Dear SEFS Community,

Coming into 2022, I feel a renewed sense of commitment to the great and varied work we do in SEFS. Hard as it is to believe, 2022 is my fifth year as director of SEFS. Reflecting on my time here so far, I’m grateful for the opportunity to help lead SEFS faculty, staff, and students in our work, and our productive research partnerships with many institutional and community partners. 

A little less than half of my time, so far, has been in the context of the Covid pandemic. Together, with the increasingly apparent impacts of climate change and events that have renewed attention to our racist and colonial legacies, these developments highlight the need to reflect on how our work contributes to building a more sustainable, resilient and equitable future. The importance of this work is what keeps me going. Given the challenges imposed by the pandemic responses and impacts, I ask that we approach this work with a sense of humility, grace, and empathy towards each other.

I’m excited by the work we already have underway and the strengths we collectively bring to that work. Two highlights of note, among many, include:

• Our search for three new faculty in climate adaptation is on track to bring candidate interviews in Spring quarter. Please participate in that public component and feedback process. Applications are open until filled, so potential candidates can continue to apply. Thanks to co-chairs Profs. Monika Moskal and Soo-Hyung Kim on their leadership and to the committee and all faculty, staff, and student participants in the review process. 
• Under the leadership of our new director Christina Owen, the University of Washington Botanic Gardens continues to look for opportunities to strengthen and streamline our relationship with the City of Seattle Parks and Recreation Department and the Arboretum Foundation. UWBG Faculty Director Josh Lawler is partnering with her on academic programs at the UWBG.

We have a few developments in leadership and staffing of note:

• Welcome Sergey Rabotyagov to the position of Associate Director for Academic Programs. He joins Renata Bura, who continues her service as Associate Director for Research, and will work closely with Liz Collier, who continues as our new Student Services Manager, and Aaron Wirsing, who continues as Graduate Program Coordinator. 
• With input from the Stand Management Cooperative (SMC) board, I’m pleased that Prof. Eric Turnblom has agreed to renew for another five-year term as director of the SMC.
• The new Center for Environmental Forensic Science at the university is co-directed by our own John Hermanson, research scientist in CINTRAFOR, who leads projects on using machine learning to detect species of logs and illegal wood trade.
• The provost has recently approved the promotion of Prof. Anthony Dichiara to the rank of Associate Professor with Tenure. Congratulations, Anthony!
• Welcome Mary Keyes (mkeyes@uw.edu) to the position of Assistant to the SEFS Director. She comes with years of experience in executive support in banking and legal offices and moved recently from Spokane to Seattle to be closer to her adult children.

Finally, please save the date for our 2022 Sustaining Our World lecture with Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant, National Geographic Explorer, wildlife ecologist, and conservation scientist, Thursday, March 10, 7-8 pm. At this time, we’re planning a hybrid event, in-person and online, but ongoing pandemic restrictions may require us to move it fully online. We’ll share more specific event information as the date gets closer. Dr. Wynn-Grant’s expertise is in uncovering how human activity influences carnivore behavior and ecology. In particular, she focuses on the ecological and social drivers of human-carnivore conflict. 

Wishing you all a productive Winter quarter and a 2022 filled with renewed connections and opportunities to make a difference.

Dan Brown,
SEFS Director