Jun 24, 2020

Studying sea ice algae in Antarctica: two graduate students take fieldwork to the next level

Hannah Dawson and Sussan Rundell with their gear and the R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer in the background.

School of Oceanography Assistant Professor Jodi Young is studying one of the most essential components of Antarctic ecosystems: sea ice algae. This algae supports the bottom of the food chains in polar regions, and if it were to suddenly disappear, dependent ecosystems could collapse. For two Oceanography graduate students, the chance to work with Young and collect sea ice algae data in one of the most remote and visually stunning regions on the planet was a twice in a lifetime experience.

UW School of Oceanography researchers awarded Microsoft AI for Earth Innovation grant

UW School of Oceanography Professor LuAnne Thompson and graduate student Hillary Scannell are conducting one of five projects from around the world to receive the Microsoft-Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation (LDF) Innovation grant this month for their proposal to use artificial intelligence to better understand the planet and solve pressing environmental issues. The grants will support a range of projects, spanning the cutting-edge use of technology to monitor human-wildlife conflict in Tanzania to tracking dangerous marine heatwaves and predicting drinking water shortages in underserved communities.

Read the GWC press release »

Jun 11, 2020

Environmental Chemistry

Volcanic activity and changes in Earth’s mantle were key to rise of atmospheric oxygen

Oxygen first accumulated in the Earth’s atmosphere about 2.4 billion years ago, during the Great Oxidation Event. A long-standing puzzle has been that geologic clues suggest early bacteria were photosynthesizing and pumping out oxygen hundreds of millions of years before then. Where was it all going? Something was holding back oxygen’s rise. A new interpretation of rocks billions of years old finds volcanic gases are the likely culprits.

Zoom graduation the UW Environment way

How can we make a virtual graduation feel just as special, just as celebratory and honor achievement just as well as an in-person celebration on campus? Units within the College of the Environment are working hard to carefully plan ceremonies to honor the Class of 2020 in a memorable way that emulates the pomp and circumstance graduates enjoy when they walk across the big stage while being cheered on by family, friends and loved ones.

Video: COVID-19 and Science Communication with Liz Neeley and Ed Yong

The COVID-19 pandemic has touched every part of our global society, putting science and scientists in the front seat as we navigate this crisis. On June 4, College of the Environment Dean Lisa Graumlich spoke with special guests Liz Neeley, Executive Director of the Story Collider, and Ed Yong, staff writer covering science and the coronavirus for The Atlantic for a special edition of Amplify.