Eli Wheat, an assistant teaching professor in the University of Washington’s Program on the Environment, an environmental studies program housed within the College of the Environment. Wheat is passionate about sustainable farming, and our relationship as humans with the land and food we consume.

Wheat brings a unique perspective as both a farmer and a scholar. He is helping to bridge the gap between academia and agriculture, inspiring the next generation to care for our planet.

Fabian Klenner is a postdoctoral researcher at the UW who focuses on geochemistry, planetary and space sciences and astrobiology.

Fabian Klenner’s path led him from the quiet countryside to the cutting edge of planetary science, astrobiology and the search for life beyond Earth. Klenner combines laboratory experiments with advanced modeling to understand the chemical and physical processes happening in the oceans of icy moons like Enceladus and Europa, as well as groundbreaking experiments to detect potential biosignatures — clues that life might exist — on distant moons.

Jodi Young is an assistant professor and biological oceanographer at the University of Washington who studies tiny, yet mighty, marine microalgae that play a crucial role in our planet's ecosystems. She’s fascinated by how these algae manage to survive and even flourish in the harsh, icy and briny waters of the polar regions — still somewhat of a mystery.

Michael Buck is an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation and a graduate of the UW School of Marine and Environmental Affairs. 

Buck’s path in science has been guided by the traditions, stories, practices and knowledge of his community. His research is not just academic; it’s a living practice, deeply rooted in the concept of relationality and “research as ceremony,” where self-reflection, ceremony and reciprocity form a foundation for his work.