Artificial intelligence systems absorb values from their training data. The trouble is that values differ across cultures. So an AI system trained on data from the entire internet won鈥檛 work equally well for people from different cultures.

But a new 天美影视传媒 study suggests that AI could learn cultural values by observing human behavior. Researchers had AI systems observe people from two cultural groups playing a video game. On average, participants in one group behaved more altruistically. The AI assigned to each group learned that group鈥檚 degree of altruism, and was able to apply that value to a novel scenario beyond the one they were trained on.

The team Dec. 9 in PLOS One.聽

鈥淲e shouldn鈥檛 hard code a universal set of values into AI systems, because many cultures have their own values,鈥� said senior author , a UW professor in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering and co-director of the Center for Neurotechnology. 鈥淪o we wanted to find out if an AI system can learn values the way children do, by observing people in their culture and absorbing their values.鈥�

As inspiration, the team looked to showing that 19-month-old children raised in Latino and Asian households were more than those from other cultures.聽

In the AI study, the team recruited 190 adults who identified as white and 110 who identified as Latino. Each group was assigned an AI agent, a system that can function autonomously.聽

These agents were trained with a method called inverse reinforcement learning, or IRL. In the more common AI training method, reinforcement learning, or RL, a system is given a goal and gets rewarded based on how well it works toward that goal. In IRL, the AI system observes the behavior of a human or another AI agent, and infers the goal and underlying rewards. So a robot trained to play tennis with RL would be rewarded when it scores points, while a robot trained with IRL would watch professionals playing tennis and learn to emulate them by inferring goals such as scoring points.

This IRL approach more closely aligns with how humans develop.聽

鈥淧arents don鈥檛 simply train children to do a specific task over and over. Rather, they model or act in the general way they want their children to act. For example, they model sharing and caring towards others,鈥� said co-author , a UW professor of psychology and co-director of Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS). 鈥淜ids learn almost by osmosis how people act in a community or culture. The human values they learn are more 鈥榗aught鈥� than 鈥榯aught.鈥欌��

In the study, the AI agents were given the data of the participants playing a modified version of the video game Overcooked, in which players work to cook and deliver as much onion soup as possible. Players could see into another kitchen where a second player had to walk further to accomplish the same tasks, putting them at an obvious disadvantage. Participants didn鈥檛 know that the second player was a bot programmed to ask the human players for help. Participants could choose to give away onions to help the bot but at the personal cost of delivering less soup.聽

Researchers found that overall the people in the Latino group chose to help more than those in the white group, and the AI agents learned the altruistic values of the group they were trained on. When playing the game, the agent trained on Latino data gave away more onions than the other agent.聽

To see if the AI agents had learned a general set of values for altruism, the team conducted a second experiment. In a separate scenario, the agents had to decide whether to donate a portion of their money to someone in need. Again, the agents trained on Latino data from Overcooked were more altruistic.聽

鈥淲e think that our proof-of-concept demonstrations would scale as you increase the amount and variety of culture-specific data you feed to the AI agent. Using such an approach, an AI company could potentially fine-tune their model to learn a specific culture鈥檚 values before deploying their AI system in that culture,鈥� Rao said.聽

Additional research is needed to know how this type of IRL training would perform in real-world scenarios, with more cultural groups, competing sets of values, and more complicated problems.

鈥淐reating culturally attuned AI is an essential question for society,鈥� Meltzoff said. 鈥淗ow do we create systems that can take the perspectives of others into account and become civic minded?鈥�

, a UW research engineer in the Allen School, and , a software engineer at Microsoft who completed this research as a UW student, were co-lead authors. Other co-authors include , a scientist at the Allen Institute who completed this research as a UW doctoral student; , an assistant professor at San Diego State University, who completed this research as a post-doctoral scholar at UW; and , a professor in the Allen School and director of the at UW.聽

For more information, contact Rao at rao@cs.washington.edu.

Picture walking outside on a dark, cloudless evening. You look up to admire the stars 鈥� maybe even a planet, if you鈥檙e lucky 鈥� and a sense of wonder washes of you. New research from the 天美影视传媒 shows this might be more than a memorable experience: It could ultimately spark scientific curiosity and influence life choices.

, research scientist the UW Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences (I-LABS), and , co-director of I-LABS and professor of psychology, recently showing a link between the ability to see the stars unblocked by light pollution and an interest in astronomy.

UW News spoke with the authors about their study and its surprising implications for broadening access to science and education.

Where did the idea for this study come from?

Rodolfo Cortes Barragan: As psychologists, we know that changes to the environment can impact people鈥檚 behavior. Yet, the changes brought upon by light pollution 鈥� a hot topic in astronomy, biology and environmental science 鈥� have received little attention from the social sciences. We considered it important to examine how light pollution might affect the human mind, focusing on the consequences of light pollution for human emotions and scientific behavior.

Andrew Meltzoff: Astronomy often functions as a 鈥済ateway鈥� to science as a whole. People, including young children, look up and are enchanted by seeing the starry night sky. They feel a sense of wonder which triggers curiosity about themselves and the universe. Many famous astronomers have remarked that they got their start in science based on childhood experiences of wondering about the night sky. We decided to study these reports scientifically.

How do you define the feeling of wonder about the universe?

RCB: The feeling of 鈥渨onder鈥� is a particular conjunction of emotions. It involves awe and amazement. It involves curiosity 鈥� the desire to know more. It is joyful. It involves elation.

To examine wonder, we made use of a nationally representative survey conducted by the Pew Research Center of more than 35,000 U.S. residents. This survey included a question about peoples鈥� 鈥渨onder about the universe.鈥� We combined these results with previously reported detailed physical measurements of light pollution. We found that U.S. populations that live under low light pollution report feeling more 鈥渨onder about the universe.鈥� This was a specific relationship. Light pollution was not linked to other emotions that were assessed in the same Pew survey, but it was strongly connected to wonder.

Just as importantly, we found that 鈥渨onder about the universe鈥� was directly related to peoples鈥� behavioral interest in astronomy. We used a wide array of measures of interest in astronomy, including behaviors like using Google to search for 鈥渁stronomy,鈥� signing up to have one鈥檚 name sent to Mars aboard the Perseverance rover, and even applying to become a NASA astronaut. In other words, the data showed us that, in locations in the U.S. where light pollution is low, feelings of wonder about the universe and interest in astronomy are high. Features of the physical environment are linked to people鈥檚 psychological experience as well as their actual behavior.

Can you elaborate on the idea raised in the paper that light pollution is an equity issue?

RCB: We all want all children, and adults, to have the equal opportunity for inspiration and for science. But what our results are suggesting is that people within the U.S., depending on where they live, do not have equitable access to the dark night sky, which often promotes an interest in science. If you can鈥檛 experience something, it is not as easy to become motivated by it.

AM: If a child grows up in an environment where they don鈥檛 see the stars, they鈥檙e not as likely to ask childlike questions about them: 鈥淲hy do the stars twinkle?鈥� or 鈥淗ow many are there up there?鈥� It’s a powerful experience for a child to be able to see the Milky Way and the Big Dipper, but many children don鈥檛 have that opportunity anymore. Seeing the starry night sky may change kids鈥� behavior in a good way. For example, if a child can see the stars, they might go read up on astronomy or space exploration and begin to dream. Astronomy may indeed be a 鈥済ateway鈥� science that draws children, both boys and girls, into curiosity-driven programs and social clubs.

What鈥檚 the big picture you want to convey about this study?

RCB: We hope that our study inspires more research along these lines, and that this work combining psychology and astronomy will trigger the 鈥淚 wonder鈥� reflex in other scientists, prompting interdisciplinary work across the arts and sciences.

AM: This study brings together two wonders that have inspired scientists and poets over the ages 鈥� the heavens above and our human actions on earth. One is studied by astronomers and the other by psychologists. Can we connect the two? A childlike question to be sure, but one that motivates us to try to dig deeper and find out more.

This study was funded by Stanford University Diversifying Academia, Recruiting Excellence (DARE) Doctoral Fellowship Program, the National Science Foundation鈥檚 Broadening Participation Postdoctoral Research Award and the Bezos Family Foundation.

For more information, Rodolfo Cortes Barragan at barragan@u.washington.edu and Andrew Meltzoff at meltzoff@uw.edu.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, governments around the world implemented restrictive measures 鈥� such as stay-at-home orders and school closures 鈥� to mitigate the spread of the respiratory illness. It鈥檚 been well-documented that this disruption of daily routines and social activities on the mental health of adolescents.

Adolescence, the period of transition between childhood and adulthood, is marked by dramatic changes in emotional, behavioral and social development. It鈥檚 also a time when a sense of self-identity, self-confidence and self-control are developed. The pandemic reduced social interaction for teenagers and led to documented reports of anxiety, depression and stress, especially for girls.

New research from the 天美影视传媒, published Sept. 9 in the , found the pandemic also resulted in unusually accelerated brain maturation in adolescents. This maturation was more pronounced in girls. When measured in terms of the number of years of accelerated brain development, the mean acceleration was 4.2 years in females and 1.4 years in males.

鈥淲e think of the COVID-19 pandemic as a health crisis,鈥� said , senior author and co-director of the UW (I-LABS), 鈥渂ut we know that it produced other profound changes in our lives, especially for teenagers.鈥�

Brain maturation is measured by the thickness of the cerebral cortex, the outer layer of tissue in the brain. The cerebral cortex naturally thins with age, even in teens. Chronic stress and adversity are known to accelerate cortical thinning, which is associated with an increased risk for the development of neuropsychiatric and behavioral disorders. Many of these disorders, such as anxiety and depression, often emerge during adolescence 鈥� with females at a higher risk.

The UW research began in 2018 as a longitudinal study of 160 teens between 9 and 17 years, with the original objective of evaluating changes in brain structure during typical adolescence. The cohort was slated to return in 2020, but the pandemic delayed the repeat tests until 2021. By then, the original intent to study typical teen development was no longer viable.

鈥淥nce the pandemic was underway, we started to think about which brain measures would allow us to estimate what the pandemic lockdown had done to the brain,鈥� said , lead author and research scientist at I-LABS. 鈥淲hat did it mean for our teens to be at home rather than in their social groups 鈥� not at school, not playing sports, not hanging out?鈥�

Using the original 2018 data, researchers created a model of expected cortical thinning during the teen years. They then re-examined the brains of the adolescents, over 80% of whom returned for the second set of measurements. The teens鈥� brains showed a general effect of accelerated thinning across adolescence, but this was much more pronounced in females. The cortical thinning effects in females were seen all over the brain, in all lobes and both hemispheres. In males, the effects were only seen in the visual cortex.

The greater impact on female brains as opposed to male brains could be due to differences in the importance of social interaction for girls versus boys, Kuhl said. She added that female teenagers often rely more heavily on the relationships with other girls, prioritizing the ability to gather, talk to each other and share feelings. Boys tend to gather for physical activity.

“Teenagers really are walking a tightrope, trying to get their lives together,鈥� Kuhl said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e under tremendous pressure. Then a global pandemic strikes and their normal channels of stress release are gone. Those release outlets aren鈥檛 there anymore, but the social criticisms and pressures remain because of social media. What the pandemic really seems to have done is to isolate girls. All teenagers got isolated, but girls suffered more. It affected their brains much more dramatically.鈥�

The cerebral cortex is unlikely to get thicker again, Kuhl said, but the potential for recovery might take the form of slower thinning over time, after the return of normal social interactions and outlets. Further research will be needed to see if this is the case.

鈥淚t is possible that there might be some recovery,鈥� Kuhl said. 鈥淥n the other hand, it鈥檚 also possible to imagine that brain maturation will remain accelerated in these teens.鈥�

In older populations, measures of cognitive brain function, such as processing speed and the ability to complete typical tasks, correlate with how much the cerebral cortex has thinned. That kind of data is not yet available for teenagers, Kuhl said, but it could be where future research is headed.

鈥淭he pandemic provided a test case for the fragility of teenagers鈥� brains,鈥� Kuhl said. 鈥淥ur research introduces a new set of questions about what it means to speed up the aging process in the brain. All the best research raises profound new questions, and I think that鈥檚 what we鈥檝e done here.鈥�

, a UW research associate professor of psychology and data science fellow at the eScience Institute, is a co-author. The research was funded by a grant from the Bezos Family Foundation.

For more information, contact Kuhl at pkkuhl@uw.edu.

Speech and music are the dominant elements of an infant鈥檚 auditory environment. While past research has shown that speech plays a critical role in children鈥檚 language development, less is known about the music that infants hear.

A new 天美影视传媒 study, published May 21 in , is the first to compare the amount of music and speech that children hear in infancy. Results showed that infants hear more spoken language than music, with the gap widening as the babies get older.

鈥淲e wanted to get a snapshot of what鈥檚 happening in infants鈥� home environments,鈥� said corresponding author , a UW research assistant professor of speech and hearing sciences. 鈥淨uite a few studies have looked at how many words babies hear at home, and they鈥檝e shown that it鈥檚 the amount of infant-directed speech that鈥檚 important in language development. We realized we don鈥檛 know anything about what type of music babies are hearing and how it compares to speech.鈥�

Researchers analyzed a dataset of daylong audio recordings collected in English-learning infants鈥� home environments at ages 6, 10, 14, 18 and 24 months. At every age, infants were exposed to more music from an electronic device than an in-person source. This pattern was reversed for speech. While the percentage of speech intended for infants significantly increased with time, it stayed the same for music.

鈥淲e鈥檙e shocked at how little music is in these recordings,鈥� said Zhao, who is also the director of the Lab for Early Auditory Perception (LEAP), housed in the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS). 鈥淭he majority of music is not intended for babies. We can imagine these are songs streaming in the background or on the radio in the car. A lot of it is just ambient.鈥�

This differs from the highly engaging, multi-sensory movement-oriented music intervention that Zhao and her team had . During these sessions, music played while infants were given instruments and researchers taught caregivers how to synchronize their babies鈥� movement with music. A control group of babies then came to the lab just to play.

鈥淲e did that twice,鈥� Zhao said. 鈥淏oth times, we saw the same result: that music intervention was enhancing infant鈥檚 neural responses to speech sounds. That got us thinking about what would happen in the real world. This study is the first step into that bigger question.鈥�

Past studies have largely relied on qualitative and quantitative parental reports to examine musical input in infants鈥� environments, but parents tend to overestimate the amount they talk or sing to their children.

This study closes the gap by analyzing daylong auditory recordings made with Language Environment Analysis (LENA) recording devices. The recordings, originally created for a separate study, documented infants鈥� natural sound environment for up to 16 hours per day for two days at each recording age.

Researchers then crowdsourced the process of annotating the LENA data through the citizen science platform. Volunteers were asked to determine if there was speech or music in the clip. When speech or music was identified, listeners were then asked whether it came from an in-person or electronic source. Finally, they judged whether the speech or music was intended for a baby.

Since this research featured a limited sample, researchers are now interested in expanding their dataset to determine if the result can be generalized to different cultures and populations. A follow-up study will examine the same type of LENA recordings from infants in Latinx families. Since audio recordings lack context, researchers are also interested in when music moments are happening in infants鈥� lives.

鈥淲e鈥檙e curious to see whether music input is correlated with any developmental milestones later on for these babies,鈥� Zhao said. 鈥淲e know speech input is highly correlated with later language skills. In our data, we see that speech and music input are not correlated 鈥� so it鈥檚 not like a family who tends to talk more will also have more music. We鈥檙e trying to see if music contributes more independently to certain aspects of development.鈥�

Other co-authors were , former UW undergraduate honors thesis student and incoming master鈥檚 student in clinical research speech-language pathology; , LEAP research assistant/lab manager; and , assistant professor of linguistics and adjunct research professor for I-LABS. This study was funded by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders of the National Institutes of Health.

For more information, contact Zhao at zhaotc@uw.edu.

A parent interacting with a baby is a heart-warming and universal scene. The parent speaks in a high-pitched voice 鈥� known as 鈥減arentese鈥� 鈥� as they respond positively to the baby鈥檚 babbling and gestures, commonly with eye contact and smiles.

These connections don鈥檛 just make for a touching sight. New research from the 天美影视传媒鈥檚 Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS) shows they鈥檙e important for infant language growth, too.

In a study , researchers used a safe and noninvasive brain-imaging technique called magnetoencephalography, or MEG, to monitor infant brain activity during social and nonsocial interactions with the same adult. They found that when the adult talked and played socially with a 5-month-old baby, the baby鈥檚 brain activity particularly increased in regions responsible for attention 鈥� and the level of this type of activity predicted enhanced language development at later ages. This 鈥榮ocial鈥� scenario was compared with a 鈥榥onsocial鈥� scenario in which the adult turned away from the baby to talk to another person. This interaction showed lower activity levels in the same brain areas.

鈥淭his is the first study to directly compare infant brain responses to adult-infant social interaction versus nonsocial interaction, and then follow up with the children until they reached the age of 2.5 to see how the early brain activation relates to the child鈥檚 future language abilities,鈥� said lead author , research scientist at I-LABS.

The MEG brain-imaging technology allowed the baby to move and interact naturally with the adult, which enabled researchers to track the firing of neurons from multiple areas in the baby鈥檚 brain as the adult talked to, played with and smiled at the baby. They then monitored the infant鈥檚 brain activity a second time as the adult turned away and paid attention to someone else.

These actions naturally occur every day between adults and babies, and the study showed they have different measurable effects on a baby鈥檚 brain. Researchers found that increased neural activity in response to the social interaction at 5 months predicted enhanced language development at five later ages: 18, 21, 24, 27 and 30 months. The researchers tracked infants鈥� language development using a well-documented and validated survey that asks parents about words and sentences their infants say at home.

鈥淭he connection between early brain reactions and later language is consistent with scientists鈥� fascination with the early age period and opens up many new questions that we, and others, will be exploring,鈥� said co-author , I-LABS co-director and a UW professor of psychology.

Researchers chose 5-month-old babies for the study because that age is just before the 鈥渟ensitive period鈥� for speech-language learning, which begins at about 6 months. Once this period begins, it鈥檚 especially important for infants to observe adults because attention enhances learning.

Using parentese with infants represents an intuitive desire to connect, said , senior author and co-director of I-LABS.

鈥淭here鈥檚 an implicit understanding that language is about connection,鈥� Kuhl said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about a communicative pathway between you and the other. This starts in infancy with the desire to make that communicative connection.鈥�

The study鈥檚 results are particularly important for parents and early educators to understand, Kuhl said.

鈥淲e knew from previous work that social interaction is essential at 9-months of age for foreign-language learning, but the current study shows that social interaction plays a role much earlier,鈥� Kuhl said. 鈥淭he study shows that parents鈥� natural use of parentese, coupled with smiles, touch and their warm back-and-forth responses to the baby鈥檚 actions, have a real-world, measurable impact on the baby鈥檚 brain. We theorize that this parent behavior, which we call 鈥榯he social ensemble,鈥� captures and holds infants鈥� attention and motivates them to learn at a critical time in development.鈥�

Additional co-authors were , , , , and , all of I-LABS. 聽The study was funded by The Bezos Family Foundation, the Overdeck Foundation and grants from the National Institutes of Health.

For more information, contact Kuhl at pkkhul@uw.edu.

A study by researchers at the 天美影视传媒 and Northwestern University found 84% of Black parents and 76% of white parents spoke to their 8- to 11-year-old children about the Black Lives Matter, or BLM, movement within a year of the .

However, the research revealed key differences in the language parents used to explain BLM. While 78% of Black parents affirmed Black lives and acknowledged systemic racism, only 35% of white parents reported similar messaging.

The study, , was prompted by the widespread calls in 2020 for national conversations on race that included children, as highlighted in a . The researchers wanted to learn what parents were saying to their children during this sociopolitical moment of upheaval.

鈥淧arents are experiencing the stresses and 鈥榰s versus them鈥� divisions in society, but what are they telling their kids about this?鈥� said co-author , UW professor of psychology and co-director of the .

Data for the study were collected via online survey between November 2020 and January 2021 from more than 700 socio-economically diverse parents of children aged 8-11. Study participants were evenly divided between Black and white parents. Respondents were asked whether they had spoken to their children about BLM, and, if so, were then asked what they had told their child. Open-ended question responses were then coded and categorized by the research team.

鈥淲hile it is notable that many parents, including white parents, were talking with their children about Black Lives Matter, it is more important to consider what parents said,鈥� said , lead author and professor of psychology at Northwestern University and principal director of the .

Rogers, who did her postdoctoral fellowship with Meltzoff at the UW and later became a research assistant professor before being hired at Northwestern, said the responses showed not all 鈥測es鈥� responses were substantive, and importantly, the conversational approaches varied by race.

Black parents were more likely to acknowledge inequality 鈥� shown through responses like: 鈥淚 talk with my son about the wrongful deaths of men and women of color at the hands of police鈥� 鈥� and affirm Black lives with messages such as: 鈥淚 try to remind him that he is important and worthy despite what the media tells us.鈥�

White parents who gave substantive responses were more likely to communicate very general messages about equality without pointing to existing injustices, such as: 鈥淎ll lives matter no matter your skin color.鈥�

The research team also noted a pattern of verbatim responses copied from the internet. This type of response was mostly used by white parents 鈥� 14% vs. 1% of Black parents 鈥� who had answered the survey with apparent credibility but could not or did not actually report their own thoughts when talking about BLM. In fact, 27% of white parents provided uncodeable responses, which included nonsensical comments or content copied and pasted word-for-word from Internet sources.

鈥淓ncouraging parents to talk about race, to break the silence, is necessary but insufficient,鈥� Rogers said. 鈥淭he upside is these data suggest that parents are listening to the societal conversation, and the concerted effort to engage parents and families in race talk did seem to influence the overall frequency of the reported conversations. However, the depth and substance of these conversations warrants further attention.鈥�

Added Meltzoff: 鈥淧arents wonder when it鈥檚 appropriate to talk with their children about race and what鈥檚 the most helpful thing to say. We looked at the strategies taken by hundreds of parents across the country. Parents can teach us a lot about how to have conversations about race 鈥� not only with children but among ourselves.鈥�

Other study co-authors were , associate professor at Tulane University; , assistant professor at Wake Forest University; Northwestern research assistants Chiara Dorsi and Finn Wintz; and Sarah Eisenmann, now a behavioral research coordinator at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children鈥檚 Hospital of Chicago.

For more information, contact Meltzoff at meltzoff@uw.edu.

Adapted from a Northwestern University .

Andrew Meltzoff elected to National Academy of Education

, professor of psychology at the UW and co-director of the , has been elected to the National Academy of Education. Members are selected based on outstanding scholarship or leadership related to education.

Members serve on expert study panels that address pressing issues in education. They also engage in the Academy鈥檚 professional development fellowship programs.

Meltzoff is a highly lauded researcher and internationally renowned expert on infant and child development. His research reaches beyond the bounds of psychology and investigates how role models and cultural stereotypes of different kinds impact child development, with implications for education.

鈥淎dults have a drive to teach others, and young children have a drive to learn,鈥� Meltzoff said. 鈥淵et education in schools often misfires. Scientific advances in psychological and brain science should help us do a better job. Our children can鈥檛 wait, and our future literally depends on how well we feed, foster and embolden our children鈥檚 natural proclivity to learn. Social justice and equity issues can and should be addressed through education.鈥�

Meltzoff鈥檚 election to the National Academy of Education adds to his long list of distinctions, including the 2020 William James Fellow Award from the Association for Psychological Science, given to honor a lifetime of significant intellectual contributions to the basic science of psychology.

Dean Edwina Uehara selected for 2023 lifetime achievement award

, dean of the 天美影视传媒 , received the 2023 lifetime achievement award from the . The award recognizes her contributions to the social work profession in Washington state and across the country.

鈥淩eceiving NASW-Washington鈥檚 Lifetime Achievement Award is an incredible honor, and one that is doubly meaningful to me,鈥� Uehara said. 鈥淔irst, because it recognizes the proudest professional title I hold as a 鈥榮ocial worker,鈥� and second, because it鈥檚 an NASW-Washington state award. I am a Washingtonian though and through.鈥�

Uehara鈥檚 career reflects a lifelong commitment to antiracism, civil rights and the development of culturally grounded mental health services. During her tenure, the School of Social Work became widely recognized as an innovative leader in advancing social and economic justice and enhancing quality of life through education, research and community engagement.

Citing her transformative leadership, the nomination letter spotlights how Uehara鈥檚 social work initiatives, including the , the , the and more. The letter praised Uehara as 鈥渁 positive champion for the social work profession.鈥�

Uehara will step down as dean on June 30 after 17 years of leadership and service, becoming the longest-serving dean in the School鈥檚 history. She will rejoin the faculty to pursue her research, teaching and leadership in the field of behavioral health.

Ed Kolodziej selected as finalist for Frontiers Planet Prize

, professor of at UW, represented the United States as national champion for the inaugural . The selection from 65 U.S. applicants elevated him into consideration for the international prize at the Frontiers Forum Live in Switzerland in April 2023. The prize competition recognizes scientists whose research contributes to the sustainable future of the planet.

Kolodziej led a team of researchers at UW Tacoma, Washington State University-Puyallup, and elsewhere who discovered 6PPD-quinone, a highly toxic and previously unidentified compound that was killing coho salmon in urbanized Puget Sound streams. The discovery and the shockwave it sent through the tire industry, which uses the compound in all tire rubber, ultimately earned Kolodziej鈥檚 team the nomination.

鈥淲e believe that our work on understanding the contributions of tire rubber to environmental pollution is important,鈥� said Kolodziej. 鈥淚 look forward to the day when we have 鈥榮almon safe tires鈥� made from chemicals that are safe for both people and the environment.鈥�

Kolodziej recently travelled to Switzerland for the announcement of the prize鈥檚 international awards, which come with $1.1 million to put toward future research. Kolodziej was not selected, but said he was grateful for the global interest in his research.

鈥淚t was an honor to represent the United States for the Frontier Planet Prize,鈥� he said, 鈥渁nd I was thankful that our wonderful research team and many collaborators were recognized in this fashion.鈥�