Berry Brosi, UW Biology Professor, was featured in a story by UW Coninuum College on his work partnering with UW Summer Sessions to develop the online, asynchronous "Introduction to Conservation Biology" (BIOL 126) course.
Each year, Summer Sessions invests in the development of new online offerings, and in 2025, BIOL 126 was one of four new courses supported through this initiative. Although designed for summer delivery, these courses are available year-round, allowing departments to extend their reach beyond the summer months. It’s part of a broader effort to expand access — opening doors for students who might not otherwise have the opportunity to enroll in a UW course. And for topics like biodiversity and conservation, that wider reach means more learners can connect with the science, and the solutions, no matter where they are.
Excerpt from the Continuum College story:
Growing up in rural Kentucky, Berry Brosi saw firsthand the tension between nature’s majesty and its destruction. He witnessed beautiful outdoor areas but also remembers seeing mountaintop-removal coal mines and the Copper Basin in Tennessee, where acid rain from a huge copper mining operation defoliated dozens of square miles — an environmental disaster visible to astronauts from space.
That early exposure sparked a lifelong interest in environmental problems and conservation. Today, as a professor in the University of Washington’s Department of Biology, Berry is channeling that passion into action. His mission: making conservation education accessible to everyone — regardless of background, location or major.
“We’re facing a biodiversity crisis. Many species are disappearing, and that loss threatens ecosystem services such as oxygen production, water purification and crop pollination that are crucial for human well-being,” Berry says. “People don’t know that we depend on nature for these key services, so it’s critical to increase awareness about what biodiversity is, why it's important and what we can do to reverse the damage.”
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Now, through BIOL 126, Berry’s inspiring a new generation of learners to understand the value of biodiversity. With no prerequisites and a flexible format, it’s a welcoming entry point for students who care deeply about the planet but may never have considered stepping into a biology lecture hall.
“I come from a low-income background,” Berry shares. “I realize taking an asynchronous course makes it easier to get material to students with different work schedules or who may not live in Seattle. Being able to reach a broader audience was a major reason for setting the course up this way.”
The course targets non-science majors — for example, students in communications, public policy, the humanities and beyond. “I particularly wanted to reach students who are not UW Department of Biology or College of the Environment majors,” explains Berry. “I’d like to get students, say in law and policy, inspired to think about conservation law or to consider other potential avenues for making a difference that don’t necessarily involve science.”