Straight-Grain-Banner
                                                    SEFS  |  Offshoots  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  College of the Environment

SG_Spotlight_101915

Professor Tobin Awarded Powell Grant

All non-native species initially lack natural predators, says Professor Patrick Tobin, and they all generally feed on host plants that haven’t adapted to them. Yet out of 100 introduced insects, there are probably only three or four that become high-impact pests—like the cactus moth (Cactoblastis cactorum) above—that are dangerous enough to cause cascading changes to ecosystems. So what’s different about the other 90 to 95 percent of non-native species? What separates the really bad invasive species from the basically benign? Tobin will get to explore that question in great depth thanks to an innovative grant from the John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis in Fort Collins, Colo. Read more about the grant and the team he’ll be working with on the research!

BLOG BITS

SG_BlogBits1_101915

This Wednesday (10/21): How to Shoot Usable Video of Your Research

For the SEFS Seminar Series this week, we’ve lined up a special workshop with Producer/Director Ethan Steinman of Daltonic Films. His talk is designed to help student and faculty researchers collect quality footage of their work in the field without high-end tools or training. He has offered to stick around afterward, as well, to help with questions about specific equipment or projects. The seminar is free and open to all students, staff and faculty at UW, so bring your gear and take advantage of this great opportunity!

SG_BlogBits4_101915

Special Lecture (10/26): “Beetles Save Needles - How It All Began”

Next Monday, October 26, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Washington Park Arboretum, you are invited to attend a talk with Dr. Richard McDonald, also known as Dr. McBug. He’ll be leading a discussion of some really cool research—with links to Professor Patrick Tobin and Professor Emeritus Bob Gara—involving scientists and forest managers who are using beetles native to our region in an effort to save the hemlock forests of the eastern United States ($5 suggested donation at the door).

SG_BlogBits3_101915

Student Spotlight: Miku Lenentine

The latest edition of the Advanced Hardwood Biofuels Northwest (AHB) newsletter came out a couple weeks ago, and it features a great spotlight of SEFS doctoral student Miku Lenentine!

SG_BlogBits5_101915

Ice Caves Field Trip (ESRM 381)

This fall, SEFS master’s student Sarah Krueger Lange is the instructor for “ESRM 381: Wildland Recreation Management,” and on Saturday, October 10, she led her class on a field trip—one of the first excursions to use our new shuttle buses!—to the Big Four Ice Caves in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

SG_BlogBits2_101915

Guest Lecture (10/30): William R. Burch

Coming up on Friday, October 30, at 1:30 p.m. in the Forest Club Room (AND 207), Professor Bernard Bormann invites you to join us for a guest lecture featuring Professor Emeritus William R. Burch from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies: “Pulaski, Passion and Participation: Looking to the Past for the Future of Natural Resource Professions.”

SG_BlogBits6_101915

SAF Holiday Fundraiser!

For the second year in a row, the Society of American Foresters UW Student Chapter is holding a holiday fundraiser. They’re selling an assortment of freshly cut noble fir and cedar wreaths and garlands, so place your orders now to have your holiday decorations ready for pick-up on November 23.

UPCOMING EVENTS


Oct. 22, 2015:

UW Farm's Farm-to-Table Dinner

Oct. 23, 2015:

Dawn of the Dead Elk Halloween Ball

Nov. 26-27, 2015:

Thanksgiving Holiday

Dec. 9, 2015:

SEFS Holiday Party

 

GET SOCIAL WITH SEFS

Like your news and updates on a daily basis? “Like” SEFS on Facebook or follow us on Twitter , and help promote our school!

ANNOUNCEMENTS & KUDOS

Nominations are now being accepted for the UW Distinguished Staff Awards. Each year, this award program seeks out the stories of staff whose commitment to the university and passion for what they do make them stand out among their peers. All nominations must be submitted by Friday, November 20, at 5 p.m., so learn more or submit a nomination on the Distinguished Staff Awards website.

It’s not too late to get tickets for the UW Farm’s Farm-to-Table Dinner coming up this Thursday, October 22, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Center for Urban Horticulture. They’ve already sold 100 spots, and the festivities will include Schooner Exact 3-Grid IPA, red and white wines from Columbia Winery, Stumptown coffee, take-home goodies, live music by the Trucker Clown Band from UW Music Department, other fun activities like pumpkin carving, and a menu that includes green salad, potato beet salad, slaw or grain salad, squash kale salad, rice, pumpkin curry, lentil daal, apple cobbler and brownies (gluten-free). The UW Farm will be celebrating TEN YEARS at the dinner, as well, so get your tickets today! (Please bring cash or checks for purchases or donations.)

Then, this Friday, from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. in the Forest Club Room, prepare yourself for the “Dawn of the Dead Elk Halloween Ball!” There will be pumpkin carving, a pinata, extra costumes for those unclad, photo ops and plenty to eat and drink. All SEFS folks, friends and family are welcome!

Also happening this Friday, from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Olympic Natural Resources Center in Forks, Wash., SEFS doctoral student Ben Dittbrenner will be presenting the next installment in the Evening Talks at ONRC speaker series: “Beaver Relocation: a Novel Climate Adaptation Tool.” The talk is open to the public, and light refreshments will be served.

Last Friday, October 16, SEFS doctoral students Sam Zwicker and Isabel Carrera Zamanillo gave presentations to about 25 students from Granger High School who were on campus as part of the UW in the High School program.

Sam also passed along word that Wild Forests and Fauna (WFF) is looking to hire a new communications/social media intern in the next few weeks, preferably to start by November 15. It’s a terrific opportunity for an undergrad interested in conservation and outreach—and it includes a $300 stipend—so take a look!

We’ll shift gears to some kudos for SEFS master’s student Regina Wandler, who recently attended Rally 2015 the National Land Conservation Conference, held October 8 to 10 in Sacramento, Calif. Regina used Director’s Student Travel funds to attend the conference, which is organized by the Land Trust Alliance and focuses on protecting and stewarding a wide variety of lands for public benefit. She got to attend workshops and seminars covering everything from interactive mapping with ArcGIS Online and GeoPlanner, to land stewardship and conservation easements. If you are interested in nonprofit conservation work, Regina says Rally is a wonderful place to begin. Great stuff!

Kudos, as well, for Professor Sharon Doty, who gave a talk on Tuesday, October 13, at the Science Cafe in Olympia on “Endophytic N-Fixation: Implications of the Ecosystem Within.”

We’ll finish with some kudos for Michelle Trudeau, who represented SEFS at the Muckleshoot Community Day on Friday, October 9. The all-day affair included forestry activities for all ages, and even helicopter rides for elders and raffle winners.


hr

COMMITTEE NOTES

The Institute of Forest Resources has issued a special request for proposals through the McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry Research program. This RFP will cover small, one-quarter awards that support graduate student research. The regular RFP for the funding cycle beginning fall 2016 will be available later this quarter (you can check out 2015 winners.)

The Director’s Council approved a request from Professor Indroneil Ganguly to move into Professor John Perez-Garcia’s former office.


hr

SEMINAR SCHEDULES

SEFS Seminar Series: Wednesdays, 3:30-4:20 p.m., AND 223

Wildlife Seminar: Mondays, 3:30-4:50 p.m., Kane 120

Water Seminar: TBD


hr

PUBLICATIONS

Research scientist Zhareen Khan, along with co-authors Shyam L. Kandel, Daniela N. Ramos, Greg Ettl, Soo-Hyung Kim and Sharon Doty, sent word of a new paper in Forests, “Increased Biomass of Nursery-Grown Douglas-Fir Seedlings upon Inoculation with Diazotrophic Endophytic Consortia.”

Professor Josh Lawler is a co-author on a new paper published in PLOS ONE, “Biotic and Climatic Velocity Identify Contrasting Areas of Vulnerability to Climate Change.” Read more about the research at UW News, "New study uses high-speed search methods to better estimate climate threats to biodiversity."


hr

SEFS IN THE PRESS

Leave it to Professor Sarah Reichard to weigh in on KOMO News about our fall foliage, “State's drought could spell early end to autumn leaves displays.”

Professor Reichard was also featured in another fall-themed story in the Seattle Times on October 2, “Autumn’s bounty of color, food arrives.”

Professor John Marzluff was featured in a fun story on KUOW on October 6, “Don't Be Alarmed: We're Researching Crows.”


hr

ALUMNI UPDATES

We had a terrific turnout for our Salmon BBQ, which followed a great talk from SEFS alumnus Will Littke (’82, Ph.D.) as part of the SEFS Seminar Series. In case you missed the fun, you can relive some of the action in a short-ish slideshow from the afternoon!