By mounting a specialized mobile sonar called a DIDSON (Dual-frequency IDentification SONar) under a kayak, UW research scientist Kerry Accola is able to count the juvenile salmon along the shoreline from the water’s surface. The sonar is capable of capturing high fidelity images during the day and also the night, when normal visibility is greatly reduced.

Graduate student Jessie Hale released a paper rethinking the status, trends, and equilibrium abundance estimates of Washington State’s sea otter population and Ruth Drinkwater’s (BS 2021) capstone project, “Estimating proportions of identical twins and twin survival rates in cetaceans using fetal data,” was published in Marine Mammal Science.

Congratulations to José Guzman and Sarah Converse who were recognized by the UW College of the Environment for Exceptional Mentoring of Undergraduates and Outstanding Diversity Commitment, respectively

SAFS’ Julian Olden has been named a 2022 fellow of the Ecological Society of America

Parasites play an outsize role in balancing ecosystems, and some species may be in danger. Read the article from Scientific American featuring SAFS’ Chelsea Wood.

SAFS Emeritus Professor Jim Karr began a long-term bird study in Panama 55 years ago while he was a Ph.D. student and later as a professor of ecology at the University of Illinois. He explains that the core of the current study design and its methodology were initiated in 1977. The study continues to this day under its third generation of leadership.

The SAFS community shares thoughts on what it’s like to be back on campus after nearly 18 months of mostly remote instruction and administration.

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!

After a decade of serving as director of SAFS, André Punt is stepping down to focus on his teaching and research. Over the past ten years, he has navigated the School through challenging times, such as the ongoing pandemic, as well as historic highs, like the Centennial Celebration in 2019. Please join us in thanking André for going above and beyond as SAFS Director.

After more than a year of research, planning, and advocacy by grad students, staff, and postdocs, SAFS completed its first-ever DEI Assessment (or “Equity Audit”) in autumn quarter 2021. SAFS contracted with WhitworthKee Consulting, who held focus groups and developed a survey instrument to assess the School’s climate and opportunities for growth.