Each year, our students, faculty, and staff win regional, national, and international awards. Please join us in congratulating this year’s group of award winners!

To find the missing gap in the understanding of hair growth on polar bears, researchers are dyeing parts of their fur with colored dots so they can track the progress visually.

PhD candidate Natalie Mastick Jensen will be featured in an upcoming documentary premiering on June 25th on Apple TV+. As a research assistant, Natalie worked with Dr. Michelle Fournet for two weeks in southeast Alaska on a humpback whale playback study. The team worked to determine the social function of a certain non-song vocalization called the whup call.

The Link to Lake project, of which SAFS Ph.D. student Ashley Townes serves on the steering committee, recently secured $1 million in improvements to Rainier Beach’s Be’er Sheva Park to address waterfront inequities.

The adage “you are what you eat” generally turns out to be true. Foods we ingest are broken down into amino acids and absorbed into our bodies, leaving trace elements in our bones. In turn, these amino acids can be traced back to their source like a biological receipt, revealing information about the environment. Using this knowledge, researchers are conducting isotope analysis of amino acids in harbor seal skulls to determine the composition of historical marine food webs.

Capstone research projects provide an exciting opportunity for students to put classroom learning into practice—and sometimes even publish their work. These senior projects are the culmination of the undergraduate experience here at SAFS.
Emily McFarland (BS 2020) published her capstone, “A new species of Chromis damselfish from the tropical western Atlantic (Teleostei, Pomacentridae),” this past December. The new species—Chromis vanbebberae —was revealed through phylogenetic analyses to be distinct from Chromis enchrysurus, commonly known as the Yellowtail Reeffish. 

The Ecological Society of America (ESA) is honored to announce the Katherine S. McCarter Graduate Student Policy Award (GSPA) 2021 cohort. This award provides graduate students with the opportunity to receive policy and communication training before they meet lawmakers. ESA selected 23 students to receive the award including Julia L. Indivero from the University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences.

Researchers from the University of Washington recently assessed the contribution of salmon to the diet of brown bears in Southwest Alaska. Their findings confirmed that while the bears are reliant on large seasonal salmon runs, they also eat a variety of other foods, including both vegetation and fauna. The research results were published November 5 in the online issue of the Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management.

Last quarter we explored SAFS’ vast research network throughout the world’s arctic, subarctic, and tropical regions. We now bring the focus back to Washington State and the fascinating science coming from our own backyard. Delve into some research highlights from our faculty, staff, and students with an interactive map taking you on a virtual tour all around our state.

Less than two months after taking my last final exam as a SAFS undergrad, I packed two small duffel bags and left Washington. I flew across the country to Charleston, South Carolina, to start a dive internship with the South Carolina Aquarium.