Banner-Roots-450 University of Washington College of the Environment School of Environmental and Forest Sciences University of Washington

FALL 2014

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Views from the Northwoods

At the annual Salmon BBQ on October 1, we kicked off a month-long photography exhibition in the Forest Club Room, featuring 10 of John Tylczak's portraits of the Washington timber industry in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Autumn Greetings!

This fall has been full of exciting news for alumni. First, please join me in welcoming Sarah Thomas as the school’s new outreach and events specialist. Her position has a special emphasis on supporting alumni engagement, and it’s an excellent opportunity for improved alumni communications and involvement in school activities. Next, I invite you to connect with other alumni, students, faculty and staff at this year’s Distinguished Alumni Seminar on December 3, which will be followed by the annual holiday party and potluck. Details are below, and I hope to see many of you there!

Also, don’t forget to mark your calendars for the 2015 Spring Gathering on April 19, 4-7 p.m. at the Washington Park Arboretum. Please consider helping to coordinate this event and some of our other activities in the coming year. For information on how you can help, visit our online alumni registry.

Most of all, I wish you all a happy and healthy holiday season!

Jessica Farmer
Alumni Group Chair

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CROSS-SECTION

Alumni Spotlight: Aaron Johnston

Johnston (‘13, Ph.D.) was recently awarded a prestigious, two-year postdoctoral research position with the U.S Geological Survey’s Mendenhall Research Fellowship Program. He studied competition between eastern and western gray squirrels in the Puget Sound lowlands for his dissertation (working with Professor Emeritus Steve West), and now he'll be exploring the effects of climate change on American pikas—including modeling and mapping pika habitat topography using LiDAR.

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Distinguished Alumni Seminar: December 3

On Wednesday, December 3, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in Anderson 223, Stephen M. Hopley (‘69, B.S.) will be giving a talk, “My life story as a paper science and engineering graduate,” as the final installment of the fall SEFS Seminar Series. Following his presentation, you are cordially invited to join us for the annual SEFS Holiday Party in the Forest Club Room down the hall from 4 to 6 p.m. (where you can expect an extensive wine tasting and plenty of holiday cheer!).

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2014 SAF/IUFRO Joint Meeting

Last month in Salt Lake City, Utah, October 8-11, a large SEFS contingent took part in the joint meeting of the Society of American Foresters (SAF) and the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO), the first U.S.-hosted World Congress in 43 years. All told, we represented with more than a dozen faculty members, postdocs, staff and students, and we hosted a great alumni reception at the end of the convention.

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UW Class of 1964: 50th Reunion Celebration

SEFS alumnus Jim Gullickson (‘64, B.S.) served on the planning committee for the 50th reunion of the UW Class of 1964, and he helped introduce part of the Brockman Memorial Tree Tour to the regular campus tour. SEFS grad student Nicholas Dankers assisted in planning and leading the tour, and the UW Alumni Association will now consider the tree tour, the Center for Urban Horticulture, and the Washington Park Arboretum as potential destinations and activities for future events.

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Autumn Alumni Hike: Slideshow

In early October, Professor Emeritus Tom Hinckley organized a weekend hiking trip with alumni to explore the Methow Valley, and he shared some photos of the spectacular mountain views and foliage.

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Veterans Day Tribute

In honor of Veterans Day, Professor Emeritus Dave Manuwal gave a special presentation on Thursday, November 13, to recognize professionals who served in the military and made contributions to the fields of ornithology, mammalogy and wildlife conservation. Manuwal began working on this project several years ago, combing through more than 2,000 obituaries and talking to veterans in person and by email. The resulting collection was a powerful tribute to more than 165 men and women, many of whom made major sacrifices and committed acts of extraordinary valor.

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TELL US

Who was your favorite professor, and why did he/she have such a big impact on you?

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Patrick T. Nooney ('71, B.S.) couldn’t pick just one, so check out what he had to say about his two favorites!

Next Issue: What was your first job after college, and what do you remember most about it? Please send submissions, of no more than 250 words, to sefsalum@uw.edu, and we’ll publish at least one response in the next issue of Roots, and also on the "Offshoots" blog.

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GET CONNECTED

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CLASS NOTES

Shortly after graduating this past summer, Julie Hower ('14, B.S.) accepted a position as a wildlife biological sciences technician with Helena National Forest, where she’ll be surveying wolverines, Canada lynx and snowshoe hares. She is based in Lincoln, Mont. 

Stith T. (Tom) Gower ('87, Ph.D., Forest Ecology) has joined the College of Natural Resources at N.C. State University as the head of the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources. Professor Gower had been working as a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (forest ecosystem ecologist) in the Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, and faculty director of BioHouse, a community program for undergraduates majoring in biological sciences. He earned a B.S. in biology from Furman University, an M.S. in forest ecology and a minor in soil science from N.C. State University before completing his doctorate at SEFS. 

Hans Smith ('01, B.S.) is one of two habitat biologists working for the Yakama Nation’s Upper Columbia Habitat Restoration Program in Winthrop, Wash. He was recently featured in a piece in the Methow Grist, “In Support of Fish: Yakamas work to restore habitat.” He and his wife Sarah Schrock, who earned her B.S. from SEFS in 1999, live in Twisp, Wash. 

William D. “Bill” Hagenstein passed away on September 4 at the age of 99. Hagenstein was born in Seattle in 1915 and earned a bachelor’s in forestry from SEFS in 1938, and then a master’s in forestry from Duke University in 1941. He went on to work as a forester for more than 75 years and was a proud and outspoken defender of the profession, still attending conferences and alumni gatherings well into his 90s. “Conversations with Bill were most enlightening, entertaining and professional,” says Professor Bruce Bare. “While always polite and generous, he was also very resolute in his convictions. We will forever remember him as an honest and honorable man.” 

Roots is the official e-newsletter for School of Environmental and Forest Sciences alumni. It is jointly produced by SEFS and the SEFS Alumni Group, and new issues are mailed three times a year (Winter, Spring/Summer and Fall). Please submit alumni news, “Tell Us” responses, “Class Notes,” events and other story ideas to sefsalum@uw.edu. Back issues are available in the online archive, and if you’ve been forwarded this message and wish to subscribe, contact Roots today