Dean's Letter

The beginning of the summer is a time to switch gears and recalibrate for many of us at the College of the Environment. In fact, in many ways it’s like our New Year's Day—a day that marks fresh beginnings and new perspectives. Summer gives us a chance to reflect on the past and forge pathways into the future; it also lets us get out and show what we are made of, sharpening our scientific smarts as we go.

Simply put, summer brings opportunity. For faculty, it means designing new experiments, checking on old ones, or testing fresh hypotheses based on the mountains of data we’ve been methodically crunching. We get to spend time with colleagues in the lab and field, breaking new ground, asking new questions, and building new partnerships. We nudge the boundaries of science closer to the horizon and advance our understanding of the world around us.

For graduate students, summer allows us to dive deeply into a newfound system of study. It’s a time of laser focus, executing that first big experiment or figuring out why the last one didn’t turn out as expected. We learn that science is as much about learning from failures as it is about reaping successes, and that the process yields unexpected surprises that ultimately underpin and strengthen our work.

For undergraduates, summer brims with excitement and offers the opportunity to move outside of the classroom, perhaps cutting our scientific teeth in the field or lab for the first time. You try a few different pathways, dipping your toes into forestry or fisheries or physics, exploring the connections between all sciences and getting a first glimpse at what your potential career path may be. 

And for those graduating, newly minted with a bachelor’s, master’s, or PhD, it’s the time to take your polished skillset and begin the next chapter, meeting head on the challenges that define your chosen professions. This particular summer marks a profound milestone for you, both in terms of what has already been accomplished and those accomplishments that lie ahead.

As this “new year” begins, let’s celebrate our collective triumphs as a College community and embrace what the upcoming summer has to offer each of us. Congratulations again to all of our new graduates and thank you to everyone who makes our College such a spectacular place.

Now get out there and have fun!

Lisa Graumlich
Dean, College of the Environment
Virginia and Prentice Bloedel Professor

News

Changes to Our Newsletter

We are making some changes to our e-communications here at the College of the Environment.  Starting with this edition, we are creating two editions of the Insider newsletter: one for faculty, students and staff; and another for alumni and friends.  Our goal is make it even easier for you to stay informed about the topics you care about in the College.  If you have feedback for us or questions about our e-communications, please contact John Meyer at jjmeyer@uw.edu.

Dean Graumlich to Lead UW Board of Deans and Chancellors

Lisa Graumlich was elected by her peer Deans and Chancellors to serve as co-chair—along with the Provost—of the Board of Deans and Chancellors (BODC), a group that meets regularly to consider matters related to educational policy and administrative processes, as well as other topics relevant to UW. The BODC can submit recommendations on such matters to the President as it relates to the welfare of the University and the achievement of its objectives through its academic colleges, departments and schools.

Biofuels Group Meets with Industry Partners

In late May, Rick Gustafson, Professor of Environmental and Forest Sciences, along with colleagues from the College of the Environment and College of Engineering, met on campus with industry partners to discuss research objectives and the path forward for the commercial use of biofuels. Gustafson and colleagues are using woody biomass to expand what has been a Midwest-centric biofuels industry into the Pacific Northwest. Funded through a $40M US Department of Agriculture grant, this research is aimed at catalyzing the commercial production of bio-based aviation, diesel and gasoline fuels using plantation-grown poplars as feedstock. To learn more about the research and biofuels visit the Biofuels and Bioproducts Laboratory website. (photo from Forest Products Society)

A Gift to Our Graduating Class

In celebration and recognition of the numerous achievements of the 2013 College of the Environment graduating class, the College has given a gift of carbon offsets in their name to protect critical habitats. As directed by popular vote among the graduating students, the 456 metric tons of offset CO2—one metric ton per graduate—will be split between Carbonfund’s Reforestation & Avoided Deforestation Projects and Renewable Energy & Methane Projects. The College recognizes that our graduates are the next generation of leaders in environmental science and decision-making, and we believe this is a contribution that showcases our collective commitment to the sustainability and well being of our society and our planet. Congratulations to all of our graduates!

Remembering Robert Fleagle, Professor Emeritus of Atmospheric Sciences

Professor Robert Fleagle passed away on April 20, and will be missed greatly by his university colleagues and others that knew him well. His distinguished career spanned 40 years, which included time as the Department of Atmospheric Science’s Chair and as a Senior Fellow in the Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean. His work reached beyond the boundaries of UW, chairing the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Atmospheric Sciences and the University Corporation of Atmospheric Research Board of Trustees. He was also President of the American Meteorological Society, and served under President Kennedy in the Office of Science and Technology overseeing atmospheric research in government agencies.

"Bob Fleagle was a Founding Father of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences, who helped establish the productive and collegial culture that yielded the excellent international reputation the department now enjoys,” said Greg Hakim, Professor and Chair of Atmospheric Sciences. “In addition to his publications, students, and influential textbook, his legacy includes an endowed lectureship on atmospheric science policy and a fund to support graduate education."

To read more about the life and influence of Professor Fleagle, please visit the College of the Environment website.

Awards & Kudos

Each year, the College of the Environment recognizes outstanding faculty, students and staff for their efforts. Congratulations to this year’s award recipients:

• Distinguished Staff Member: 
Juan Carlos Chavez, Washington Space Grant
• Outstanding Teaching Faculty: 
Nives Dolšak, School of Marine and Environmental Affairs

• Outstanding Researcher: Trevor Branch, School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences


• Outstanding Community Impact: 
Karl Lang - Student, Earth and Space Sciences; David Fluharty - Faculty, School of Marine and Environmental Affairs


• Undergraduate Dean's Medalist: Taryn Black, Earth and Space Sciences


• Graduate Dean's Medalist: Kate Allstadt, Earth and Space Sciences

The Awards of Excellence honor members of the UW community who exemplify the University’s values with special distinction. Special congratulations go to André Punt, Professor and Chair, School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, on receiving one of this year’s Distinguished Teaching Awards. 

Congratulations to David Battisti—Professor of Atmospheric Sciences—and numerous others for being awarded the 2013 Ecological Society of America’s (ESA) Sustainability Science Award. Battisti and colleagues’ work, entitled Seeds of Sustainability: Lessons from the Birthplace of the Green Revolution, is recognized by the ESA as a single scholarly contribution published in the last 5 years that represents the greatest contribution to the emerging science of ecosystem and regional sustainability through the integration of ecological and social sciences.

Congratulations to Ceclia Bitz—Associate Professor of Atmospheric Sciences—on being awarded the 2013 Ascent Award from the American Geophysical Union. First given in 2012, the Sciences Ascent Award aims to “reward exceptional mid-career (academic, government, and private sector) scientists in the fields of the atmospheric and climate sciences."

As voted by the Faculty Senate, Rob Wood—Associate Professor of Atmospheric Sciences—was elected to the Senate Executive Committee for 2013-2014. The SEC sets Faculty Senate agendas, helps the Senate conduct business per the Faculty Code, and facilitates communication between the President and the faculty. SEC coordinates with the UW Faculty Councils, recommends Faculty Senate actions, nominates Council and committee members, and responds to the concerns of voting faculty members. Congratulations to Rob!

Spotlight

Karl Lang,
Graduate Student

Spotlight is an ongoing series that will introduce you to the many members that make up the College community. 

Karl Lang speaks as if being a geologist was his destiny. “I’ve always been interested in geology,” says Lang, who as a child was fascinated by rocks and fossils. He went on to study Geology and Economics at the College of William and Mary in Virginia and is now a PhD student in the Department of Earth and Space Sciences at the UW College of the Environment. Drawn by the quality of faculty, and the strengths of his advisor—Assistant Professor Kate Huntington—Karl joined the Tectonics and Erosion research group, which applies novel geochemical tools to understand the complex relationship between erosion and landscape evolution across the globe. Read more on the College of the Environment website.

For & About Students

College of the Environment Careers and Funding Blog

Are you graduating this year and looking for a job? Don’t forget about the College of the Environment Careers and Funding Blog! This easily accessible website lists current opportunities for jobs, internships, conferences, and funding for further education in both the Seattle area and from around the world. Look for new postings every week related to all majors offered by the College of the Environment. Check out the Careers and Funding Blog today.

College of the Environment Awards 2013-2014 Dean's Office Scholarships

The College is pleased to announce the following scholarships awarded for 2013-2014:

Del Rio Endowed Environmental Studies Scholarship

The Del Rio Family Foundation established the Del Rio Endowed Scholarship Fund for Environmental Studies to encourage and support students with an interest in the environment who are participating in the Educational Opportunity Program, which promotes academic success and graduation for under-represented ethnic minorities, economically disadvantaged and first generation college students at the University of Washington. The Foundation hopes that through their studies and participation in real-world environmental research and problem-solving, students will broaden their personal horizons to include issues of global concern and will develop a passion and the skill set for making a difference in the world.

Recipients (*Denotes continued funding from 2012-2013):

• Aundrea Lugo Penaloza*, Senior, Bioresource Science and Engineering
• Tara Wilson*, Junior, Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management
• Burlyn Birkemeier*, Sophomore, Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
• Samantha Mendez*, Sophomore, Pre- Bioresource Science and Engineering
• Viviana Castillo, incoming 2013 Freshman, Oceanography

Nancy Wilcox Endowed Scholarship

This scholarship is made possible by the generosity of former UW Provost Phyllis Wise, who established it to support students pursuing degrees in the College of the Environment. Dr. Wise named the endowment in honor and memory of her late sister, Nancy E. Wang Wilcox, a middle school teacher who tried to develop the minds of young adolescents using creative and innovative ways of learning. It is this legacy that inspired Provost Wise to establish this endowment to carry on her sister’s commitment to helping others achieve their educational goals.

Recipients (*Denotes continued funding from 2012-2013):

• Hayley Davidson*, Junior, Environmental Studies
• Brandon Ringstad*, Junior, Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
• Lilia Bannister*, Sophomore, Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
• Emily Richmond*, Freshman, Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management
• Dana Chapman, incoming 2013 Freshman, Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management

Clarence H. Campbell Endowed Lauren Donaldson Scholarship
Clarence H. Campbell established this scholarship in memory of Lauren "Doc" Donaldson to support students in the Schools of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences, Marine and Environmental Affairs, and Oceanography. Professor Donaldson earned his MS and his PhD degree from the UW. He served on the faculty of the School of Fisheries from 1932 until his retirement in 1973. Doc was a world-renowned expert in development of fish stocks and trained countless students in freshwater fisheries research and management. Clarence Campbell, '30, established this fund to recognize Doc's lasting influence.

Recipients (*Denotes continued funding from 2012-2013):

• Richard Berg, Graduate Student, Oceanography
• Juliana Houghton*, Graduate Student, Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
• Brit Sojka*, Graduate Student, Marine and Environmental Affairs
• Lauren Brandkamp, Junior, Oceanography
• Sarah Friedman, Junior, Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
• Campbell Glass, Sophomore, Oceanography
• Daniel Geldof, Freshman, Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
• Zachary Houghtaling, incoming 2013 Freshman, Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
• Nirupam Nigam, incoming 2013 Freshman, Aquatic and Fishery Sciences / Biology

College of the Environment Scholarship

This scholarship is made possible by the generosity of many donors. The scholarship was created to support both undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in the College of the Environment.

Recipients:

• Brooke Cassell, Graduate Student, Environmental and Forest Sciences
• Elizabeth Phillips, Graduate Student, Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
• Benjamin Roe, Graduate Student, Environmental and Forest Sciences
• Anne Gower, Junior, Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
• Jennifer Zech, Junior, Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management
• Sierra Kross, Freshman, Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management
• Natalie Pollett, incoming 2013 Freshman, Pre-Bioresource Science and Engineering
• Eliot Shoemaker, incoming 2013 Freshman, Pre-Bioresource Science and Engineering
• Alison Wang, incoming 2013 Freshman, Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management

Philanthropy: Making a Difference

Private gifts and grants make all the difference in the lives of our students, faculty, and programs. The College receives numerous gifts and grants annually from generous and far-sighted alumni and friends whose philanthropy helps fund crucial student scholarships and fellowships, critical research, public outreach and much more. In this, the closing issue of The Insider in the 2012-2013 academic year, we wish to salute and thank every one of our amazing supporters, be they individuals, corporations, private foundations, organizations, or community partners. You help ensure that the College of the Environment—and all of its exceptional schools, departments, centers and programs—remain and grow as national and global leaders in education, research and outreach across a broad array of environmental fields.

For more information on ways to make a gift, or programs you can support, please contact Marilyn Montgomery, Assistant Dean for Advancement, at 206-221-0906 or mmmontg@uw.edu.

This Month's Highlights

• The Arboretum Foundation has made an extraordinarily generous commitment of more than $350,000 to the University of Washington Botanic Gardens (UWBG) for the coming fiscal year (July 2013-June 2014). This gift is one in a series of remarkable contributions made by the Arboretum Foundation over many decades, and exemplifies the vital partnership between the UWBG and the Arboretum Foundation. This gift will help fund gardeners and arborists working in the Washington Park Arboretum (WPA), as well as education programs for the community. The WPA is one of Seattle’s most cherished parks, and the partnership between UWBG, the Arboretum Foundation, and the City of Seattle ensures that the community will continue to enjoy its beauty and cultural and educational offerings.
• The ExxonMobil Foundation (EMF) has been a steadfast supporter of the College, most specifically as a donor of scholarship support for undergraduate students in the Department of Earth and Space Sciences (ESS). The Foundation continues to donate critical scholarship support for ESS students, noting that these students are among the top graduates in their field nationwide. This scholarship helps ESS attract a very strong pool of undergraduate majors, and in turn helps provide these students opportunities to further their careers in the private sector upon graduation.

This Month's Target Funds

Please consider making a generous annual gift to any of the funds below, or to the fund of your choice via the UW Foundation:

• UW Botanic Gardens Director's Priorities Fund: supports the most critical needs for the programs and gardens within the UW Botanic Gardens, including the Washington Park Arboretum.
• Geology Undergraduate Field Support Fund: provides financial support for transformational student field experiences, especially the required Summer Geology Field Camp, by covering field-work related expenses for undergraduate students.
• College of the Environment – Environmental Leadership Fund: to be used at the Dean’s discretion to support innovative education, research and public service programs in the College of the Environment.

Private Funding Opportunities

Seeking private funding for your project or program? Below are upcoming corporate and foundation opportunities. If your project fits the criteria or you have other thoughts on how to engage corporate and foundation funders please contact Lauren Honaker, Associate Director for Corporate and Foundation Relations, at 206-685-4423 or lhonaker@uw.edu.

Association of American Colleges and Universities

Program Description: Campus Engagement, Civic Development Projects
Amount: Up to $10,000
Deadline: June 15, 2013 and September 15, 2013

Bringing Theory to Practice Project (BTtoP), an independent project established by the Association of American Colleges and Universities, is accepting proposals from universities and colleges in the United States for projects aimed at promoting the nexus of engaged learning, civic engagement, and psychosocial well-being among college and university students.

Seminar grants of up to $1,000 will be awarded for projects that bring together diverse members of the campus community to discuss the civic mission of the institution and how the full expression of that mission can be achieved. Proposals will be accepted on a quarterly-deadline system (June 15, September 15, December 15, and March 15), with awards announced two weeks after each deadline.

Program Development grants of up to $10,000 will be awarded to enhance or extend a program that is consistent with BTtoP's objective of promoting engaged learning, civic engagement, and the psychosocial well-being of students. Institutional matching support is required for all grants. Proposals will be accepted on a quarterly-deadline system (same timeline as above), with awards announced six to eight weeks after each deadline.

To be eligible, U.S. institutions of higher education must be members of the Association of American Colleges and Universities.

See the Bringing Theory to Practice website for eligibility and application guidelines.

American Educational Research Association

Program Description: Research Using Large Scale Data Sets
Amount: Up to $35,000
Deadline: September 1, 2013

Grants will be awarded to academics conducting studies of education policy and practice using quantitative methods, including the analysis of data from the large-scale data sets. With funding from the National Science Foundation, the American Educational Research Association has announced the continuation of the AERA Grants program, which provides small grants and training for researchers conducting studies of education policy and practice using quantitative methods, including the analysis of data from the large-scale data sets sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics and NSF.

For more information or to apply, visit their website.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Program Description: Pre-Proposals for International Agricultural Research Projects
Amount: Range of $200,000 to $500,000
Deadline: September 30, 2013

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is accepting pre-proposals for agricultural research with the potential to increase the sustainable productivity of smallholder farmers in developing countries.

Through its Program for Emerging Agricultural Research Leaders, the foundation will award grants for projects led by scientists at national agricultural research institutions and universities in sub-Saharan Africa working in collaboration with other researchers internationally (either within Africa or beyond the continent). Priority will be given to projects that have potential applicability to one or more of the following crop or livestock species: maize, wheat, rice, millet, sorghum, cassava, sweet potatoes, yams, beans, cowpeas, chickpeas, groundnuts, banana, chickens, small ruminants (e.g., goats), and cattle.

Grant awards will be based on the project's potential for long-term impact to help smallholder farmers and the innovation of the proposed idea and complementarity with other initiatives in the same area of research. Projects should have an estimated budget in the range of $200,000 to $500,000 (including salary support, which will be allowed at capped rates to be agreed upon with host institutions if a full proposal is invited) and have a duration of four years or less.

To be eligible, applicants must: be an African scientist residing in sub-Saharan Africa or planning to relocate to sub-Saharan Africa to implement the proposed project; identify a local host institution; have at a minimum an M.Sc. degree; and be able to devote at least 70 percent of his or her time to the proposed project.

Pre-proposals must be received no later than September 30, 2013. Upon review, selected applicants will be invited to submit full proposals in December.

See the Gates Foundation for eligibility and application guidelines

Save the Date

Awards of Excellence Ceremony

Join the greater UW community on June 13 in the Meany Hall Auditorium from 3:30-4:30 p.m. for this year’s Awards Ceremony. The Awards of Excellence honors members of the UW community who exemplify the University’s values with special distinction. While the first ceremony was held in 1970, the origins of these awards date back to 1938, when the Alumnus Summa Laude Dignatus Award was first presented. Since that time, other awards have been added to pay tribute to individuals from across our UW community who have demonstrated exceptional talents, dedication and service. The reception will have light refreshments; reservations are not required.

Seattle Science Festival

On June 15, ScienceOnlineSeattle—a partnership of the College of the Environment, COMPASS, and the Open Science Federation—will live stream a thought-provoking event titled Our 11^th Hour: Straight Talk on Climate Change from People Who Know. This will be part of the closing night of the Seattle Science Festival and feature three TED-style presentations with world-leading experts on climate change, including Dr. Kevin Trenberth, Dr. Richard Alley and New York Times journalist Andrew Revkin, followed by an uplifting 30-minute opera focused on environmental stewardship set in the Pacific Northwest, Heron and the Salmon Girl, performed by Seattle Opera and Seattle Opera’s Youth Chorus. Emceed by Pulitzer- and Polk-prize winning environmental journalist, Usha McFarling. For more information, visit their website. 

2013 Illg Distinguished Lectureship—Friday Harbor Laboratories

This year’s Distinguished Illg lecture will be delivered by Dr. Gonzalo Giribet, Harvard University, Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Curator of Invertebrates at the Museum of Comparative Zoology. For more information, visit the Friday Harbor Laboratories website.

Scientific Lecture
Understanding the Animal Tree of Life--from Morphology to Genomes
Wednesday, June 19 at the Friday Harbor Laboratories Commons, 4:00pm

Since the times of Haeckel zoologists have attempted to understand the composition and the relationships among the animal phyla. While morphology has played a fundamental role in elucidating these patterns our understanding of animal phylogeny has changed drastically after the incorporation of molecular data. The widespread use of large fragments of genomes and transcriptomes in modern phylogenetic analyses is helping to perfect the picture of the Tree of Life.

Public Lecture
Around the world in search of invertebrates for species discovery, biogeography and systematics
Thursday, June 20 at the San Juan Community Theater, 7:30pm

Invertebrates dominate all the ecosystems on earth and are perfect models for studying the patterns of distribution of organisms in our planet. During the past decade I have collected invertebrates in all continents and all oceans and discovered new species to address biodiversity questions and to study biogeographic and phylogenetic patterns.

June 2013

Dean's Letter
News
Awards & Kudos
Spotlight
For & About Students
Philanthropy
Private Funding
Save the Date

In the Media

Scientists resolve a 3.5 billion-year-old mystery of life

Rise of 'Altmetrics' revives questions about how to measure impact of research

Whale songs and melting ice: Stories of a changing Arctic

Transportation fuels from woody biomass promising way to reduce emissions

New food exploration community opening in Mercer Court

Amazon River exhales virtually all carbon taken up by rain forest

Scientists excited about new lab at bottom of Pacific Ocean

UW research vessel Clifford A. Barnes marks its 1,000th cruise