Why did you decide to pursue a Master of Marine Affairs?
When applying to graduate school, I was interested in studying climate change from a social science perspective. This is something that I started researching during my undergraduate studies and I was interested in finding a graduate program that would allow me to continue that research.
Describe your experience in applying to and selecting a graduate program. 

Grace Morris ’22 has been using her time as an MMA student in the School of Marine and Environmental Sciences to explore environmental justice for underserved communities in floodplain areas. At SMEA, she’s been a student in Dr. Cleo Wölfle-Hazard’s Freshwater Ecologies lab.  Her work alongside a team of other University of Washington students won 1st place and a $1000 scholarship at the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) 12th Annual Collegiate Student Paper Competition in Orlando, Florida on Thursday, May 19th! 

School of Marine and Environmental Affairs student Catalina Burch ’23 was awarded a competitive Graduate Student Research Award from the North Pacific Research Board (NPRB). “To encourage students to pursue scientific and scholarly research addressing ecosystem and fisheries management issues”, is what NPRB aims to accomplish with their graduate student funding. Since 2008, NPRB has funded 68 students through the program. 

The College of the Environment at the University of Washington is slated to recognize its award recipients at a college-wide celebration on Tuesday, May 3rd.  Among those recognized will be two students with ties to the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs; current first-year student Bryce Lewis-Smith and incoming student Aina Hori.
Lewis-Smith is being honored with the Outstanding Community Impact award, for which nominees can be faculty, staff, or students from across the College. 

In just a few weeks, the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs will showcase an impressive slate of presentations featuring the hard work SMEA students have put into their theses, as well as a final Capstone Presentation for a group whose work was impacted by the pandemic. The thesis presentations happening on Friday, May 13th will be offered in a hybrid format, so people who are on campus can participate in MAR 168, while folks who need to join online can do so. 

School of Marine and Environmental Affairs Director Dr. Nives Dolšak has been appointed to the Washington Coastal Marine Advisory Council (WCMAC) by Governor Jay Inslee. Effective immediately Prof. Dolšak will occupy the Education Position on the Council.

WCMAC was established by the Washington State Legislature in 2013 as a forum to represent the interests of coastal residents of Washington’s outer coast.  

Current SMEA student, Andrea Richter-Sanchez ’23 will be spending her summer with the Surfrider Foundation, an organization “dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s ocean, waves and beaches, for all people, through a powerful activist network”.
Richter-Sanchez will be serving as the Coasts and Climate Graduate student intern, and will hold the position for the duration of the ten week internship beginning in June and ending in August, before returning to SMEA for Fall Quarter. 

US Coast Guard Vice Commandant Admiral Linda Fagan ’00  was nominated to head the US Coast Guard, as announced by the Biden Administration on Tuesday, April 5th, 2022. Adm. Fagan would become the first woman to lead a branch of the US military.
Fagan is a graduate of the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, completing a thesis entitled “Improving the quality of information in the marine transportation system: an exercise in risk reduction”. 

The School of Marine & Environmental Affairs will hold its next faculty meeting on Thursday, April 7, 12:00pm. Please see below for details on how to join;
In person @ Ocean Sciences Building, Room 203 or
Zoom Online Meeting
https://washington.zoom.us/j/94705406674
Phone In
1-206-337-9723
Meeting ID: 947 0540 6674
A copy of the meeting agenda can be found here. Please contact Jackie Chapman (jachap@uw.edu) with any questions or for more information. 

The School of Marine and Environmental Affairs is continuing to make their quarterly Speakers Series available virtually to create easier access for students, alumni, and friends to participate in the presentations and discussions.
This quarter’s lineup features four speakers offering a wide variety of topics:
Thursday, April 14, 12-1 pm: Eréndira Aceves Bueno, Assistant Professor, University of Washington, School of Marine and Environmental Affairs will present “Overcoming barriers to coastal governance in Mexico”.