Nov 21, 2014

Empowering science communication in the College of the Environment

The College of the Environment’s Science Communication Program has been advancing on numerous fronts since spring quarter. Guided by our Strategic Directions and the findings of the Science Communication Task Force, the College has been building support and expanding opportunities for our faculty, staff, and student scientists to share the process and products of their research beyond academia. The College recently hosted a campus-wide and online conversation about the evolving ways that academic scientists can communicate their research on the Internet.

UW-made tool displays West Coast ocean acidification data

Increasing carbon dioxide in the air penetrates into the ocean and makes it more acidic, while robbing seawater of minerals that give shellfish their crunch. The West Coast is one of the first marine ecosystems to feel its effects. A new tool doesn’t alter that reality, but it does allow scientists to better understand what’s happening and provide data to help the shellfish industry adapt to these changes.

Incorporate more voices to loosen conservation gridlock, scientists urge

Dean Lisa Graumlich and associate dean Julia Parrish are among several signatories from the College of the Environment and UW calling to increase the diversity of voices in how we practice conservation. Joining over 200 others, the authors of a new comment in Nature discuss how increasing diversity at the conservation table can help move us globally to a more “shared vision of a thriving planet.”

Citizen science key to keeping pace with environmental change

COASST out and about on Pacific Northwest beaches.

Is it plastic, metal, a fragment, sharp? Does it have a loop in it that a marine animal might stick its head through? Is it small enough and in the color range that an albatross might mistake it for flying fish eggs and eat it? The latest University of Washington program powered by citizen scientists aims to characterize debris washed up on beaches in terms of potential harm to seabirds and other marine animals.

Private Funding Opportunities

Seeking private funding for your project or program? Below are recent corporate and foundation opportunities. If your project fits the criteria or you have other thoughts on how to engage corporate and foundation funders please contact Chris Thompson, Director for Corporate and Foundation Relations, at 206-221-6372 or csthomp@uw.edu or Lauren Honaker, Associate Director for Corporate and Foundation Relations at 206-685-4423 or lhonaker@uw.edu.