such as the addition of an undergraduate learning goal focused on community engagement and faculty legislation supporting community-engaged scholarship.

“We also engage with hundreds of nonprofit agencies, local governments and grassroots organizations year-round,” Esterberg said. “This reclassification by the Carnegie Foundation recognizes our community engagement and reinforces the value of this work.”

UW Tacoma is a vital part of building the future for the city of Tacoma, said Jacques Colon, the director of the city’s Equity, Strategy, and Human Rights office. In addition to bolstering the redevelopment of the city’s downtown by expanding and modernizing the university’s campus, UW Tacoma also contributes to economic development by training a desirable and highly skilled workforce. That, in turn, attracts more business to the area.

“If we can make that kind of synergy work, that’s exactly the kind of relationship that has the ability to set a trajectory for a city long term, over a decade,” Colon said. “To me, that’s incredibly exciting,”

That kind of community engagement is at the heart of UW Tacoma’s mission and the key to a more prosperous future for the region, said UW Tacoma Chancellor Sheila Edwards Lange.

UW Tacoma has established itself as one of the region’s most community-engaged universities.

Over the past year, UW Tacoma faculty and students partnered with community organizations on a wide range of initiatives addressing pressing social, environmental and health challenges. These collaborations included restoring riparian forests to support salmon habitat, co-creating alternative and low-barrier pathways for youth to access evidence-based behavioral healthcare, co-designing food justice programming that connects labor, culture, and care, and developing mental health workshops for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) youth.

“Through our community-driven initiatives, our students give back while engaging in career-connected learning, and our faculty and staff work alongside our partners to solve some of society’s toughest challenges,” Lange said. “Together, with our hundreds of community partners, we’re making a lasting impact in the South Sound and beyond.”

The �������� today announced a foundational $10 million gift from philanthropists Charles and Lisa Simonyi to support groundbreaking work in artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.

The gift will establish a new initiative, AI@UW, to support the UW’s global leadership in advancing AI, machine learning and related areas of computing. Noah A. Smith, currently the Amazon Professor of Machine Learning in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, will become the vice provost for artificial intelligence and the inaugural Charles and Lisa Simonyi Endowed Chair for Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies. The chair appointment is pending Board of Regents approval.

“With this generous gift from Charles and Lisa Simonyi, we will further position the UW as a model for how universities can responsibly and creatively adapt to the age of AI across education, research, administration and governance,” UW Provost Tricia Serio said. “By leading the AI@UW initiative, Vice Provost Noah Smith will guide our efforts to accelerate innovation and collaboration, illuminate achievements, propagate effective practices throughout the UW community and beyond, and ensure that our graduates are prepared for the workforce of today and tomorrow.”

UW researchers and faculty already are globally recognized for cultivating a deep understanding of the science and potential of these rapidly developing technologies. Work at the UW is creating practical and responsible applications for AI that span the academic enterprise, contribute to industry and uplift society.

Charles and Lisa Simonyi have a long history of supporting the UW. Lisa Simonyi is the chair of the UW Foundation Board, and Charles Simonyi is a technical fellow at Microsoft, where he also was a pioneer in developing software applications.

“The future of computing, research and innovations is deeply connected to the next era in artificial intelligence and machine learning,” Lisa and Charles Simonyi said. “We believe in the UW’s ability to engage students and faculty toward discoveries that will transform the university, the region and, indeed, the world. We are pleased to lend our support to advancing this exciting, interdisciplinary field.”

The Charles and Lisa Simonyi gift also will support the creation of an AI governance committee, student scholarships, community engagement and investments in computing resources and equipment.

“This extraordinary gift from the Simonyis demonstrates their vision and deep trust in the UW’s role as a global leader in innovation,” UW President Robert J. Jones said. “It is a foundational investment that will help ensure artificial intelligence is developed and applied responsibly — serving humanity and advancing knowledge in ways that reflect our shared values.”

In the near term, the vice provost for artificial intelligence will establish a SEED-AI grant program to fund projects, led by UW faculty, that elevate the use of AI in UW educational activities. SEED-AI grants will support innovative, exploratory projects aiming to discover how AI can enhance learning and teaching across disciplines, enlighten the UW community, and inspire future developments of AI in the educational context.

Thanks to the Simonyi gift, Smith said, the UW will model how universities can responsibly and creatively adapt to the age of AI across education, research, administration and governance.

“The UW’s people are already leading the way in shaping universities in the time of AI,” Smith said. “While its rapid rise has been surprising, as an AI researcher and teacher I’m energized by the chance to promote AI literacy, explore how AI can enrich learning across disciplines and help steer AI’s development in ways that are most useful to the University’s mission.”

Contact Smith at nasmith@cs.washington.edu.

The ��������’s College of the Environment will expand its work related to climate solutions thanks to a grant announced today from , FFST, a new foundation within the Paul G. Allen philanthropic ecosystem.

The College of the Environment will use the $10 million grant from FFST to deepen its work in researching climate solutions, climate prediction and environmental monitoring through field observation and data modeling.

“Our mission is to enable accelerated discovery and catalyze progress through transformational science and technology,” said Dr. Lynda Stuart, FFST’s chief executive officer. “We need more solutions for some of the most defining challenges of our time, which is why the foundation is focused on bioscience, a range of environmental issues, and the role AI can play to benefit people and the planet. These were three priority areas for Paul Allen, and our early grantees are at the forefront of that work.”

The College of the Environment is the largest environment-focused institute of higher learning in the United States. College of the Environment faculty include globally recognized experts in atmospheric and climate science, geology, forestry, oceanography, fisheries, marine policy and more.

“This generous support from��FFST represents a vital investment in the UW College of the Environment, strengthening our ability to drive the research, discovery and solutions required to address the most pressing climate challenges of our time,” said UW President Robert J. Jones. “The �������� is deeply grateful for our long-standing relationship with the Paul G. Allen philanthropic ecosystem, and to Dr. Stuart and her team for their vision and commitment to advancing this critical work.”

Through the grant, researchers will build on strengths in the atmospheric and ocean sciences that can be applied to climate solutions, climate prediction and environmental monitoring through robust field observations and theoretical and AI-based modeling. College of the Environment experts hope to gain a better understanding of climate and ecosystem health, which in turn supports the health and wellbeing of all Earth’s inhabitants.

“Support from FFST will drive research that transcends traditional boundaries to tackle the urgent challenges of our rapidly changing environment,” said , associate dean of research and program lead at the College of the Environment. “Working across scientific disciplines allows us to understand the truly complex nature of these changes and helps us develop the tools that could potentially mitigate them.”

This investment comes at a critical time for environmental science, when support across the funding landscape is uncertain. “We are deeply grateful to FFST for their support of the UW and the College of the Environment,” Interim Dean said. “This investment will ensure we can continue to discover and understand our world, and to pursue bold and innovative solutions to the environmental challenges we face by leveraging the breadth of expertise across the College, the UW and our region.”

For more information about FFST, read . Contact John Meyer at the College of the Environment at jjmeyer@uw.edu.