| Faculty News

2026 SMEA Capstones & Theses: Advancing Interdisciplinary Solutions to Environmental Challenges

Congratulations to our soon-to-be grads for completing their Thesis and Capstone projects!

Check out their work below!

Thesis:
Anna Lewis Beyond Supply Chains: A just mining index for assessing critical mineral sources (10 a.m.) Link
Justin Hirsch Assessing the Prevalence of Forced Labor Indicators in the US North Pacific Albacore Tuna Fishery (10:30 a.m.) Link
Isaac Olson Comparing ocean acidification communication strategies and effectiveness in marine education centers (2:30 p.m.) Link
Emma Klessig How Countries Frame Their Climate Commitments: Explaining Cross-National Variation in NDC Policy Implementation Specificity (3 p.m.) Link
Hannah Brown Dungeness crab (Metacarcinus Magister) molt data utility in life-stage linkages and abundance estimates in Puget Sound (10:30 a.m.) Link
Emily Bews Predictive habitat suitability modeling of Nereocystis Luetkeana in San Juan County, WA (2 p.m.) Link
Meredith Dirkman Economic Valuation of the Ecosystem Services Provided by Nereocystis Luetkeana in the Puget Sound (2:30 p.m.) Link
Marisa Campbell A probabilistic framework for evaluating ship strike hazard and the effectiveness of vessel speed reduction policies (3 p.m.) Link
Maddie Gard Blooming Concerns: Alexandrium Catenella in Puget Sound (3:30 p.m.) Link

Capstones:
Maya Ades, Sawyer Jenkins, and Dietrich Trumen Assessing the Prevalence of Forced Labor Indicators in the US North Pacific Albacore Tuna Fishery (11 a.m.) Link
Rebecca Ballantyne, Margaret Jelsma, and Jane Wybenga Tribal Perspectives on Offshore Wind Development & Tribal Benefit Agreements (11:50 a.m.) Link
Eitan Gerstle, Erica Mackenzie, and Elise Wilson-Leedy Addressing Data Gaps and Coordination Challenges in Fish Barrier Removal in the South Whidbey Basin (1:45 p.m.) Link
Josh Hymes, Marrissa Scott, and Miriam Stearns Communicating Subsistence Management to Broaden Pathways for Public Engagement in Southeast Alaska (11 a.m.) Link
Will Burnham and Zoe DeGrande Taking Root: Reflections on Collaborative Food Forest Creation with Chief Leschi Schools (11:30 a.m.) Link