Written by: Carrie Schmaus
In June, I was fortunate to attend a week-long colloquium in Bozeman, Montana, entitled “Property Rights, Markets, and Freedom” that was held by the Property and Environment Research Center (PERC). During this colloquium, I met students from across the county to discuss numerous topics, ranging from the origin of human rights to the merits and dangers of privatizing federal lands. 

Written by Teressa Pucylowski
Oysters are a big deal in coastal Washington; they provide a source of food, economic profit, livelihood, and cultural tradition. Taylor Shellfish is the largest growing company in Washington State, making up the majority of oysters distributed and consumed. As a soon-to-be second year graduate student with the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, I have spent the last several months looking at the sustainability of oyster production. 

SMEA graduate students Megan Desillier, Seth Sivinski, and Nicole White recently completed a year long capstone project in which they worked with the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Office of Response and Restoration to understand how the world’s shipping dynamic has changed in recent years and how these emerging challenges in marine transportation will affect that dynamic. 

SMEA graduate student Jessica Hernandez recently organized a college immersion day for students from Chief Kitsap Academy. Chief Kitsap Academy is a tribal school with a program that is committed to the Suquamish Tribe’s mission of providing education that supports lifelong learning by respecting diversity and ancestral heritage through the acquisition of foundational knowledge, leadership, accountability, and critical thinking skills; providing students opportunities to acquire and practice leadership skills, integrity, honesty, teamwork, compassion, and communication skills. 

Congratulations to Brian Tracey for being part of the first cohort of students who make up the Husky 100!
The Husky 100 recognizes 100 UW undergraduate and graduate students from Bothell, Seattle and Tacoma in all areas of study who are making the most of their time at the UW. Through the Husky Experience, students discover their passions in life and work. 

Congratulations to SMEA students Maggie Allen and Hannah Russell! Maggie Allen won best graduate student presentation for her talk, “Stronger Together: The Cross-Cultural Coalition to Stop Fossil Fuel Exports in the Salish Sea”, which she presented at the 2016 Salish Sea Ecosystem conference in Vancouver, BC. Student judging was conducted by 140 judges of 85 student presentations. Hannah Russell was awarded the Graduate School Boeing International Fellowship for international study or research for the 2016–2017 academic year. 

SMEA second year students Maggie Allen and Danielle Holstein attended and presented at the International Congress for Conservation Biology in Montpellier, France this past August. 

SMEA students Lindsay Gordon and Grace Ferrara recently returned from a 3-day ‘think-tank’ in Honolulu, Hawaii where they focused on the Human Dimensions of Large-Scale Marine Protected Areas. This think-tank was hosted by large-scale marine protected area network Big Ocean and SMEA professor Patrick Christie along with other contributing organizations and sponsors such as National Geographic, NOAA, Conservation International, and Pew Charitable Trusts. 

The School of Marine and Environmental Affairs had a strong showing at this year’s Arctic Encounter Symposium, a yearly meeting hosted at the University of Washington’s Law School. Students and faculty were speakers, moderators, representatives of consulting firms, as well as there to just learn as much as possible from the diverse gathering. 

SMEA faculty and students have been out and about this fall quarter!
During the last week of October, SMEA Director Terrie Klinger, Professor Eddie Allison, Post-doctoral Researcher Nina Bednaršek and SMEA Graduate Student Hannah Bassett attended the IMBIZO IV conference in Trieste, Italy. The theme of IMBIZO IV was Marine and Human Systems: Addressing multiple scales and multiple stressors. Bassett presented a talk entitled “A Framework of Frameworks: Assessing existing tools for implementation of Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management (EBFM)”.