The Insider: College of the Environment Newsletter

From Dean Graumlich

As my first year as Dean of the College of the Environment comes to a close, I want to take this opportunity to celebrate and acknowledge the accomplishments of our amazing students as well as all of the individuals who supported them along their journey. To our students and their families, I offer congratulations and best wishes for your continued success beyond the University of Washington. To our faculty, lecturers, advisers, TAs, administrators, and others who have devoted years of mentoring, instruction, and other support to our students, I offer my most sincere appreciation.

This week as I have been participating in the graduation celebration events for all of our schools and departments, I have been reflecting on the impact that the nearly 400 students we’ve graduated this year will have in their community and the world. The diversity and range of students graduating from our College is impressive, from first-generation students to those whose parents and siblings are fellow Huskies; from students who plan to immediately pursue a career-level position to those planning for graduate school. As I have been making the rounds to the various events, I have met students whose education has been shaped by close mentoring from faculty, leading to an impressive list of students who have presented their research and some who have published their work with faculty. I’ve met students whose career plans range from becoming a television weather forecaster to heading to Washington D.C. to begin prestigious fellowship programs with government or federal agencies.

In offering remarks to these students and their families, I have emphasized how critical their education will be as they enter a rapidly changing environment and a workforce with thousands of employees retiring in the next decade, creating unprecedented opportunities for leadership and impact. These students will have an important role in the future of the Puget Sound region, in the health of our environment, and in the world. They are ripe for this challenge and represent the best that a UW education has to offer to the community.

Lisa Graumlich
Dean, UW College of the Environment

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News

College of the Environment 2011 Awards

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2011 College of the Environment awards! In honor of their outstanding service and dedication, this year's recipients are:

• Outstanding Teaching Faculty: Bruce Nelson (Earth and Space Sciences)
  
  Bruce Nelson “…is an effective communicator who possesses the gift of being able to make complex subjects understandable.” Professor Nelson encourages “…inquiry based learning, group work and scaffolding approach to learning – building a framework on which to build knowledge instead of merely memorizing and regurgitating facts.” He is recognized for possessing an attribute of humility that “…is so important in achieving teaching excellence, as the best teachers are always striving to improve and are seeking advice and mentorship from all levels of education, including their own students. Bruce has achieved this level of excellence.”
  
  
• Outstanding Researcher: John Vidale (Earth and Space Sciences)
  
  John Vidale is “inspirational in his dedication to all things seismological, driven both by avid scientific curiosity about how the Earth works and a sense of social responsibility that science should serve public needs. The range of his interests is huge and he is willing to pursue new investigations that broaden his own understanding and that advance whatever science is involved.” His research efforts “have significant influence on not only the international research community but also on policy decisions relevant to seismic safety being made across the country and in the Pacific Northwest.”
  
  
• Distinguished Staff Member: Jessica Roshan (School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences)
  
  Jessica Roshan is recognized for “her work ethic and her uncanny ability to solve problems.” As one nominator notes, “where other administrators might throw up their arms and say ‘there's nothing you can do’, Jessica instead rolls up her sleeves, reaches out to her contacts and usually finds multiple possible solutions.” She is “a strategic thinker…enthusiastic to take on tasks that might include evaluation of administrative structure and alternatives that could better serve SAFS…Her efforts and leadership have been vital for keeping [the] school operating as a world-class research unit, enabling faculty to attract grant money as efficiently and from as many sources as possible. The energy and creativity that Jessica brings to her job would be outstanding in any institution, and it is efforts and dedication from people like her that make the University of Washington a world class university.”
  
  
• Undergraduate Dean’s Medalist: Ross Whippo (School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences)
  
  Ross Whippo is "a mature student who is very bright, easy going, resourceful, engaging and fun.” Praised for his ability to foster a “comfortable and challenging” atmosphere in classroom discussions, Ross currently serves as a student TA in a SAFS undergraduate class in addition to working on two independent research projects in two different labs. He has received a Mary Gates Undergraduate Research Grant for his work involving subtidal field sampling in the San Juan Islands, and will be presenting his results at this year’s Undergraduate Research Symposium. In addition to his contributions as a student and researcher, Ross is also active in community service and volunteering, both within the University of Washington and in the broader community.” As cited in his nomation for this award, his “independence coupled with his ability to work well as part of a team will serve him well as he continues to develop as a scientist.”
  
  
• Graduate Dean’s Medalist: Theresa Kayzar (Earth and Space Sciences)
  
  Theresa Kayzar’s nominators cite that she is “one of the most involved students in [the] department, while concurrently maintaining a high academic standard and producing original research.” While her Ph.D. focus is on volcanology, geochemistry and isotope geochemistry, she has engaged in significant additional coursework outside of this realm in order to obtain a Certificate in Environmental Management. She has established and standardized a program for the analysis of uranium-series isotopes in volcanic rocks, embarked on multiple field research expeditions to the Kamchatka Peninsula, and been awarded an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship in addition to several departmental awards and external internships. Theresa’s research is “all the more impressive within the context of her deep and substantive involvement in department activities and outreach” She has initiated two significant programs within ESS: the Annual Research Gala and the “Rock”ing Out Outreach Program, a collection of graduate and undergraduate students who volunteer their time to work with K-12 schools and community groups to inspire an interest and excitement about earth sciences. Her peers and mentors laud her as not only “one of our top graduate students academically, but also a superb departmental citizen and a student leader.”

Join us in congratulating these recipients!

(Please note that the Outstanding Community Collaborator Award selection committee is still in the process of reviewing nominees.)

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Events

Save the Date

Improving Your Broader Impacts

A free day-long workshop (15, 40 and 90-minute sessions throughout the day)
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
UW Fishery Sciences Building

Topics include:

• Expert advice on how to communicate to the media, decision makers, K thru 12 and lay audiences
• How to use what you and your lab group already do for broader impacts
• Broader impacts from the funder’s perspective
• Making research socially relevant
• Existing opportunities, resources and support for your broader impacts
• How citizen science can be used for your broader impacts
• Tools for communicating your science to broad audiences
• Program evaluation and broader impacts
• Fellowship opportunities for graduate students doing education and outreach and post doc teaching

The event closes with an opportunity to network with colleagues and regional outreach organizations. The event is hosted by graduate students from the School of Oceanography and the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences and sponsored by: COSEE-Ocean Learning Communities, Washington Sea Grant, and the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences

To pre-register and for schedule details, click here.

 

UW Awards of Excellence Ceremony

On Thursday, June 9, the University honored 21 individuals and one team of four this year as part of the annual awards program. The awards honor outstanding performance in teaching, mentoring, librarianship, public service and staff support.

Jane Lubchenco, the first woman administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is the winner of this year's Alumna Summa Laude Dignata, an award given for a lifetime record of achievement. It is the highest honor that the UW can bestow on a graduate. Lubchenco holds a Master of Science in zoology from the UW and a doctorate in ecology from Harvard. Dr. Lunchenco was involed in early discussions on the creation of the College of the Environment. We congratulate her on recieving this very distinguished recognition.

To see a list of all award recipients, click here.

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For & About Students

Student Spotlight: Christina Heinlen, Junior

Majors: Environmental Studies, Business (Marketing)

Christina Heinlen’s undergraduate experience incorporates a unique course of study, enriching extracurricular opportunities, and adventures offered through the College of the Environment and Foster School of Business.

During her first three years at UW, Christina has actively pursued many opportunities she learned about through the Program of the Environment (PoE). In 2009, she was on the Climate Action Plan (CAP) Committee, a collaboration between UW facilities leaders, faculty, and a few students to design a long-term visionary plan to increase the UW’s carbon neutrality by 2020. She was also involved in Students Expressing Environmental Dedication (SEED), which works with HFS to implement initiatives such as recycling on campus and composting in the residence halls. Christina says that applying the knowledge she is learning in her field of study by participating in these organizations has greatly enriched her college experience.

In addition to being a leader in campus organizations, Christina loves to compete. One of her favorite experiences this year was participating in the Environmental Innovation Challenge (EIC) in March. Christina’s team, Voltaic, which included students from the College of Engineering and the Foster School of Business, engineered and marketed a car part that can convert most models of cars into electric vehicles. After an exciting day of pitching their idea to judges with 16 other teams, they took home the $10,000 Grand Prize.

In her personal time, Christina is constantly creating ways to apply her environmental studies and business degrees toward a common goal.  Her fields of study fit perfectly with her start-up company, RAPOI, Inc. (Reusable Refoldable and Proud of It), which she started in 2007. By producing small reusable bags, Christina hopes to produce an attractive alternative to single-use paper sacks and reduce the amount of waste they create.

Looking to the future, Christina would like to promote sustainability in companies through marketing and stewardship programs.  “The Program on the Environment has given me knowledge that I am excited to apply in business arenas and in communities. Sustainable initiatives positively impact our world, and there are many ways to make doing the right thing profitable and fun.” In the meantime, Christina says her adventures through PoE, such as hiking and snowshoeing in the Cascades on the weekends, are making her undergraduate experience unforgettable.

Autumn Course Offering

The College will offer its first new permanent course under its C ENV curriculum prefix this Autumn 2011, C ENV 110 Introduction to Food and the Environment. Taught by Ray Hilborn (Professor of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences) the course will connect the production and consumption of food to the major areas of environmental science including energy use, water consumption, biodiversity loss, soil loss, pollution, nutrient cycles, and climate change. Students will explore what all of these areas of environmental science have to do with food and will create a food diary to explore the environmental consequences of their diets. The course will meet both Natural World (NW) and Individuals and Societies (I&S) general education requirements, and two sections of the course will be part of a Freshman Interest Group (FIG) for new incoming Freshman.

College Awards 2011-2012 Dean's Office Scholarships

The College is pleased to announce the following scholarships awarded for 2011-2012:

 

Del Rio Endowed Scholarship Fund in Environmental Studies

The Del Rio Family Foundation established this Students First scholarship to support entering EOP-eligible freshmen or transfer students in the College of the Environment. The Foundation hopes that through their studies and participation in real-world environmental research and problem-solving, students who receive this scholarship 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 2010-2011):

• Hope Howard, Sophomore, Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
• Aundrea Lugo Penaloza*, Junior, Bioresource Science and Engineering
• Marcus Moore*, Sophomore, Earth and Space Sciences
• Marcia Rosenquist*, Senior, Environmental Science and Resource Management

Nancy Wilcox Endowed Scholarship
UW Interim President Phyllis Wise established this scholarship 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, who thought that there was nothing more important than one’s education.  As a middle school teacher, she 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 2010-2011):

• Hayley Davidson*, Sophomore, Environmental Studies
• Daniel Andrade Eekhoff, Freshman, Environmental Science and Resource Management
• Ricardo Humphreys*, Senior, Atmospheric Sciences
• Brandon Ringstad*, Sophomore, Aquatic and Fishery Sciences

Clarence H. Campbell Endowed Lauren Donaldson Scholarship in Ocean & Fishery Sciences
Clarence H. Campbell established this scholarship in memory of Lauren "Doc" Donaldson to support students in the Schools of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences, Marine Affairs, and Oceanography.  Professor Donaldson earned his MS and PhD degrees from the UW in 1931. 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 2010-2011):

• Erica Bates, Graduate Student, Marine and Environmental Affairs
• Cheri Wagner, Graduate Student, Marine and Environmental Affairs
• Laura Wigand, Graduate Student, Marine and Environmental Affairs
• Rachel Anderson-Poulakidas, Senior, Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
• Nicola Follis, Senior, Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
• Anne Gower, Junior, Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
• Shannon Hennessey, Junior, Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
• Adrienne Hampton, Freshman, Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
• Adrienne McColl, Freshman, Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
• George Roth*, Senior, Oceanography

New Husky Card

A new, smarter Husky Card is being introduced that will allow for U-PASS powered by ORCA. Students are able to pick up their new ID cards in the lower level of Odegaard Undergraduate Library. The new card will be required for bus transit, starting in autumn 2011.

For more information on dates and times, click on the UW Student Recard Information link here.

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News from Advancement

New Endowment at Friday Harbor Labs

We are pleased to announce that Friday Harbor Laboratories (FHL) has established a new permanent endowment supporting the hallmark FHL Research Apprenticeship Program. The Research Apprenticeship Program, housed at FHL on San Juan Island, offers an intensive transformational undergraduate research experience at a critical time in young scientists’ educational lives.

In late 2009, the Wendt Family Charitable Foundation pledged a gift of $700,000 and challenged FHL to raise an additional $700,000 from other donors. Thanks to a generous outpouring of support, including long-time FHL supporter Washington Research Foundation, faculty and participants in the program, and members of the FHL Advancement Advisory Board, FHL achieved this goal in April 2011.

With the challenge goal met, the Wendt family has now made another generous commitment to the FHL Research Apprenticeship Endowment. FHL and the College extend special thanks to the Wendt family for their leadership and generosity, and to all those whose gifts have made possible a unique and relevant research experience for highly talented undergraduates now and for decades to come.

 

Gifts to the College

The Department of Earth and Space Sciences (ESS) has received a $50,000 gift from a generous alumnus and his wife, in support of the Geology Undergraduate Field Support Fund. As in many physical sciences, field work is a vital part of the undergraduate experience in ESS. The demand for in-the-field experience among ESS undergraduates is high, and many students would not be able to participate in the weeks-long summer field camp and experience field research first-hand without the support of generous donors. These donors have been steadfast supporters of Earth and Space Sciences for over 30 years. This most recent gift is deeply appreciated by the Department and the College.

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Career

Opportunity: NOAA's Emergency Response Division is hiring an Environmental
Scientist.

The Emergency Response Division of NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration provides scientific expertise to support an incident response and initiates natural resource damage assessment. This position will respond in the field to oil or chemical spills - requiring the ability to travel, drive rental cars, and conduct field activities on beaches, boats or aircraft, which may require physically strenuous tasks. This position requires 24-hour/day 365 days a year response availability. The incumbent is a member of a multi-disciplinary response and development team. View the complete position description here.

 

To receive regular announcements on career opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students (including job postings, internships, and volunteer positions) please sign up for the College of Environment Career Opportunities Listserv.

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Kudos

Congratulations to School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences Associate Professor Tim Essington on being named a 2011 Pew Marine Fellow. The Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation is awarded annually in recognition of "outstanding global leaders or teams who are working to preserve and protect the world's oceans and marine species." Essington's teaching and research focuses on developing a better understanding of human impacts on marine food webs and identifying the most effective steps to minimize these effects.

The designation of an American Geophysical Union Fellow is conferred upon not more that 0.1% of all AGU members in any given year. Nominated Fellows must have attained acknowledged eminence in the Earth and space sciences and are chosen by a committee of Fellows. We are proud to share that those named as 2011 Fellows include: Tom Ackerman (Director, Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean; Professor, Atmospheric Sciences), Kenneth Creager (Professor, Earth and Space Sciences), Charles Nittrouer (Professor, Oceanography), and Jeff Richey (Professor, Oceanography). In addition, W. Timothy Liu (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology; and alumnus, Atmospheric Sciences) was also elected as an AGU 2011 Fellow.

In the Spring of 2001 the Elisabeth C. Miller Library launched a service dedicated to answering questions about plants and gardening. Over the course of the last 10 years the Plant Answer Line (UW-PLANT or 206-897-5268) has helped tens of thousands of people all over the world find the answers to their plant-related questions. A hearty congratulations in celebraion of 10 years of a job well done! For a limited time 10th Anniversary Plant Answer Line gear, such as travel mugs and caps, can be purchased from the Cafe Press website.

Jeff Richey (Professor, Oceanography) was elected as a Foreign Member to the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (Academia Brasileira de Ciencias). He was inducted on May 3, in Rio de Janeiro.

The Ecological Society of America has awarded their 2011 Sustainability Science Award to Aquatic and Fishery Sciences (SAFS) faculty Ray Hilborn and Trevor Branch, former SAFS Research Fellow Olaf Jensen, and their co-authors for their 2009 Science paper, “Rebuilding Global Fisheries." This award is given annually to the authors of the peer reviewed paper published in the past five years that makes the greatest contribution to the emerging science of ecosystem and regional sustainability through the integration of ecological and social sciences. The awards committee were especially impressed with "how scientists of differing perspectives came together to integrate data, methods, and analysis to form a more consensual view."

Tom Leschine (Director and Professor, School of Marine and Environmental Affairs) and Steve Gardiner (Professor, Philosophy) have been named as the inaugural recipients of the "Ben Rabinowitz Endowed Professorship in the Human Dimensions of the Environment." Candidates for this professorship must be “exceptional faculty of the highest caliber who have expertise in the area of developing policies, solutions and applications of the discoveries in the natural sciences that will allow us to better steward the environment." Prof. Leschine has been awaded the Professorship in recognition of his contributions to the fields of environmental policy analysis and marine environmental decision-making. Prof. Gardiner has been awarded the Professorship in recognition of his influential work in the intersection of ethics and climate change and climate policy.

Terrie Klinger (Associate Professor, School of Marine and Environmental Affairs) has been named the "Stan and Alta Barer Endowed Professor in Sustainability Science in Honor of Edward L. Miles.” Candidates for this professorship must demonstrate, through professional activities, expertise in Marine Affairs, with preference given to faculty excelling in the area of sustainability science. Professor Klinger has been awarded this Professorship in recognition of her embodiment of the ideals of science-policy integration that have been central to Prof. Ed Miles' career as well as her role as an emerging leader within the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs as well as the UW as a whole.

Daniel Schindler (Professor, Aquatic and Fishery Sciences) has been nominated to be the first "Harriet Bullitt Endowed Chair in Conservation in the College of the Environment," subject to approval by the Board of Regents. This Endowed Chair was established by the Bullitt Foundation in honor of Harriett Bullitt and is intended to support faculty who have achieved deep expertise in and national and/or international recognition in the field of conservation and who are expected to make contributions to the advancement of teaching and research in their field. Prof. Schindler has been nominated for the Chair in recognition of his long-standing contributions to sustainable fisheries management and conservation.

Catherine Gockel, a graduating MS/MPA student at the School of Forest Resources and the Evans School of Public Affairs, has been selected as a Presidential Management Fellow. She will be working at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Region 10 (Seattle) in the Office of Water and Watersheds. Catherine’s MS thesis is titled: Motivations for Participating in King County’s Transfer of Development Rights Program. Presidential Management Fellowships (PMFs) are highly competitive two-year post-graduate fellowships with a federal agency. This year 850 finalists were selected from a field of more than 9,100 top graduate students.

Anshika Kumar, a junior pursuing dual degrees in Enivronmental Studies and Economics, has been named a 2011 Morris K. Udall Scholar. A national competition, the scholarship is awarded to students who demonstrate environmental leadership and strong acadmemic achievement. Anshika has been involved in several environmental initiatives on campus, including the Campus Sustainability Fund, UW Farm, and the burgeoning UW Student Food Cooperative. While her interest in environmental studies are broad, she is particularly interested in how economic systems influence environmentally and socially destructive behaviors.

Elaina Jorgensen, a PhD candidate in Oceanography, is one of fourteen UW students recently selected for a 2011 Bonderman Travel Fellowship. The awards "aim to expose students to the intrinsic, often life-changing, benefits of international travel "by providing funding for solo journeys that will last at least eight months and lead students to at least two regions of the world. During her fellowship, Jorgensen plans to travel through Nepal, India, Borneo, Madagascar, Gabon, Argentina, Chile and Peru.

 

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