Research, education hub on ‘coastal resiliency’ will focus on earthquakes, coastal erosion and climate change

A circular tsunami evacuation sign in front of a grassy coastline

The National Science Foundation has funded a multi-institutional team led by Oregon State University and the University of Washington to work on increasing resiliency among Pacific Northwest coastal communities. The new Cascadia Coastlines and Peoples Hazards Research Hub will serve coastal communities in Northern California, Oregon and Washington. The hub’s multidisciplinary approach will span geoscience, social science, public policy and community partnerships. 

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In Memoriam: John A. Wott

John Wott holding a microphone and making a speech

We are saddened to share the news that John A. Wott, retired professor emeritus, Urban Horticulture at the University of Washington and former Washington Park Arboretum director, passed away on August 28, 2021, at the age of 82. Wott, who earned his bachelor’s in agricultural education from Ohio State University in 1961, and then his master’s (1966) and Ph.D. (1968) in ornamental horticulture from Cornell University, established himself as an expert in the horticultural community first at Purdue University and then at the University of Washington. 

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Volcanic eruptions may have spurred first ‘whiffs’ of oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere

Roger Buick in 2004 at the Mount McRae Shale in Western Australia

A new analysis of 2.5-billion-year-old rocks from Australia finds that volcanic eruptions may have stimulated population surges of marine microorganisms, creating the first puffs of oxygen into the atmosphere. This would change existing stories of Earth’s early atmosphere, which assumed that most changes in the early atmosphere were controlled by geologic or chemical processes. Though focused on Earth’s early history, the research also has implications for extraterrestrial life and even climate change. 

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UW Environment announces 2021-2022 dean’s office scholarship recipients

Dubs up, UW Class of 2016!

The College of the Environment is pleased to announce the following undergraduate and graduate scholarships awarded for 2021-22. Del Rio Endowed Environmental Studies Scholarship The Del Rio Family Foundation established the Del Rio Endowed Scholarship Fund for Environmental Studies to encourage and support students with an interest in the environment who are participating in the Educational Opportunity Program. The Program promotes academic success and graduation for under-represented ethnic minority, economically disadvantaged and first-generation college students at the University of Washington. 

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