For students who want to go into environmental sciences careers, having opportunities to get outside and get their hands dirty is an integral part of their undergraduate studies. Even better is when learning outside the classroom leads to real-world impacts and engagement with local communities, says Dr. Amy Lambert, an associate teaching professor in the University of Washington Bothell’s School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences. “Student engagement with places and the communities that they support is central to my teaching,”…
Tag: sustainability
Community partnerships spawn salmon education for local park
Students, faculty and staff collaborate to bring new signage and geocaching tours to O.O. Denny Park in Kirkland, Washington. As any good outdoor enthusiast knows, the first rule of exploring nature is: “Leave no trace.” There are, however, the occasional exceptions to this principle — such as when small, human-made additions to wild places raise awareness about conservation and other environmental issues. When Ash Putzke spent their summers as a kid catching salmon fry at the mouth of Denny Creek…
Seattle to launch first connected network of community food micro-pantries
New NSF-funded UW project will use smart sensors to fight hunger, reduce food waste, and increase food access Seattle will soon pilot the first connected network of community food micro-pantries in the U.S., using smart sensors to track supply and demand. Led by the Urban Freight Lab at the University of Washington, the project aims to predict food needs, reduce food waste, and ensure donations reach neighbors who need them most. The UW has received a $700,000 Stage 2 award…
Helping to restore tribal fishing stocks by harnessing satellite data to determine river temperatures
Fishing for salmon along the Klickitat River is in Ira Lee Yallup’s DNA. An enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, Yallup catches salmon with dip nets, a method his family and ancestors have been using for generations. He stands on a hand-built wooden platform about 40 feet above Lyle Falls. Then he maneuvers a 30-foot pole with a large hoop and net at one end — imagine a butterfly catcher on steroids. With skill…
On-campus collaboration features real-world applications
Students in water chemistry course support campus sustainability through water monitoring and outreach projects. For students studying chemistry, some level of hands-on learning is generally a given. Lab work is an essential part of the subject, and students can often expect opportunities to don a pair of goggles and recreate the chemical reactions they’ve read about in textbooks. Even more impactful than seeing these reactions up close is a chance to apply them outside of the classroom. In winter quarter…