UW students get hands-on experience with Seagliders

In spring of 2023, University of Washington undergraduates loaded a curious-looking, brightly-colored machine onto a boat and headed out into Puget Sound. The machine, an autonomous underwater vehicle known as a Seaglider, looked like a cross between a torpedo and a rocket ship, and would be tasked with collecting a variety of important data about our oceans. What’s more, this particular launch would represent the first successful deployment of a Seaglider by UW students. 

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Watch the 2023 Doug Walker Lecture: Future-forward solutions for nature, health and the urban environment

A new bridge crosses over Arboretum Creek as part of the new trail.

Weaving nature more deliberately into the fabric of our urban communities can improve our quality of life. From urban parks to sustainable infrastructure, integrating nature into our cities makes us healthier, happier, smarter and safer. On Oct. 25, the College of the Environment’s 2023 Doug Walker Lecture at Town Hall Seattle explored these topics and more with UW alum Heather Tallis, an environmental scientist and professor. 

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UW experts offer hot takes on El Niño, weather and ocean temperatures

A map of the earth showing average sea surface temperatures

Ocean temperatures and their connections to weather trends have been making news. Five UW College of the Environment experts offer their perspectives on the current El Niño — a climate pattern in the tropical Pacific Ocean that affects weather worldwide. UW researchers comment on the current El Niño, its effect on weather in the Pacific Northwest, as well as on regional and global ocean temperature trends. 

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DNA shows where Washington culvert replacements helped spawning salmon

people sample water in a stream at the mouth of a culvert

To help struggling salmon populations, the state of Washington is legally required to replace hundreds of culverts that divert streams under roadways. The state transportation department is replacing old, rusting metal pipes with broad, concrete promenades that provide more gradual gradients and gentler flows for salmon swimming upstream to access more spawning grounds. The full scope of the effort will last 17 years and cost $3.8 billion. 

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