Big Bertha, the world’s largest tunnel boring machine, is clawing its way under Seattle to replace the aging above-ground Alaskan Way Viaduct. But in mid-December, something big blocked its path and stopped its forward progress under the city.  What is it? No one really knows, but one potential is it could be a glacial erratic. Terry Swanson from Earth and Space Sciences talks to KUOW about these glacial relics and their geologic history in the Puget Sound. 

Hacking the Earth’s climate to counteract global warming—a subject that elicits strong reactions from both sides—is the topic of a December special issue of the journal Climatic Change. A dozen research papers include the most detailed description yet of the proposed Oxford Principles to govern geoengineering research, as well as surveys on the technical hurdles, ethics and regulatory issues related to deliberately manipulating the planet’s climate. 

When people hear of the College of the Environment, many think that means we are “the College of Environmental Problem Solving.” While, admittedly, we excel at addressing some of the greatest environmental challenges of our day, our research and education programs have a much broader scope. The rigorous and innovative fundamental science that our faculty, staff and students undertake addresses scientific questions that push the frontiers of what we know about life, our planet, and our solar system, and embodies the pure joy of discovery.