Distinguished Faculty for Service Award 2019-2020 Dr. Carey Gazis
Dr. Carey Gazis earned her Ph.D. in 1994 from the California Institute of Technology and for more than 20 years has been a leader on campus, in the community and in the state on issues of general education, environment, energy, and sustainability. On campus, Dr. Gazis has been instrumental in shaping our General Education requirements. CWU prides itself in having a required General Education program which introduces students to the breadth and value of a liberal education, exposing all students to the arts, humanities, sciences, social sciences and other areas we offer. This is essential to make students well- rounded persons and citizens. She got involved in 1999 on the Faculty Senate General Education Committee and subsequently served as chair and co-chair in order to help guide it through the lengthy process to successful implementation. When plans to revise it arose in 2016, Dr. Gazis volunteered to help the process, taking on the role as the Sustainability Pathway Coordinator. This new revised General Education program reflects the desire to meet real world issues through thoughtful study and action. This creative effort reflects her own passion and role at CWU. Also, under her leadership, a successful Environmental Studies Major was established in 2008, which she has chaired and co-chaired. She has also been Co -Chair of Environmental Research and Education Task Force, and a member Carbon Reduction Task Force. A tireless contributor to the community, she served on the Kittitas County Water Quality Citizen Advisory Committee, Advisory Committee on Exempt ground Water Wells in Kittitas County, and the Winter Recreation Advisory Committee for Washington State Parks. Dr. Gazis has long been a strong advocate for bridging the gap between academic environmental studies and the wider community. For example, she has volunteered hundreds of hours to design 10 monitoring wells on behalf of the Washington State Fish and Wildlife Department and the non-profit Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group, applying science for the public good. This has involved many students, who gain practical experience in the field. Her contribution to the local schools is enormous in terms of educating K-12 on the importance of environmental issues, especially water. Dr. Gazis was a Principle Investigator for a National Science Foundation grant of over two million to establish the Yakima WATERS program, which has reached hundreds of children in our primary and secondary schools. She is a prominent researcher/advisor on water resources in our area and the state, and has been able to bring her skills and knowledge to our community schools and citizens. The WATERS program has provided opportunities for CWU students, education for local teachers, and an environmental knowledge base for public school children. For example, Science Night at Lincoln Elementary. The Yakima WATERS Project has received much local press and even national attention. Serving on the Groundwater Subcommittee of the Yakima River Basin Integrated Plan, a federal program to bring water to users in the Yakima Basin, she has been a leader in this important area. Dr. Gazis has been exemplary in integrating students into community service. As a member and primary supporter of the CWU student chapter of the American Water Resources Association, she has facilitated field trips, scholarship and community service. Also, her students have presented at SOURCE and given back to the local community by volunteering in local schools. The above noted activities are just a few highlights of the amazing devotion Dr. Carey Gazis has to service both on campus and the wider community, helping translate science into useful solutions to real world problems.
Made with FlippingBook Publishing Software