Jul 2, 2015

UW scientists engage the next generation of oceanographers through STEM partnership

A participating teacher works to build an underwater temperature sensor.

For nearly 40 Washington State teachers attending the Olympic STEM Pathways Partnership workshop at the University of Washington in late-June, it was like Christmas had come early. Each educator sifted through a toolkit full of techy gadgets—a breadboard, ribbon cables, wires, antennas, and a microprocessor. The teachers used their cache of materials to assemble a powerful, data-collecting underwater sensor; and over the next several years, they’ll develop an approach to bring their new expertise back into the classroom.

Jun 15, 2015

Genetic switch lets marine diatoms do less work at higher CO2

The diatom used in the study is found throughout the world’s oceans, and carries out a big part of the planet’s photosynthesis. It was the first marine diatom of its type to have its full genome sequenced.

Tiny drifting algae called diatoms generate about 20 percent of the oxygen produced on Earth each year—more than all of the world’s rainforests. A new study from the College of the Environment’s School of Oceanography and Seattle’s Institute for Systems Biology looked at how common species of diatoms will adjust to sudden and long-term increases in carbon dioxide. The scientists found that when CO2 spikes, as might happen during a sudden change in ocean currents, the diatoms produce a signaling molecule that reduces the energy-intensive process required to concentrate the carbon dioxide.

Dean's Letter: Diversity, Inclusion, Access

Interim President Ana Mari Cauce brought renewed focus to diversity, inclusion, and access at UW through her widely publicized address to the campus. In wake of her talk, many have asked me to define the College’s vision for diversity and I have a ready answer. I cite the need, especially in a college devoted to environmental sciences, to have “all hands on deck” – ensuring that access to our critically important research and education is never deterred by gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic background, or disability.

Jun 11, 2015

Meet Meryl Mims, Aquatic and Fishery Sciences graduate student

With two degrees under her belt and dissertation research to complete, Meryl Mims found herself in southeastern Arizona’s Sky Islands in the summer of 2013. In a landscape known for the juxtaposition of its sprawling features—where towering, forested mountains seep upward through the desert’s dry, cracked surface—a two-inch long frog captured Mims’ attention. “We were already out there and we were hearing the Arizona treefrogs.

Jun 10, 2015

College of the Environment

New Chair named for Earth and Space Sciences

Professor Bruce Nelson has been named Chair of the Department of Earth and Space Sciences, effective July 1, 2015 and subject to approval by the Board of Regents. Nelson, a geochemist who specializes in the tools of isotope geochemistry, is known for his expertise in a wide range of Earth science topics, including volcanology, sedimentary transport, tectonic history, and environmental contamination to name a few.