Spring Celebration on May 29 honored this year’s College of the Environment award recipients and brought together our community over refreshments, games and even a photo booth.
The 2024 awardees, chosen through a College-wide nomination process, were recognized by their colleagues for making unique, inspiring and meaningful contributions to our community during the academic year. Learn more about each winner in the profiles below.
Distinguished Staff Member
Jane Dolliver, College of the Environment
The Awards Committee was impressed by the multiple signatories across many College units on Jane’s nomination letter, as well as their heartfelt comments regarding their appreciation for her thoughtful leadership, extraordinary project management skills, innovation and implementation of new and creative ideas and exceptional commitment to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in all aspects of her work.
Exceptional Mentoring of Undergraduates
Robert Swan, Environmental and Forest Sciences
The Awards Committee was impressed at the number of nomination letters received from students and faculty alike for Robert. This award is a fitting recognition of the multitude of ways he has supported undergraduates both publicly and behind the scenes in the pursuit of their degrees. His nominators say that he is an extremely knowledgeable and helpful mentor, generous with his time and expertise, and that he goes above and beyond providing students with valuable training by serving as a reference, supervising projects and providing community and networking opportunities
Outstanding Community Impact
Athena Bertolino, EarthLab, Future Rivers
The Awards Committee was impressed with the breadth and depth of Athena’s work and the impact that she has, which was highlighted in her nomination letters. Her nominators note that she is absolutely essential to the success and impact of Future Rivers; she is completely dedicated to making the UW and College of the Environment a world leader in transdisciplinary environmental science research and education; her extraordinary commitment to excellence; and her ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and justice through programs, trainings and continuous improvement opportunities.
Outstanding Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice and Accessibility
Markus Min, Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
The Awards Committee was impressed by the multiple signatories on Markus’ nomination letter and their examples of how he has distinguished himself as a trusted leader and strong advocate for equity and inclusion in the College, across UW and beyond campus. They called out just a few examples of how he sees challenges as opportunities for improvement, and how he identifies systemic problems and finds partners to build creative and effective solutions.
Outstanding Teaching Faculty
Sean McDonald, Program on the Environment
The Awards Committee was impressed by Sean’s nominators who spoke so highly of not only the quality and creativity of his instruction in the Program on the Environment, but also of his dedication to the students and his value as a colleague who inspires others to do their best work.
Graduate Dean’s Medalist
Amy Wyeth, Oceanography
The Awards Committee was impressed by Amy’s exceptional academic achievements as both a scholar and as a research scientist, her reputation as a trusted leader and builder of community with a passion for mentorship and advocacy, and for her leadership activities. Her nominators particularly noted her dedication to creating a supportive environment for students, and her commitment to fostering inclusivity and equity within the academic community.
Undergraduate Dean’s Medalist
Sarah Hensley, Marine Biology
The Awards Committee was impressed with the breadth of Sarah’s accomplishments during her time at the UW and the strength of her nomination from unit leadership and faculty. She has an exceptional record of academic achievement and undergraduate research, and has performed extensive service to our community. She has proven herself a leader beyond life on campus as a strong representative of the College of the Environment through her engagement with NOAA, volunteer work with the Cascadia Research Collective and her valuable contributions as an undergraduate ambassador.
Photos from the event (click on each image to enlarge)
