Building community among the different student groups at SAFS and Marine Biology—undergraduates, graduates and postdocs—the SAFS Undergrad Community Building Event was held was held for the fourth year running. Taking place on 13 May, undergraduates were invited to walk around and speak to grads and postdocs about different topics including grad school, what life looks like after graduation, and finding your way in science.

10 years ago, the UN declared 11 February as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. On this 10th anniversary at the University of Washington, we’re celebrating our women in aquatic and marine science: women who are leaders in their fields, women who are aspiring to be the next generation of fisheries scientists and marine biologists, women who are uplifting and supporting other women in science.

Interdisciplinary. Providing mentorship. Community-focused. These are just some of the terms that come to mind for Chris when she describes what it means to be a Black scientist. “When we think about being a non-majority community in STEM – and in this instance Black in STEM – we are tasked with a three-pronged responsibility because this is a lived experience for so many of us: being inherently interdisciplinary, mentor others, focus on your community”. Chris Mantegna is currently a graduate student at SAFS, after earning her bachelor’s degree in UW Marine Biology in 2021.

We are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2024 SAFS DEIJ and Community Service Recognition Award: Julia Indivero and Claire Vaage.

Congratulations to Markus Min, the recipient of the 2023-2024 Award for Outstanding Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, and Accessibility (DEIJA) given by the College of the Environment. Markus, a Ph.D. Candidate in SAFS, has been a trusted leader since joining the school in fall of 2020, and a strong advocate for equity and inclusion at both the unit level and across the College. 

Recently contributing to a special Oceanography issue titled ‘Building Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Ocean Sciences’ was Dr. Xochitl Clare, a postdoctoral scholar at SAFS.

Spring into Spring Quarter with SAFS Cafe, back every Wednesday at 3.30pm.
Whether you’re a student, researcher, faculty, or member of staff, all are invited for cookies, coffee, and conversation every week.
Join us in the 3rd floor kitchen in the Fishery Sciences Building.

With contributions from SAFS scientists including Jackie Padilla-Gamiño, Corey Garza and Xochitl Clare, Oceanography’s special issue addresses structural and cultural obstacles encountered by underrepresented and marginalized scholars. 

Celebrating and highlighting the work of LGBTQ+ people in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) has a special day on the calendar: November 18. Why this date? It is based on the 60th anniversary of American Astronomer and gay activist Frank Kameny’s fight against workplace discrimination, which he took to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Science is a place of innovation, research, and progress, but many communities are still marginalized in these spaces. 

The National Diversity in Stem Conference (NDiSTEM) organized by the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics & Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) is the largest multidisciplinary and multicultural STEM diversity event in the U.S., serving to equip, empower, and energize participants for their academic and professional paths in STEM.
At the 2023 event held in October in Portland, SAFS graduate student, Nicole Doran, won the research presentation prize for Best Graduate Student Oral Presentation in the field of Ecology and Evolution, and recent Marine Biology graduate, Olivia Anderson, won a Native American/Indigenous Student Research Abstract Award.