Mark Richards named as incoming UW Provost and professor of Earth and Space Sciences

A photo of professor Mark Richards, a middle-aged white man with blue eyes and sandy hair who wears glasses.

The University of Washington has named Mark Richards as incoming provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. An accomplished geophysicist, Mark will hold a faculty appointment as a professor in the Department of Earth and Space Sciences, pending a vote by the UW Board of Regents. College of the Environment Dean and Mary Laird Wood Professor Lisa J. Graumlich says, “Earth scientists are trained to look for the big picture, plan for the long-term, judiciously employ data to support inference, and be nimble when intricate field research plans encounter the real world.

A week in the wild at Yellowstone National Park

A photo of a University of Washington undergrad stands on a tall boulder. She watches other students hike through patchy snow in Yellowstone National Park.

Students and professors from the College of the Environment make a classroom out of one of the world’s most closely monitored ecosystems: Yellowstone National Park.

Changing the faces and future of conservation

The Doris Duke Conservation Scholars program at the UW was started in 2014 when it became clear that the environmental movement had made no strides in decades to address its lack of racial and gender diversity, a problem commonly known as the Green Ceiling. Simply put, no more than 12 percent of all employees in non-governmental organizations and foundations that work with natural resources could be described as ethnic minority or multiracial.

UW's Center for Creative Conservation asks how nature and health connect

Can exposure and access to nature give a boost to human health? That question was front and center at the recent Northwest Nature and Health Symposium hosted by EarthLab‘s Center for Creative Conservation. On tap for the day were leaders in education, planning and conservation — including former secretary of the interior Sally Jewell — all exploring the health benefits that come with being outside.

New faculty and recent faculty promotions at UW Environment (2017-2018)

New faculty at UW Environment Sixteen outstanding new faculty members with a wide range of experiences and expertise have recently started or will soon start at UW’s College of the Environment. The College community — its undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff — will benefit immensely from their contributions during the 2017-2018 academic year and beyond. The College’s impressive group of scientists and researchers now includes: Andrew Berdahl, assistant professor, Aquatic and Fishery Sciences Edward Blanchard, research assistant professor, Atmospheric Sciences Greg Bratman, assistant professor, Environmental and Forest Sciences Randelle (Randie) Bundy, assistant professor, Oceanography Shuyi Chen, professor, Atmospheric Sciences Sarah Converse, associate professor, Environmental and Forest Sciences and Aquatic and Fishery Sciences T.J.