Get to know some of our current and recent students!
Mollie Ball – October 2024
From transferring in to UW, and discovering the geosciences through GEODUC, we spoke to Mollie Ball about her experience becoming a scientist. Seizing research opportunities and building her community within GEODUC, Mollie’s student profile highlights her first-generation, transfer student journey while sharing advice for other undergraduates.
John Plinka – October 2024
In a conversation with transfer student John Plinka, we found out about what brought him to UW Marine Biology and what drives his passion for social consciousness and scientific advancement. After a whirlwind first year in the program, John shares more about what being a transfer student is like as an older student, and his plans for the future after graduation.
Dalton Blackwell – December 2023
Recently discovering the realm of scuba diving, Dalton now knows it’s something he’ll be doing for life. Choosing the UW Marine Biology program for its proximity to the Puget Sound, Dalton shares what started off his love of the ocean, his experience so far with scuba diving, and efforts to open up this experience to other students through a new UW student club. Check out our profile with Dalton.
Baylen Ratliff – November 2023
When it was time to apply for college, Baylen was drawn to studying something where he would be able to get out into the environment and do something productive with his studies; marine biology was the obvious path. From undergraduate research focused on eelgrass in the San Juans to the NOAA Hollings Prep Program looking into harbor seal habituation in Puget Sound, Baylen Ratliff has been busy during so far in his UW Marine Biology degree. He also spent the summer of 2024 on a research experience to Costa Rica which you can read about here.
Samantha-Lynn Martinez – October 2023
Samantha-Lynn Martinez was born in the Philippines and raised in Seattle, and has always had an affinity for the marine environment. Currently in the Marine Biology undergraduate program, Samantha-Lynn combines her studies with outreach, photography and videography, and is passionate about making marine biology accessible to more people via social media. We caught up with Samantha-Lynn to find out more about what drives her passion for both science and communications, and taking part in exciting opportunities at the Jackson Wild film festival.
Irissa Danke – July 2021
Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Irissa came to the University of Washington’s Marine Biology Program by way of the United States Coast Guard Academy. Irissa also made waves when she competed internationally at the Olympic Hopes Regatta for sprint kayaking on Team USA in Hungary and the Czech Republic. We recently caught up with Irissa to learn more about her unique career path, being a new student during a pandemic, and her research interests.
Chris Mantegna – May 2021
Melina Wettstein – August 2020
Melina Wettstein, an undergraduate at the University of Washington, is pursuing a double major in marine biology and math. After she graduates, Melina plans to pursue a career as a researcher—something she has already made strides toward by publishing her research in the College of the Environment’s undergraduate journal, FieldNotes. She is also an exuberant artist, expressing her creativity through a love of painting and drawing.
Jonathan Huie – October 2019
Jonathan Huie is a recent graduate of both the UW Marine Biology and Aquatic and Fishery Sciences degrees. He is currently working at Friday Harbor Labs in the San Juan Islands as a lab technician. Part of his duties includes CT scanning UW Burke specimens as part of the NSF funded effort to scan all vertebrates and upload them to an online and open-source database. He kindly answered a few of our questions about his undergraduate experience as well as offered some advice for students thinking about pursuing a career in marine biology.