News & Blog
Welcome from LuAnne Thompson, PCC Interim Director
Greetings, PCC community! I have taken the reigns as Interim Program on Climate Change Director while Becky Alexander takes a well deserved sabbatical. She has been an extraordinary leader for the last three years, and will return in September of 2023. Becky and Miriam have set us up for an exciting year. We enjoyed the Walker Ames visit of Baba Brinkman in November when he performed several brand new raps motivated by the work of scientists at UW on solutions to the climate crisis.
Read moreBaba Brinkman impresses as PCC-nominated Walker Ames visitor
Step aside blogs, tweets, and posters (oh my!), may we introduce performer, activist, and rap artist, Baba Brinkman. The PCC nominated Baba Brinkman as one of this year’s UW Graduate School Office of Public Walker-Ames Lecturers. This charismatic climate rapper joined us at UW, flying directly to Seattle from the COP27 meeting in Egypt. A review of his Nov 17 “lecture” to a crowd in Kane Hall can be found here.
Read moreThe 16th Graduate Climate Conference-a return to Pack Forest
The Graduate Climate Conference (GCC), now in its sixteenth year, represents a rich tradition tied to the history of the PCC. First held in 2006, the GCC has grown and evolved while remaining true to its core mission of highlighting student-led work at a conference run by graduate students for graduate students. Hosting responsibilities have alternated each year between students in the PCC at UW and students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)’s Program on Atmospheres, Oceans, and Climate.
Read moreConsidering Pathways to Net-Zero Emissions at the 2022 PCC Summer Institute
The release of the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report in 2021 re-emphasized the need to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in order to stabilize the climate and stop global warming, putting pathways towards net-zero on center stage. Thus, it was not surprising that members of the climate science community attending the annual PCC Winter Welcome voted for “Pathways to Net-Zero Emissions” as the topic for the PCC’s first in-person Summer Institute (SI) since 2019.
Read moreBaba Brinkman's "Rap Guide to Climate Chaos" Climate Communication from COP27 to the PCC
When someone says the words “climate change,” you might think of the devastating global effects, the politics behind action or inaction, or even personal impacts on your life from a changing environment. It is extremely unlikely that your first thought was about rap. Yet, the hyper-specific niche of climate rapping is what Baba Brinkman, performer and activist, has chosen to inhabit, and for a very specific reason: the need to connect to the masses.
Read morePCC Undergraduate Cohort: How to Get Involved with Climate Science Research
Getting involved in research is perhaps one of the most exciting aspects of becoming an undergraduate at UW. Yet, finding these opportunities can be extremely daunting, especially if you don’t have contacts, past experience, or knowledge of where to look. At the PCC Undergraduate Cohort (UCo), we are highly aware of these issues, and we know how helpful it can be to have access to resources, advice, and a place to ask questions about research.
Read moreLake Forest Park, WA: Community Solar Precedent Review
As part of an ACORN project beginning in a time marked by bleakness due to COVID and lockdowns (mid-2020), representatives from Lake Forest Park’s People for Climate Action chose to prioritize hope for the future of their community and of the world. Partnering with an early-career graduate student and a representative from Seattle Public Utilities, they hoped to investigate community solar energy as an opportunity to bolster sustainability and equity and their own community.
Read moreClimate and Environmental Justice Course Development Workshop - Winter 2023-Register NOW!
The Program on Climate Change and the Program on the Environment, with additional support from the College of the Environment, are sponsoring a Climate and Environmental Justice course development workshop during winter quarter 2023. First taught in winter 2021, this year it is facilitated by Dr. Alex Turner (UW ATM S). The interactive, results-driven workshop will consist of four 1.5-2 hour meetings spread over the winter quarter.
Read morePCC Undergraduate Cohort: Welcome to a New Year!
On the 27th of September, 2022, the PCC Undergraduate Cohort (UCo) hosted their first event of the new academic year. UCo leaders welcomed new undergrads, explained how UCo and the Climate Science Minor are situated in the Program on Climate Change, and promoted community through fun, games, and food! This was a great opening event, laying the groundwork for emerging climate scientists to connect with each other, with professionals, and with leadership opportunities.
Read moreApply now! PCC announces 3 NEW funding opportunities for advancing climate science.
The PCC announces 3 new funding opportunities for climate science advancement, available to a wide range of the PCC community: The Climate Science Research Acceleration Fund, PCC Climate Solutions Projects, and The Graubard Fellowship in the Program on Climate Change. These funding opportunities are meant to advance and accelerate progress toward addressing climate change by funding students, researchers, and faculty in their research and work with external communities.
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