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SEFS Involved in Four NASA Grants

As part of its Terrestrial Ecology Program, NASA recently launched the Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE). It’s a major field campaign in Alaska and western Canada—starting this year, and lasting 8 to 10 years—with the goal of better understanding the vulnerability and resilience of ecosystems and society to a changing climate in Arctic and boreal regions. In 2015, NASA awarded grants to 21 projects as part this campaign, and four of the proposals involve researchers at SEFS, including new faculty members David Butman and Laura Prugh, as well as affiliate professor Hans-Erik Andersen!

BLOG BITS

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Photography Exhibition: John Tylczak

This October, for the second year in a row, Tylczak has generously offered to loan us 10 images from his broader collection, Views from the Northwoods: 1983-1995, for a month-long photography exhibition in the Forest Club Room. He will be here in person during the Salmon BBQ if you’d like to meet the man behind the lens.

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Grad Student Spotlight: Nate Haan

Jessica Farmer at UW Botanic Gardens put together a great profile of doctoral student Nate Haan, who is working with Professor Jon Bakker. Studying prairies in the South Sound, Haan’s research involves Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly and its interactions with its larval host plants.

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Salmon BBQ: Volunteers Needed!

As we prep for the kick-off celebration on Wednesday, October 7, we’re looking for a few volunteers to help with set-up and clean-up afterward—not the most glamorous work, to be sure, but a few extra hands make the process go MUCH more smoothly. Contact Karl Wirsing if you’re available to help for 30 minutes or so on either end!

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Dawg Daze Enviro-Quest 2015

Starting this Thursday, September 24, the College of the Environment invites students to participate in Dawg Daze Enviro-Quest 2015. It’s a photo scavenger hunt that will lead you to discover some of UW’s best kept enviro-secrets, learn about environmental programs at UW, and meet students with similar interests. Learn more and join the group today!

UPCOMING EVENTS


Sept. 23, 2015:

SEFS Annual Retreat, CUH, 8:30-5:30 p.m.

Sept. 25, 2015:

Grad Student Orientation

Sept. 30, 2015:

Fall Quarter Begins

Oct. 7, 2015:

Salmon BBQ, 4:30-6:30 p.m.

 

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ANNOUNCEMENTS & KUDOS

We always hate to begin our announcements on a down note, but there’s no dodging the news of three long-time faculty retirements. Up first is Professor John Perez-Garcia, who has been affiliated with SEFS since 1990 and became a faculty member in 1993. His expertise in forest and natural resource economics has been a huge asset to CINTRAFOR and the school as a whole. He slipped away quietly this summer, but we have a proper send-off in the works for him, as well as the next two departures: Professors Susan Bolton and Darlene Zabowski, both of whom will officially retire on December 31, 2015.

Susan joined our faculty in 1992 and has served as a professor of hydrology and as the director of the Center for Streamside Studies. She was also an adjunct faculty member in both the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Darlene has been with our faculty since 1995, and she has been a fixture teaching introductory soils, soil biochemistry and soil morphology—always spreading her infectious passion for soils through our ranks of undergrads and grad students. We are going to miss all of them so much, and there’s no sugarcoating this news. But we wish them the absolute best in their next adventures!

We’ll switch gears to some kudos for Professor Sharon Doty, who recently participated in the Agricultural Bioscience International Conference in Melbourne, Australia, from September 7 to 9. The theme of the conference was “New thinking, new discoveries, and new applications,” and Doty gave an invited presentation on her research in the conference section "Plant Microbiomes.”

In other terrific news, Michelle Trudeau reports that we are giving out student awards totaling $522,382 for the upcoming academic year. That’s an incredible amount of student support!

Oh, and here’s a final reminder for our annual retreat coming up this Wednesday, September 23, from 8:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Center for Urban Horticulture. RSVPs are now closed for the event, as we have a record number of attendees signed up (but we are thrilled for the outpouring of interest!). For those coming, we’ll be providing breakfast for you from 8:30 to 9 a.m., lunch during the noon hour, and then a casual reception during the last hour of the retreat. It's going to be a full, engaging day!


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COMMITTEE NOTES

Nothing to report this week.


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SEMINAR SCHEDULES

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

Wildlife Seminar: Schedule TBD

Water Seminar: Schedule TBD


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PUBLICATIONS

Director Tom DeLuca has a new publication in Ambio, “Intensive land use in the Swedish mountains between AD 800 and 1200 led to deforestation and ecosystem transformation with long-lasting effects.”


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SEFS IN THE PRESS

Professor Emeritus Jim Agee and Professor Jerry Franklin are among the co-authors of a recent commentary piece in Science, “Reform forest fire management,” which has generated a great deal of press the past few days. Michelle Ma at UW News put together a story about it last week, “Scientists: Let wildfires burn when prudent.”

In other fire news, a recent story on KUOW featured SEFS alumnus and Intertribal Timber Council President Phil Rigdon (’96, B.S.), “After A Bad Fire Season, Northwest Tribes Question Federal Firefighting Priorities.”

Also, on September 11, recent SEFS alumna Sarra Tekola wrote a guest post for Sightline Daily (produced by the Sightline Institute), “New Divestment Campaign Targets the Gates Foundation.”


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ALUMNI UPDATES

In September, recent MFR grads Nichole Studevant and Ben Roe started working as pre-sales foresters with the Quinault Indian Nation in Tahola, Wash. Their duties will include stand examinations, timber sale preparation, harvest layout and working with other technical experts to meet the social, environmental and economic objectives of the Quinault Nation. Nice work!