Graduate Student Profiles

Degree and department:

Ph.D., School of Environmental and Forest Sciences

Hometown:

River Falls, WI

Undergraduate institution:

Williams College

Undergraduate degree:

Biology, concentration in Environmental Studies

When I was a kid, I wanted to become:

a National Geographic explorer

Research interests:

wildlife ecology, predator-prey interactions

Research location:

western foothills of the Cascade Mountains (King County and Snohomish County)

Career aspiration:

to continue to work with large predators around the world

Why do you study the environment?:

I learned about wildlife poaching and wildlife conservation at an early age through the plight of the Rwandan mountain gorilla. I've been interested in wildlife conservation since.

What has been your most meaningful moment in graduate school?:

My first cougar capture.

Faculty advisor(s):

Aaron Wirsing

Connect:

Email Clint

Degree and department:

Ph.D., School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences

Hometown:

Colorado Springs, CO

Undergraduate institution:

Northwestern University

Undergraduate degree:

Environmental Science

When I was a kid, I wanted to become:

a marine biologist

Research interests:

freshwater ecology, species invasions, species distribution modeling

Research location:

Columbia River Basin, with most of my field work in the John Day River, Oregon

Career aspiration:

Freshwater ecology management positions

Why do you study the environment?:

We all depend on our environment to provide us with the resources that let us live. As the human population explodes, we need to broaden our understanding of our relationship and impact on our planet, continuously innovating to help find a new balance.

What has been your most meaningful moment in graduate school?:

Winning an award for one of the papers I published.

Faculty advisor(s):

Julian D. Olden

Connect:

Email Erika

Degree and department:

Ph.D., Oceanography

Hometown:

Park Ridge, IL

Undergraduate institution:

Princeton University

Undergraduate degree:

Geosciences

When I was a kid, I wanted to become:

an airline pilot

Research interests:

the polar oceans’ role in global climate

Research location:

Antarctica, using data from Argo floats and satellites

Career aspiration:

research scientist or professor

Why do you study the environment?:

I study the environment to unravel its mysteries and shed light on how humans impact natural processes in even the most remote corners of the Earth.

What has been your most meaningful moment in graduate school?:

Learning to cook for myself!

Faculty advisor(s):

Stephen Riser, Curtis Deutsch

Connect:

Email Ethan

Degree and department:

Ph.D., School of Oceanography

Hometown:

Nashville, TN

Undergraduate institution:

Bowdoin College

Undergraduate degree:

Earth and Oceanographic Science

When I was a kid, I wanted to become:

http://beta.environment.uw.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/2017-18-Graduate-Student-Profile_Bolden.jpg

Research interests:

Coral reefs, paleoceanography, ocean acidification, climate science and outreach, ocean + atmosphere interactions, biogeochemical cycling

Research location:

Coral reefs, paleoceanography, ocean acidification, climate science and outreach, ocean + atmosphere interactions, biogeochemical cycling

Career aspiration:

Professor at small liberal arts college or in an interdisciplinary environmental science department at a research university

Why do you study the environment?:

It’s increasingly clear that humans have the capacity to interfere with the Earth’s climate system, often with detrimental consequences to ecosystems around the world. However, a large challenge in communicating this capacity to the general public remains grounding the changes we see today in the larger context of historical and natural variability of the climate system. I study the environment, specifically coral reefs, because these ecosystems harbor “clues” about how marine climates have varied in the past and how current/future anthropogenic inputs may impact the world’s most diverse habitats for marine organisms. Addressing the biogeochemical complexities of reef ecosystems has broader implications for marine biodiversity as a whole and provides an excellent foundation for communicating the value of climate research to a variety of audiences.

What has been your most meaningful moment in graduate school?:

Research-wise, my most meaningful moment was meeting former President Barack Obama with my lab group while doing field work in French Polynesia in March 2017…and actually learning that he’s fairly in touch with some of the high-profile ocean acidification papers in our field! Talk about surreal. Outreach-wise, my most meaningful experience has been working with my iGERT cohort to design, contribute to, and implement a climate science knowledge network on Micronesia’s capital island, Pohnpei.

Faculty advisor(s):

Alex Gagnon

Connect:

Email Isaiah

Degree and department:

Ph.D., School of Environmental and Forest Sciences

Hometown:

South Los Angeles, CA

Undergraduate institution:

University of California, Berkeley

Undergraduate degree:

Marine Science (concentration: biomechanics and fisheries) and Italian Studies

When I was a kid, I wanted to become:

a teacher

Research interests:

I’m interested in environmental justice in relation to water justice and decolonization among coastal indigenous communities, as well as how climate science and change impacts aquatic ecosystems that indigenous peoples depend on.

Research location:

United States, Canada and Mexico. Depending on further funding, I will expand my research to New Zealand.

Career aspiration:

Professor and Mentor to students of color.

Why do you study the environment?:

My connection to the ocean and fisheries goes back many generations; on my mother’s side we are indigenous Yucateco Maya and Zapotec and on my father’s side we are indigenous Ch’orti’. I belong to the k'aa'naab ak (turtle) clan and most of my relatives—including my parents—are fishermen. I always carried these cultural roots deep in my heart and consequently, when it came to studies, I decided to study the environment. Studying the environment allowed me to expand my western knowledge of the ocean, forests, etc. with courses, internships and research. It also allowed me to comprehend the importance of integrating indigenous and scientific knowledge to promote a healthier environment.

What has been your most meaningful moment in graduate school?:

As an indigenous scholar, I strive to make every moment in graduate school meaningful for myself and for other underrepresented students. We continue to be underrepresented in the environmental sciences. As a result, the most meaningful moment in graduate school for me was completing my dual masters (Masters of Marine Affairs and Masters of Science in Environmental and Forest Sciences) in two years. Dual masters are commonly completed in three years, however, I was determined to do so in two years and continue onto my Ph.D. work at the College of Environment. The best and most emotional piece of this accomplishment was being able to celebrate this with my parents during the commencement ceremonies. For indigenous peoples of Latin America, school and education are a privilege. My mother was able to attend school up to the sixth grade and my father was never given the opportunity to attend school. When I complete and obtain my Ph.D., I will become the first in my tribe and family to do so and I look forward to accomplishing this and make my family, community, and tribe proud.

Faculty advisor(s):

Phil Levin

Connect:

Email Jessica

Degree and department:

Wildlife Science, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences (SEFS)

Hometown:

Cupertino, CA

Undergraduate institution:

University of California, San Diego

Undergraduate degree:

Biogeography with a minor in Biological Anthropology

When I was a kid, I wanted to become:

a marine biologist

Research interests:

predator-prey ecology

Research location:

Northeast Cascades of Washington state

Career aspiration:

Wildlife Research Scientist

Why do you study the environment?:

Nature is a beautifully messy web of complex interactions. We'll never run out of things we can learn about it! But after realizing that human influence is inextricably tied to the environment, I honed my focus toward questions that are important for conservation and management.

What has been your most meaningful moment in graduate school?:

When presenting on my mid-stream research in front of a group of experts in my field, I was sick with anxiety… until, funnily enough, I was asked the hard questions at the end. I found I could easily explain why I chose my unique methods; this project was ultimately my own. I'll never have all the answers, but in that moment, I went from feeling like only a student to realizing I had truly become a researcher, as well.

Faculty advisor(s):

Aaron Wirsing

Connect:

Email Laurel

Degree and department:

Ph.D., Aquatic and Fishery Sciences

Hometown:

Encinitas, CA

Undergraduate institution:

University of California, Berkeley

Undergraduate degree:

Molecular Environmental Biology

When I was a kid, I wanted to become:

a Pokémon master

Research interests:

population genetics, shellfish aquaculture, natural resource management and policy and science in policy

Research location:

my research takes place on campus, but my collection sites range from Alaska to California

Career aspiration:

Natural Resources Policy Advisor

Why do you study the environment?:

I like food, and food comes from the environment. Studying fisheries science is one way I can work towards ensuring there's a sustainable source of delicious food for future generations.

What has been your most meaningful moment in graduate school?:

After a year of studying shellfish population genetics, I was looking for a way to bridge my dissertation work from strictly natural science to policy and management. I knew it would be hard because I was new to the shellfish community and I hadn't built many connections with decision-makers yet. Then, one day I found myself at a stakeholder meeting where folks in the room called for a risk assessment to help inform future policy relating to the genetics of native shellfish, and someone literally said, "If only we knew a graduate student who could do this." I raised my hand and ended up securing funding to do this work. Not only am I excited about this work from a research perspective, but I am deeply motivated knowing that I am producing information that is needed by the shellfish growing community.

Faculty advisor(s):

Lorenz Hauser

Connect:

Email Natalie

Degree and department:

M.S. in Aquatic and Fishery Sciences

Hometown:

Cupertino, CA

Undergraduate institution:

University of California, San Diego

Undergraduate degree:

General Biology and Environmental Systems: Environmental Policy

When I was a kid, I wanted to become:

a food critic

Research interests:

climate change and its multiple impacts on shellfish

Research location:

Puget Sound, WA

Career aspiration:

head of a university department (and a freelance storyteller for National Geographic on the side)

Why do you study the environment?:

When the environment is healthy, we all thrive. I hope that my work not only conserves our natural resources, but also the people that depend on them.

What has been your most meaningful moment in graduate school?:

The most exciting thing I've done at SAFS is receive the Hall Conservation Genetics Research Award. It affirmed my work, reminding me that the research I do is important and valued outside of academia. More importantly, it proved that I not only belonged in graduate school, but that I was also welcomed here.

Faculty advisor(s):

Dr. Steven Roberts

Connect:

Email Yaamini

College of the Environment

Graduate Student Profiles

Clint W Robins

Erika S. Rubenson

Ethan Campbell

Isaiah Bolden

Jessica Hernandez

Laurel Peelle

Natalie Lowell

Yaamini Venkataraman