Starting to plan for the next year? Want to figure out how to schedule for the courses for the Marine Biology Minor? This shared google sheet has the most up to date information from faculty in Biology, Fisheries and Oceanography about course availability and scheduling. Have more questions? Contact the adviser for schedule an appointment. Please note that the sheet only represents the best information we have at any given time, and course scheduling is subject to change.
There was never any doubt that Marine Biology minor and Oceanography major Drew McWhirter loved the ocean. While living on Oahu for three years in middle school, he surfed, paddled canoes, snorkeled, played water polo and was a junior lifeguard. While he always wanted to learn how to dive, it wasn’t until he got into the colder waters of the Pacific Northwest that he decided to get started. In less than a year, Drew was conducting research of his own as a certified scientific diver.
Drew spent his spring quarter in 2015 studying marine invertebrate zoology and botany (zoo/bot) at Friday Harbor Labs (FHL), and he learned that FHL offers an annual summer course which certifies students as ‘AAUS Scientific Divers’. The American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS) sets the standard for scientific diving that is recognized by OSHA for marine biologists and other scientists to conduct research underwater. Before starting on the certification at UW, students must already have their open water certification along with a minimum of 20 logged dives, but Drew hadn’t ever dived before. To get started, Drew first connected with the UW Underdawgs, a group for students, faculty and alumni interested in recreational SCUBA diving. Through the group, he was connected with a basic open-water certification class in Seattle as well as potential partners to start logging dives with. He spent the first part of summer diving off Alki in West Seattle with a variety of people: other marine bio minors, fraternity brothers, connections from FHL, and even a chef he worked with.
“It’s such a thrill being able to breathe underwater. Regardless of what you’re seeing, everything blows your mind. It’s like taking a step on a new planet.”
By late July, Drew was ready to get started with the more advanced skills included in the UW Scientific Diving Course at FHL. Under the instruction of FHL Dive Safety Officer Pema Kitaeff, he learned advanced safety skills, underwater research methods, and how to plan and communicate with your partners. He started putting his skills into practice through the ‘Ecology Between and Below Pacific Tides’ summer course at FHL with a research project on the growth and survival of young bull kelp (nereocystis leutkeana). The certification allowed Drew to measure and compare the growth of kelp in the lab and out in the field at 1 Mile Reef. This period of intensive training is just a start for Drew, and he hopes to get back to more scientific research underwater after graduating this spring.
The first step is to get open-water certified through a local dive shop (certification options include PADI, NAUI, SDI and SSI). Or, if you’re already a certified diver from another environment, try a local orientation to get acquainted with waters in the Pacific Northwest. Connect with the UW Underdawgs to get recommendations for classes through local dive shops (which sometimes offer discounts to the Underdawgs and for UW students). Friday Harbor Labs offers an AAUS certification course annually in the summer. This is a non-credit training course taught over two weeks. You must be medically cleared, have your own equipment, and you must show a logbook with a minimum of 20 dives in order to take the class.
Apply now for the 2016 Scientific Diving Course at Friday Harbor Labs (deadline: April 15)
Job Title: Ecologist (Aquatic)
Department: Department Of The Interior
Agency: National Park Service
Job Announcement Number: NWSHRO-16-1636849
SALARY RANGE: $52,355.00 to $68,057.00 / Per Year
OPEN PERIOD: Monday, March 14, 2016 to Friday, March 25, 2016
SERIES & GRADE: GS-0408-09
POSITION INFORMATION: Full Time – Seasonal
DUTY LOCATIONS: 1 vacancy in the following location: Sedro Woolley, WA View Map
WHO MAY APPLY: United States Citizens
SECURITY CLEARANCE: Other
SUPERVISORY STATUS: No
This position will require the incumbent to lead fishery assessment, piscicide, and water quality projects in North Cascades National Park. If selected, you will be required to implement all phases of these projects including: developing proposals and implementation plans; conducting safety briefings; leading field crews; compiling and analyzing data; and preparing reports. During the summer and fall, you will be working in remote wilderness, alpine, and subalpine settings in the North Cascade Mountains of Washington State. The ability to backpack for multiple days in a row will be essential, along with the capability to thrive in very wet and cold weather. Access to field locations is via a combination of driving, hiking (often off trail), raft, motor boat, and helicopter. The winter season is typically spent compiling and summarizing data, drafting reports and developing funding proposals for future projects. Additional duties include serving on an interdisciplinary team that ensures NPS projects and plans are in compliance with NPS policies and the NEPA, ESA, CWA, and Wilderness Act; as well as, serving as a READ for wildfire suppression.
Education CoordinatorThe Port Townsend Marine Science Center seeks an Education Coordinator. The Education Coordinator is the lead staff member for all formal education programs and partnerships, including school visits, teacher workshops, summer camps, and more. Working in a highly collaborative environment h/she works with a team of educators, including PTMSC AmeriCorps, in delivering the highest quality marine science education programs for and with schools including day programs for local schools, day camps, residential programs, and distance learning opportunities. View the job description.
Only electronic submissions will be accepted. Please email a cover letter and resume electronically to JobApplications@ptmsc.org with the subject: “Education Coordinator Position”.
Applications will be accepted through April 10.
Citizen Science CoordinatorThe Port Townsend Marine Science Center seeks a Citizen Science Coordinator. The Citizen Science Coordinator is the lead staff member for all of PTMSC’s citizen science research projects. This is the staff lead and main contact for all research partners and citizen science volunteers. This position works closely with the Education Coordinator position in developing citizen science research projects designed to integrate with our education programs. View the job description.
Only electronic submissions will be accepted. Please email a cover letter and resume electronically to JobApplications@ptmsc.org with the subject: “Citizen Science Coordinator Position”.
Applications will be accepted through April 10.
Position Announcement: Watershed Restoration Specialist for the MidCoast Watersheds Council
Full-time position: initial Salary $35,000- $38,000
Applications due March 21st, 2016
The MidCoast Watersheds Council (Council), an Oregon non-profit 501(c)3 organization based in Newport, Oregon, is dedicated to improving the health of streams and watersheds of Oregon’s central coast so they produce clean
water, rebuild healthy salmon populations, and support a healthy ecosystem and economy. The Council works in an area of nearly one million acres, including all streams draining from the crest of the Coast Range to the Pacific,
from the Salmon River to Cape Creek at Heceta Head…
The Council seeks a Watershed Restoration Specialist (Specialist). The Specialist will work to understand habitat constraints and potential remedies in defined priority areas, reach out to landowners and other partners to identify
locations where work can be done to address factors limiting salmon, water quality, and watershed health, develop site specific projects to address problems, write grant applications to fund the work, and manage and monitor the projects. Other duties include partnership building, and outreach, including website maintenance and working closely with Council’s financial, administrative, and technical committees and the Council’s Board of Directors.
Resident Assistant/Teaching Assistant
JOB TITLE Resident Assistant/Teaching Assistant (3)
REPORTS TO Head Resident and Director of Student Life
SCHEDULE Full time residential, fall Semester. Fall RA/TA position runs August 21, 2016 through December 16, 2016
APPLICATION DATE March 15. Applications will be reviewed as they are received.
Coastal Studies for Girls is a residential science and leadership semester school for tenth grade girls located in Freeport, Maine. Resident/Teaching Assistant internships at CSG offer college students and recent college graduates leadership opportunities and learning experiences in a supportive, all girls residential community.
You’ll have the opportunity to live and work in a residential community while practicing community building, leadership, experiential education, and educational support skills. Living on the beautiful Maine coast, you’ll participate in field trips to explore the state. We’ll have you out camping, hiking, snowshoeing, conducting marine science field research, and visiting important cultural and educational institutions. We welcome applicants with a wide variety of specialty areas, including but not limited to science, leadership, women’s studies, English, history, mathematics, French and Spanish.
Major responsibilities of RA/TAs include living and working at CSG for a full 18-week fall or spring semester supervising students and assisting the Head Resident, Faculty and Staff, with all school programming and activities. See position description below for specific details. Internships provide full room and board and a stipend.
Still looking for a course for your spring schedule? FISH 312: Fisheries Ecology, taught by Tom Quinn is still open for registration (both the 3 credit lecture only and the 5 credit lab version). Students love this course, there is a field component, and it can fulfill the ‘Aquatic & Fishery Science Elective’ for the Marine Bio minor.
FISH 312: Fisheries Ecology
Ecological characteristics of fishes and shellfishes in the important freshwater and marine habitats of North America. Relationship between physical aspects of the habitats and community structure. Impacts of human activities on diversity and abundance. Prerequisite: BIOL 220. The class will involve field trips to a local stream, Lake Washington, and Puget Sound, and lectures will cover the natural and human processes affecting communities in all the major North American aquatic habitats.
Graduating this year? The RAY Conservation Fellows program has been established to support early marine science career development for people of color.
Inspired by efforts to increase racial diversity in the marine conservation field, The Roger Arliner Young (RAY) Marine Conservation Diversity Fellowship Program is a response to the call for mainstream environmental organizations to work to increase and provide supported career pathways for people of color within the field. The RAY Fellowship Program is a year-long paid fellowship designed to equip recent college graduates with an undergraduate degree with the tools and support systems they need to become leaders in the ocean conservation field; one that fully represents the rich and diverse communities within the United States.
RAY Fellows will be placed within one of our partner organizations for a year-long paid fellowship position, with the resources and support to develop experiences that will launch them onto a path of career growth in the conservation field. Fellows will work with mentors, grow their networks, and forge lasting relationships with their cohort of fellows. RAY Fellowship positions are full time paid positions at $31,200 plus benefits. Fellows will also receive a stipend of $1,000 to go towards professional development opportunities, in addition to coordinated professional development through their host organizations and the Environmental Leadership Program.
The 2016 RAY Fellowship Program will offer seven Fellowships in its inaugural year beginning June 15, 2016 and ending June 15, 2017.
UW Marine Biology has a great partnership with the Seattle Aquarium Youth Ocean Advocate program, and this is a great job opportunity for current college students.
Reports to: Youth engagement coordinator
Status: Non-exempt/hourly – this is a temporary position
Hours of work: Variable. Six to 25 hours per week through the school year. Shifts are primarily on weekends with occasionally weekday and evening shifts. Possibility of more hours in the summer, depending upon availability and program need.
Date needed: ASAP
Posting expires: Monday, February 29, 2016
Position overview: This position will work within the youth engagement team to support the efforts to 130-160 high-school-age youth serving in the Youth Ocean Advocates volunteer program. The youth engagement mentor will educate youth on marine science topics and interpretation, support and mentor youth in their volunteer roles, and ensure excellent experiences for both youth volunteers and Aquarium visitors. This position will focus on regularly implementing opportunities for youth to participate in field conservation, continuing education and use social media for conservation purposes.