My Experience As A Member Of The Farm Team

Organic…All-Natural…non-GMO…no additives. So what do these all really mean? My summer as a graduate student farmworker has given me the opportunity to investigate this appetizing discussion frequently circling food communities and connoisseurs. Now I am far from claiming myself a food guru, but my time so far on the UW Farm has opened tremendous insight on the day-to-day experience of an urban farmer. 

From Football to Farming

This is Duke’s first year as one of three UW Farm student staff. Originally from Woodinville, WA, Duke was on the University of Washington football team his freshman year. During that first season as a Husky, he sustained a back injury that ended his playing career. However, he continues to be connected to the team, working as part of the UW Football film crew that tapes games and practices. 

“The time is always right to do what is right.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
While championing civil rights, Martin Luther King Jr. was also a strong advocate for environmental justice. In honor of MLK Day of Service 2019, over 30 dedicated volunteers came ready to work to help restore valuable habitat for wildlife in the Union Bay Natural Area (UBNA) at the Center for Urban Horticulture. 

Our Pre-K summer camp staff has been nominated for the Governor’s Youth Employer Award in recognition of their work this year with students from YES II. Youth Employment Solutions (YES) is sponsored by the Department of Services for the Blind (DSB) and the Washington State School for the Blind to focus on career preparation. YES II is a six week program that provides valuable work and learning experience to high school students. 

Recently on the blog, we highlighted a new art installation at the Center for Urban Horticulture, created by Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) candidate Connor Walden. However, Walden isn’t the only artist whose work you can see as you walk around the Center. Quite close to Walden’s work, southwest of Goodfellow Grove and hidden in the shadows of the trees, is a wood and glass three-walled structure with a small bench, shown in the image on the left. 

In early summer 2017, Connor Walden, a Master of Fine Arts candidate at the University of Washington in 3D4M (3-dimensional Forum), jumped from concrete into the refreshing water of the Gulf of Mexico, cutting his foot on a sharp oyster shell. When Walden talked with his doctor about the cut, he learned that it was possible that he could contract a fatal infection from it. 

Joe Neumann is completing a Master of Environmental Horticulture degree program at the University of Washington. He’s been working to restore different sites in the Union Bay Natural Area along the western shore of Lake Washington at the Center for Urban Horticulture. The restoration project includes clearing invasive plants and establishing native plants on three main sites to create healthy habitats for plant and animal life. 

The John A. Wott Botanic Gardens Endowed Student Award was awarded this spring to Sarah Shank, a first-year Master of Environmental Horticulture student at the University of Washington School of Environmental and Forest Sciences.
A native of Pennsylvania, Sarah recently moved to Seattle for graduate school and is enjoying the opportunity to learn about the diverse flora of the Pacific Northwest. 

The John A. Wott Botanic Gardens Endowed Student Award was awarded this fall to Ryan Garrison, a master’s student in the UW School of Environmental and Forest Sciences.
Ryan was born and raised in Jackson, Michigan. His father’s love of plants and nature, and both his parents’ teaching professions set the foundation for a lifetime of growing plants and appreciating the value of learning. 

The winner of the John A. Wott Endowed Student Award for 2016 is Kelsey Taylor, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences M.S. candidate.  Kelsey was selected earlier this year through the leadership of the late Dr. Sarah Reichard, Director UW Botanic Gardens.  Kelsey is a Washington native who has enjoyed an outdoor education since her formative years. Her interest in research began as an undergraduate, where she worked on stream-side restoration and renewal of salt water marshes in coastal Virginia.