Dean’s letter: Our science and passion fuel engagement

Dean Lisa J. Graumlich outlines several goals for the 2016-2017 academic year, inspired by Sarah Reichard, for the College of the Environment.

Dedicated to the memory of Sarah Reichard

I spend September anticipating the start of the academic year. The UW’s undergraduates have returned, and we welcomed the class of 2020 — 6,500 students strong! — at Convocation on September 25. Graduate and professional students are back too, reemerging from summers in the field, behind the lab bench or at the computer. As our community transitions from fall festivities to classes, we’re setting goals for 2016-2017.

I have several goals for the College on my mind. Front and center is focusing our efforts to immerse others in the curiosity, exploration and excitement that drive scientific inquiry.

Those who know me well aren’t surprised that I am thinking about public engagement. Public engagement amplifies the impact of our work; it invites the broader community to share in the joy of discovery and, we hope, hunger to learn more. It remains one of my highest priorities as dean and is also on my mind as I reflect on the passing of our beloved UW Botanic Gardens director, Sarah Reichard. Among our College’s passionate cadre of researchers, Sarah lived a life of engagement. Through her work, she reminds us all that engagement done well is an act of love, of courage, of passion.

Here’s what I learned from Sarah that guides my thinking about the College’s future:

Engagement opens up access to knowledge. Our scholarship is world renowned.

The College’s faculty and staff produced more earth science research than any other institution in the world in 2015 — that’s peer-reviewed, influential, robust science. We have a lot to share, and it’s important to do so not as impersonal purveyors of knowledge but as open, enthusiastic storytellers who welcome others to ask questions, steer conversations and make connections between their lives and our research.

Engagement is a creative process, and creativity is paramount.

Study upon study from disciplines across the academic spectrum find that people engage with knowledge when there’s a clear connection to their lives and values. Data do not speak the way that stories do. Statistics by themselves do not sing. Sarah brought plant science to life by making it relevant to people: she created wild, beautiful spaces for children to explore through the Fiddleheads pre-K program; she filled the Arboretum with art and music.

Like Sarah, many of our researchers find new ways to expand the reach of their work: Aquatic and Fishery Sciences’ Kristin Laidre cultivates environmental awareness by collaborating with artists to create stunningly beautiful depictions of her field sites in Greenland. The next time you take Link light rail from UW Station, check out the wonderful interpretation of its geologically inspired wall art from Earth and Space Sciences’ Alison Duvall. Oceanography’s Rick Rupan and Fritz Stahr sparked the creativity of middle school students to come up with new approaches to building an underwater submersible, and six years later their design won first place in an international competition.

Engagement is respectful, often polite, and, at times, quite fierce.

Sarah was a fierce protector of plants and people. Through her work as the founder and director of Rare Care, she cultivated a community of plant ambassadors who will carry on her legacy of preserving rare and endangered Northwest plants by identifying their last refuges for management agencies. We sometimes shy away from strong words in academia, but fierce we are. Earth and Space Sciences’ John Vidale is undaunted as his team works to break down barriers to protect people from earthquakes. Aquatic and Fishery Sciences’ Ray Hilborn and André Punt put their reputation on the line to bring the best science to bear on contentious issues of fisheries management. Jerry Franklin, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, is world renowned for his tireless efforts to promote a balance between the need to actively manage forests to improve forest health and at the same time conserve our most precious ecosystems.

As we begin the new academic year, let’s resolve to continue in Sarah’s footsteps. In the lab, classroom, field and office, let’s use our passion for science to inspire greater engagement with Earth’s mysteries and challenges. I can think of no better way to honor her legacy.

Lisa J. Graumlich
Dean, College of the Environment
Mary Laird Wood Professor

Sep 28, 2016

10 UW Environment stories you may have missed over the summer

At the conclusion of a long and arduous academic year, many students look forward to the rest and relaxation that comes with summertime. But while many are enjoying the glorious downtime of a few months without classes, others — faculty, undergrads, graduate students and postdocs — are in the field and in labs pushing their research forward. The summer of 2016 was no different.

Here are 10 stories about work coming out of the College of the Environment that you may have missed while you were poolside this summer:

Interactive map shows where animals will move under climate change

The data shows mountains as refuges and cities as wildlife voids.
Featuring the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences’ Josh Lawler and the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences’ Julian Olden
Jacob Allgeier/University of Washington
A High-hat fish is placed in a plastic bag for half an hour during fieldwork in The Bahamas as part of Jacob Allgeier’s research on fish urine and its impacts on coral reef ecosystems. Scientists measured the nutrient content in the water before and after to determine the fish’s nutrient output.

Big fish — and their pee — are key parts of a coral reef ecosystem

Trout tinkle sounds funny, but it’s serious science!
Featuring the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences’ Jacob Allgeier
UW professor is digitizing every fish species in the world

Scanning and digitizing 25,000 species of fish = dedication.
Featuring Adam Summers from the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, Department of Biology and Friday Harbor Laboratories
Cougars could save lives by lowering vehicle collisions with deer

Deer are more dangerous to humans than cougars. Who would’ve thought?
Featuring the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences’ Laura Prugh
Adam Summers advises Pixar on fish movements in new ‘Finding Dory’ film

If you’re looking for a fish expert, we know where to find one.
Featuring Adam Summers from the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, Department of Biology and Friday Harbor Laboratories
‘Bright spots’ shine light on the future of coral reefs

Against all odds, 15 coral reefs are doing better than they should be given the pressures they face.
Featuring the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs’ Edward Allison
See, hear and study the deep sea: Ocean Observatories Initiative data now live

Coming to you live from the ocean’s deepest reaches!
Featuring the School of Oceanography’s Deborah Kelley
Steve Ringman/The Seattle Times
Journal pages list all the species of plants the UW Environmental Studies class has seen by the penultimate day of their backpacking trip in the Olympic National Park backcountry. Here, the group takes a break at Grand Pass.

What it’s like to spend 9 days in the PNW backcountry: ‘A reset for the human spirit’

An exploration of wilderness in one of the lower forty-eight’s most untamed landscapes.
Featuring the Program on the Environment’s Tim Billo and students
Arc volcano releases mix of material from Earth’s mantle and crust

Where exactly does volcanic lava come from? UW scientists investigate.
Featuring the Department of Earth and Space Sciences’ Fang-Zhen Teng
Long-term Pacific climate cycle linked to expansion of Antarctic sea ice

Antarctic sea ice expanding despite climate-related global warming. Here’s why.
Featuring the Department of Atmospheric Sciences’ Cecilia Bitz

Sep 16, 2016

Remembering Sarah Reichard

UW suffered a tremendous loss this month with the passing of Professor Sarah Reichard. To other faculty members, Sarah embodied what we work so hard to become. She was a scholar who relentlessly pursued scientific understanding and — as importantly — shared what she discovered with communities so they could use new knowledge to improve our world.

A self-described “consummate plant geek,” Sarah inherited a love of all things botanical from her mother, a plant geneticist, and her father, an avid gardener. A first year botany class at the University of Washington catalyzed her interest in research and she went on to earn a B.S. in Botany, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Forest Resources.

In 1997, Sarah began a storied career as a faculty member at the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, then known as the College of Forest Resources. Over a career spanning two decades, she studied invasive plant biology, including methods to predict, detect and assess new invaders based on sound science. Sarah also studied the effects of invasive and nonnative plants on native ecosystems, explored the impacts of human disturbance on rare species, and illuminated how horticultural techniques could contribute to species reintroductions.

Like other early pioneers in conservation biology, she recognized that conservation efforts required interdisciplinary approaches to succeed. Using her indomitable spirit and sense of humor, Sarah brought together people with different economic, social, environmental and cultural perspectives to improve plant conservation programs. In this vein, she founded and served as director of Rare Care, whose citizen science-based model is nationally recognized for its pivotal role in monitoring Washington state’s threatened and endangered plant species.

Among her many accolades, she was vice president of the Pacific Northwest Invasive Plant Council, held a six-year tenure on the Federal Invasive Species Advisory Committee and served on the Invasive Species Specialist Group of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. She co-authored a report for the National Research Council, “Predicting Invasions of Nonindigenous Plants and Plant Pests,” co-edited Invasive Species in the Pacific Northwest, and authored The Conscientious Gardener: Cultivating a Garden Ethic. She also found time to mentor young women entering plant conservation and research fields, a role that many of her former students cite as pivotal to their professional success. Her curriculum vitae is peppered with innumerable service records from boards, working groups and advisory committees on topics including invasive plant ecology, management, policy and education.

In 2011, she was named director of the UW Botanic Gardens, a role that united her gifts for academic scholarship and public education. During her too-brief tenure, she expanded the gardens’ reach to preschoolers, retirees, and all ages in between through music, art, outdoor learning and hands-on volunteer programs in the Washington Park Arboretum and the Center for Urban Horticulture. A principled problem solver, she navigated the complex SR 520 mitigation process for the Arboretum with grace, finding paths for compromise between stakeholders without wavering on the protection of native plants. Through it all, Sarah remained committed to research, serving as a committee chair for multiple UW Botanic Gardens and UW-affiliated graduate students.

Sarah’s passion for plants took her around the world. She traveled to Chile, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Morocco, Australia, South Africa and Cuba (four times!). But South Africa was always among her favorite travel spots. She loved its food, wildlife, and the endemic plants found nowhere else. Even when she led trips for UW Botanic Gardens, Sarah never stopped learning: she wrote regularly with much chagrin that she’d become a birder after years of openly preferring plants.

It’s hard to put into words how much we will miss Sarah. Our hearts are with her husband, Brian, her family and friends, and the untold number of people across the world whose lives are richer for knowing her. If you would like to read some of the many beautiful tributes that have been written, we encourage you to visit the comments sections and blogs of the School of Environmental and Forestry Sciences, UW Botanic Gardens and the American Public Gardens Association.

If you would like to make a gift in honor of Sarah’s extraordinary life and legacy, please consider the Prof. Sarah E. Reichard Endowed Fund for UW Botanic Gardens – which supports public education, outreach, student education, research and general maintenance and improvement of gardens and plant collections – or the newly created Sarah Reichard Endowed Fellowship to support UW Botanic Gardens-affiliated graduate students.

The UW Botanic Gardens will host a celebration of life in honor of Sarah Reichard on Thursday, October 13, from 2-8 p.m. Full details are available here, on the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences’ Offshoots blog.

Lisa Graumlich
Dean, College of the Environment
Mary Laird Wood Professor

Sep 15, 2016

All polar bears across the Arctic face shorter sea ice season

A polar bear tests the strength of thin sea ice.

It’s no secret that Arctic sea ice is melting. Polar bears, the poster child for climate change, are among the animals most affected by the seasonal and year-to-year changes in Arctic sea ice, because they rely on this surface for essential activities such as hunting, traveling and breeding.

A new University of Washington study, with funding and satellite data from NASA, finds a trend toward earlier sea ice melt in the spring and later ice growth in the fall across all 19 polar bear populations, which can negatively impact the feeding and breeding capabilities of the bears. The paper, published Sept. 14 in The Cryosphere, is the first to quantify the sea ice changes in each polar bear subpopulation across the entire Arctic region using metrics that are specifically relevant to polar bear biology.

Sep 2, 2016

Invasive green crab found on San Juan Island by citizen science volunteers

A European green crab (Carcinus maenas, meaning “raving mad crab”) found earlier in Willapa Bay, Washington.

Earlier this week in Westcott Bay, San Juan Island, a team of volunteer monitors caught an invasive green crab, marking the first confirmation of this global invader in Washington’s inland waters.

The volunteers are part of Washington Sea Grant’s Crab Team, an early detection and monitoring program to look for European green crab (Carcinus maenas) and collect information on local marine life.

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is responsible for controlling aquatic invasive animals and is working closely with University of Washington-based Washington Sea Grant to determine next steps for limiting further spread of the crab.