Dean's Letter
Interdisciplinary Innovation: Seeking breakthroughs while courting failure
Interdisciplinary collaboration is never far
from my mind, but I am particularly focused on it this month. In the next four weeks, I will participate in
four different strategic planning retreats that run the gamut from the
College’s Executive Committee to the Woodland Park Zoo’s Advisory Board. In my mind, the best planning exercises are those
where we pool our diverse expertise and perspectives to tackle really big
issues. And the most creative yet
durable strategies are those that arise from the cross-pollination of different
expertise and points of view.
News
College names two new unit directors
The College of the Environment is pleased to share that Professor Billie Swalla has been named director of the Friday Harbor Laboratories on San Juan Island, and Professor Terrie Klinger has been named director of the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs.
Diversifying what it means to be a "conservation professional"
The Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program at UW wrapped up its inaugural year, welcoming the first cohort of students to Washington state for jam-packed season of learning in the field. The goal of the program is to broaden participation within conservation and diversify what it means to be a “conservation professional.”
New faculty at the College of the Environment
We extend a heartfelt welcome to new faculty joining the College of the Environment this fall! The School of Environmental and Forest Sciences has three professors joining their ranks: David Butman, Patrick Tobin, and Peter Kahn; and Emily Roland Saenger will join the School of Oceanography.
Awards & Acknowledgements
Congratulations to College of the Environment-affiliated scientists David Battisti, Qiang Fu, Michael McPhaden, and James Overland on their election as fellows to the American Geophysical Union. The organization’s mission is to “promote discovery in Earth and space science for the benefit of humanity.”
Congratulations to the Washington State Academy of Sciences inductees that are affiliated or work with the College of the Environment, including André Punt, Eric D’Asaro, Bradley Coleman, Alvin Kwiram, and Ann Bostrom. The organization is charged with providing expert scientific and engineering analysis to inform public policy-making, and works to increase the role and visibility of science in the State of Washington.
Congratulations to Kiki Jenkins of the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs on being awarded the Woodrow Wilson Career Enhancement Fellowship for Junior Faculty.
Spotlight
Angela Feng, Senior in Environmental Studies
Spotlight is an ongoing series that will introduce you to the many members that make up the College community.
What might Program on the Environment student Angela Feng and the internationally-known Seattle hip-hop star Macklemore have in common? Besides their love for good music, they both share a commitment to and passion for the environment. They are teaming up with others to raise awareness on the importance of respecting nature, and are working on a campaign for environmental protection in a south Seattle neighborhood.
Philanthropy: Making a Difference
Private gifts and grants make all the difference in opening doors for new research and expanding educational opportunities for our students. We are grateful for our numerous donors’ generosity.
The College of the Environment would like to thank Bill and Beatrice Booth for their exceptional gift to fund three new endowments, benefitting School of Oceanography and Friday Harbor Labs, and the Arboretum Foundation in its continued generosity and partnership with UW Botanic Gardens. We would also like to acknowledge new and noteworthy partnerships with the XPRIZE Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and Long Live the Kings.
There are numerous ways to help support research and students at College of the Environment—please consider making a gift to the fund of your choice, including:
- The Program on the Environment Endowed Scholarship Fund
- Director's Fund for Excellence in Oceanography
- Climate Impacts Group Gift Fund
To learn more about these funds and how you can help, please visit the College of the Environment website.
Save the Date
The SustainableUW Festival October 20-25 is fast approaching! Led by the Environmental
Stewardship & Sustainability office, this expansion from what was previously
dubbed the Sustainability Summit has morphed in to a full week-long festival. Learn more about the festival on their website.
Join the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences for their fall seminar series this year, which will take place on Wednesdays at 3:30pm. Learn more on the School’s website.
You can always stay up to date with the latest events happening at the College of the Environment by checking out our Events Calendar.
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