Why did you decide to come to UW’s SMEA for graduate school?
After graduating UW as an undergraduate I took a few years off to work as a seasonal environmental consultant to gain hands on professional  experience in the marine science realm.   I was interested  in going back to grad school, but I wanted to make sure that I could make a living.   

The School of Marine & Environmental Affairs is excited to launch their Fall Quarter Environmental Justice Speakers Series beginning with the first talk on October 15th.
The series this quarter features a variety of speakers all of whom will address unique aspects of environmental justice from their work, research, and/or advocacy. Each talk takes place on a Thursday from 12:00-1:00pm PST via Zoom. 

The School of Marine & Environmental Affairs will hold its faculty meeting Thursday, October 1, 1:00 – 2:30 pm. Please see below for details on how to join;
Zoom Online Meeting
https://washington.zoom.us/j/96715942365?pwd=K3JxOXI0cDVCU1Y2SFYyYnFVZDFYdz09
Phone In
1-206-337-9723
Meeting ID: 967 1594 2365
Passcode: 802367
A copy of the meeting agenda can be found here. 

SMEA Professor Cleo Woelfle-Erskine is part of a Simpson Center initiative for trans students, postdocs, staff, and faculty. The tri-campus online writing group for trans faculty, staff, and graduate students who work across the University of Washington system is part of the Imagining Trans Futures crossdisciplinary research group, funded by the Simpson Center. Whether working on a book, journal article, dissertation, or a creative project, this group will provide community and accountability for trans scholars in the UW system. 

Despite the COVID-19 disruption, 10 SMEA students took part in presenting their Capstone Project to the broader SMEA community and their clients via Zoom in mid-March, while 14 students delivered Thesis Presentations in early May or early June. Students were able to share their findings and learning with family, alumni, faculty, staff, and fellow students, gather feedback from those listening in, and had the opportunity to incorporate these takeaways in their final edition. 

Dr. P. Joshua Griffin joined SMEA as an Assistant Professor last fall, and also holds a position in the American Indian Studies department. Dr. Griffin, or Griff as he’s known around campus, holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies and Religious Studies from Dartmouth College. He then went onto earn a Master’s of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School, and followed that with a Master’s in Sociocultural Anthropology from the University of Washington. 

Dear Friends of SMEA,
Greetings. I trust all of you are in good health. As we begin the new academic year in a few days, I want to reflect on our accomplishments and vision for the future. The COVID outbreak and the pandemic of violence against Black people have raised important issues for our communities and have deeply influenced our teaching, research, and service. 

Securing equitable access to healthy environment, open space, and sustainably harvested natural resources, ensuring all voices are heard, and protecting the natural environment for future generations are among the core values that inform and motivate SMEA research, teaching, and outreach. SMEA faculty, staff, and students have all been interrogating ways in which the School might become more effective agents of change to answer the calls for social justice. 

Career News:
Danielle (Rioux) Blacklock ’09 was selected as the next director of NOAA Fisheries’
Office of Aquaculture. Danielle began her new post in mid-March, continuing her decade-long service to NOAA. Most recently, she was the Senior Policy Advisor for Aquaculture at NOAAA Fisheries. Danielle was kind enough to serve as one of the inaugural speakers for the SMEA Speakers Series, and offered a talk “Untapped Potential: Marine Aquaculture in the United States”. 

Recent SMEA Graduates Elise Lasky, Emily Buckner, and Henry Bell have been awarded the Washington Sea Grant Hershman Fellowship for 2020-2021. This fellowship places highly motivated, qualified individuals with marine and coastal host offices throughout Washington, providing fellows with a unique perspective on building marine policy and allowing them to share their academic expertise with the host offices.
This year’s host offices include the Washington State Department of Ecology, the Pacific Northwest Crab Research Group and the Port of Seattle.