Autumn quarter is moving into view and I’d like to extend a warm welcome to SEFS students, staff, and faculty. Welcome back! As you may know, I am filling in through the end of December 2024 as Acting Director for Dan Brown while he takes a brief and well-deserved sabbatical. While the summer months appear quieter from the outside, students and faculty are busy behind the scenes with research and projects that deserve recognition. 

In SEFS news, you can read more about new research published by former PhD student turned Wildlife Ecologist Michael Procko who looks at the impact of outdoor recreation on elk in the Cascades, new papers out of UW’s Prugh Lab on white-tailed deer led by grad student Taylor Ganz and research on the movement of Seattle’s coyote population led by PhD student Sam Kreling. 

I’d also like to take this opportunity to recognize a few faculty members on research and awards. Congrats to Professor Brian Harvey for his prestigious National Science Foundation Career grant, Professor L. Monika Moskal for receiving a UW EarthLab Innovations Grant, Professor Aaron Wirsing for adding to new international research on sharks in the Anthropocene ocean and Associate Professor Heidi Gough whose work was featured at the Joint Fund Research Symposium in Cairo. The week of September 9, Assistant Professor Sameer Shah will be collaborating on the 2024 D4 Hack Week where seven teams of 40 researchers will join forces to better understand the impact that climate and weather have on human behavior, health and well-being. 

As we look forward, I’m eager to see all of you at our annual Salmon Barbeque on Tuesday October 1, during which we will hold the official groundbreaking event for the renovation of Anderson Hall. Those of us who had offices in Anderson Hall have moved to Condon Hall and are settling in, and we will continue to update the SEFS community throughout the renovation. Your support is invaluable, and if you’d like to find a way to give back this holiday season, look for the opportunity to do so within the Winter 2024 SEFS newsletter.

Our good news continues as we are excited to welcome three new faculty this September: Assistant Professor Julie Larson, Assistant Professor Mutian Hua, and Assistant Teaching Professor Gaj Sivandran. Be sure to extend them a warm welcome on campus in the coming months. 

We are also launching searches for an Assistant Professor in Terrestrial Avian Ecology and an Assistant Teaching Professor in Environmental and Forest Sciences. Our work toward these faculty searches complements our work toward developing strategic goals for the school and our intent to increase the environmental literacy of students here at SEFS and throughout the university. 

I extend best wishes to both new and returning SEFS students. We are looking forward to news of what the 2024-25 academic year will bring you. 

Clare Ryan

School of Environmental and Forest Sciences
Professor and Acting Director