SMEA alumna Lindsay Gordon is helping bring global attention to climate change and sea-level rise through film as the Impact Producer of the award-winning documentary Oceania: Journey to the Center. The feature-length film tells the story of life on an atoll in the Pacific island nation of Kiribati, which scientists predict could become uninhabitable by 2030 due to rising sea levels and warming temperatures driven by climate change. 

The School of Marine and Environmental Affairs (SMEA) at the University of Washington is pleased to announce that Dr. Shana Hirsch will join the faculty as an Assistant Professor beginning in Fall 2026.
Dr. Hirsch is a qualitative social scientist with a background in natural resource politics, policy, and management. Her research focuses on emerging technologies and their impact on individuals, communities, and policies related to sustainability and equity. 

Since graduating from SMEA in 2023, Andrew Kenfick has continued his work in salmon conservation, transforming a classroom policy analysis into proposed state legislation.
Andrew co-drafted a bill for the Washington state Legislature to ban the chemical 6PPD from tires sold in Washington. Used since the 1960’s to prevent tire cracking and degradation, 6PPD transforms in the environment into 6PPD-quinone, a pollutant so toxic that even small amounts can kill juvenile and adult coho salmon. 

George Thomas Jr. recently celebrated a major milestone: research connected to his floating wetlands capstone project was published in Science Direct. The multi-year capstone brought together several SMEA alumni (classes of 2019,2020, and 2021), and Geogre continued contributing to the work after graduation, serving as a co-author on the newly published article through ScienceDirect titled “Water Quality benefits of a nature-based solution: Constructed floating wetlands tested on two urban waterways”. 

SMEA alumnus Ethan Lucas co-authored a new report with FishWise titled Establishing Guidance for FIP Product Verification. The report examines challenges in verifying seafood products that claim to originate from Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs), including limited traceability, inconsistent definitions of participation, and reliance on self-reported data.
Drawing on research focused on Peru and Ecuador’s mahi-mahi fisheries, the report proposes two approaches to strengthen verification: a baseline procedure to confirm industry participation in FIPs and an advanced audit procedure that links products to documented harvest events. 

SMEA alumna Teagan Darmondy has been selected as part of the inaugural cohort of the Washington Sea Grant (WSG) Coastal Resilience Fellowship. The new fellowship provides a two-year educational and professional development opportunity for emerging leaders working to strengthen coastal resilience across Washington.
The WSG Coastal Resilience Fellowship places fellows within partner host offices where they will help build capacity for coastal communities facing environmental and climate-related challenges. 

Jeffery Randell began his time at SMEA while serving on active duty in the United States Coast Guard, and he continues that service today. Currently stationed in Key West, Florida, Jeffrey serves as the Director of Joint Interagency Task Force South, leading a multi-agency, international effort focused on countering illicit trafficking in the maritime domain.
In his current role, Jeffrey oversees coordinated operations among U.S. 

Sean Hastings is a leader in marine policy and conservation, working at the intersection of ocean management and industry collaboration. He is a co-founder of Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies, a voluntary Vessel Speed Reduction program operating off the California Coast. The Initiative partners with county air districts, national marine sanctuaries, and the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation to encourage shipping companies to slow down in key areas, reducing fatal ship strikes on endangered whales while also cutting air pollution. 

Erick Dowell, a 2024 graduate of SMEA, is currently a Washington Sea Grant Fellow (WSG) working with the Puget Sound Restoration Fund. His work sits at the intersection of marine restoration and sustainable agriculture, building innovative partnerships across land and sea.
Through his fellowship, Erick collaborates with shellfish farmers to design harvest and processing methods for a nuisance seaweed, Ulva (Commonly known as sea lettuce), which can foul aquaculture gear and negatively impact shellfish production. 

SMEA faculty P. Joshua Griffin and Erendira Aceves‑Bueno, along with collaborators, co‑authored a new article in Restoration Ecology titled “Environmental justice in ecosystem restoration frameworks.” This research provides a systematic review of global restoration frameworks and reveals a significant gap: most current approaches to ecosystem restoration do not explicitly integrate environmental justice principles.
The article not only identifies this gap but also proposes a novel restoration framework that centers on recognition, procedural justice, and community empowerment throughout the restoration planning and implementation process.