Employee Spotlight: Kim Littke, Forest Nutrition Research Scientist

Get to know SEFS staff! This series provides an opportunity to find out more about SEFS staff members — what they do in their daily job and how they spend their time outside the office. 

SEFS Assistant Professor Francisca Santana’s recent research helps us to understand the impact social norms have on our decisions to protect ourselves from climate change related health hazards

SEFS Assistant Professor, Francisca Santana, joined SEFS faculty in the fall of 2023 as part of a cohort of faculty interested in climate adaptation. Santana’s most recent research paper, published in the Journal of Risk Research, examines the role that social processes have in human behavior and adaptation to wildfire smoke among other climate-related health hazards. 

SEFS grad student, Sarah Pollack, takes home ‘First Place’ prize at 2024 3MT competition

UW 3MT is a professional development competition that supports graduate students’ capacity to effectively explain their research or capstone project in a language that a public audience can understand. This year, Sarah Pollack, a SEFS grad student in Quantitative Ecology & Resource Management took home the first place grand prize, $1,000, for effectively explaining her thesis: Detecting Illegal Trade Risk in U.S. 

SEFS in the News: May, 2024

Browse recent mentions of SEFS researchers in the news. Have news to share? Send your updates to sefscomm@uw.edu.

SEFS Associate Professor, Laura Prough, interviewed for Discover Magazine: how we can coexist with coyotes in suburban and urban areas. 

SEFS Assistant Professor Claire Willing’s recent paper helps us better understand forest microbiome response to climate change

SEFS Assistant Professor, Claire Willing, joined SEFS faculty in the fall of 2023 as part of a cohort of faculty working in the area of climate adaptation. Willing’s most recent research, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, developed a risk-assessment framework for studying forest microbiomes in a changing climate. 

Event Recap: SEFS End of Year Awards Night

Last week, SEFS faculty, students and staff came together for our annual End of Year Awards Celebration. We wanted to take a moment to honor those that received special recognition for their achievements this year, those who won a SEFS-specific award and of course those who received a “Shout Out” from peers.  

SEFS research in Tetiaroa offers new insights on tropical ecosystems

For over a decade SEFS researchers have been working on the islands of Tetiaroa to gain new insight about marine ecosystems. SEFS Professor, Aaron Wirsing, and a team of collaborators at Florida International University have been studying young sharks who call Tetiaroa’s lagoon home until they venture out into open waters. 

SEFS graduate student, Hema Velappan, receives 2024 Husky Sustainability Award

Congrats to Hema Velappan on winning the 2024 Husky Sustainability Award!
Hema has a history of creating, executing, and leading sustainability efforts on the UW Seattle campus. She co-founded the Institutional Climate Action (ICA) student group, along with five other students, which has been heavily involved in fossil fuel divestment and decarbonization efforts. 

SEFS Instructor, Robert Swan, receives 2024 College of the Environment Exceptional Mentoring of Undergraduates Award

Each year the College of the Environment recognizes outstanding members of our College community via the College Awards and this year SEFS instructor, Robert Swan, was selected by Dean Tolstoy to receive the 2024 College of the Environment Exceptional Mentoring of Undergraduates Award. 

Welcoming Dr. Mutian Hua to SEFS

SEFS is excited to welcome Mutian Hua as the newest BSE faculty member this fall. He has a PhD in Materials Engineering from UCLA and is currently a Postdoctoral Scholar at Berkeley Lab.