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Congratulations SMEA Class of 2023!

On Thursday, June 8th, 2023 the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs held its graduation ceremony.

A welcome was given by SMEA Associate Director, Ryan Kelly, followed by opening remarks from the College of the Environment Dean, Maya Tolstoy, and special keynote speaker Stephen Metruck, Port of Seattle Executive Director. Graduating students Andrea Richter-Sanchez and Kurt Ellison were nominated as class speakers.

41 students will receive their MMA degrees in 2022.

Congratulations!

First Name Last Name Track Advisor Project Title/Capstone Focus
Lucy Bowser Capstone Dave Fluharty Improving capacity of governments and the fisheries sector to conserve marine biodiversity through the use of ‘other effective area-based conservation measures’
Catalina Burch Thesis Anne Beaudreau Temperature effects on spatiotemporal patterns of forage fish and crustaceans in Gulf of Alaska groundfish diets
Kellie Cutsinger Capstone Cleo Woelfle Hazard Community-based Mitigation and Adaptive Strategies for River Flooding and Erosion in Alaska Native Communities
Molly Daly Capstone Nives Dolsak Evaluation of Multi-level Governance for Conserving Migratory Species in the Puget Sound
Lucia Davids Courses-only Erendira Aceves-Bueno Pathways Intern with NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service
Sarah Davidson Capstone Dave Fluharty Improving capacity of governments and the fisheries sector to conserve marine biodiversity through the use of ‘other effective area-based conservation measures’
Erika De la Rosa Courses-Only Dave Fluharty Fisheries (& Aquaculture) Management, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, and Climate Change: Adaptive Capacity & Environmental Justice
Elley Donnelly Capstone Nives Dolsak Evaluation of Multi-level Governance for Conserving Migratory Species in the Puget Sound
Gabriela Dunn Courses-Only Anne Beaudreau NOAA Pathways:
NMFS WCR Protected Resource Division, Southern Resident Killer Whale Recovery
Kurt Ellison Thesis P. Joshua Griffin Changing Tack: Equity, Offshore Wind, & Maritime Labor
Kristin Hayman Thesis Phil Levin Carbon & Health Co-Benefits of Afforestation & Avoided Forest Conversion in the Puget Sound Region
Maddie Hicks Capstone Cleo Woelfle Hazard Sahpihnîich (Beaver) Research and Recovery in the Klamath River Watershed
Luke Hiserman Capstone Patrick Christie Finding Common Ground: Communicating Across Borders to Restore the Salish Sea
Olivia Horwedel Capstone P. Joshua Griffin Sea Otter Reintroductions: Honoring Relationality and Balance on the Coast
Kathryn Husiak Capstone Sunny Jardine Restoration in the Lower Duwamish River: Understanding Community Stakeholders and their River Use Preferences
Asiya Hussein Courses-Only Nives Dolsak Environmental Education, Ethics, and Feminist Theory
Isabel Jamerson Capstone P. Joshua Griffin Sea Otter Reintroductions: Honoring Relationality and Balance on the Coast
Andrew Kenefick Courses-only Ryan Kelly Trout and Salmon Conservation and Ocean Plastics Pollution
Hannah King Capstone Cleo Woelfle Hazard Sahpihnîich (Beaver) Research and Recovery in the Klamath River Watershed
Danny Kosiba Capstone P. Joshua Griffin Sea Otter Reintroductions: Honoring Relationality and Balance on the Coast
Isabel Lavallee Thesis P. Joshua Griffin Borderlands & Šu ̇yu ̇ł, Hippoglossus stenolepis: a Transnational Kin Study of ƛušu ̇ ʔa & łułubałid
Bryce Lewis-Smith Thesis P. Joshua Griffin Grounded Constellations: Networks of Nourishment and Support Amongst Indigenous Resurgent Movements
Noah Linck Courses-Only Ryan Kelly Community Decarbonization and Energy Equity on the Olympic Peninsula
Katie Love Courses-Only Terrie Klinger Pathways Intern – NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region Communications and External Affairs Division
Ellie Mason Thesis Anne Beaudreau Adaptive capacity of the Maine lobster fishery: Insights from the Maine Fishermen’s Climate Roundtable
Courtney Moulton Courses-Only Erendira Aceves-Bueno Freshwater ecology and conservation
Mallory Muna Thesis Yoshi Ota Occupied Oceans, Submerged Sovereignty: Marine Conservation and Chamorro Dispossession in the Northern Mariana Islands
Xavier Nelson-Rowntree Capstone Dave Fluharty Improving capacity of governments and the fisheries sector to conserve marine biodiversity through the use of ‘other effective area-based conservation measures’
Leslie Nguyen Thesis Nives Dolsak Evaluating tenant relocation outcomes from flood-related voluntary property buyouts in the U.S.
Adrien Owens Thesis Yoshi Ota Local Perspectives and Cultural Values in Relation to “El Projecto Techos de Esperanza,” Bocas del Toro, Panamá
Andrea Richter-Sanchez Courses-Only Terrie Klinger Blue carbon, coastal policy, sea level rise, and climate change solutions
Jessica Rose Capstone Patrick Christie Finding Common Ground: Communicating Across Borders to Restore the Salish Sea
Alana Santana Capstone Anne Beaudreau Visualizing ESA-listed fish research in the west coast region
Emma Scalisi Thesis Anne Beaudreau Stewardship, advocacy, and knowledge in Juneau-area fisheries
Caitie Sheban Capstone Sunny Jardine Restoration in the Lower Duwamish River: Understanding Community
Stakeholders and their River Use Preferences
Rory Spurr Capstone Anne Beaudreau Visualizing ESA-listed fish research in the west coast region
Ivana Suradja Thesis Erendira Aceves-Bueno Navigating Socio-Economic Shocks: An Examination of Coastal Tourism in Indonesia Amidst COVID-19
Hannah Tennent Capstone Sunny Jardine Restoration in the Lower Duwamish River: Understanding Community
Stakeholders and their River Use Preferences
Kris Thompson Capstone Patrick Christie Finding Common Ground: Communicating Across Borders to Restore the Salish Sea
Sophie Wang Courses-Only Sunny Jardine
Amelia Wells Capstone Cleo Woelfle Hazard Community-based Mitigation and Adaptive Strategies for River Flooding and Erosion in Alaska Native Communities

In honor of the Class of 2023, SMEA will be contributing $1,000 to the budgets of our Student Environmental Affairs Society (SEAS), the JEDI Committee, and the SMEA Diversity Forum. We hope these contributions in honor of the class of 2023 will expand the opportunities, connections, and community building amongst our students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

Likewise, in appreciation of the 2023 College of the Environment graduating class, the College is partnering with the Campus Sustainability Fund to help fund the Resiliency Tunnel Project for the UW Farm, a student powered urban farm that provides locally grown produce to UW and the greater community through local partners and the UW Food Pantry. This gift will help fund the construction of a high tunnel, a USDA-approved method for season extension, to protect crops and extend the production season by multiple months. This project will incorporate small scale solar and rainwater catchment systems and provide an educational space for the community. We are excited to support this project and the increased sustainability of our Husky community.

We also congratulate graduate Leslie Nguyen, who has been awarded both the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) & Community Service Award and the McKernan Prize for Most Outstanding SMEA Thesis. The JEDI award recognizes a student for their hard work in advancing efforts of equity and inclusion. It honors a current SMEA student who used their voice to advance JEDI efforts in marine and environmental affairs. The McKernan Award honors a SMEA thesis, which recognizes and addresses a persistent or newly emerging problem. It should clearly reflect SMEA’s MMA curriculum while incorporating social and natural sciences, demonstrating broad applications of research, and embody publishable work.

Congratulations, Leslie and the entire class of 2023!