Three School of Marine and Environmental Affairs faculty members recently participated in the University of Washington College of the Environment’s inaugural Community-Engaged Research Symposium. The event brought together researchers, students, and community partners from across the College to showcase community-engaged research and foster new collaborations.
Representing SMEA were Professor Patrick Christie, Associate Professor Anne Beaudreau, and Professor of Practice Phil Levin. 

The School of Marine and Environmental Affairs will hold its next faculty meeting on Thursday, June 4th, at 12:00 pm. Please see below for location details:
MAR Room 268 or via Zoom
A copy of the meeting agenda is provided, 6-4-26 Faculty Meeting Agenda .docx. Please contact Hailie Borges (hrb25@uw.edu) with any questions or for more information. 

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 

SMEA second-year student Maddie Gard participated in the Washington Ocean Acidification Center’s spring research cruise aboard the Rachel Carson UW vessel from April 13–17.
The cruise, conducted three times annually throughout Puget Sound, supports long-term monitoring of ocean conditions and collects a wide range of environmental data, including eDNA samples.
During the cruise, Maddie worked alongside the research team to deploy the CTD and process water samples in the ship’s wet lab for chlorophyll measurements and eDNA preservation. 

The School of Marine and Environmental Affairs is excited to host the 2026 SMEA Spring Presentations on Friday, May 15 and Friday, May 22.
Over the course of two presentation days, SMEA students will share their thesis and capstone research addressing a wide range of marine and environmental challenges. Presentation topics include climate policy implementation, offshore wind development, fisheries management, ocean acidification communication, harmful algal blooms, ecosystem restoration, kelp habitat modeling, and tribal partnerships. 

Join us on May 15th and May 22nd for our graduates’ Capstone and Thesis projects. Check out the lineup below!! 

This spring, Eitan Gerstle, 2nd year SMEA student, spent time in the Stillaguamish River estuary contributing to ongoing research on estuary restoration and its benefits for salmon and their prey.
Working as a research assistant with Dr. Anne Beaudreau, Eitan joined collaborators from The Nature Conservancy, Skagit River System Cooperative, and the Stillaguamish Tribe to help monitor ecological changes in restored estuarine habitats. 

The School of Marine and Environmental Affairs will hold its next faculty meeting on Thursday, May 7th, at 12:00 pm. Please see below for location details:
MAR Room 268 or via Zoom
A copy of the meeting agenda, 5-7-26 Faculty Meeting Agenda.docx is provided. Please contact Hailie Borges (hrb25@uw.edu) with any questions or for more information.
  

SMEA alum Max Perkins has published his first lead-author paper in Ecosystem Services, titled “Exploring the disaster risk reduction and energy resilience benefits of coastal ecosystems and protected areas in Puerto Rico.” The paper was co-authored with SMEA Affiliate Faculty member Katir Arkema and colleagues.
In this research, Max applies a spatial model to identify where coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrasses help mitigate coastal hazard risks to nearshore energy infrastructure. 

The University of Washington School of Marine and Environmental Affairs (SMEA) is proud to highlight the work of postdoctoral scholar Kristen Marie Green, Ph.D., whose research sits at the intersection of coastal resilience, food systems, and community wellbeing.
An interdisciplinary social scientist, Dr. Green focuses on how coastal communities adapt to climate change and other environmental and economic stressors, particularly within fisheries and aquaculture systems.