Welcoming Dr. Gaj Sivandran to SEFS

Dr. Gaj Sivandran is an environmental engineer specializing in ecohydrology, sustainable development, and climate resilience. Holding a PhD from MIT and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Western Australia (referred to by Aussies as “U DUB”) in finance and environmental engineering, Gaj’s research focuses on integrating plant-water interactions into land surface models, studying contaminant fate and transport of nonpoint source pollution, and enhancing the climate resilience of water resources. 

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

In an interview with Discover Magazine, SEFS Associate Professor, Laura Prugh points to her team’s research that reveals why coyotes have been taking to the suburbs in what appears to be increasingly large numbers over the years. 

Employee Spotlight: Nancy Kwasinski, SEFS Purchasing Coordinator

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 in the News: April, 2024

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

SEFS Students win big at 2024 Alaska Airlines Environmental Innovation Challenge. Read the article in GeekWire. 

Partnership Highlight: Urban@UW partners with WRWW to strengthen green stormwater infrastructure in Kent, WA

SEFS Associate Professor, Heidi Gough and Assistant Professor Sameer Shah have been selected for the second installment of the Research to Action Collaboratory (RAC) cohort. They will be joined by Amy Kuhl, Resiliency Program Manager of World Relief Western Washington and Lucas McClish, WRWW’s Community Garden Coordinator. 

SEFS Research Scientist, Dr. Susan Prichard, co-leads report: Braiding Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science for resilient forests

Dr. Susan J. Prichard, a fire ecologist and SEFS Research Scientist co-led a report team that looks at “braiding” Indigenous and Western knowledge of forest adaptation strategies to combat climate change. 

SEFS Associate Professor, Laura Prugh, pens Guest Essay for New York Times

SEFS Associate Professor, Dr. Laura Prugh, writes that ditching daylight savings, as many are in favor of, would be a mistake.

Prugh writes, “It’s not just that our afternoons and evenings would be shrouded in more darkness, which often comes with higher crime, more vehicle collisions and fewer opportunities to enjoy the outdoors after work or school. 

SEFS Students win big at 2024 Alaska Airlines Environmental Innovation Challenge

Photos | Courtesy of Charles Trillingham 
Students competing in this year’s Alaska Airlines Environmental Innovation Challenge showed up in a big way. Taking home the $15,000 Grand Prize was AgroFilms, a team of graduate and undergraduate students from the UW School of Environmental and Forest Sciences Bioresource Science and Engineering program as well as a technology management MBA student. 

SEFS in the News: March, 2024

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

SEFS PhD student, Autum Maust, shares how UW researchers are monitoring Yoshino cherry trees on campus in an effort to predict peak bloom time. 

Program Spotlight: Mount Rainier Institute

An Interview with Director John Hayes
We had the opportunity to speak with MRI Director John Hayes about the importance of outdoor, immersive experiences and what they mean for the future of ecological literacy and environmental stewardship.