The School of Environmental and Forest Sciences' Ivan Eastin
School of Environmental and Forest Sciences’ Ivan Eastin

University of Washington Interim President Ana Mari Cauce recently announced the appointment of 17 new members to the university’s prestigious CoMotion Presidential Innovation Fellows program, including two scientists from the College of the Environment.

As part of the 2015 class of fellows, the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences’ Ivan Eastin and the Department of Atmospheric Sciences’ Cliff Mass were chosen for fostering a culture of innovation at the UW through initiating groundbreaking programs, collaborating with industry professionals, and by sharing their ideas, knowledge, and entrepreneurial thinking with other visionaries at the UW.

“I’m thrilled to see two of our faculty recognized for their dedication and for ensuring that our scholarship has impact far beyond academia. Both Eastin and Mass embody entrepreneurism, seizing opportunities with tremendous creativity and enthusiasm,” Lisa Graumlich, Dean of the College of the Environment, said.

The Department of Atmospheric Sciences' Cliff Mass
UW ATMOS
Department of Atmospheric Sciences’ Cliff Mass

Eastin studies the ways forest products are traded throughout the world, looking at both marketing strategies and the dynamics of international trade. Domestically, he focuses on promoting the adoption of green building materials in residential construction. Internationally, he works to understand how policies affect the trade of wood products across the map.

Mass is a meteorologist who specializes in weather prediction and modeling. Particularly, his work emphasizes weather features of the western United States. Over his career he has been involved in numerous business-related endeavors, such as helping start 3Tier (the largest wind energy forecasting firm in the U.S.), creating World WeatherDisc, and advocating for the expansion of the Climate Corporation in Seattle.

Throughout their two-year terms, Eastin, Mass, and the other fellows will serve as mentors to other faculty, researchers, and staff pursuing entrepreneurial endeavors, and also share their experience at campus innovation events. At the end of the term, fellows are encouraged to continue participation in the program and to serve as the program and activity advisors to CoMotion, UW’s innovation hub.

Read more about the Fellowship and the other recipients on CoMotion’s website »