Several SMEA graduates go on to complete year-long fellowships through programs like Washington Sea Grant and NOAA. Below, a few alumni share their fellowship experiences and how SMEA prepared them for these roles.

What is this column?  We are experimenting with ways to engage with our alumni and to inspire current students with their accomplishments. This section is a random walk through what we’ve recently observed about or heard from alumni.  Please keep Graduate Program Advisor, Tiffany Comtois-Dion up to date with your accomplishments and changes in location or employment. (tlcdion@uw.edu) 

About Featured Alumni: Each issue we feature an Alum to show in depth how SMEA has been part of their career trajectory in order to celebrate their accomplishments and to inform and inspire current students and our alumni about their education. In this issue, we feature an alumna whose career so far has been with the US Coast Guard (USCG).  SMEA has benefitted enormously from the mid-career officers and officers mustering out of the USCG.  Amanda Fisher SMEA in mid-career and graduated in 2010.  She is now retiring after 21 years of service and is contemplating how to share her expertise with SMEA and launch the next stage of her career.

Congratulations to Aina Hori, a recent SMEA graduate, who was selected as a finalist for the John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship! The Knauss Fellowship is a prestigious one-year fellowship awarded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Sea Grant College Program.

The UW School of Marine and Environmental Affairs (SMEA) invites applications for a tenure-track position in Coastal and Environmental Affairs at the level of Assistant Professor.

Written by SMEA Professor, Terrie Klinger
In March, 1989, the T/V Exxon Valdez famously—and catastrophically—ran aground on Bligh Reef in the Gulf of Alaska. All sorts of agencies and entities initiated all sorts of emergency responses to investigate the incident, remove the oil, and assess damages to marine and cultural resources, among other objectives. The region was ill-prepared for the intense activity that ensued—manpower was scant, available boats were too few, and communications infrastructure was inadequate. 

We are so excited to announce our Fall Quarter SMEA Speaker Series dates and presenters! This quarter’s lineup features speakers offering a wide variety of topics:

This past summer, Professor Nives Dolšak collaborated with students from her Spring 2024 undergraduate course, ENVIR/SMEA 201: Climate Governance. These students volunteered to analyze climate action initiatives during the 2023-24 session of the Washington State Legislature. Their findings, presented in a comprehensive report and an interactive ArcGIS story map, are now available for viewing here.
 
  

The School of Marine and Environmental Affairs will hold its next faculty meeting on Tuesday, October 8, at 3:30 pm. Please see below for location details:
Marine Studies Building (MAR) Room 268 or via Zoom: https://washington.zoom.us/j/3779285055?omn=93924078637
A copy of the meeting agenda is provided. Please contact Kiley Pazcoguin (kpaz@uw.edu) with any questions or for more information. 

The U.S. Secretary of Commerce announced that Jamie Goen, Executive Director of Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers and SMEA alum, has been appointed to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC)