Why did you decide to pursue a Master of Marine Affairs?
All throughout high school and college I was very focused on the hard sciences. I majored in microbiology and for a while I wanted to become a professor and work in research. During an internship with Oregon Sea Grant, I had the chance to listen to Dr. Jane Lubchenco, the former director of NOAA, speak about her time in Washington D.C. 

Professor Eddie Allison was a co-author on two articles published today in Nature. The article ‘Bright spots among the world’s coral reefs‘ is one of the largest global studies of its kind. Nearly 40 scientists from 34 different universities and conservation groups conducted the research. Professor Allison reviewed more than 6,000 reef surveys in 46 countries across the globe, and discovered 15 bright spots — places where, against all odds, there were a lot more fish on coral reefs than expected. 

Assistant Professor Ryan Kelly and Professor Nives Dolšak were both recently featured in articles discussing water and the valuable, as well as harmful things it can contain.
An article published in The Mercury News took a look at eDNA as a new tool for marine biologists. As the article explains, Professor Kelly and other scientists took stock of the marine mammals and fish in Monterey Bay in a study designed to show how eDNA stacks up against traditional dive surveys. 

How did you decide to become a professor?
Sometimes you have to take a leap to get what you really want. I was on a narrow path, teaching math in a two-year college while working on my Ph.D., when a terrific opportunity presented itself—a post-doctoral fellowship in marine policy at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Although I very much enjoyed the teaching I was doing, I came to realize that teaching alone was not enough, I also wanted to remain an active researcher. 

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. 

Congratulations to Professor Nives Dolšak and SMEA Alum Sophia Amberson on their latest publications!
Dolšak’s paper titled “Factors impacting investments in energy efficiency and clean technologies: Empirical evidence from Slovenian manufacturing firms” examines factors impacting firms’ decisions to invest in energy efficiency and clean technologies. Based on the paper’s findings, it can be concluded that the energy efficiency gap is less likely to exist in large and well-performing firms, implying that policy measures should primarily target less energy intensive, small and medium-sized enterprises. 

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. 

SMEA alum Mikaela Freeman’s newly published thesis ‘Assessing potential spatial and temporal conflicts in Washington’s marine waters’ is now out in Marine Policy. Applying spatial analysis to current ocean uses in Washington to highlight areas of high- and low- potential conflict offshore, as well as learning GIS along the way, Mikaela looked at the ongoing process of marine spatial planning. The study represents a first step towards quantifying potential conflicts within Washington’s Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) study area by using a cumulative analysis to highlight high- and low-use intensity areas and the novel Marine Potential Conflict Index (MPCI), which incorporates space, time, and intensity of use, to quantify pairwise potential conflicts between uses. 

Why did you decide to pursue a Master of Marine Affairs?
I studied Marine Affairs & Policy in Undergraduate at University of Miami. I had originally started out as a Marine Biology major, but after a couple years, I realized that what is done with scientific knowledge is just as important as the science itself. I saw this while studying abroad in the Galapagos, where I was exposed to the social, political, and economic issues surrounding the marine environment. 

Professor Tom Leschine was recognized by the College of the Environment for his Outstanding Community Impact. The award recognizes individuals who through stakeholder engagement inspire, and drives interactive uses of environmental science and information to impact the broader community. Tom’s efforts to advance environmental quality at a national level and in Washington state were just some of the examples cited during the college’s award ceremony.