Apr 25, 2023

School of Marine and Environmental Affairs celebrates 50th

The School of Marine and Environmental Affairs (SMEA) turned 50 this academic year, so we asked Nives Dolšak, professor and director of SMEA, and Dave Fluharty, professor and longest serving SMEA faculty member, for their perspectives on this milestone. With 11 core faculty and strong support from professors of practice, adjunct, affiliate and emeritus faculty, SMEA offers a two-year, interdisciplinary, in-residence program with graduates receiving a Master of Marine Affairs degree.

Q&A: Two ways UW researchers are studying marine microplastics

Microplastics and coral under blacklight.

Tiny pieces of plastic in the ocean might seem innocuous on their own, but their growing presence is a frustrating issue facing marine ecosystems. The particles’ small size makes them difficult to clean up, and it also allows them to easily burrow into marine environments or even get ingested by ocean organisms. Two University of Washington researchers are using very different methods to investigate the issue of marine microplastics.

University of Washington is a core member of newly announced New York Climate Exchange

An aerial rendering of the New York Climate Exchange campus on Governors Island.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and the Trust for Governors Island on April 24 announced that a consortium led by Stony Brook University will found and develop a world-leading climate solutions center on Governors Island in the city’s harbor. The New York Climate Exchange will be a first-of-its kind international center for developing and deploying dynamic solutions to our global climate crisis.

S1 E3: Stuck on You with Chelsea Wood

A microscope view of a schistosome cercariae, the larval stage of the parasitic flatworm responsible for the second most devastating socioeconomic disease on the planet next to malaria: schistosomiasis.

Chelsea Wood is an Associate Professor in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. She is a leader in the ecology of parasites and pathogens in freshwater and marine ecosystems, the ecological drivers of parasite transmission, and human impacts on parasites in a changing world. Wood discusses the fascinating world of parasites, their “Rube Goldberg-esque” life-cycles, and her recent study – the world’s largest and longest dataset of wildlife parasite abundance – that suggests parasites may be especially vulnerable to a changing climate.

Q&A: County-scale climate mapping tool helps Washington agencies prepare for the future

Map model of a higher future greenhouse gas emissions scenario in Washington State.

Many people are now aware of climate change, the need to curb greenhouse gases and to prepare for coming environmental shifts. But knowing how best to prepare can be a challenge, both for individuals and for local agencies. The University of Washington’s Climate Impacts Group has released an interactive tool that lets state agencies and local governments see what climate scientists project for their county and what they might want to consider when developing their districts’ comprehensive plans.