JUNE 11, 2009
Our department's 2009 graduation ceremony
marked an important milestone for the
graduates receiving their degrees.
Keynote speaker Robert McClure, former
environmental reporter for the Seattle Post-
Intelligencer and vice president of Investigate-
West, urged graduates entering careers in
public health to take Paul Peronard's example.
Peronard, an Environmental Protection
Agency official, called attention to a mine
contaminated with asbestos, which was
sickening miners and their families in Libby,
Montana. "The people trust you to keep us
safe," said McClure, and charged graduates
with communicating risks to the public.
The responsibility graduates felt as
"stewards" of the public's safety and health
was evident in many of the graduate's
personal statements, read one by one as the
students received their degrees, and was also
evident in the speeches of the speakers.
Speaker Eric Tanenbaum described
his fellow undergraduates as idealistic,
passionate, as well as committed "to protect
the public."
The graduate program speaker, Joseph
Nelson, highlighted changes in health policy
and emerging diseases in Washington state,
including the West Nile virus and H1N1 flu.
"I don't think there could be a better time
to graduate in environmental health," said
Nelson. "The world needs us."
With a bouquet of flowers, the undergraduates
thanked Undergraduate Program
Manager James Meadows, who will be
leaving the department to attend law school
in Wisconsin. The ceremony was followed by
a reception at the University of Washington
Club.
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