Environmental Institute
The Environmental Institute will be a place where scientists and environmental decision makers from diverse disciplines, government, the business sector, and private foundations come together to tackle the most challenging issues of environmental sustainability. Public and private agencies and businesses will actively engage with faculty, students, and staff in translating science-based information into practical solutions and policy. Innovative collaborations will extend from research design through to the development of solutions, applications and policy. This cross-fertilization of ideas and expertise will foster new ways of thinking, and partnerships within and outside the UW.
The Institute will be uniquely positioned to take advantage of the great strengths at the UW in the environmental sciences, social sciences and policy, engineering, built environments, law, business, and health sciences. Its broad environmental mission, collaborative structure, and extensive links with local, regional, and national partners in business, government, and NGOs will position the Institute as the foremost institute of its kind.
Specific topics will be chosen strategically for intense study, analysis and action. The number of topics, the term of each topic, the leadership and participants will be determined through a competitive application process led by the Dean of the College of the Environment and a Dean’s Advisory and Evaluation Committee.
Building the portfolio of the Institute
As a first step in developing the concept of the Institute, the College held a small grants competition in Fall 2010. We solicited ideas for initial activities that would demonstrate the capacity of the faculty within the College to partner across campus in addressing interdisciplinary environmental problems. We were gratified by the response to the call for proposals and a faculty review committee recommended five proposals for funding.
We will be taking further steps to build the portfolio of the Institute during the 2010-11 academic year as part of a larger strategic planning process engaging members of the College and our partners on campus and in the community at large.
