Written by

Interested in joining or learning more about Peace Corps? Go to the “Peace Corps Through the Decades” panel that will be taking place this Wednesday, March 6th 6:00pm-7:30pm in Thomson 125.

The panel will consist of returned volunteers who have served in the 1960’s to volunteers who recently arrived back home. The volunteers on the panel have served in Africa, South America, and in the South Pacific and been involved in projects focused on health education, environmental awareness, and community economic development. It will be an interesting opportunity to learn more about the history of Peace Corps, how things have changed, and how things have remained the same.

Written by

COSEE OLC is co-sponsoring a series of talks. The series kicks off this Thursday, March 7th, with Elliott Norse, founder and lead scientist of the Marine Conservation Institute; followed by Ginger Armbrust on April 11th and Ken Balcomb on May 2nd. Complimentary tickets are available for students by contacting Susan Bullerdick at coseeolc@uw.edu or tickets can be purchased at http://www.seattleaquarium.org/sound-conversations.

Written by

Part-time job as a ‘Garden Hotline Educator’ for Seattle Tilth. Must have ‘extensive knowledge’ of Pacific NW gardening techniques and 2-4 years experience working with the public. Click the image for the detailed post.

Written by

Written by

Come help out a Capstone student!

Laura Lee is conducting a trash audit following the last husky men’s basketball game on March 9th as part of her Capstone. She needs about 30 volunteers to help with the project. She will provide some refreshments and gear/supplies (although students may want to wear comfortable clothes they don’t mind possibly getting messy). Admission to the game is not included so volunteers will have to gather at the arena entrance at 2:30PM.

Written by

This week’s Nature, an International Journal of Science, chose to highlight UW CoENV’s leadership in sustainability education! Above is the section that features the College of the Environment. To view the published article, go here.

 

Written by

Undergraduate Diversity at Evolution 2013

The National Evolutionary Synthesis Center presents the undergraduate travel award to bring talented and diverse undergraduates to the Evolution meetings this June 21-25 in Snowbird, Utah.  For the 11th year in a row they will fly a cohort of undergraduates from throughout the US and Puerto Rico to present a poster at the meetings, receive mentoring from graduate students, postdocs and faculty, and participate in a career-oriented ‘Undergraduate Futures in Evolutionary Biology’ panel and discussion.  The program covers the costs of travel, registration, food and accommodation at the meetings. 

The application deadline is Friday, April 5th, and decisions will be announced by Friday, April 12th.  Applications are welcomed from all undergraduates, and the admissions goal is to create a diverse pool of students.  

An overview of the program and student eligibility, and a link to the online application can be found at:  

Applications consist of a short statement of interest, a letter of recommendation and the title and abstract of the poster to be presented.

In addition, the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center will be soliciting names of graduate students, postdocs and faculty members who would like to serve as mentors during the meetings.  Mentors meet with pairs of students and attend talks with them, introduce them to colleagues, network and generally make the meetings a welcoming place for them.  Although costs are not covered for mentors it is an unusually rewarding experience. Contact Richard Kliman (rmkliman@cedarcrest.edu) if you are interested in serving as a mentor.

For inquires contact one of the organizers:

 Scott Edwards – sedwards@oeb.harvard.edu

 Richard Kliman – rmkliman@cedarcrest.edu

 Jory Weintraub – jory@nescent.org

Written by

Come join John Palka at a reading and signing event for the book he has been working on since his retirement from the Department of Zoology and the Program of the Environment at UW in 2002.

When: Thursday, April 4th at 7:00 pm

Where: University Bookstore on the Ave. Upstairs (follow the signs)

What: My Slovakia, My Family: One Family’s Role in the Birth of a Nation

Preview: Part World War II and immigrant story, My Slovakia, My Family covers a span of three hundred years and presents the lives of great national leaders, industrialists, poets, Lutheran ministers, traders, and craftsmen – a true multi-generational saga that came out first in Slovakia (December 2010) and now here in America (November 2012). 

To see more, look at John Palka’s website

Written by

1:00pm:  Terence Leach
“Uncovering the Evolutionary Relationships of Pseudo-nitzschia”
Terence Leach is currently a freshman attending the University of Washington- Seattle.  His intended major is Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology with a minor in Marine Biology. Terence started working in the Rocap Lab over the summer while taking part in the UW GenOM ALVA program for incoming minority freshmen who are interested in science research, especially research in genetics and genomics.  For the past two quarters Terence has continued conducting undergraduate research in the Rocap Lab. Terence’s long term interests include
going to graduate school to further his studies in marine biology and to eventually become a marine biologist.

1:30pm:  Jessica Youngblood, BS
“Phylogenetic and Functional Metagenomic Profiling of Microbial Communities in the Puget Sound”
Jessica Youngblood is a second year Toxicology Masters student working with Dr. Elaine M. Faustman, director of the Pacific Northwest Center for Human Health and Ocean Studies. Jessica graduated from Michigan State University with a BS in Zoology and a concentration in Marine Biology. She has worked with Virginia Beach Marine Mammal Stranding team and the Navy Marine Mammal Program as an animal trainer, diver and veterinary technician for dolphins and sea lions.

2:00pm:  Marissa Smith, MS
“A Framework for Using Functional Environmental Metagenomic Data in Public Health Applications”
Marissa Smith obtained her undergraduate degree in Aquatic and Fishery Sciences in 2009 and her Masters degree in Toxicology in 2012 under the mentorship of Dr. Elaine M. Faustman. While a Masters student Marissa worked with the Pacific Northwest Center for Human Health and Ocean Studies as a trainee  as part of the NOAA-funded Pacific Northwest Consortium for Pre- and Post-doctoral Traineeships in Oceans and Human Health (PNW Consortium.)  The work that she is presenting in this seminar was largely completed during her NOAA traineeship.

 

[course]: Citizen Ecology

Written by

Tired of large classes? Looking for a unique class only offered this spring? The following course can count for the natural science, policy and decision-making, or fieldwork requirements of the Environmental Studies major or minor. Open to all sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Science communication and community outreach are incredibly relevant to PoE and environmental studies in general!

ENVIR 495D, Citizen Ecology
MW 10:30-11:20, W 1:00-2:50
Open to all majors, SLN 13758
  • Should ecologists recruit the public to help collect important data to better understand global change—data that is otherwise difficult to get? 
  • Or is data collected by the public fundamentally flawed?
  • How can scientists and non-scientists communicate effectively about ecological ideas? 
  • Does citizen science change participants’ understanding of ecology and science, or their civic decision-making? Should it?
Citizen science (CS)—or “crowdsourced science”– is an important emerging phenomenon in ecological research. CS is characterized by collaboration between academic scientists and interested participants from the public, who volunteer to collect and share data.  This course explores the potential uses and shortcomings of CS research in ecology through labs and readings.  We also address science communication and social implications of CS.