School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences

Ever wondered how money raised from the sale of FINS merchandise gets used? Look no further—here are some recent stories from SAFS students who have directly benefited from funds raised by the Fisheries Interdisciplinary Network of Students (FINS), housed at the UW School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences.

 One of the best ways for graduate students to present their research to an extensive, global audience and interact with national and international colleagues is to attend conferences relevant to their field of study. 

Thanks to the work of FINS and contributions from our community through the purchase of merchandise graduate students like Maria Kuruvilla, Sarah Yerrace, Zoe Rand, and Sarah Teman have been able to attend academic conferences and take part in research expeditions.

In her 5th year as PhD candidate in QERM and SAFS, Maria used her FINS award to travel to an Animal Behavior Society Conference in Costa Rica in 2022. Because of the  COVID pandemic, this was Maria’s  first opportunity to travel to an international conference, and she valued the ability to network with international colleagues and discuss her work with other experts in the field. As an added bonus, this was an opportunity for her to make new friends and visit a new country.

Sarah Teman, a master’s student at SAFS, received a FINS award in Winter 2023, which helped to fund her travel to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to participate in a special USGS-led polar bear research expedition. This feeds directly into her study focus on the health of polar bears in the southern Beaufort Sea. Understanding the health of these apex predators is not only important from a wildlife or ecosystem health perspective, but also for Indigenous communities around the Arctic who rely on bears as an important food and cultural resource.

A FINS award in 2022 allowed Zoe to travel to the Society for Marine and Mammalogy conference. Because she had begun her graduate studies during the pandemic, this was an extra special moment—her first chance to present in person at an academic conference as a graduate student. While presenting her poster, Zoe had the opportunity to connect with scientists from around the world who share similar research interests, and she’s excited to continue strengthening these relationships as she progresses in her PhD studies and in her future as a scientist.

Professional development is a critical part of being a graduate student. Thanks to FINS, Sarah Yerrace was able to travel to Orlando, Florida, for the Association of Dive Program Administrators Annual Symposium and the Dive Equipment and Marketing Association Show in 2022. It was an incredible in-person networking opportunity, with so many dive professionals that she had only ever corresponded with via email—finally, she was able to put faces to names!

Community is important for our graduate students here at SAFS, and we’re thankful for the opportunities opened up to them in both their research and future careers by the awards funded through FINS and supported directly by you.

Stay tuned for more updates on how this year’s awards will be used by our students, and if you haven’t yet done so, be sure to check out the range of merchandise available for purchase to support them.

Interested in how you can support FINS?

Check out the range of merch online! Mugs, accessories, shirts, stickers and sweatshirts!

Stop by their special booth in person during the UW Aquatic Sciences Open House on Sunday May 21st.