The Brosi Lab in the UW Biology Department is seeking an intern for Spring Quarter to assist with outreach efforts and the development of future outreach positions for the MeadoWatch program. We are looking for a student with a strong interest in community outreach to assist with developing materials supporting the expansion of our program, with the goal of getting more people involved in research and the outdoors, specifically those from populations who have historically had less opportunities to be in these spaces. 

The King County Department of Natural Resources, Water and Land Resources Division anticipates hiring six temporary seasonal staff to assist with summer/early fall field sampling work. This position is in the Lakes, Streams, Sound, and Ground Unit, within the Science and Technical Support Section. Staff in this position will be responsible for providing short-term support to the Stream Benthic Macroinvertebrate Monitoring Program. 

Only two blue whale births have ever been recorded in human history, an extraordinary mystery given they give birth every two to three years. Calves are also only rarely sighted—far less than would be expected from their pregnancy rates. Calves closely follow their moms and are sighted as mother-calf pairs, but why are so few detected? A new UW study by Trevor Branch proposes why. Its explanation hints at when and where the unseen births are happening and where blue whale calves spend their earliest months.

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.

The Xerxes Society for Invertebrate Conservation is hiring an Endangered Species Conservation Biologist. Reporting to the Xerces Society’s Endangered Species Program Freshwater Mussel Lead (Portland, OR office) and working in collaboration with partner agencies and organizations, the Endangered Species Conservation Biologist will focus on a variety of projects related to aquatic invertebrates, especially freshwater mussel, research, conservation, and advocacy. The Endangered Species Conservation Biologist will conduct substantial fieldwork involving snorkeling and wading in rivers and streams, requiring frequent but seasonal overnight and remote travel, with the majority of fieldwork from May-September each year. 

Walk along any beach, and you’re likely to find snail shells dotting the sand. In the Bering Sea, more than 200 species of sea snails exist. They’re an important source of prey for fish and walruses, playing a vital part in the Bering Sea food web. Working with a 50-year-old shell collection sourced from NOAA trawls from the mid-late 1970s, Jasper Nevis is looking at community structure in Bering Sea snails in collaboration with the Burke Museum Malacology Collection.

Killer whales are the only natural predator of baleen whales. More solitary than toothed whales, baleen whales face predatory attacks from killer whales, especially mother and calf pairs. When attacked, some species fight back, while others choose flight. But whale species also produce loud underwater songs…what stops killer whales from homing in on their calls and attacking them? New acoustic research by Trevor Branch sheds light on why.

You may think aquatic and fishery science is all about fish, whales and oceans, but Iris Haley’s research is demonstrating that essentially anything to do with water is related to this field of study. What is Iris, a SAFS undergrad, investigating? The link between lake visitation and its relationship with heatwaves using cellphone data!