Outreach, Classes, and Seminars

The Climate Impacts Group (CIG) actively works with resource managers, elected officials, researchers, students, and the general public to increase regional understanding of Pacific Northwest (PNW) climate impacts.

The CIG’s outreach efforts strive to foster a continuing dialogue between decision makers and the research community to support planning for climate impacts. These efforts also provide CIG opportunity to assess the information and decision support needs of PNW planners and decision makers, and are used to guide research and product development. In addition to its activities in the PNW, the CIG works to bolster the capacity of other research teams in the U.S. and abroad to perform regional integrated climate impacts assessment and outreach.

Examples of CIG outreach activities include:

Meetings and Workshops

The CIG periodically hosts meetings and workshops to discuss the latest in climate impacts research and methodologies, climate-based decision-support tools, and opportunities for building adaptive capacity to climate impacts. Examples include annual climate and water forecast meetings (held near the beginning of the water year) and high level policy meetings on preparing for climate change.

Presentations, Guest Lectures, and Briefings

CIG researchers regularly give presentations and guest lectures at public meetings, agency briefings, conferences, classes, and special events.

Consultancies and Technical Assistance

CIG researchers often work directly with resource managers and policy makers on issues related to assessing and integrating climate impacts into planning processes. This includes working with decision makers on issues related to the use of climate forecasts and planning tools, assisting with specific planning studies, and fielding general questions from decision makers on an as-needed basis.

Work with the Media

Through training, workshops, interviews, and press releases, the CIG serves as a resource for local media for topics related to climate, climate science, and climate impacts. See CIG in the News for recent media coverage on PNW climate. See the CIG’s media room for a customized list of links for the media about the CIG and CIG’s research.

Academic Courses at UW

CIG faculty and staff are working to transform graduate education concerning the intersection of science and decision making. CIG personnel have developed and teach several graduate level courses at the University of Washington related to PNW climate, climate impacts, and the use of climate information and role of uncertainty in decision making.

The CIG Newsletter and List Serve

The CIG launched a quarterly electronic newsletter and list serve in January 2005 to provide regular updates on PNW climate, climate research, meetings, and other information related to planning for climate variability and change in the PNW. To receive the newsletter and other announcements, join the CIG list serve.

Weekly CIG Seminar Series

Weekly seminars on current climate impacts research are held weekly at the CIG during the academic year for UW faculty, staff, students, and interested members of the general public.

For more information on CIG outreach activities, including requests for presentations or information about specific meetings, please contact the CIG’s outreach specialists.