Alumna Ann Farr graduated from the School of Marine Affairs in 1982 and is now an Environmental Manager/State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Responsible Official for two major port projects on the Columbia River. We had a chance to catch up with Ann and hear about her job, her time at SMA, and advice she has for current SMEA students.
Can you give us a brief description of what you do? 

SMEA alumni were instrumental in working across the Senate aisle on S. 2511, the “Commercial Engagement through Ocean Technology (CENOTE) Act,” which was signed by President Trump on December 21, 2018. This legislation, advanced by U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), instructs NOAA to expand the use of unmanned maritime systems technology for collecting ocean data that can be used for academic, national security, and commercial purposes. 

By Spencer Showalter
NGO Sector
Sascha Peterson, Class of 2007
Founder and Director of Adaptation International

What has your career path looked like since SMEA?

I did my thesis work at SMA with Ed Miles and Tom Leschine focused on bridging the gap between science and policy in climate change. After graduation, I worked briefly for the Climate Impacts Group at UW helping to develop the first state wide sea level rise projections. 

Alumnus Dan R. Herlihy graduated from the School of Marine Affairs in 1985 and is now a Senior Marine Consultant for the The Gerson Lehrman Group. We had a chance to catch up with Dan and hear about his job, his time at SMA, and advice he has for current SMEA students.
Can you give us a brief description of what you do? 

Congratulations to SMEA alum Courtney Greiner, Professor Terrie Klinger and co-authors on their recent publication in the Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology titled “Habitat effects of macrophytes and shell on carbonate chemistry and juvenile clam recruitment, survival, and growth.” The article is based on Greiner’s thesis research, which investigated the collective effect of two ocean acidification adaptation strategies; shell hash and macrophytes. 

By Kaitlin Lebon
Graduate school is challenging. While some students enter SMEA fully prepared with a preconceived thesis project, others can be stumped. Funding, or lack thereof, is a reality for some incoming SMEA students and can influence a student’s approach to thesis or capstone work. For those students, it can be difficult to know where to start looking for ideas or connections. 

Alumna Breena Apgar-Kurtz graduated from the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs in 2012 and is now a Fishery Management Biologist for the Lummi Nation. We had a chance to catch up with Breena and hear about her job, her time at SMEA, and advice she has for current SMEA students.
Can you give us a brief description of what you do? 

Congratulations to former SMEA Assistant Professor Kiki Jenkins, former SMEA Postdoc Stacia Dreyer and several SMEA alums on the recent publication of their work Human dimensions of tidal energy: A review of theories and frameworks. This paper was published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, and provides a comprehensive review of theories and frameworks for understanding and managing human dimensions of tidal energy, including several theories about the human aspect of the innovation of emerging renewable energy technologies. 

Alumnus Wataru Tanoue graduated from the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs in 2015 and is now the Assistant Director of the International Affairs Division for the Fisheries Agency, Government of Japan. We had a chance to catch up with Wataru and hear about his job, his time at SMEA, and advice he has for current SMEA students.
Can you give us a brief description of what you do? 

SMEA Professors Patrick Christie and David Fluharty, SMEA alumna Haley Kennard and co-authors recently published a paper in Ocean & Coastal Management titled “Policy pivot in Puget Sound: Lessons learned from marine protected areas and tribally-led estuarine restoration.” The paper’s authors examine two approaches to restore the Puget Sound basin in light of multiple drivers of change that place an accelerating squeeze on marine and coastal habitats and limit their ability to provide ecosystem services; Marine Protected Area (MPA) designation and estuary restoration (ER).