A message from the director

The start of the Fall semester is always an exciting time of change and new beginnings. 

This Fall marks the beginning of a new Center for the Environment at WashU. The creation of the Center is the result of nearly three years of strategic planning that channeled the creativity and energy of our students, staff, and faculty as well as decades of committed work by the WashU community. 

Our work is building on the efforts of the Washington University Climate Change Program and International Center for Energy, and Environmental Sustainability, which are being folded into the Center. I am grateful to David Fike, Beth Martin, and the communities they cultivated for their leadership and wisdom as we planned the new Center.

I encourage you to learn more about the Center, our team and our approach to help the WashU community address the challenges facing our environment. We have started rolling out activities to advance our work as a collaboration hub, research accelerator, and signal booster for environmental research at Washington University.

Below you will find information about upcoming events, including a visit and lecture from Ruth DeFries, a co-founding dean of the Columbia Climate School and a WashU alumna. Stay tuned for more updates in the coming months. I look forward to working with you as we collaborate to address complex environmental challenges.

With gratitude and excitement,

Dan Giammar

Director, Center for the Environment

Walter E. Browne Professor of Environmental Engineering

Assistant Vice Provost

Center for the Environment Speaker Series: Ruth DeFries

Thursday, Sep 28 | 4 - 5 p.m. | Umrath Lounge | Reception to follow at Rudolph Hall, 2nd Floor

Ruth DeFries will give the talk "Two Stories in Pursuit of Linking Science with Action: the Millet Revival and Tiger Crossings."

The Center for the Environment Speaker Series brings diverse voices onto campus that help to connect faculty from across disciplines, expose students to new perspectives, increase attention to environmental issues, and leave audience members feeling empowered as problem solvers.

Networking workshops: environmental research

This summer, the Center hosted a series of networking workshops focused on building connections across disciplines with the aim of fostering proposals for the university's Here & Next seed funding programs.

Together over three sessions, more than 70 researchers discussed ideas for projects, research goals, and areas of overlap.

The application window is open for proposals for Tier 1 & Tier 3 seed grants. Learn more

Upcoming events

If you have an environmentally-focused event you would like included in a future newsletter, submit the event here.

He's talk focused on the CWI's efforts to develop professional skills and connections for students; foster relationships with industry professionals; and reach out to regional researchers and local water utilities.

The purpose of these lunches is to build community among researchers and learn from colleagues while also highlighting specific projects, sharing tools and generating ideas for future

collaboration.

The next Environmental Research Collaboration lunch is Wednesday Oct. 4 from 1-2 p.m. and will feature a presentation from Kim Medley, director of Tyson Research Center. Lunch is included, click here to register.