PORT ANGELES - Western Washington University's Huxley College of the Environment on the Peninsula student Chris DeSisto recently won first place in the student map competition for his map of the Deer Park Wildfire and second place in the student oral presentation competition for his wildfire hazard work at the 2008 Washington GIS Conference, held May 5-7 at the Seattle Center.
During 2007 and 2008, DeSisto partnered with Peninsula College, Clallam Country Fire District 3, the Clallam County Fire Chiefs Association, Washington State Department of Natural Resources and Olympic National Park to develop a model of wildfire hazard assessment for Clallam and Jefferson counties, some of the driest areas of the Western United States. DeSisto's efforts will be used by the regional partnership as the basis for future planning, education and mitigation efforts, in preventing losses from major wild fires in the areas.
DeSisto, of Maple Valley, has been selected as Huxley College's Outstanding Graduate in Environmental Studies, and he will be awarded WWU's Presidential Scholar Award for Huxley College during this year's graduation celebrations on June 14.
"Chris is the single best undergraduate student I have ever worked with," said Dwight Barry, DeSisto's academic advisor and director of the Center of Excellence at Peninsula College. "His work consistently surpasses that of many graduate students and professionals I have worked with in my career in environmental science and emergency management."
WWU's Huxley College of the Environment on the Peninsula is located at two off-campus facilities; Olympic College in Poulsbo and Peninsula College in Port Angeles, and utilizes WWU's distance-learning technology, as well as field education opportunities focused on the Peninsula's region.
WWU's Huxley College of the Environment is one of the oldest environmental colleges in the nation and a recognized national leader in producing the next generation of environmental stewards. The College's academic programs reflect a broad view of the physical, biological, social and cultural world. This innovative and interdisciplinary approach makes Huxley unique. The College has earned international recognition for the quality of its programs.
For more information contact Nancy Bluestein-Johnson at (360) 417-6521 or e-mail nancy.bluestein-johnson@wwu.edu.
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