What led you to pursue a Master of Marine Affairs?
As an Inuit person from a coastal community that derives sustenance from the ocean, the Arctic marine environment has shaped a large part of my identity. Inuit people are involved in decision-making on marine affairs and my home state of Alaska has to manage the longest coastline in the U.S. I am pursuing a Master of Marine Affairs to continue to be involved in making decisions that will affect the Arctic marine environment that includes Inuit. 

SMEA second year, Neal McMillin, recently toured OpenHydro’s Greenore Technical Centre in County Louth, Ireland. OpenHydro designs, tests, and deploys tidal energy turbines to provide silent, invisible, and predictable renewable energy from the ocean. The facilities tour complimented McMillin’s research on tidal energy pilot projects. 

Seth Sivinski and Devon Thorsell recently had the opportunity to travel to Iceland to attend the the Arctic Circle Assembly, a yearly gathering of governments, non-governmental organizations, indigenous groups, corporations, and students which meets in the Harpa in Reykjavik, Iceland. 

The School of Marine and Environmental Affairs was recently represented at the Canadian Society for Ecological Economics (CANSEE) & United States Society for Ecological Economics (USSEE) 2015 Joint Biennial Conference by Research Associate Dr. Stacia Dreyer and 2nd year graduate student Hilary Polis. The conference, themed, Pathways for Change: Toward a Just and Sustainable Economy, was held in Vancouver, BC, Canada October 1-4. 

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.