On Monday, May 24, 12:30 PM PST the School of Marine & Environmental Affairs (SMEA) will host candidate Dr Yoshitaka Ota for the position of Professor of Practice. Please join SMEA as Dr. Ota presents his research. Details on the talk below:
“My outline of theory of practice for oceans”
Since when has the ocean become a boundary object that reinforces the dichotomy between nature and culture? 

Several students nearing graduation will be presenting their thesis research on Friday, May 14th. In pursuit of their Master’s of Marine Affairs, students may elect to complete a collaborative capstone project, focus on courses-only, or complete thesis research. Under the guidance of their faculty advisor, student presenters have worked for nearly the last two years on projects of their design.  This series of presentations represents the culmination of this work. 

Why did you decide to pursue a Master of Marine Affairs?
About ten years ago I started organizing back in my hometown in the San Francisco Bay Area, working on everything from anti-eviction campaigns to wetland protection campaigns and local election campaigns. When I went back to school some years later to finish my bachelor’s degree, I was excited to be thinking about and working in marine science again, but I was bummed that the policy and advocacy work I was doing had to take a backseat to my education. 

Marine heatwaves in the Gulf of Alaska have led to lower growth, body condition, and survival for many fish species, but young sablefish (blackcod) have thrived. Juvenile sablefish can grow very quickly in these warmer temperatures, as long as they have access to high quality food. In a new publication, authored in part by Dr. Anne Beaudreau, fat storage and growth of sablefish was measured over their first two years of life to better understand their survival strategies. 

The School of Marine & Environmental Affairs will hold its next faculty meeting on Thursday, May 6, 12:00 – 12:55 pm. Please see below for details on how to join;
Zoom Online Meeting
https://washington.zoom.us/j/91616868033?pwd=a2VKYzIxSnF5YVg0blMxMmFrWVgvZz09
Phone In
1-206-337-9723
Meeting ID: 916 1686 8033
Passcode: 613105
A copy of the meeting agenda can be found here. Please contact Jackie Chapman (jachap@uw.edu) with any questions or for more information. 

School of Marine & Environmental Affairs (SMEA) Professor and Director Nives Dolšak, University of Washington (UW) Political Science Doctoral Student Rachel Castellano, and UW Director of the Center for Environmental Politics Aseem Prakash recently wrote an article published on PLOS ONE titled “Willingness to help climate migrants: A survey experiment in the Korail slum of Dhaka, Bangladesh.”
Bangladesh faces a severe rural to urban migration challenge, which is accentuated by climate change and the Rohingya crisis. 

SMEA alumna Vice Adm. Linda L. Fagan has been nominated by the White House to be the next Vice Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard.
She currently serves as the commander of the Coast Guard Pacific Area, overseeing all Coast Guard missions from the Rocky Mountains to the waters off the East Coast of Africa. Fagan concurrently serves as commander, Defense Force West and provides Coast Guard mission support to the Department of Defense and Combatant Commanders. 

Spring Quarter brings a new slate of speakers for the SMEA Environmental Justice Speakers Series. Events will continue to be virtual through Spring Quarter, occur on Thursdays beginning at 12:00pm until 1:00pm PST, and are open to all. To RSVP please email SMEA Program Coordinator, Leah Quinn (leahq@uw.edu).
 
April 29: Scott Schuyler, Natural Resources Director, Upper Skagit Tribe
If you’ve caught King5 news lately, chances are you’ve seen Scott and his important work to raise awareness of the impacts of hydropower dams on the Skagit River and the detrimental impacts felt by his tribe, including the environmental concerns. 

School of Marine & Environmental Affairs Professor Cleo Woelfle-Erskine and Comparative History of Ideas Department and Program on the Environment Lecturer July Hazard put together a series to ask “what is queer ecology?” The series includes climate scientists, ecologists, choreographers, poets, and creatives who each share unique perspectives on how queer and trans identities can and do play important roles in shifting the way we think about the sciences and our relations with the more-than-human.  

Gakushi Ishimura, a School of Marine Affairs (SMA) alumnus, was one of nine distinguished conservation researchers from around the world that were named 2021 recipients of the Pew fellowship in marine conservation. The program was created to provide support to midcareer experts seeking solutions to the challenges affecting the world’s oceans.
Gakushi will examine how fisheries and coastal communities respond to extreme events, such as natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic, to inform marine conservation strategies in Japan.