Fullbright Scholar, Science contributor, freshwater biologist. These are some of the ways to describe Aashna Sharma, who is currently working with Dr. Julian Olden at SAFS as part of her two-year postdoctoral fellowship. From the foothills of the Himalayas in India, Aashna was recently inspired by the Past as Prologue feature in Science that highlights how different scientists from around the world are shaped by their family and background, and submitted a piece herself.

Until now, no one knew what caused the sea star wasting disease which wiped out populations along the West Coast starting in 2013. But an international research effort including scientists from the University of Washington has finally revealed the cause: a strain of the bacterium Vibrio pectenicida.

A new story in the Seattle Times shows just how alive the Seattle waterfront is, if you know where to look. From baby salmon to bull kelp, the renovations at the waterfront include a seawall where the public can look down at the fish-friendly seawall. The UW Wetland Ecosystem Team has been instrumental in this work, with continued monitoring of the site.

Seeking to understand the impacts of environmental stressors on Pacific oysters is the driving force behind a years-long research project involving scientists from the University of Washington and NOAA, and in collaboration with the oyster industry. Critical in aquaculture, Pacific oysters are the dominant oyster species grown on the US West Coast, with the industry in the Pacific Northwest alone valued at over $270 million a year.

A new video features how genetic metabarcoding is being used by the UW Whale And Dolphin Ecology Lab, led by Amy Van Cise, to understand and conserve southern resident killer whales in the Salish Sea.

A new study, led by recently-graduated doctoral student Eileen Bates and principal investigator Jacqueline Padilla-Gamiño, and funded by Washington Sea Grant, found climate change stressors negatively impact pinto abalone during their larval stage.

Working with Assistant Professor Amy Van Cise in the Whale and Dolphin Ecology Lab, Arial Brewer (PhD, SAFS) and Mollie Ball (BS, Marine Biology) were preparing metabarcoding libraries to study marine mammals. This means barcoding DNA (or eDNA) in a manner that allows for the simultaneous identification of many taxa within the same sample.

Each year, polar bears cycle through periods of intense feasting and prolonged fasting. For reproductive females, seasonal bulking is crucial – it fuels the winter denning and fasting period when they give birth. And when they emerge in spring, it gives biologists a chance to assess populations. A new study led by Sarah Teman explores whether A1c could reveal if a polar bear had recently denned, which – combined with the absence of cubs – may signal reproductive failure.

Wearing a bright orange and gray dry suit, Ashley Townes stepped into the murky water of Lake Washington under a yellow moon, at a time when most others are asleep. A recent Seattle Times story features Ashley’s work as a fish biologist and a member of a grassroots group of neighbors who have advocated and fundraised for years to restore Be’er Sheva Park, to restore the shoreline and salmon habitat.

A UW mechanical engineering student’s research is revealing how generative design can be used to analyze the complex shapes found in biological rigid structures like skeletons. John Michael Racy, along with co-authors including Adam Summers, turned to generative design to understand the complex forces that shape the elements of the stingray fin skeleton.