SMEA is proud to share a new paper published in Fisheries Research titled Assessing the social-ecological dimensions of Dungeness crab fishery closures in Southeast Alaska from analysis of public records.
The study was led by SMEA alum Rondi Nordal (Class of 2024), with faculty coauthors Anne Beaudreau and Erendira Aceves-Bueno, in collaboration with NOAA colleagues.
Drawing on more than a decade of public meeting records, the research takes a deep look at how decisions about fishery closures are shaped not only by ecological goals, but also by social, cultural, and subsistence needs. 

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Bella Colpo is an environmental scientist with the County of San Diego, where she serves as the watershed lead for both the San Diego Bay and Santa Margarita River Watershed Management Areas with the Watershed Protection Program. In this role, she leads long-range watershed planning efforts to ensure compliance with the regional MS4 Stormwater permit, work that has earned awards from the American Public Works Association and the American Society of Civil Engineers. 

We’re proud to highlight alum Sara Adams (SMEA, UW) and her research on motivating container ship participation in the Quiet Sound Slowdown, a voluntary initiative to reduce underwater noise for endangered Southern Resident killer whales.
Sara’s qualitative case study examined how program design, communication, operational logistics, and values influence shipping companies’ decisions to slow down in Puget Sound. Through interviews with industry representatives and analysis of sustainability reports, her work offers key insights for improving conservation engagement with the maritime industry. 

Heading to the Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle this November? Join us for the UW School of Marine and Environmental Affairs (SMEA) Community Reception at the Silver Cloud Hotel (Seattle Stadium location). Enjoy small bites and beverages, reconnect with old friends, make new ones, and unwind after the expo. Save-the-date. More details coming soon!

Date: Saturday, November 22, 2025
Location: Silver Cloud Hotel, (Seattle’s SODO District) 9th Floor, Avene One Ballroom
Time: 5:00 PM

Adults 21+ only—thank you for understanding! 

A 2004 graduate of SMEA, Kevin Grant currently serves as Superintendent of NOAA’s Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. In this role, he leads the day-to-day operations and long-term strategic direction of one of the nation’s most ecologically significant marine protected areas.
Kevin oversees strategic planning, resource management, and the sanctuary’s administrative and financial operations. He works closely with a wide range of partners and co-managers, including four Coastal Treaty Tribes, to ensure collaborative stewardship of the region’s marine ecosystems. 

A new study co-authored by SMEA Director Dr. Nives Dolšak has been published in PLOS ONE, examining how the nationality of waste-to-energy (WtE) facility operators influences public support for these projects.
The research focuses on Thailand, where WtE projects are gaining attention as a potential solution to both energy and waste management challenges. Through a large-scale survey experiment, the study explores how public perceptions, environmental values, and international partnerships intersect when it comes to sustainable infrastructure. 

Professor Terrie Klinger, Ph.D., a marine ecologist at the University of Washington School of Marine and Environmental Affairs and co-director of the Washington Ocean Acidification Center, was quoted in The New York Times discussing how increasingly acidic ocean waters threaten oyster farming and shellfish hatcheries. Her insights help explain how changing ocean chemistry, particularly during critical larval stages, is shaping the future of aquaculture and highlighting the broader impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems. 

Dear SMEA friends!
Greetings from SMEA. We had an exciting spring with presentations of outstanding capstone projects and thesis research, from the sea to the land, from invertebrates, bull kelp, Dungeness crab, fisheries management, aquaculture, container ships, ocean grabbing, to food forest, and salmon habitat restoration. You can watch recordings of these presentations here. We celebrated our graduates’ accomplishments. Including outstanding research and the impact our students make on our communities. 

On Thursday, June 12, 2025, the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs celebrated the Class of 2025, honoring 21 students who earned their Master of Marine Affairs (MMA) degrees. These graduates now join an esteemed community of nearly 1,000 alumni and world-class policymakers dedicated to building a resilient future in marine and environmental affairs.
The ceremony began with opening remarks from SMEA Director Dr.