Pacific University

News and Stories | Environmental Science

A women with blonde hair jumps over a hurdle. She has blonde hair and is wearing a white singlet with "BOXERS" in red across the front.

Ally Hammond '26 Named NWC Woman Of The Year

Hammond won three events at the 2026 Northwest Conference Track and Field Championships and was third at the 2026 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships. She leaves Pacific as the school record-holder in 10 individual events.

Bonnie Bolkan Displaying Water Samples Stored In Sandwich Bags

Sequencing For Disease Prevention In Africa

Biology professor Bonnie Bolkan planned to use her Fulbright Scholarship to study lions. Instead, she assisted in critical water research to combat the spread of disease in Uganda.

Jeff Goodell To Deliver Les AuCoin Human Rights Lecture

The acclaimed journalist and author, focusing on the environment and the effects of climate change, brings his message to Pacific University on Tuesday, Sept. 30.

Professor Kara Lanning '07 and Brodie Buchert '25

(Re)Claim Jumpers: Keeping Portland's Reclaimed Natural Areas Healthy

Faculty member Kara Lanning '07 and student Brodie Buchert '25 are conducting research to identify water-based pathogens and their effective on native plants in reclaimed natural areas in Pacific's backyard.

Duncan Anderson '24 Posing With Syringe and Microscope

Combating Greenhouse Gases One Burp At A Time

Duncan Anderson's '24 senior capstone research project is helping a Hawaiʻi company improve its project in a quest to reduce methane emissions from livestock.

Olaus Murie 1912: Conservation Legend

Sixty years after his death, Olaus Murie, a 1912 graduate of Pacific University, is still revered as a pioneer in conservation.

Environmental Biology Student Explores Local Ecological Issue

Taylor Warnick ’23 is an environmental biology major who has been working with faculty member Kara Lanning to study soil in search of a possible microbial culprit for Western Red Cedar die back.

Pacific’s Master of Nonprofit Leadership Announces Two Scholarships

Full-time students admitted to the Master of Nonprofit Leadership program's 2023 cohort are eligible for two new $5,000 scholarships. Students serving Latino/a/x communities or dedicated to environmental conservation, advocacy or education are eligible to apply.

2010 Navajo Service Learning Trip in Lukachukai

Mikaila Way ’12 Works with Indigenous Peoples to Shape the Future of Food Systems

Mikaila Way ’12 is working to help Indigenous Peoples reclaim, reestablish and reconnect the food systems integral to their cultures, health and ways of life. It's all part of her job as the first Indigenous peoples’ liaison for North America with the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization.

woman standing in front of campus building

Scholarship Opens Door to Pacific

"There are people there who are willing to support you and help your dreams come true," says Mai Vo, a Vietnam-born student who dreams of becoming a pharmacist.