Participants from across the College of the Environment gather at the first Community-Engaged Research Symposium.

In late May, more than 120 colleagues from the University of Washington came together for an inaugural showcase and conversation about community-engaged research across the College of Environment. 

Community-engaged research is central to the University of Washington’s mission as a public university: Learning with and from communities is deeply embedded in our commitment to the people of Washington state and beyond. 

“This is a unique moment,” said Joel Thornton, Maggie Walker Dean of the College of Environment. “At the heart of our work in the College is to seek a rigorous understanding of the natural world and humanity’s role in it. Engagement with communities is a core way we do this work.”

From restoring shorelines and monitoring invasive species to mapping forest ecosystems and developing food forests, and much more, community-engaged research at the College focuses on questions that have a particular connection to communities and problem-solving, and work with both researchers and community members as experts. Partners share leadership and collaborate to develop and carry out the research together, ensuring that research is relevant and beneficial to the people it aims to serve. 

WA Sea Grant

Panelists from across the College discuss the various ways community-engaged research takes shape.

The event was organized by Washington Sea Grant, Climate Impacts Group and EarthLab.

“Our staff are out working in communities every day — hearing about needs, and working to design, conduct and connect communities to research and information to foster the responsible use and conservation of, in our case, ocean and coastal ecosystems,” said Kate Litle, interim director of Washington Sea Grant. “This is also the work of my co-conspirators at Climate Impacts Group and EarthLab, and we know there are so many people working with communities across the College.”

Sally Jewell, former U.S. Secretary of the Interior and chair of the EarthLab Advisory Council, provided opening remarks supporting these efforts. “Topics like fisheries management and biodiversity loss are complicated and need knowledge that’s not just scientifically rigorous, but grounded in practical reality,” she said.

The inaugural symposium represents the university’s community engagement goal in action, producing a resource library for further self-directed learning on UW community practice, best practices, skills and principles for community-engaged research. It also help forge deeper relationships among researchers, students and partners doing this work. 

The response from the attendees shows excitement for continued opportunities to connect and learn from each other, with 100 percent of exit surveys making the case for future annual symposiums. Taken together, the whole day crystalized the message that community-engaged research offers an approach to knowledge production that nourishes ourselves, communities and the ecosystems they care about.

Check out the symposium’s event page for an overview and key takeaways from the day.