Private gifts and grants have an enormous impact on the lives of our students, faculty and programs. We thank every one of our supporters, be they individuals, corporations, private foundations, organizations or community partners. You help ensure that the College of the Environment and all of its exceptional schools, departments, centers, programs and people, remain and grow as national and global leaders in education, research and outreach across a broad array of environmental fields. For more information on ways to make a gift, or programs you can support, please contact Marilyn Montgomery, Associate Dean for Advancement, at 206-221-0906 or mmmontg@uw.edu.
Private Funding for Oceanography, Biodiversity, and Wildlife Research in South Pacific
The College of the Environment is grateful for a gift from James and Marsha Seeley to support research on the privately owned atoll of Tetiaroa, located in the Society Islands of French Polynesia. This gift is largely supporting ocean acidification research on the coral reef conducted by Julian Sachs and Alex Gagnon in the School of Oceanography. It also includes research support for an investigation of the ecology of reef sharks on their nursery areas by Aaron Wirsing in the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, and a study of biological diversity in Hemichordata and Tunicata by Billie Swalla at Friday Harbor Laboratories. Research will be conducted at an ecostation established by the Tetiaroa Society, a local organization dedicated to research, education, and conservation. Scientific research will be of special interest to clientele of the nearby resort, The Brando.
Private Funders Step Up to Support Sustainable Fisheries Research
Two major projects kicked off this year at the School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences which bring together experts in sustainable fisheries. Funded by private donors, the projects create new systems and tools that will benefit researchers, industry groups, governments and policy makers. The Fishery Ecosystem Task Force and the Ocean Modeling Forum put College of the Environment faculty at the forefront of positive movement towards a more sustainable and viable ocean.
Fishery Ecosystem Task Force: Managing marine fisheries from an ecosystem perspective is a unique challenge, one that is bringing together numerous scientists on a new task force to move the science on this issue forward. Dubbed the Fishery Ecosystem Task Force, the group—funded by the Lenfest Ocean Program—will conduct their work under the leadership of Tim Essington from the College of the Environment’s School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. The group of 13 scientists will work to create a practical ‘blueprint’ that managers can use to make ecosystem-based fisheries management a reality. Read more about this work in a previous article published on the College of the Environment’s website.
Ocean Modeling Forum: André Punt, director of the School of Aquatic and Fisheries Science, knows that researchers have expansive knowledge and tools that can be used for Ecosystem Approaches to Management. Yet even with many tools and techniques at their disposal, information available is often specific to one location and not integrated with other types of data, making decisions about how to manage marine resources more challenging. To tackle this challenge, Punt, with support from the Packard Foundation and key partners from NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center, developed The Ocean Modeling Forum. The Forum brings together modeling experts, scientists, ocean managers and policy makers to work through case studies and determine how to use existing models and analytical techniques holistically. Their goal is to determine what is the most usable and useful information for ocean managers and policy makers in making informed decisions that will yield positive outcomes for our oceans. The Forum hosted its first successful meeting this winter to develop an initial framework and to scope the upcoming case study on sardines off the west coast of North America.
There are many opportunities to help support the College of the Environment. If you would like to help, please consider supporting the College through the fund of your choice, or through some of our highlighted funds:
- School of Marine and Environmental Affairs Graduate Student Fellowship Fund: Provides fellowship support for graduate students in the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs.
- Friends of the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences Fund: Provides unrestricted funding for use by the Director of the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences to address emerging needs, special projects, and other School priorities.
- Alaska Salmon Program Fund: Funding research and projects of the Alaska Salmon Program, which supports three major field stations in the Bristol Bay area. These field stations maintain long-term ecological data sets spanning 45-100 year and offer invaluable insight into the responses of salmon to climate change.
To explore funds within the College, visit the University of Washington Foundation website.
