subscribe to the Partnership Newsletter link

 

Back to Press Releases

MEDIA CONTACT
Katy Johansson
360.725.5442
katy.johansson@psp.wa.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
02-28-2008

Partnership’s Science Panel selects Baker as chair, Newton as vice chair

OLYMPIA – University of Washington Tacoma Professor Joel Baker has been selected to chair the Puget Sound Partnership’s Science Panel.

Newly appointed to UW Tacoma’s Port of Tacoma Chair in Environmental Science, Baker is one of nine members of the Science Panel, which will provide independent, scientific advice as the Partnership develops a comprehensive plan to clean up and protect Puget Sound.

“To do an effective job of restoring this jewel, Puget Sound, we must have the science to back up our work,” Baker said. “I’m pleased to chair this group of leading scientists; each one brings a different area of expertise to the table.”

For more than 20 years, Baker has led water and air quality assessments in a variety of complex ecosystems, including the Great Lakes, the Hudson River and Chesapeake Bay.

Jan Newton, a principal oceanographer at the University of Washington’s Applied Physics Laboratory, will serve as the Science Panel’s vice chair.

Newton is the lead investigator for the Hood Canal Dissolved Oxygen Program’s integrated assessment and modeling study. A biological oceanographer, she has more than 20 years of experience researching Pacific Northwest coastal and inland waters, including effects from climate and human activity.

“Having grown up on Puget Sound’s shorelines, being involved with the Partnership is truly an honor,” Newton said. “I look forward to collaborating with my peers on the Science Panel toward bringing more science to bear on the issues facing Puget Sound.”

Newton is also an affiliate professor at UW’s School of Oceanography and teaches ecosystem dynamics at the Friday Harbor Laboratories.

A schedule of Science Panel meetings can be found on our Web site: http://www.psp.wa.gov/SP_meetings.html

###