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.
Read more »
A new effort at the University of Washington aims to accelerate eDNA research by supporting existing projects and building a network of practitioners to advance the nascent field. Called the eDNA Collaborative, the team is based in the College of the Environment with leadership and program staff from the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs. For about a decade, scientists have honed the craft of using genetic material in the environment — known as eDNA — to detect and monitor organisms for environmental science and conservation.
Read more at UW News »
Situated on an Arctic barrier island along the northwest coast of Alaska is the village of Kivalina, an Iñupiaq community of about 500 people. Colleen Swan, city administrator and coordinator of its volunteer Search and Rescue organization, is an advocate for her community and has always taken concerns about Indigenous health, environment and identity seriously, and works to seek out solutions.
Read more »
U.S. Coast Guard Vice Commandant Admiral Linda Fagan ’00 was nominated to head the U.S. Coast Guard, as announced by the Biden Administration on Tuesday, April 5th, 2022. Adm. Fagan would become the first woman to lead a branch of the U.S. military. Fagan is a graduate of the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, completing a thesis entitled “Improving the quality of information in the marine transportation system: an exercise in risk reduction.”
Read more »
On the shores of the Chukchi Sea in far northwest Alaska, climate change is already impacting the traditional way of life of the Iñupiaq people. The inhabitants of this region have lived off the land for thousands of years, hunting caribou and bearded seals, fishing for salmon and sheefish, and foraging wild berries and plants. But as the planet warms and Arctic sea ice thins, accessing and harvesting these traditional foods has become more difficult.
Read more »
