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Good Scents

Last Monday, August 17, was a busy day down at Pack Forest. It was the first morning of the week-long Climate Boot Camp, hosted by the Northwest Climate Science Center, and cabins were filled with grad students and early-career professionals working in climate-related fields. Elsewhere in the woods, Pack Forest Summer Crew interns were beginning their final week of work, and Professor Greg Ettl was leading a tour for several communications folks, including John Meyer and Kelly Knickerbocker from the College of the Environment, Michelle Ma from UW News, and Karl Wirsing from SEFS. One of the highlights of the day—for Karl, at least—was a stop at the Conservation Canines housing and training facility, where we got a demonstration of one dog’s scat-sniffing prowess!

BLOG BITS

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Tribal Interns Assist Bear Study in Alaska

Each summer, Bristol Bay Native Association (BBNA) research interns contribute to the UW Alaska Salmon Program, and this year two interns helped with bear hair sample collection as part of a genetic study of the region’s brown bear population.

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SEFS Fall Retreat: RSVP Today!

Our annual retreat will be held at the Center for Urban Horticulture on Wednesday, September 23, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (with a reception starting at 4 p.m.). It’s a full-day affair when we gather to discuss and plan the future of SEFS, and students are very welcome to join us. Please RSVP (using your UW NetID) as soon as you can!

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Salmon BBQ: October 7!

This year’s autumn feast and celebration is set for Wednesday, October 7, and we hope you’ll join us for an afternoon of glorious indulgence and socializing in the Anderson Courtyard from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. (immediately following the SEFS Seminar).

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Mount Rainier Institute Prepares for Fall Programs

This week, new staff members are prepping for the upcoming fall season at the Mount Rainier Institute, and school groups will be arriving soon for hands-on fun and science adventures at Pack Forest and Mount Rainier National Park. Learn more about our residential environmental learning center!

UPCOMING EVENTS


Sept. 7, 2015:

Labor Day Holiday

Sept. 23, 2015:

SEFS Annual Retreat, CUH

Sept. 25, 2015:

Grad Student Orientation

Sept. 30, 2015:

Fall Quarter Begins

 

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ANNOUNCEMENTS & KUDOS

In case you missed the exciting news a couple weeks ago, we have received hiring approval to advertise two new faculty positions this fall: an assistant professor of nature, health and recreation, and an assistant professor of forest ecosystems and ecosystem services. If you are interested in serving on the search committee for either of these positions, please contact Amanda Davis or Tom DeLuca. As soon as the quarter starts, we will convene the committees to get job descriptions and advertisements written.

A third potential position, pending a positive vote from the faculty, would be a professor of practice/conservation practice—someone “who is a distinguished practitioner or distinguished academician, and who has had a major impact on a field important to the University's teaching, research, and/or service mission.” This position would be involved in applied research in the given field, and funding for the position would come from an outside entity. More details to come.

Kudos to SEFS doctoral student Nate Haan, who recently attended the 100th Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America in Baltimore, Md., from August 9 to 14. Nate presented results from part of his dissertation research about how the relationship between parasitic plants and herbivores changes depending on which host a parasitic plant uses. By sharing his research, he was able to receive feedback from other researchers working in similar systems, and also explore potential avenues for collaboration in the future. Nice work!

Same for SEFS doctoral student Daniel Feinberg, who also attended the Ecological Society of America meeting in Baltimore. Daniel gave an oral presentation, “Evaluating management strategies to enhance biodiversity in conservation developments: Perspectives from developers in Colorado, USA,” based on his master’s research at the University of Florida. At the meeting, he also served as an Earth Stewardship Initiative Fellow, helping to design sustainable, livable parks under the direction of Professor Alex Felson at Yale University. As part of an interdisciplinary team, he presented his design at Biohabitats, Inc., and received feedback from several luminaries, including Keith Bowers, the firm's president and founder. Daniel's advisor at SEFS is Professor Clare Ryan. Great stuff!

This coming Saturday, August 29, Professor Emeritus Gordon Bradley will be leading a “University of Washington Tree Walk” from 10 a.m. to noon as part of Seattle reLeaf’s Tree Ambassador project. The tour is free and open to the public, and the crew will be meeting at the intersection of Rainier Vista and the Burke Gilman Trail. RSVP if you’d like to come along for the stroll.

Don’t forget to check out the Cuba trip with Professor Sarah Reichard and UW Botanic Gardens coming up this February and March. It’s an unforgettable tour of Cuba’s culture, gardens and natural beauty, from the historical capital of Havana to Viñales Valley and Zapata National Park. Learn more and sign up today!

Another reminder, as well, for the SustainableUW Festival coming up October 26 to 31. This is the second year of the festival, which highlights sustainability efforts happening across all UW campuses. Find out how you can get involved to showcase your own sustainability projects and research.


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COMMITTEE NOTES

We have several room assignments to report for new and incoming faculty members. The moves won’t be final before some clean-up and painting, but you should be able to find these professors in these rooms starting with the Fall Quarter:

Laura Prugh: Wink 202
Anthony Dichiara: Bloedel 288
Bernard Bormann: Wink 203


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SEMINAR SCHEDULES

No weekly seminars scheduled for the summer.


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PUBLICATIONS

Professor Emeritus Bruce Bare has two new publications, including one in Annals of Operations Research with Professor John Perez-Garcia as a co-author, “Valuing Forestlands with Stochastic Timber and Carbon Prices.” The second paper, “A Brief History of Systems Analysis in Forest Resources,” was published in the Annals of Operations Research.

Michelle Ma at UW News put together a great piece about some of Professor David Butman’s new research, just published in Nature Geosciences: “CO2 emissions change with size of streams and rivers.”


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SEFS IN THE PRESS

David Peterson is quoted in an August 9 feature in National Geographic, “How Megafires Are Remaking American Forests” (which came out just before the current historic blaze in central Washington).

On August 17, King 5 produced a nice segment on Advanced Hardwood Biofuels Northwest (AHB), and it features a couple clips with Professor Rick Gustafson, “Poplar trees grown for biofuels tackle obstacles.”


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ALUMNI UPDATES

SEFS alumnus Willis Littke (’82, Ph.D.), who studied with Professor Emeritus Bob Edmonds, will be kicking off the SEFS Seminar Series on Wednesday, October 7, at 3:30 p.m. Littke recently retired from Weyerhaeuser after a long career as a forest health researcher. Following his talk, we’ll be hosting the annual Salmon BBQ in the Anderson Courtyard!