The University of Washington has been at the forefront of several significant developments in the past 48 hours, spanning across science, technology, and sports.
In the realm of science, NASA has awarded $2.5 million to the University of Washington to establish the BioS-ENDURES consortium. This interdisciplinary project, led in part by ESS Associate Professor Drew Gorman-Lewis, aims to study the effects of the space environment on living organisms. This initiative underscores the university’s commitment to advancing our understanding of space and its impact on life.
In the field of technology, Shyam Gollakota, a computer science professor at the University of Washington, has been honored with the $100,000 Infosys Prize for his contributions to engineering and computer science. Gollakota’s research encompasses a wide range of areas, including wireless technology, battery-free devices, and medical diagnostics via smartphones. He is also the co-founder of several health tech startups, including Sound Life Sciences and Wavely Diagnostics. Gollakota plans to use the award money to commercialize his latest research on a headphone prototype that uses AI to create a “sound bubble”.
In sports, the University of Washington has announced a unique partnership with Blizzard Entertainment, the developer of World of Warcraft. This collaboration, part of World of Warcraft’s 20th-anniversary celebration, transforms the university into the “University of Warcraft” for a week, culminating in a themed football game against UCLA. The partnership includes Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals with several football players, who will create custom content and participate in various World of Warcraft-themed activities during the game.
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