lux sit!

Lux sit is the Latin motto that appears emblazoned across the seal of the University of Washington. It means, quite literally, “Let there be light!” and since this blog will be chiefly concerned about how our university is pushing the very boundaries of human knowledge, I thought it would make an appropriate title for a blog.

Speaking of which, I want to welcome you all to my little patch of cyberspace. Each week, I will highlight some of the truly cutting-edge work being done by the research teams here at the UW in the dozens of departments, labs, centers, programs and ongoing projects that are littered across campus, sometimes right under our proverbial noses.

As one of the top research schools in the nation, there’s more than enough good science being conducted by our peers everyday to fill pages upon pages of newsprint. For example, did you know that in 2005 the federal government gave the UW $663 million in research grants, placing it second only to John Hopkins University?* Or that over 150 patents were filed by UW researchers in 2006?*

I will be facing the unenviable task of cherry-picking only a handful of stories that piques my interest, and, I hope, yours, in an attempt to shed some light on the hard work of UW researchers. Specifically, I will be examining one or two stories on a weekly basis, relying upon as much feedback from researchers or actual primary sources as possible.

I will also rely on a variety of Web sites and science blogs (such as University Week and the Cosmic Log) for inspiration. I am writing with the assumption that you, the reader, are a fan of science, and so I won’t shy away from some of the technical details. That being said, however, I will do my best to keep the content interesting and free from overly-done “techo-speak.” On a final note, I am always open for suggestions and feedback, and welcome your thoughts.Until science strikes again,