Joel Thornton named new Chair of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences

The UW College of the Environment is pleased to announce that Professor Joel Thornton has agreed to serve for a five-year term as director of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences, effective July 1, 2022. Thornton is an atmospheric scientist who studies the impacts of human activities on air quality and climate through changes to the atmosphere’s composition and chemistry. His focus is on the processes which regulate the formation and removal of short-lived greenhouse gasses such as methane and ozone, and the formation and growth of airborne particulate matter.

From the Amplify archives: revisiting recent SciComm conversations

Science touches nearly every aspect of our lives. Over the past several years, we have invited esteemed guests — both inside and outside of academia — to share a wide variety of perspectives on where science meets society, and the role communication plays. Through these discussions, we have explored new pathways for scientists to think about their own work, and considered ways to strengthen our collective impact.

Two UW Environment faculty named fellows of Ecological Society of America

headshots of Julian Olden and Brian Harvey

Two University of Washington professors have been honored by the Ecological Society of America for their knowledge and contributions to the field of ecology. Julian Olden, a professor in the UW School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, has been named a 2022 fellow of the Ecological Society of America. Fellows are elected for life, and the honor recognizes scientists who advance or apply ecological knowledge in academics, government, nonprofits and the broader society.

Ice shards in Antarctic clouds let more solar energy reach Earth’s surface

Clouds come in myriad shapes, sizes and types, which control their effects on climate. New research led by the University of Washington shows that splintering of frozen liquid droplets to form ice shards inside Southern Ocean clouds dramatically affects the clouds’ ability to reflect sunlight back to space. The paper, published March 4 in the open-access journal AGU Advances, shows that including this ice-splintering process improves the ability of high-resolution global models to simulate clouds over the Southern Ocean – and thus the models’ ability to simulate Earth’s climate.

College of the Environment DEI Task Force Discussion

On April 8, 2022, the College of the Environment hosted a community discussion about diversity, equity, and inclusion, grounded in the College’s recent DEI Taskforce Report. Dean Maya Tolstoy was joined by DEI Taskforce co-chairs LuAnne Thompson and Russell Callender, as well as UW Vice President of Minority Affairs & Diversity and Chief Diversity Officer Rickey Hall.