Every year, the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs (SMEA) awards financial support to students with varying interests and research focuses. These awards are made possible by our generous donors, which include alumni, faculty, staff, industry and community members. Many of these funds are established in memory of beloved members of the SMEA community. Awardees are identified by SMEA leadership and faculty based on fund availability, student focus, and financial need. Below is a sampling from the 21-22 school year funding cycle.

Sidney D. Barbara F. Campbell Maritime Studies Endowed Fund           

Sidney and Barbara Campbell contributed greatly to the evolution of the maritime industry of the Pacific Northwest. Barbara’s grandparents, Andrew and Thea Foss, started the Foss Launch and Tug Company in 1889. Her father, Wedell Foss and uncles, Arthur and Henry built the company into a major Northwest firm in the early and middle 20th century. Sidney Campbell was named Vice President of Foss in the 1950s. He became President in 1964, Chairman in 1972, and eventually Chairman Emeritus. He led the company in major expansions in the post-war era and greatly expanded ocean and coastwise operations.

Campbell award recipients

Kurt Ellison

Class year 2023

A career mariner who is already familiar with the sector, Ellison strives to work on issues that will help the maritime industry achieve higher levels of sustainability and worker safety.

Nicolette Worrell

Class year 2022

Worrell is studying the changes of ocean current & sea ice patterns and river hydrology in the community of Kivalina, AK to assist with predicting future patterns and raise awareness to how climate change impacts the Arctic and its people.

Jay Ginter Memorial Scholarship

This award honors the memory of Jay Ginter, who graduated from SMEA in 1978 and spent his career with the National Marine Fisheries Service in Alaska, until his death in 2011. During Jay’s 30-year career with the National Marine Fisheries Service, he was recognized as an expert on “limited entry,” programs that limit participation in commercial fisheries to conserve fish stocks and preserve fishing opportunities. Jay was best known for his work on developing the Individual Fishing Quota Program for Alaskan Pacific halibut and sablefish fisheries, which turned a dangerous race-for-fish into a safer, more economically rational, and environmentally sound fishing business. He always said “fisheries management was about managing people; the fish got along quite well by themselves.”

Ginter award recipients

Connor Lewis-Smith

Class year 2022

As a young adult Lewis-Smith cultivated a passion for the environment and conservation while working in the education department at the Woodland Park Zoo and has focused his graduate studies on resilience in West Coast fishing communities.

Greg Papp

Class year 2022

Former East Coaster and US Navy helicopter pilot Greg Papp brings his singular perspective and career background to SMEA, and is working to examine international funding impacts and gaps for fisheries in low and middle-income countries.

Aileen San

Class year 2022

Aileen San fostered a love of fishing and marine policy at a young age and is researching the establishment of territorial-use rights in fisheries (TURFs) for small-scale artisanal fishing communities in El Corredor, Baja California Sur.

Monica Thom

Class year 2022

Thom, who joined SMEA with extensive experience in fisheries management from various organizations focused on the Pacific and Alaska, is interested science-based marine policy and management that promotes sustainable fisheries and an economically fair market.

Ed Miles Memorial Student Support Fund

This fund was created in memory of Professor Ed Miles, whose tenure at our institution spanned from its infancy as the Institute for Marine Studies to its current incarnation as the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs. Miles was a giant and luminary in the fields of marine affairs and climate change. With a deep curiosity and formidable intellect, he addressed some of the world’s most complex international science, technology and environmental management challenges.  His exuberant spirit elevated everyone around him. This fund stands as a tribute to the visionary citizen scientist and leader, mentor, teacher, colleague and friend that Ed was to so many.

Miles award recipients

Kathryn Loy

Class year 2022

Loy is focusing her studies on supporting cultural sustainability, food sovereignty, climate adaptation and knowledge sharing within Kivalina, AK.

Chase Puentes

Class year 2022

Puentes serves as Creative Director for Currents in addition to working as a SciComm Fellow in the College’s MarComm department and embarking on research assistantships with Dr. Patrick Christie and Dr. P. Joshua Griffin, whose work is focused in Kivalina, AK.

Kayla Stevenson

Class year 2022

Kayla is another member of the SMEA team focused on the Native community of Kivalina, Alaska, and hopes to develop an Arctic civic education project engaging in research about global citizenship and Arctic policy advocacy.

Philanthropy in Action is a new newsletter feature. This is a sampling of funds and does not reflect SMEA’s entire portfolio of philanthropy-supported graduate student awards.

To learn more about supporting SMEA students and faculty through establishing a named fellowship fund, professorship or endowment, please contact Associate Director for Advancement Andrew Storms at as89@uw.edu.

To support SMEA more broadly, consider making a gift to the McKernan Excellence Fund, which provides maximum financial flexibility for the School’s highest priorities.