Snorkeling crystal clear waters over nurseries of young sharks, starlit kayaking to gather ocean water, collecting and growing coral…not your typical day job. So how did College of the Environment graduate Lauren Brandkamp, who grew up among the wheat fields and horses of eastern Washington, find herself working as a scientist-in-residence on a tiny island in the South Pacific?
“I ask myself that question too,” said Brandkamp.
As Dean I am often asked to explain the importance of the College of the Environment in simple, accessible language to the public—the proverbial “elevator speech.” In my first year as Dean I often described the size and scope of the College. And, in truth, it’s impressive: the biggest college of the environment in the United States, with $115 million in externally-funded research taking place on all seven continents and in each of the world’s oceans.
In a country that boasts an awe-inspiring system of national parks, the Pacific Northwest may be especially lucky. But even remote parks and forests can’t escape the problem of human-induced climate change. Future shifts could affect everything from how people access the parks to what activities are possible once they arrive—not to mention the plants and animals that call those places home.
Interdisciplinary collaboration is never far from my mind, but I am particularly focused on it this month. In the next four weeks, I will participate in four different strategic planning retreats that run the gamut from the College’s Executive Committee to the Woodland Park Zoo’s Advisory Board. I know many of you are similarly engaged in planning, whether it is the upcoming quarter, new research projects, or broader initiatives. The best planning exercises are those where we pool our diverse expertise and perspectives to tackle really big issues. And the most creative yet durable strategies are those that arise from the cross-pollination of different expertise and points of view.
Private gifts and grants have an enormous impact on the lives of our students, faculty and programs. We thank every one of our supporters, be they individuals, corporations, private foundations, organizations or community partners. You help ensure that the College of the Environment and all of its exceptional schools, departments, centers, programs and people, remain and grow as national and global leaders in education, research and outreach across a broad array of environmental fields.
What might Program on the Environment student Angela Feng and the internationally known Seattle hip-hop star Macklemore have in common? Besides their love for good music, they both share a commitment to and passion for the environment. They are teaming up with others to raise awareness on the importance of respecting nature, and are working on a campaign for environmental protection in a south Seattle neighborhood.
Climate change is complex, no doubt about it. Much of that complexity lies in the interconnectedness of our world, where scientists are continually striving to increase our understanding of how natural systems function and may be affected with the ripple effects associated with a changing climate. Sharpening our understanding helps us better predict what the future holds. In a recent paper published in Science, College of the Environment’s Oceanography associate professor Curtis Deutsch talks about a new link in the climate change story, and how it may play out in terms of the oxygen depleted zones of our oceans.
A changing climate is sure to alter the world and our region as we know it. Some of those changes are known, some of them unknown. On the heels of the recent National Climate Assessment, Seattle Weekly’s Kelton Sears visited the Climate Impact Group here at the College of the Environment and spoke with Lara Whitely Binder, CIG’s outreach specialist, to find out what’s in store for Seattle’s future.
When thinking of rich green landscapes—ones where an abundance of rain keeps everything growing and vibrant, supporting water-loving wildlife like crocodiles and hippopotamus—the Sahara is hardly the place that comes to mind. Yet 6000 years ago, this would have appropriately described what has become the dry, thirsty landscape of the Sahara we know today.
The desert’s previous state of relative lushness has long been known by scientists and others.
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.
This week we find ourselves in the middle of that annual rite of passage, graduation. Our class of 2014 should be proud of their accomplishments, and feel genuine excitement to use their education as a cornerstone for a successful and productive career.
At the College of the Environment, we recognize that the keys to a successful career look substantially different than they did a generation ago.
A partnership between the University of Washington and Alaska Department of Fish and Game has yielded a major breakthrough in DNA ‘fin-printing’ this week, improving the ability to conserve diminishing stocks of Chinook salmon. Implementing the new technique will allow scientists and managers to track specific stocks ensuring that no specific stock is overharvested. The results have been published in the journals Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences and Evolutionary Applications.
Join us on April 1 for Climate Action Goes To Washington (State): Energy Solutions in the Pacific Northwest. The event will feature Washington Governor Jay Inslee, College of the Environment Dean Lisa Graumlich, and other distinguished leaders for a discussion on the future of clean industry.
The recent agreement between Washington state, British Columbia, Oregon and California to harmonize their climate and energy policies has the potential both to accelerate greenhouse gas reductions and to catalyze a strong, clean, and resilient economy.
The successful Future of Ice Speaker Series came to a close on March 11 with a visit from Sheila Watt-Cloutier, a Canadian Inuit leader who spoke about how our planet’s changing climate is deeply affecting the Inuit culture and way of life. Watt-Cloutier routinely travels the globe, drawing attention to the issue of climate change using a human lens to talk about impacts.
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.