What led you to pursue a Master of Marine Affairs?
After completing my Bachelor of Commerce degree, I was fortunate enough to be able to travel and work internationally. During these pursuits I was constantly astonished at the variety of ways humans interact with the marine environment, how it shapes our lives and how we in turn shape it. The drive to understand how we can manage this interaction to best protect the natural environment while safeguarding the ocean as the key resources it is brought me to my interest in a Masters of Marine Affairs. 

SMEA alum and current UW law student Raz Barnea (MMA ’14) was recently featured on the UW homepage in an article discussing his dedication to serving the public through his time in the Peace Corps, his world travels, and the knowledge he’s gained from his UW degree programs.
To read about Raz’s belief in in giving back to the community and his part in public service through a two-year Peace Corps post in Jamaica, check out the article http://www.washington.edu/boundless/a-promise-to-the-public/. 

SMEA 1st year student Jessica Hernandez was selected as a UW Graduate School Latino/a Scholars Graduate School Fellowship (LSGSF) recipient for the 2015-16 academic year. Jessica has been recognized for her academic research, work, and/or service demonstrating her strong commitment to Latino/a communities.
Administered by the UW Graduate School Graduate Opportunities & Minority Achievement Program (GO-MAP), LSGSF awardees become part of the GO-MAP Graduate Diversity Fellows cohort and are invited to participate in GO-MAP programming and events throughout their graduate studies at the UW. 

How did you decide to become a professor?
I decided to become a professor when I was an undergraduate student. Since my sophomore year, I was a teaching assistant first for micro economics and then for business statistics. Those years combining the learning and teaching were intellectually most invigorating. I knew I wanted a profession that would enable me to keep doing both. 

What led you to pursue a Master of Marine Affairs? 
Through my study and research at school, I realized the gap between scientific research and policy making. Most policy makers in marine conservation in China are biologists who are more concerned about natural efficiency rather than focusing on the interaction between ecosystem and human beings. I am curious about how to bridge the gap and would like to take a new perspective to look at the marine system. 

SMEA rising 2nd year student, Hilary Polis, presented her research at the Offshore Renewable Energy and the Public session of the Royal Geographical Society Annual International Conference in Exeter, UK on September 3rd and her presentation, titled “Measuring willingness to pay for tidal energy research and development: A study of households in the Puget Sound,” was judged as the leading paper presented by graduate student on a coastal or marine topic. 

Congratulations to Nives Dolsak on her recent promotion from Associate Professor to Professor! We are also pleased to announce Professor Dolsak will join SMEA on a full-time basis this autumn quarter. Previously Professor Dolsak taught at both the Seattle and Bothell UW campuses. She has been recognized time and again for her outstanding teaching, most recently winning the Outstanding Teaching Faculty award from the College of the Environment, University of Washington in 2013.  

Assistant Professor Lekelia (Kiki) Jenkins will soon be embarking on an exciting new venture at Arizona State University. Professor Jenkins began as a Research Associate with SMEA in 2009 and was hired on as an Assistant Professor in 2011. From her research seeking creative solutions to problems in marine systems, as well as ways to promote sustainable resource use, to her thought-provoking and informative instruction, Professor Jenkins has been a pleasure to work with and she will be missed. 

SMEA would like to welcome its newest post-doc and Fulbright Visiting Scholar Dr. Nathan Bennett. Nathan will be working with Professor Patrick Christie conducting research on the human dimensions of marine conservation and management. He recently published his first article associated with his new affiliation at UW titled “Communities and change in the anthropocene: Understanding social-ecological vulnerability and planning adaptations to multiple interacting exposures”. 

SMEA Research Associate Stacia Dreyer led a study looking at views towards a carbon pricing policy before and after the 2013 federal election in Australia, which was the first nation to repeal an existing carbon pricing policy.
The report, “Australians’ views on carbon pricing before and after the 2013 federal election,” was published in Nature Climate Change. The study found policy acceptance was higher than support at both times, and acceptance did not always lead to support, highlighting the need to measure acceptance and support separately.