Sierra Club ranks UW one of the greenest universities in the U.S.

The University of Washington was recently named one of the country’s greenest universities by the Sierra Club. Sierra magazine, the group’s official publication, put UW at No. 8 in its 2015 “Cool Schools” rankings—marking the sixth time in nine years UW has been included in the top 10. The publication ranked more than 150 schools based on an extensive survey covering campus sustainability practices, including the availability of organic, local foods, waste systems that divert trash from landfills, transportation options that keep students and staff out of cars, and more.

Atmospheric Sciences’ Cecilia Bitz to be inducted into WA State Academy of Sciences

In recognition of her outstanding record of scientific achievement, Cecilia M. Bitz from the College’s Department of Atmospheric Sciences will be inducted into the Washington State Academy of Sciences this fall. A physicist who studies the role that Arctic sea ice plays in shaping the climate, Bitz is interested in both our planet’s climate history and its future. Bitz and 11 other inductees from across the University of Washington will be honored for their “willingness to work on behalf of the academy” to bring top-quality scientific methods to research issues pertaining to the state of Washington.

College of the Environment researchers elected as AGU fellows

Greenland ice canyon filled with melt water in summer 2010 (photo: Ian Joughin, UW APL Polar Science Center)

Two University of Washington scientists from the College of the Environment have been elected as follows of the American Geophysical Union. The Earth sciences group recognizes one in 1,000 members each year for their scientific work and sustained impact. The College’s honorees—Department of Atmospheric Sciences’ Christopher Bretherton and Department of Earth & Space Sciences’ Ian Joughin—are among 60 new fellows. Bretherton studies how clouds form and change over time and how to better represent this in climate and weather-forecasting models.

JISAO scientists play critical role in ocean health XPRIZE

Deploying the CTD off hte coast of Hawaii.

Sunburst Sensors, based out of Missoula, MT, grabbed the two top spots in the Wendy Schmidt Ocean Health XPRIZE, receiving a $1.5 million award for advancing scientist’s ability to measure ocean chemistry as it relates to ocean acidification. Designed as a competition to spur innovation, teams from around the globe competed to develop the most promising technologies in two categories: a device that is easy to use and cost effective and a device that is highly accurate when tracking ocean acidification.

Local team mentored by College of the Environment staff wins ROV competition

At this year’s Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) International Competition in St. John, Newfoundland, three high schoolers from Seattle nabbed the top prize for their ocean-ready remote-controlled submersible, beating teams from Russia, China, and Canada to name a few. Mentored by UW oceanographers, the group—named AMNO & CO—competed against 33 teams from six countries, proving that even the smallest team in their division could come out on top.