Impact Series - GeekWire

Seattle aims to unleash the power of open data through hackathon and new city strategy

The City of Seattle has a trove of internal data collected by more than two dozen departments. But if that… Read More

How do you capture the ocean’s energy? Peek under the hood of a startup’s ‘anti-boat’ power device

Oscilla Power, a startup developing devices that capture wave energy to produce electricity, has ocean-sized ambitions. The Seattle-based business envisions… Read More

Bezos Day 1 Families Fund awards $117M to help families experiencing homelessness

The Bezos Day 1 Families Fund announced $117 million in grants on Tuesday to organizations that aid families experiencing homelessness.… Read More

University of Wash. Bothell and Cascadia College celebrate new STEM-focused Innovation Hall

The University of Washington Bothell and Cascadia College this week celebrated the opening of Innovation Hall on their campuses located… Read More

New website helps engineers find biomedical challenges that crown winning algorithms

There are lots of tasks in biomedicine that are more accurately and efficiently accomplished by a computer than a person… Read More

Jeff Bezos may leave Seattle ‘a piece of my heart’ but some hope for a slice of his future philanthropy

“Seattle, you will always have a piece of my heart,” Amazon founder Jeff Bezos wrote in a recent Instagram post… Read More

Seattle nonprofit wants to help all students love math, using school programs and in-person exhibits

Imagine you’re at a museum entrance, a few years from now. Straight ahead are six doorways — six different ways… Read More

New graduation requirements could get more girls taking computer science courses

More U.S. schools are offering computer science courses than ever before and the classes are more racially and ethnically diverse… Read More

Amazon keeps fueling philanthropic efforts under leadership of former nonprofit executive

Amazon on Monday announced a $1.7 million donation to Seattle Public Schools and Bellevue School District to assist families in… Read More

Univ. of Washington researchers roll out tiny, battery-free, autonomous robot called ‘MilliMobile’

University of Washington researchers are rolling out another tiny robotic breakthrough, this time in the form of an autonomous device… Read More

Fire resistant, quake safe, climate friendly: Mass timber is on the rise as a construction alternative

When Seattle’s eight-story Heartwood Apartments opens to residents this fall, it will be Washington’s tallest timber building and the first… Read More

Coding saves lives, and Fred Hutch Cancer Center wants the next generation to take note

Plenty of high school students plan to make careers out of coding when they graduate from college. And plenty of… Read More

Feds award $15M for new cutting-edge research center to study Pacific NW earthquakes

Wildfires and hurricanes are dominating the disaster spotlight, but the threat of a massive earthquake still simmers beneath the surface… Read More

City of Seattle partners with local teletherapy startup to tackle youth mental health crisis

The city of Seattle and healthcare startup Joon Care are partnering to provide free online mental healthcare in an effort… Read More

Severe wildfires are difficult to control – but one research model shows ‘a better way forward’

As swaths of wildlands are being scorched and communities smoked out by another unusually hot, dry summer, researchers in Washington… Read More

Microsoft AI tool reveals swath of devastation from Maui wildfire

In Maui’s historic town of Lahaina, more than half of the community’s 2,810 buildings have been damaged by a wildfire… Read More

UW researchers develop promising ‘bioplastic’ that can decompose like a banana peel

Plastic trash is everywhere in the environment. Bottles made from fossil fuels litter the side of the road, screw caps… Read More

Despite new affirmative action ban, universities and tech programs pledge commitments to diversity

Universities and their computer science and engineering programs have been striving for years to boost the diversity of their student… Read More

Job opportunities outweigh political differences when climate tech comes to rural communities

Inside a cavernous building in Cashmere, Wash., workers pressed thousands of tons of local apples and pears into Tree Top… Read More

How are nonprofits using AI and ChatGPT? The focus is on the donor dollars

The nonprofit sector — which encompasses some 1.6 million organizations in the U.S. alone — has joined the ChatGPT and… Read More

Seattle school cuts a bold new STEM program, showing challenges of reimagining education

As the school year winds down, Trish Millines Dziko is focused on helping students at Washington Middle School in Seattle… Read More

How the Univ. of Washington aims to make online systems and content more accessible

Taking small steps to make digital content more accessible can make a big difference. That was one takeaway from the… Read More

Microsoft makes tiny dent in annual carbon footprint but says ‘it’s not happening fast enough’

After its carbon footprint grew a shoe size or two in 2021, Microsoft notched a small decline in its carbon… Read More

Wood or would not? Earthquake test to study how 10-story timber building stands up to Seattle shake

If the idea of a Seattle earthquake gives you the shakes, this test might be right up your alley. Researchers… Read More

Gates Foundation gives $9.35M to Seattle digital health nonprofit for diagnostic testing

Seattle digital health nonprofit Audere will advance its technology to improve the accuracy of rapid diagnostic tests with $9.35 million… Read More

Fred Hutch partners with video game streamers to raise money, fight medical disinformation

In an effort to fight online medical disinformation and raise money for research, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center is tapping… Read More

Virtual reality storyteller creates project showcasing historically Black community in Seattle

The recognizable chords from Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze” are the sonic greeting to a new virtual reality experience created by… Read More

High school students learn how to spot misinformation at UW’s ‘Misinfo Day’ event

Hundreds of Seattle-area high school students learned how to discern fact from fiction at the University of Washington’s 2023 MisinfoDay… Read More

Microsoft’s accessibility chief on Bing’s chatbot, the disability divide, and more

Microsoft’s Ability Summit has come a long way since its inaugural event 13 years ago. What began as a meeting… Read More

Code.org CEO on the nonprofit’s first 10 years, and the impact of AI on teaching computer science

When the Seattle-based nonprofit Code.org launched in 2013 with a mission to spread computer science knowledge, co-founders Hadi and Ali… Read More