College of the Environment

E-Newsletter

March 12, 2010
Vol. 2, No. 4


Announcements

Dean Search Update - The Provost's Advisory Search Committee has recommended three finalists for the position of Dean of the College of the Environment. All three of the candidates will be visiting in early April and will each present a public seminar that is open to the entire university community. In addition, the College of the Environment community (students, faculty and staff) will have two opportunities to meet each candidate in a more informal Q&A session. The schedule for the candidate visits is as follows:

Dr. Mark R. Abbott
Dean and Professor, College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences
Oregon State University
Public Seminar:
    Friday, April 2, 10:30-noon, Henry Art Gallery Auditorium
College Community Q&A Sessions:
    Thursday, April 1, 2:30-3:30pm, Fishery Sciences Building, Room 203
    Friday, April 2, 9:00-10:00, Forest Club Room, Anderson Hall, Room 207
Dr. Sanjayan Muttulingam
Lead Scientist for The Nature Conservancy
Public Seminar:
    Tuesday, April 6, 9:00-10:30am, Henry Art Gallery Auditorium
College Community Q&A Sessions:
    Monday, April 5, 10:30-11:30am, Fishery Sciences Building, Room 203
    Monday, April 5, 2:30-3:30pm, Forest Club Room, Anderson Hall, Room 207
Dr. Lisa J. Graumlich
Professor and Director, School of Natural Resources and the Environment
The University of Arizona
Public Seminar:
    Friday, April 9, 9:00-10:30am, Henry Art Gallery Auditorium
College Community Q&A Sessions:
    Thursday, April 8, 10:30-11:30am, Fishery Sciences Building, Room 203
    Friday, April 9, 2:30-3:30pm, Forest Club Room, Anderson Hall, Room 207
Please help us welcome these candidates to the University of Washington and don't forget to provide feedback to the Advisory Search Committee after you have a chance to meet them. The Provost's Leadership Search website will have a link to a Catalyst site for direct communication and feedback to the Advisory Search Committee.

Husky Green Award - The Environmental Stewardship Advisory Committee (ESAC) is proud to announce the establishment of the Husky Green Award. This award celebrates individuals and teams who have contributed to UW’s leadership and excellence in environmental stewardship, and provides recognition to those from the entire UW community who have dedicated their passion, energy and time to promote sustainability at the UW. The Husky Green is open to recognize efforts by an individual or group within the UW’s community of faculty, students and staff at the Seattle, Tacoma and Bothell campuses. Nomination criteria and directions are available on the UW Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability website.

NSF Director Update - ScienceInsider is reporting that Dr. Subra Suresh, the dean of engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has been tapped by the White House to replace Arden Bement Jr., who announced last month that he would be stepping down before his 6-year term ends in November. Dr. Suresh is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering and maintains a research group in nanobiomechanics. The NSF director must be confirmed by the Senate.

Workplace Health and Safety - Earlier this week, U.S. Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN) and cosponsors introduced a resolution that declares the first week of April as “National Asbestos Awareness Week” and seeks to “raise public awareness about the prevalence of asbestos-related diseases and the dangers of asbestos exposure.” In the spirit of this resolution, we would like to remind you that general asbestos awareness training is required for all University of Washington employees on an annual basis. This training is available online or in a classroom setting. Online training requires a UWNetID and you will need to take the course in one sitting. Or you can register for classroom style training thru EH&S safety classes on the training registration page. Registration also requires a UWNetID. The course covers what asbestos is, where it can be found on campus, and what you should do if you encounter damaged building materials that could contain asbestos.

Kudos

Jim Murray (Oceanography) has been elected President-Elect of the Ocean Sciences Section of the American Geophysical Union (AGU). AGU is an unincorporated affiliate of the National Academy of Sciences and is dedicated to the furtherance of the geophysical sciences through the individual efforts of its members and in cooperation with other national and international scientific organizations. Professor Murray will serve two years each as President-Elect, President, Past-President.

Funding


Professional development opportunities

  • The call for applications for the 2011 Leopold Leadership program is now open. The mission of the Leopold Leadership Program is to advance environmental decision making by providing academic environmental scientists the skills and connections they need to be effective leaders and communicators. It brings together outstanding academic scientists from across North America, provides them with leadership and communications training to assist in working with nonscientific audiences, and builds a network of scientists and trainers committed to science outreach beyond the academy. The program invites midcareer academic environmental scientists from North America to apply for the Leopold Leadership Fellowships. Applications are welcome from a broad range of disciplines including biological, physical, and social sciences and technical, medical, and engineering fields related to the environment. The deadline for applications for the 2011 Leopold Leadership Fellowships is April 12, 2010.


Federal funding opportunities

  • The Directorate for Biological Sciences and the Directorate for Geosciences in the National Science are partnering to solicit proposals for a Dimensions of Biodiversity initiative. The initiative seeks to characterize biodiversity on Earth by using integrative, innovative approaches to fill rapidly the most substantial gaps in our understanding of the diversity of life on Earth. This campaign will take a broad view of biodiversity, and in its initial phase will focus on the integration of genetic, taxonomic, and functional dimensions of biodiversity. Successful proposals should integrate these three dimensions to understand interactions and feedbacks among them. While this focus complements several core NSF programs, it differs by requiring that multiple dimensions of biodiversity be addressed simultaneously, in innovative or novel ways, to understand the roles of biodiversity in critical ecological and evolutionary processes. The due date for Letters of Intent (required) is May 7, 2010, and the due date for full proposals is June 8, 2010.
  • NASA, the National Park Service (NPS), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the Smithsonian Institution have partnered to offer an Interagency Solicitation for Climate and Biological Response: Research and Applications. This solicitation seeks two types of proposals: (a) basic research proposals and (b) applications proposals to support ecosystem and landscape management. While this solicitation is not exclusively focused on public lands and waters, proposals addressing these managed areas are especially welcome given the participation of land management agencies in this call for proposals. Notices of Intent to propose are due June 11, 2010. Full proposals are due July 20, 2010.


Private funding opportunities

  • The Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation focuses on the conservation of natural resources in North America and the Caribbean Basin with an emphasis on the United States. The foundation has a specific interest in marine resource conservation and management with a particular interest in fisheries. Grants generally range from $10,000 to $50,000 with an average grant size of $15,000 to $25,000, and most grants carry a 1:1 match requirement. 1-2 page letters of inquiry are due by April 9 and September 10.
  • The mission of The Lawrence Foundation is to support organizations that are working to solve pressing environmental, educational, human services and other issues. Grants typically year range in size from $1,000 to $10,000 with a typical size of $5,000. Grant application deadlines are April 30 and October 31.

Please note that many corporations and foundations have requested that UW Advancement facilitate their relationship with University of Washington faculty, staff and students. As such, all solicitations, applications, or requests for private giving from foundations or corporations must be developed in partnership with UW Advancement. Please contact a member of the College Advancement Team before submitting a proposal to private organzations. In addition, if you know program staff or board trustees associated with private funders, please contact a member of the Advancement Team as they would appreciate your assistance in helping them focus their efforts.

Student Opportunities

  • TheWhite House Council on Environmental Quality is seeking summer interns to work with Associate Directors and their teams, which are responsible for specific issue portfolios such as green jobs, climate change, land and water issues, and ocean and coastal affairs. The internship program is designed to give students an unparalleled introduction to the Federal government's role in energy and environment decision-making. Application material due by April 1.
  • The Marine Conservation Biology Institute is seeking summer interns to work closely with science and policy staff, gaining skills in conservation advocacy and exposure to the scientific, legal and political arenas that are involved in marine conservation. Successful intern candidates will have the opportunity to work on a range of conservation issues, including those related to marine spatial planning, marine protected areas, and protecting the Hawaiian monk seal. Application material is due by April 15th.


Colleagues in the News

(Feb 26 - March 11, 2010)

Real-time weather system will help Seattle forecast rain (Cliff Mass/ATMS, March 6, 2010)

Top 10 gas-storing national parks are in Northwest, study says (Jerry Franklin/SFR, March 4, 2010)

Northwest at Risk of Earthquake Like One in Chile (Brian Atwater/ESS, March 2, 2010)

Chile's Buckling Part Of Earthquake Belt (Brian Atwater/ESS, February 28, 2010)

Radically Rethinking Agriculture for the 21st Century (David Battisti/ATMS, February 28, 2010)

Upcoming Events

Check out the College events calendar for a comprehensive list of upcoming seminars, conferences, lectures, and other public events.

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If you have a suggestion for additional information that should be included in the College of the Environment bi-weekly announcements, please submit it to Becca Baughman.