Molly Daly, SMEA second-year student, Dr. Eduardo Gallo-Cajiao, a Smith Fellows Postdoctoral Scholar at SMEA, and Nives Dolšak, SMEA faculty, presented their research at the 2022 Annual meeting of the Pacific Northwest Political Science Association in Walla Walla. Molly presented preliminary findings of the project entitled “Evaluation of Multi-level Governance of Shorebird Management and Conservation in Puget Sound,” a capstone project with Elley Donnelly, SMEA second-year student, Drs. 

Why did you decide to pursue a master of marine affairs?
Growing up on Puget Sound, coastal environments have always been dear to me. They were my favorite playgrounds, inspired curiosity, and motivated my stewardship. While studying Conservation Biology at Middlebury College, I worked as an environmental educator in places like Alaska, the Bahamas, and California, further fostering my love for marine environments and communities. 

SMEA graduates Samantha Klein (’21), James Lee (’21), Sallie Lau (’20), and current SMEA student Bryce Lewis-Smith, along with SMEA Assistant Professor Cleo Wölfle-Hazard and accompanying authors recently published an article in The American Naturalist titled, “Transforming Restoration Science: Multiple Knowledges and Community Research Cogeneration in the Klamath and Duwamish Rivers [journals.uchicago.edu].”
Typical practices in restoration science can perpetuate exclusionary and oppressive paradigms in both ecosystem restoration and restoration policymaking. 

Recent SMEA graduates Clayton McKean and Caroline Potter, along with SMEA Associate Professor Emeritus David Fluharty, SMEA Affiliate faculty member Amber Himes-Cornell, and accompanying authors recently published an article in Frontiers in Marine Science titled “Reaching Global Marine Biodiversity Conservation Goals With Area-Based Fisheries Management: A Typology-Based Evaluation“.
Those who are tracking the issues surrounding Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) as part of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Convention on Biodiversity may be aware that Other Effective Conservation Measures (OECM) are essential to meeting the marine targets. 

Congratulations to SMEA student Kristin Hayman on being awarded a Population Health Initiative Tier 1 Pilot Research Grant Award. The funds will go towards Kristin’s work with public health practitioners and natural resource managers to systematically identify locations across the Puget Sound region where protection and restoration of urban green space have the greatest potential to enhance human health, abate health disparities, and further environmental resilience. 

On Thursday, June 9, 2022 the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs held its graduation ceremony.
A welcome was given by SMEA Director, Nives Dolsak, followed by opening remarks from the College of the Environment Dean, Maya Tolstoy, and special keynote speaker David Mendoza, Director of Advocacy and Engagement for the Washington chapter of Nature Conservancy, joined as well. Graduating student Greg Papp was nominated as the class of 2022 student speaker. 

Why did you decide to pursue a Master of Marine Affairs?
When applying to graduate school, I was interested in studying climate change from a social science perspective. This is something that I started researching during my undergraduate studies and I was interested in finding a graduate program that would allow me to continue that research.
Describe your experience in applying to and selecting a graduate program. 

Grace Morris ’22 has been using her time as an MMA student in the School of Marine and Environmental Sciences to explore environmental justice for underserved communities in floodplain areas. At SMEA, she’s been a student in Dr. Cleo Wölfle-Hazard’s Freshwater Ecologies lab.  Her work alongside a team of other University of Washington students won 1st place and a $1000 scholarship at the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) 12th Annual Collegiate Student Paper Competition in Orlando, Florida on Thursday, May 19th! 

School of Marine and Environmental Affairs student Catalina Burch ’23 was awarded a competitive Graduate Student Research Award from the North Pacific Research Board (NPRB). “To encourage students to pursue scientific and scholarly research addressing ecosystem and fisheries management issues”, is what NPRB aims to accomplish with their graduate student funding. Since 2008, NPRB has funded 68 students through the program. 

The College of the Environment at the University of Washington is slated to recognize its award recipients at a college-wide celebration on Tuesday, May 3rd.  Among those recognized will be two students with ties to the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs; current first-year student Bryce Lewis-Smith and incoming student Aina Hori.
Lewis-Smith is being honored with the Outstanding Community Impact award, for which nominees can be faculty, staff, or students from across the College.