UW News

June 20, 2013

Faculty Field Tour gives new faculty bird’s eye view of state

News and Information

The Faculty Field Tour, which offers new faculty a bird’s eye view of the state’s varied geography, industry and inhabitants, is resuming this year after a four-year hiatus due to budget cuts.

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Participants in the Faculty Field Tour visit the Two Mountain Winery in Zillah.

Some 35 first- and second-year faculty are traveling more than 1,000 miles by bus in five days on a tour led by President Michael K. Young. They’re learning about important state industries ranging from aerospace to agriculture, and they’ll be meeting with entering UW students at a special event in Spokane.

The tour is an opportunity for new faculty to learn more about the state and the varied communities from which UW students come, and how their research can play a part in the overall wellbeing of the state and its citizens.

This year’s tour, June 17 to 21, began at the Port of Tacoma and will conclude with welcome-home barbecue at the Center for Urban Horticulture.  Among the key stops:

  • Mount St. Helens
  • Windy Flats wind farm near Goldendale
  • Heritage University
  • Two Mountain Winery in Zillah
  • Microsoft’s data center in Quincy
  • Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake
  • Grand Coulee Dam
  • Colville Fish Hatchery
  • Cascade Organics orchard in Pateros
  • Janicki Industries in Hamilton
  • Boeing in Everett

The university pays for meals, lodging and transportation for the tour using non-state-appropriated funds.

More information and photos from the road are available here.

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