Category: In the News

Efforts by UO researchers to study how climate change may change Pacific Northwest grasslands have blossomed into global collaborations with two recently published reports, and a third is coming.

The three studies focus on the ability of soils to continue to store excess carbon in the face of warming conditions. Students at individual research sites have produced mixed results, but the new findings may help to change the scientific understanding. The first study was led by Yale University and the second by the Marine Biological Laboratory at Wood Hole, Massachusetts.

Read the full story here.

Originally published by Jim Barlow, University of Oregon Communications, 12/01/2016

Originally posted by UW Department of Electrical Engineering

The project is a collaboration between the University of Washington, City of Seattle, Vanderbilt University and the city of Nashville. It will tackle the issues of urban transportation congestion by engaging the individual user through the use of smart devices. The three-year, proof-of-concept project has received a collaborative national Science Foundation (NSF) US Ignite Grant.

Electrical Engineering Assistant Professor Baosen Zhang is the Principal Investigator on the project and Electrical Engineering Assistant Professor Lillian Ratliff is the Co-Principal Investigator.

Continue reading the Urban@UW article here.

Originally posted by UW College of Built Environments

September 7, 2016

The University of Washington has begun a yearlong partnership with the City of Auburn, under the new Livable City Year program. UW students and professors will work with the City of Auburn to advance the city’s goals for livability and sustainability throughout the upcoming academic year.

“This partnership represents the very best kind of UW student experience by creating opportunities for community engagement, practical problem-solving and interdisciplinary study,” said University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce. “The UW could not be prouder to partner with the City of Auburn through the Livable City Year program to combine education with making positive change in a Washington Community.”

Original post by UCLA loES 

10.18.2016- 10.20.2016

A better world is possible. Each and every day, people in diverse fields are doing inspiring, cutting edge work in the environmental arena.Presented by UCLA College Luskin Endowment, a three-day symposium was held to celebrate the full spectrum of the latest research being undertaken.

The keynote address was delivered by Kathryn D. Sullivan, the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans & Atmosphere, the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)– and the first American woman to walk in space.

The program included talks from top experts, workshops, local and national nonprofit organizations, art, and a student film contest. It was also an opportunity to highlight UCLA campus-wide sustainability and showcase the new Luskin Conference Center; honoring the generosity of Meyer and Renee Luskin.

Since Gwynne Mhuireach, a doctoral student in landscape architecture, left the farm where she grew up near Klamath Falls she became curious about health differences between people who grew up in rural and urban areas.

With a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Washington and a master’s degree from the UO in architecture, Mhuireach initially got involved in the Biology of the Built Environment Center’s pioneering exploration of microbial communities inside buildings.

Now, she’s back outdoors looking at greenery — particularly the microbes in the air above and around the vegetation — in urban areas. She’s just completed a pilot study in which she explored Eugene’s parks and parking lots. Her findings are in the journal Science of the Total Environment.

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Editorial Note: original story published by Jim Barlow, University Communications, University of Oregon