University Of Washington Videos

Election season brings lots of attack ads and bitter debates between candidates. But some of the races in the Seattle area aren't exactly nail biters this year. Most of the candidates for King County Council are running unopposed. Even so, they've raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to get re elected.

Researchers at the University of Washington have just finished their latest poll on next week's election. Among other things, it suggests that a large group of people are still undecided in many races. Matt Barreto, a professor of political science at the University of Washington and a principal investigator with the Washington Poll, spoke about the findings with KUOW's Derek Wang.

The University of Washington welcomes top international diplomat Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki Moon today.

12:00 p.m. Prison Closures Budget constraints may lead to two state prison closures in Washington. We talk with Department of Corrections Secretary Eldon Vail about the situation. Drug related Deaths on the Rise Drug overdoses now lead traffic accidents as a cause of death in Washington State, according to a new report. A state epidemiologist explains. Seniors and Referendum 71 Same sex couples aren't the only ones who would be affected if voters overturn the state's Everything but Marriage benefits next month. KUOW's Carol Smith reports. 12:20 p.m. Initiative 1033 In November voters will decide whether government revenue should be limited to annual inflation and population growth. We talk to Tim Eyman, perennial ballot initiative sponsor and the man behind this anti tax measure, which appears headed for an easy victory. We also hear from the Nature Conservancy's Len Barson, who opposes the measure, and we'll hear from you. Will you vote to approve I 1033? 12:40 p.m. Minority Report University of Washington grad Lull Mengesha wrote The Only Black Student about his five years attending the state's largest university. It's part practical handbook, part social commentary. We'll talk with him and take your calls.

The University of Washington has received a grant intended to draw more minorities into technical fields. The $2.6 million award is from the National Science Foundation.

Grab your textbooks and buy some posters for your dorm room college is about to start. Will this year's freshman class have the same educational experience as those in years past? Higher education has been hit hard by the economic downturn. How have Washington's colleges been affected in enrollment, funding, endowments and budget? Are community and technical colleges faring any better than four year institutions? We talk to presidents of public, private and community colleges about how things have changed and what they're doing in response. We'll also hear from our Canadian correspondent, Vaughn Palmer.

In the 1950s, the portrayal of blacks in the comedy show Amos and Andy infuriated the NAACP. They took CBS to court to get it yanked off the air. When the TV industry unveiled its fall season in 1999, the NAACP declared it a white out. Since then, NAACP has done careful studies on the diversity represented on television. The findings show the TV industry has made some strides but there's still more to be done.

Earlier this year the Obama Administration lifted the ban on embryonic stem cell research. Last week the National Institute of Health clarified its rules on the number of stem cell strains available for research. Life is very different now for the many scientific researchers based in Seattle who work with embryonic stem cells. What are some of the most interesting research projects happening in the area? What will embryonic stem cells be used for?

John Gastil loves his job. He's a professor of political communication at the University of Washington. But he started to feel like work was consuming his life. So he turned to an outlet so many Americans use for distraction he started watching television. And TV surprised John. It introduced him to three characters he now uses as role models in his own work and life. These characters are not the most likeable people. In fact, they're pretty awful in many ways. John spoke with KUOW's Jeannie Yandel about what he's learned from watching an insufferable doctor, a clinically insane scientist and a serial killer.

As the recession has cost more people their jobs and their health insurance, local hospitals have seen more patients show up with no way to pay. Hospitals in Washington are required to provide free care to anyone living below the poverty line, if they ask for it. But some hospitals give more freely than others. In part two of KUOW's series on nonprofit hospitals, John Ryan looks at how charitable these charity hospitals really are.

Dr. Marla Kaufman treated Jonathan with a combination of steroid injections and physical therapy, enabling him to return to an active lifestyle.

Dr. Michael Lee removes a herniated disc from the spine of patient Chad Oishi, who wakes up from surgery feeling “instant relief.”.

Dr. Virany Hillard, Dr. Marla Kaufman and Dr. Michael Lee, and their patients as each are treated for spine ailments.

http://geeks.pirillo.com - http://live.pirillo.com - Jon Malkin is a PhD candidate in Electrical Engineering at the University of Washington. Jon s current project, and the topic of his talk, the Vocal Joystick (VJ), an assistive device for individuals with motor impairment. The VJ provides speakers with continuous control of devices such as mouse pointers or simple robotic arms using non-speech vocalizations. http://chris.pirillo.com - http://www.gnomedex.com Distributed by Tubemogul.