P-GraSC Hosts Monthly Third Thursdays – An Interdisciplinary Community-Building Event
Since February, graduate and undergraduate students, postdoctoral researchers, staff, and faculty interested in climate change from across the university have gathered monthly for pizza and drinks. These “Third Thursday” happy hours, sponsored by the University of Washington Program on Climate Change (PCC), were the vision of members of the PCC’s Graduate Student Steering Committee (P-GraSC).
“When asking ourselves what our role as P-GraSC should be within PCC, it became clear to our members that what we really need to be focusing on right now is building community within the College of the Environment and beyond for folks who are interested in furthering our understanding of climate change impacts and solutions,” says P-GraSC member Reese Barrett (School of Oceanography). The idea was that an informal, regularly scheduled gathering might allow members of the UW PCC community to create connections that could spark new, interdisciplinary ideas or collaborations on issues related to climate change.
At each of its first three events, Third Thursday has brought between 50 and 70 community members (including faculty, researchers, and students) together from many corners of UW, including Atmospheric and Climate Sciences, Biology, Civil Engineering, Earth and Space Science, The Information School, Mechanical Engineering, Occupational and Health Sciences, Oceanography, Political Science, and the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs. Kayla Morton (Political Science), says “I joined P-GraSC hoping to engage more with climate researchers beyond the scope of my department, and Third Thursday has been exactly that and more. Connecting with folks from across the university, and not just at a single event, has been a meaningful way to break down department silos and build community around shared climate goals at UW.”
While climate science in the United States is facing an uncertain future, attendees have found the event even more valuable. Stella Heflin (Atmospheric and Climate Science) notes that “Especially in these times of crisis for climate science, I’ve found it really important to get the chance to consistently connect with professors, postdocs, and other students both in my own department and beyond in a casual setting. This has helped remind me of my small role within a much broader community here at UW of people at all levels of their careers doing cool work to advance climate research against all odds, and makes me feel more hopeful about whatever comes next for our field.”
The next Third Thursday event is scheduled for July–reach out to rcbarr1@uw.edu for more information. We’d love for you to join us for more climate conversation and community!
Written by Reese Barrett, P-GraSC Grad Student, UW Oceanography