College of the Environment
April 24, 2020
Faculty/staff honors: Education research, Salish Sea Prize, Association for Psychological Science award
![The European green crab](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/04/23091223/GreencrabGJ-11-150x150.jpg)
Recent honors to UW faculty and staff have come from the American Education Research Association, the Association for Psychological Science and the SeaDoc Society.
April 23, 2020
ArtSci Roundup: Labor On-line: A Virtual Seminar Series, The Henry’s Re/Frame moves online, and more
![collage of art and portraits](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/04/24125207/arts4-24-150x150.jpg)
During this time of uncertainty and isolation, find solace in digital opportunities to connect, share, and engage. Each week, we will share upcoming events that bring the UW, and greater community, together online. Many of these online opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students have access to Zoom Pro via UW-IT. Film Screening:…
April 16, 2020
Dose of nature at home could help mental health, well-being during COVID-19
![](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/04/16102632/woman-touching-green-plants-3618546-150x150.jpg)
In light of stay-at-home orders, University of Washington researchers say studies show there is much to be gained from nature close to home, whether in a yard, on neighborhood walks or even indoors.
‘Hands-on’ classes online? How some instructors are adapting to a new teaching environment
![A postal service box with lab materials inside](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/04/17142008/ENGR105kits_web007-150x150.jpg)
When the UW announced it was moving its spring quarter 2020 classes entirely online to combat the novel coronavirus, instructors across campus faced a new, uncharted challenge.
April 8, 2020
ArtSci Roundup: Lecture with IVA Professor Whitney Lynn, In Plain Sight Screening, Childhood Bilingualism Talk, and more
![collage of various art works and portraits](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/04/10081948/arts-150x150.jpg)
During this time of uncertainty and isolation, find solace in digital opportunities to connect, share, and engage. Each week, we will share upcoming events that bring the UW, and greater community, together online. Many of these online opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students have access to Zoom Pro via UW-IT. Earth Day…
April 1, 2020
Study synthesizes what climate change means for Northwest wildfires
![bare trunks](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/04/01151427/fig3_cropped_lg-150x150.jpg)
A University of Washington study, published this winter in Fire Ecology, takes a big-picture look at what climate change could mean for wildfires in the Northwest, considering Washington, Oregon, Idaho and western Montana.
UW-created podcasts: ‘Crossing North’ by Scandinavian Studies — also College of Education, Information School’s Joe Janes, a discussion of soil health
![Logo for podcast "Crossng North," by UW Dept of Scandinavian Studies](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/04/01095806/CrossingNorth_logo-150x150.png)
UW Notebook visits with the producer of “Crossing North,” a podcast by the Scandinavian Studies Department, and notes other podcasts on campus and an appearance by David Montgomery on the podcast “Undark.”
March 30, 2020
Faculty/staff honors: Outstanding educator in landscape architecture, Royal Society of Edinburgh corresponding fellowship — and the Green Rat Clingfish takes a bow
![A Green Rat Clingfish, Barryichthys algicola, from St. Helens, Tasmania.](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/03/26121506/GreenRatClingfish_2views-150x150.jpg)
Recent honors to University of Washington faculty and staff have come from the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture, the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the World Register of Marine Species.
March 24, 2020
Ships’ emissions create measurable regional change in clouds
![aerial image of ships' tracks](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/03/23224007/atlantic_amo_2018016_med-150x150.jpg)
Years of cloud data over a shipping route between Europe and South Africa shows that pollution from ships has significantly increased the reflectivity of the clouds. More generally, the results suggest that industrial pollution’s effect on clouds has masked about a third of the warming due to fossil fuel burning since the late 1800s.
March 23, 2020
Anatomy of a frogfish: New book explores world of fishes with arms and legs
![Cover of book. "Frogfishes: Biodiversity, Zoogeography, and Behavioral Ecology" was published in March by Johns Hopkins University Press.](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/03/23111740/USE_frogfish_bookcover-150x150.jpg)
Any old fish can swim. But what fish can walk, scoot, clamber over rocks, change color and even fight to the death? That would be the frogfish. A talk with Ted Pietsch, UW professor of emeritus of aquatic and fishery sciences, about his latest book, “Frogfishes: Biodiversity, Zoogeography, and Behavioral Ecology”
March 19, 2020
‘Sushi parasites’ have increased 283-fold in past 40 years
![anisakis in salmon filet](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/03/19081748/Anisakis-worm-in-salmon-150x150.jpg)
A new study led by the University of Washington finds dramatic increases in the abundance of a worm that can be transmitted to humans who eat raw or undercooked seafood. Its 283-fold increase in abundance since the 1970s could have implications for the health of humans and marine mammals, which both can inadvertently eat the worm.
March 18, 2020
‘Fatal attraction’: Small carnivores drawn to kill sites, then ambushed by larger kin
![cougar on wildlife camera](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/03/18073514/Cougar-kill-site-150x150.jpg)
University of Washington researchers have discovered that large predators play a key yet unexpected role in keeping smaller predators and deer in check. Their “fatal attraction” theory finds that smaller predators are drawn to the kill sites of large predators by the promise of leftover scraps, but the scavengers may be killed themselves if their larger kin return for seconds.
March 12, 2020
Ocean acidification impacts oysters’ memory of environmental stress
![shucked oysters](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/03/12100753/Copy-of-24551886258_ea89abc3ee_k-150x150.jpg)
Researchers from the University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences have discovered that ocean acidification impacts the ability of some oysters to pass down “memories” of environmental trauma to their offspring.
March 10, 2020
‘Age of A.I.’ documentary on YouTube features UW experts
![three people stare at graph on screen](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/03/10160313/PNSN-lab-150x150.jpg)
A documentary series produced and released this winter by YouTube features UW computer scientist Pedro Domingos and members of the UW-based Pacific Northwest Seismic Network.
March 5, 2020
Visitors should avoid coming to UW campus to see cherry blossoms amid COVID-19 outbreak
![blossoms up close](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/03/18105820/89731612_10157145450926274_5524600751919202304_o-150x150.jpg)
The University is asking people to avoid coming to campus this year to comply with Gov. Inslee’s March 11 proclamation that prohibits large gatherings of more than 250 people as our region combats the spread of COVID-19.
March 2, 2020
New honors for scientists studying ‘ecosystem sentinels’
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P. Dee Boersma, a UW professor of biology and director of the Center for Ecosystem Sentinels, is a finalist for the 2020 Indianapolis Prize for conservation, to be awarded later this year by the Indianapolis Zoological Society. Sue Moore, a scientist with the center and a UW affiliate professor of biology and of aquatic and fishery sciences, has won the 2020 IASC Medal, also known as the Arctic Medal, from the International Arctic Science Committee.
February 27, 2020
Thinning, prescribed burns protected forests during the massive Carlton Complex wildfire
![treated forest](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/02/27084903/Treated-forest-150x150.jpg)
In the first major study following the devastating Carlton Complex fire in north central Washington, researchers from the University of Washington and U.S. Forest Service found that previous tree thinning and prescribed burns helped forests survive the fire.
February 26, 2020
Wildness in urban parks important for human well-being
![beach in seattle](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/02/26070718/Discovery-Park-walking-along-water-1-150x150.jpg)
A new University of Washington study has found that not all forms of nature are created equal when considering benefits to people’s well-being. Experiencing wildness, specifically, is particularly important for physical and mental health.
February 13, 2020
Researchers at AAAS to discuss latest science on Cascadia earthquake hazards
![earthquake damage to brick building](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/02/13141855/5d98ba6b6e7b48be79050301_FEMA_-_1430_-_Photograph_by_Kevin_Galvin_taken_on_03-05-2001_in_Washington-1024x686-150x150.jpeg)
At a Saturday afternoon session, researchers from the University of Washington and federal agencies will discuss the emerging research on Pacific Northwest megaquakes.
February 12, 2020
Four UW scientists awarded Sloan Fellowships for early-career research
![headshots](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/02/12114815/sloan-collage-150x150.jpg)
Four faculty members at the University of Washington have been awarded early-career fellowships from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The new Sloan Fellows, announced Feb. 12, are Kyle Armour and Jacqueline Padilla-Gamiño, both assistant professors in the College of the Environment; and Hanna Hajishirzi and Yin Tat Lee, both assistant professors in the College of Engineering.
Polar bears in Baffin Bay skinnier, having fewer cubs due to less sea ice
![polar bear walking](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2017/02/04143223/Laidre-04-150x150.jpg)
Satellite tracking of adult females and visual monitoring of polar bears in Baffin Bay show changes from the 1990s to the period from 2009 to 2015. Bears in Baffin Bay are getting thinner and adult females are having fewer cubs than when sea ice was more available.
February 10, 2020
Faculty/staff honors: Awards in architecture education, biomaterials research; nursing, cloud computing fellowships; and drama leader named among most Seattle’s most influential
![statue of George Washington on UW campus](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2012/10/04204128/george2-tile-150x150.jpg)
Recent honors to UW faculty and staff members include awards for architectural education and biomaterials research, fellowships in nursing and cloud computing, a professor named among Seattle’s most influential people and a big news year for “a burgeoning band of embodied carbon busters.”
January 30, 2020
Video: UW’s new broadcast meteorology course is first on West Coast
![two people in front of green screen](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/01/30102008/Weather-news-194-150x150.jpg)
The University of Washington has long boasted one of the country’s top programs in atmospheric sciences. Now, the UW is also teaching undergraduates how to share that knowledge online and on TV as a broadcast meteorologist.
January 28, 2020
Rethinking land conservation to protect species that will need to move with climate change
![high alpine landscape in washington state](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/01/28065559/Glacier-Peak-Wilderness-150x150.jpg)
Researchers from the UW and Evergreen found that many species of animals and plants likely will need to migrate under climate change, and that conservation efforts will also need to shift to be effective.
January 24, 2020
Tiny, ancient meteorites suggest early Earth’s atmosphere was rich in carbon dioxide
![shiny black balls on red background](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/01/24140704/deep-sea-spherules-150x150.png)
Tiny meteorites that fell to Earth 2.7 billion years ago suggest that the atmosphere at that time was high in carbon dioxide, which agrees with current understanding of how our planet’s atmospheric gases changed over time.
January 15, 2020
‘The blob,’ food supply squeeze to blame for largest seabird die-off
![dead common murre](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/01/15091532/Common-murres-31-150x150.jpg)
When nearly one million common murres died at sea and washed ashore from California to Alaska in 2015 and 2016, it was unprecedented. Scientists from the University of Washington, the U.S. Geological Survey and others blame an unexpected squeeze on the ecosystem’s food supply, brought on by a severe and long-lasting marine heat wave known as “the blob.”
January 13, 2020
Fisheries management is actually working, global analysis shows
![a fishing vessel in california](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/01/13101915/7799723632_5e1fc02cf3_o-150x150.jpg)
Nearly half of the fish caught worldwide are from stocks that are scientifically monitored and, on average, are increasing in abundance. Effective management appears to be the main reason these stocks are at sustainable levels or successfully rebuilding, according to a new study led by the University of Washington.
January 9, 2020
By the numbers: UW in the media in 2019
![collage of portraits](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/01/09145417/still-forUW-Today-150x150.jpg)
In 2019, the University of Washington was mentioned in 4,143 news articles around the world. Among those, UW experts were quoted 2,290 times: 1,185 in national or international outlets and 1,105 in regional and local outlets.
December 30, 2019
Life could have emerged from lakes with high phosphorus
![A lake in Africa with flamingoes and zebras along its shore.](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2019/12/24125638/LakeMagadi2_StigNygaard_Flickr-150x150.jpg)
Life as we know it requires phosphorus, which is scarce. So, how did a lifeless environment on the early Earth supply this key ingredient? A new UW study, published Dec. 30 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, finds an answer to this problem in certain types of carbonate-rich lakes.
December 16, 2019
Resident orcas’ appetite likely reason for decline of big Chinook salmon
![orca chasing chinook salmon](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2019/12/16120849/Orca-and-Chinook-150x150.jpg)
Large, old Chinook salmon have mostly disappeared from the West Coast. A new University of Washington and NOAA study points to the recent rise of resident killer whales, and their insatiable appetite for large Chinook salmon, as the main driver behind the decline of the big fish.
December 12, 2019
Video: Barrels of ancient Antarctic air aim to track history of rare gas
![snow and tents](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2019/12/11222248/lawdome_drone_nowatermark_443-150x150.jpg)
An Antarctic field campaign last winter led by the U.S. and Australia has successfully extracted some of the largest samples of air dating from the 1870s until today. Researchers will use the samples to look for changes in the molecules that scrub the atmosphere of methane and other gases.
December 10, 2019
UW scientist to lead NASA field study of East Coast snowstorms
![professor in office](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2019/12/09193914/Lynn-McMurdie_office_FINAL-150x150.jpg)
To better understand large, disruptive snowstorms, a University of Washington atmospheric scientist will lead a NASA field campaign this winter to fly through major snowstorms along the East Coast. The multi-institutional team will observe snow as it forms in clouds to help with satellite monitoring of snowfall and ultimately improve forecasts.
December 6, 2019
Astronomy fellowship demonstrates effective measures to dismantle bias, increase diversity in STEM
![a person smiling and looking at the camera](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2019/11/27100010/EJ_zF99U0AACI8C-150x150.jpg)
Joyce Yen — director of the University of Washington’s ADVANCE Center for Institutional Change, an NSF-funded body to promote female STEM faculty on campus — recently worked with the Heising-Simons Foundation to dismantle bias and promote diversity in a prominent grant that the Foundation awards to postdoctoral researchers in planetary science. In this Q&A, Yen shares the many, sometimes counterintuitive ways bias can work against goals toward greater diversity, equity and inclusion in STEM fields.
December 4, 2019
Outlook for the polar regions in a 2 degrees warmer world
![four male bears eating a whale](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2018/10/08172254/LaidreFEE_Credit-Daniel-J-150x150.jpg)
With 2019 on pace as one of the warmest years on record, a new international study reveals how rapidly the Arctic is warming and examines global consequences of continued polar warming.
Better wildfire and smoke predictions with new vegetation database
![ponderosa pine forest](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2019/12/04071000/Ponderosa-pine-forest-150x150.jpg)
Researchers from the University of Washington and Michigan Technological University have created the first comprehensive database of all the wildfire fuels that have been measured across North America. Ultimately, it can help scientists make more informed decisions about fire and smoke situations.
December 3, 2019
For some corals, meals can come with a side of microplastics
![microplastics seen in a water tank](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2019/12/03100400/Microplastics-3-web-150x150.jpg)
A new experiment by the University of Washington has found that some corals are more likely to eat microplastics when they are consuming other food, yet microplastics alone are undesirable.
November 26, 2019
Six UW faculty members named AAAS fellows
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The American Association for the Advancement of Science has named six faculty members from the University of Washington as AAAS Fellows, according to a Nov. 26 announcement. They are part of a cohort of 443 new fellows for 2019, all chosen by their peers for “scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.”
November 4, 2019
Swordfish as oceanographers? Satellite tags allow research of ocean’s ‘twilight zone’ off Florida
![closeup of swordfish](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2019/11/04103006/IMG_6687-150x150.jpg)
UW marine scientists are using high-tech tags to record the movements of swordfish — big, deep-water, migratory, open-ocean fish that are poorly studied — and get a window into the ocean depths they inhabit.
October 31, 2019
Washington’s first student-built satellite preparing for launch
![tall silver rectangle inside glass box that reads "flight hardware"](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2019/10/31135208/20190617_UW-Satellite-Lab-7-150x150.jpg)
After years of preparation, a tiny satellite built by UW students is scheduled to launch early Saturday, Nov. 2, from a NASA flight facility in Virginia. The launch will be broadcast live on NASA TV.
October 28, 2019
Precision mapping with satellite, drone photos could help predict infections of a widespread tropical disease
![overview of river in senegal](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2019/10/28121739/Aerial-001-small-150x150.jpg)
A team led by the University of Washington and Stanford University has discovered clues in the environment that help identify transmission hotspots for schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease that is second only to malaria in its global health impact.
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