Oct 25, 2019

Summer round-up at UW Environment

Just because campus is quieter over the summer, doesn’t mean College of the Environment researchers are on vacation. From the tea plantations of Taiwan to the coral reefs of Australia to the glaciers of Greenland, UW Environment students and researchers had a busy summer deepening their understanding of the world around us both inside and outside of the classroom. Here are some examples of work done by researchers from various units, schools and departments within the College: Exploring environmental and social resilience in Taiwan 13 students spent four weeks exploring environmental and social resilience in Taiwan on a Program on the Environment study abroad trip.

Terryl Ross recipient of UW Multicultural Alumni Partnership's Distinguished Alumni Award

Terryl Ross, assistant dean of diversity, equity and inclusion at the College of the Environment was awarded the University of Washington Multicultural Alumni Partnership (MAP) Distinguished Alumni Award on Sat., Oct. 19 at the 25th annual UW Alumni Association MAP Bridging the Gap Breakfast. MAP has worked to connect the region’s diverse communities, promote equity at the UW and celebrate the achievements of distinguished alumni and accomplished students.

Humpback whale population on the rise after near miss with extinction

A population of humpback whales in the South Atlantic has rebounded from the brink of extinction. Intense pressure from the whaling industry in the 20th century saw the western South Atlantic population of humpbacks diminish to only 450 whales. It is estimated that 25,000 whales were caught over approximately 12 years in the early 1900s. Protections were put in place in the 1960s as scientists noticed worldwide that populations were declining.

Piranha fish swap old teeth for new simultaneously

Piranha fish have a powerful bite. Their teeth help them shred through the flesh of their prey or even scrape plants off rocks to supplement their diet. Years ago, scientists discovered that piranhas lose all of the teeth on one side of their mouth at once and regrow them, presumably to replace dulled teeth with brand new sharp spears for gnawing on prey.

Fishing for the triple bottom line: profit, planet — and people

Fisheries managers typically strive to strike a delicate balance between two, often competing, types of needs: the needs for fishermen’s profits and the needs for the planet. But in 1994, entrepreneur John Elkington posited that true sustainability requires consideration of a third “P” — the needs of the people. In making this argument, he coined the term “the triple bottom line.”