Feb 27, 2015

UW scientists urge conservation managers to act quickly, make decisions despite the unknowns

Is it possible to fully grasp a changing, natural system? Two scientists from UW’s Aquatic and Fishery Sciences say it is not, and that important policy moves should not hinge on knowing every fact. Instead, Daniel Schindler and Ray Hilborn suggest conservation managers learn to make decisions and develop robust policies that will remain effective even in an uncertain future. The scientists assert that managing ecosystems and natural resources where uncertainty is present often requires that tough, but necessary decisions be made without every detail.

Environmental and Forest Sciences launches Climate Change Video Contest: submit by April 13!

The College of the Environment’s School of Environmental and Forest Sciences recently launched its Climate Change Video Contest, asking Washington State high school and undergraduate students to create and submit videos about what climate change means to them by April 13. In three minutes or less, contest entrants will use all styles imaginable – Claymation, stand-up comedy, music video, short-form documentary, and more – to convey their ideas.

Dean's Letter: Boundless? You bet.

Those of us on UW campus have noticed the Be Boundless tagline emerge all over the grounds during recent months. It’s everywhere – purple wristbands and huge bus banners. Taglines like this don’t simply emerge from a quick engagement with a marketing firm. For the past year, UW did research, taking a good, hard look at what people value about their experiences here.

UW Environmental Career Fair: February 25, 2015

Some of the region’s most notable organizations working in environmental and natural resource capacities – including Forterra, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Corps, and the Washington State Department of Ecology – will be on-hand at the UW Environmental Career Fair on February 25. The event gives students a unique opportunity to connect with a tailored group of potential future employers and explore career options across nonprofit, government, and private sectors.

World's oldest rocks show signs of life on Earth 3.2 billion years ago

3.2 billion year old sedimentary rock samples from Australia contain chemical evidence for nitrogen fixation by microbes.

Recent findings from Earth and Space Sciences‘ Roger Buick, Eva Stüeken, and Matt Koehler, with Bradley Guy from the University of Johannesburg, suggest that life on Earth may have flourished more than a billion years earlier than previously thought. Nitrogen is a building block of amino and nucleic acids, both essential for life on Earth. By studying some of the planet’s oldest rocks, which contain preserved chemical clues and are free of chemical irregularities, the team concluded that life was pulling nitrogen out of the air and converting it into a form that could support larger communities 3.2 billion years ago.