Dec 8, 2015

Award honors hundreds of citizen scientists who search for Washington’s rarest plants

Volunteer Hally Swift, a UW Burke Museum employee, on the hunt for Barrett’s beardtongue (Penstemon barrettiae) in Klickitat County.

Each year, hundreds of volunteers spread across Washington’s forests and grasslands to look for the state’s rarest, most sensitive plant species. Many of these endangered populations live in remote valleys or along unseen slopes and haven’t been seen in a decade or more. That’s where the University of Washington’s Rare Plant Care and Conservation program comes in. Its team of more than 200 volunteers fans out each summer to gather intel, one plant population at a time, on some 4,000 living in Washington state.

Combating global climate change is fun and games for EarthGamesUW

Rob Thompson, Will Chen, and Rachel Lee of EarthGamesUW working on their game AdaptNation at the Climate Game Jam.

EarthGamesUW, a new group at the University of Washington, is inspiring kids to combat climate change through gaming.

Philanthropy: Making a Difference

In this season of thanks, we are especially grateful to College of the Environment alumni and supporters! Individuals, private foundations, and corporations have donated more than $9.2 million in the first four months of the 2016 fiscal year! This support enables us to provide scholarships to those in need, recruit talented and dedicated faculty, undertake substantial research endeavors, and launch new programs.

Vessel speed biggest factor in noise affecting killer whales

Digital acoustic recording tags temporarily attached to killer whales measure vessel noise reaching the whales.

The speed of vessels operating near endangered killer whales in Washington is the most influential factor – more so than vessel size – in how much noise from the boats reaches the whales, according to a new study published today in the online journal PLOS ONE. Previous studies have shown that Southern Resident killer whales alter their behavior in the presence of vessels and associated noise, which affects their ability to communicate and find food.

College of the Environment Climate Research Snapshot

Icebergs and sunset off the west coast of Greenland.

In advance of COP 21, we’re looking at climate change research happening closer to home—here at the University of Washington. Many ideas, viewpoints, and experiences will be represented at the negotiating table in Paris though Dec. 11, but it’s important to keep in mind that science is the starting point for all discussions related to and rooted in climate change. Scientists and researchers at the College play an important role in discovering and developing the science that leads to robust conversations about our collective next step forward.