White House partners with Amazon, Microsoft and others on quantum science education initiative The White House is enlisting major tech companies and research institutions to teach K-12 students quantum information sciences, the new… Read More
Junior Geek of the Month: Heven Ambachew uses tech to pursue her passion around social justice When Heven Ambachew was unsure how she could integrate technology with her other interests, she found direction through Geeking Out… Read More
Trump admin revokes rule requiring international students to take in-person classes to stay in the country The Trump administration is walking back a controversial rule that would not allow international students to remain the country if… Read More
Washington state sues Trump administration over student visa rules Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced plans to sue the federal government over new rules that would ban international students… Read More
Univ. of Washington will move 80% of classes online this fall amid looming threats from COVID and ICE The University of Washington’s leaders — and their colleagues across the country — are walking a tightrope as they plan… Read More
Microsoft unveils sweeping job training initiative to teach digital skills to 25M impacted by pandemic Microsoft plans to provide digital skills training for 25 million people this year under a new, multi-million dollar initiative that… Read More
Two Washington state students among 100 winners of ‘Amazon Future Engineer’ $40,000 scholarships Two Washington state students are among 100 winners of Amazon Future Engineer college scholarships, the company announced this week. This… Read More
Junior Geek of the Month: Math whiz and Rubik’s Cube ace Simmi Sen catches Apple’s eye with app Locked out of hair salons by the coronavirus pandemic, Simmi Sen was looking for a way to provide her style-conscious… Read More
Virtual internships: Tech companies and students adjust as pandemic forces remote experience After receiving an offer letter in February to work as an intern at Amazon, Yaminee Patel envisioned a summer “running… Read More
Microsoft invests $2.5M in CREATE, a new center for accessible tech at the University of Washington The University of Washington is launching a new Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences (CREATE) and… Read More
Back to real school? University of Washington to blend small in-person classes with online learning As the University of Washington prepares for the first virtual graduation in its 159-year history, President Ana Mari Cauce is… Read More
Podcast This governor alarmed professors 22 years ago with his vision for distance learning in 2020 — here’s what he says today A longtime contact of mine recently emailed a New York Times article from June 18, 1998: “Virtual-Classes Trend Alarms Professors.”… Read More
XPRIZE’s Code Games challenge gives kids an opportunity to create games for good XPRIZE’s latest program to incentivize innovation is going after a new demographic: young people between the ages of 10 and… Read More
University of Washington wins NASA grant to create spacey contest for Artemis Student Challenges NASA has awarded the University of Washington a $499,864 grant to develop a competition that calls on students to turn… Read More
‘These are not easy times’: Bill and Melinda Gates encourage 2020 grads to work toward better world Bill and Melinda Gates have been working for years, through their philanthropic efforts, to address some of the biggest challenges… Read More
UW team imagines a better Parkinson’s test, lands in global finals for Microsoft student competition A team of students from the University of Washington is among the global finalists in Microsoft’s annual Imagine Cup after… Read More
NASA takes high-school student’s suggestion and gives Mars Helicopter a new name: Ingenuity Picking up on a suggestion from an Alabama high-school junior, NASA has given an ingenious name to the first helicopter… Read More
Isabella Arreola, our first ‘Junior Geek of the Month,’ has passion for STEM, cooking, wrestling and more When she’s not competing in wrestling, whipping up recipes in cooking club or volunteering at her local library branch, Isabella… Read More
Bill Gates talks to students around the world about pandemic, studying and more in Code.org session Like many people working from home these days, Bill Gates hopped on a Zoom call Wednesday morning. The Microsoft co-founder… Read More
Bill Gates to talk computer science and coronavirus on ‘Code Break,’ Code.org’s interactive classroom Code.org, the non-profit whose goal is to teach computer science to every child in America, is bringing an especially computer… Read More
Internet should be an ‘essential utility,’ WA schools chief says as state pulls plug on rest of term The longtime problem of digital inequity has been thrown into sharp relief by the coronavirus pandemic as schools turn to… Read More
Couple puts out a call for used laptops and other devices to donate to Seattle students in need In his day job as the director of learning programs for Minecraft Education, Adam Tratt is out to inspire students… Read More
Seattle robotics company steps in to help after UW student’s startup dream is stalled by COVID-19 Rob Sinclair was excited to be taking time off from work and the corporate world to go back to school.… Read More
With high school’s 3D printers in his house, student runs mask production line for Seattle-area hospitals When Ayan Gupta and his classmates at Tesla STEM High School in Redmond, Wash., started throwing around ideas for lending… Read More
Calling all kids: Send Blue Origin a space postcard while you’re stuck at home Are you looking for educational activities to occupy the kids while you’re cooped up due to the coronavirus outbreak? One… Read More
DIY homeschool: One mom’s efforts to keep her kid’s brain from going mushy — plus experts’ tips The Khan Academy math instructor has a soothing deep voice. It comes to you disembodied, a Wizard-of-Oz-like presence behind the… Read More
‘Seductive details’ in school lessons can hinder classroom learning, new study finds Adding the newest YouTube animal sensation, background music or other pieces of irrelevant entertainment to a lesson plan isn’t a… Read More
Whale experts launch free, virtual marine biology camp to entertain and inform kids The scientists running Seattle-based Oceans Initiative more typically apply their marine mammal expertise to research on endangered orcas or conservation… Read More
Glowforge makes push to bring 3D laser printer to more students, hires head of educational sales Glowforge, the Seattle-based startup that makes a 3D laser cutter/engraver, is making a move into education to bring its technology… Read More
Seattle Public Schools closing for at least two weeks; district has said it won’t offer online learning Seattle Public Schools will close for at least two weeks starting Thursday, the latest in a series of dramatic measures… Read More
