An annual event where faculty, scientists, graduate students, and invited speakers focus on how climate and our physical and human world interact. Each year a new topic, showcasing emerging knowledge and ways in which disciplines intersect, is examined. Always an opportunity for team building and for full discussion of the alternative ways that research can be brought to focus on the pressing questions of today.

2026 PCC Summer Institute

Extreme Events and their Attribution to Climate Change

Organized by Aaron Donohoe (UW APL/ATMOS) and Lauren Buckley (UW Biology) for the UW climate change community

Friday Harbor Laboratories Wednesday September 16th to Friday September 18th.

SCHEDULE

See FHL Map for locations

Sessions 1-6 in FHL Commons

Meals in the Dining Hall:  

• 7:45 – 8:15 AM Breakfast Served
• 12:00 – 12:30 PM Lunch Served
• 6:00 – 6:30 PM Dinner Served

Day 1 (Sept 16)

Meet carpools near UW Campus (more information will be sent to registrants by carpool drivers)

Noon Ferry departs Anacortes for FHL (arrives at Friday Harbor at 1:05 PM; reservations strongly advised, arrive 45 min before ferry scheduled to depart)

1:30 – 3:00 PM Check-in/Housing Assignments (FHL Dining Hall)

2:30 PM Row boat training (Dock) Confirming (2nd rowboat training will be 1pm on Thursday Sept 17) *one required if you want to use the rowboats*

2:30-4 Workshop on Communicating climate extremes and attribution (tentative)

4:00 – 6:00 PM Poster Session and Opening Reception (Dining Hall and patio)

Session 1 (7-9pm) “Introduction to extremes and their attribution”

PCC Welcome and Introductions

Speakers: Deepti Singh (WSU) and Sean Michaletz (UBC)

Discussion

Day 2 (Sept 17)

Session 2 (8:30am-10:15am) “Terrestrial heat waves: climate science, impacts, and attribution” Moderator: Caleb Fried

Speakers: Rachel White (UBC), Ed Blanchard (UW ATMOS), Lauren Buckley (UW BIO) and Ann Bostrom (UW Evans)

Coffee Break, Group Photo

Session 3 (10:45am-noon) “Marine heat waves: climate science, impacts, and attribution” Moderator: Caleb Fried

Speakers: Luanne Thompson (UW Ocean) and Andrea Durant (UW BIO)

Discussion

1:00-1:30pm Second and final Rowboat Training. Meet at dock. (confirming)

Afternoon free to explore the island in small groups

Session 4 (7pm-9pm) “Legal and economic implications of extremes and their attribution”

Speakers: Justin Mankin (Dartmouth), Phillip Bruner (UW Foster), Gerard Roe (UW ESS)

Discussion

Day 3 (Sept 18)

Session 5 (8:30am-10:00am) “Precipitation extremes: climate science, impacts, and attribution” Moderator: Taylor Hatcher

Speakers: Paul O’Gorman (MIT), Heili Lowman (UW SAFS) and Marissa Childs (UW DEOHS)

Discussion

Coffee Break

Session 6 (10:45am-noon) “Drought: climate science, impacts, and attribution” Moderator: Taylor Hatcher

David Battisti (UW ATMOS, tentative) and Abby Swann (UW ATMOS/BIO)

Discussion and PCC Business

1:55 PM Carpools catch the ferry from Friday Harbor to Anacortes. Please plan on a quick lunch in the dining hall before heading to the terminal. Ferry reservations are strongly encouraged.

Registration will be open Monday June 15th through Wednesday July 15th, 2026. You will not be able to register after July 15.

Register here until July 15

Three Paper Discussions

We strongly encourage grad students and postdocs to attend.

Papers and topics will be announced soon.

• Discussion #1 (2-3:30pm Thursday Aug 27 in OCN 425)
• Discussion #2 (2-3:30pm Thursday Sept 3 in OCN 425)
• Discussion #3 (2-3:30pm Thursday Sept 10 in OCN 425)

(last update June 15, 2026)

Read About Past Summer Institutes