Dean’s letter: When our progress feels glacial — Reflections on diversity and inclusion

As Dean, this is the joyous time of year when we honor the achievements of our faculty, staff and students and confer degrees on our proud graduates. And then, as this season of ceremonies, champagne and cupcakes winds down, I will pause to take stock of our progress on our most important priorities. Here’s what’s weighing on my mind. Throughout higher education, marginalized scholars continue to experience microaggressions and discrimination at all stages of their academic paths, from student to job candidate to faculty member.

UW Environment Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Homepage »

May 30, 2018

College contributes to Campus Sustainability Fund project in honor of 2018 graduates

It is graduation season, and with that comes well wishes for our graduates and an opportunity to shine a light on their accomplishments. In appreciation of their contributions to enriching the College of the Environment in numerous ways, the College has decided to fund a project jointly with the Campus Sustainability Fund (CSF). Recognizing our students are the next generation of leaders in environmental science and decision-making, we believe this is a contribution that showcases our collective commitment to the sustainability and the well-being of our Husky Community and our planet.

Broccoli in space: How probiotics could help grow veggies in microgravity

A new experiment will test whether microbes can help broccoli grow better in challenging conditions in space.

Astronauts at the International Space Station are spending more time away from Earth, but they still need their daily serving of vegetables. In the quest to find a viable way for crew to grow their own veggies while orbiting, student researchers are sending broccoli seeds coated with a healthy dose of probiotics to space. Six broccoli seeds are aboard the Orbital ATK Cygnus spacecraft that launched last week from Wallops Island, Virginia, as part of a space station cargo resupply mission.

A promising target in the quest for a 1-million-year-old Antarctic ice core

Laura Kehrl on a hike near McMurdo Station while waiting for a flight to the Allan Hills area.

Ice cores offer a window into the history of Earth’s climate. Layers of ice reveal past temperatures, and gases trapped in bubbles reveal past atmospheric composition. The oldest continuous ice core so far comes from Dome C in East Antarctica and extends back 800,000 years. But a tantalizing clue recently offered the possibility to go back even further. A collaborative study between the University of Washington and the University of Maine now pinpoints a location where an entire million years of undisturbed ice might be preserved intact.

Two UW Environment undergrads receive Udall scholarships

Udall scholars Ashley Lewis (left) and Alishia Orloff (right).

Aquatic and Fishery Sciences‘ Ashley Lewis and Environmental and Forest Sciences‘ Alishia Orloff, both juniors at UW, will join 50 students from around the country as Udall Scholars. A competitive award, the review committee selected this year’s scholars from 437 nominees based on the students’ commitment to careers in the environment, Native health care or tribal policy, as well as their leadership potential, public service and academic achievements.

Learn more about this year's Udall scholars »