Museum collections tell the story of life on Earth, and are a critical resource for researchers around the globe working on a variety of species, from fish and snails to birds and mammals. In the Burke Museum, the mammal collection is where UW Marine Biology senior, Lauren Grady, has been volunteering for the last two months, building on experience she gained working with the Wood Lab at SAFS.

Between keeping time for the Husky Marching Band and tossing fish at Pike Place Market, Ryan Shapero, ’27, is as Seattle as it gets. A second-year marine biology student, Ryan loves getting to apply some of that science to his weekend job at Pike Place. He particularly loves when kids come up with the oddest questions. “Multiple times I’ve just been, like, explaining crustacean morphology to a 7-year-old. And they’re into it!” Read his UW feature story.

In our second profile featuring a Marine Biology postbac student, we spoke with Kylie West about why she chose UW to complete her second undergraduate degree, plus what reinspired her shift back to studying STEM.

Finishing up his second quarter at the University of Washington – studying Marine Biology and American Indian Studies (AIS) – is Jaycee Williford. He recently received the Kurt Grinnell Aquaculture Scholarship, which is awarded to Indigenous people interested in pursuing educational opportunities in aquaculture, fisheries science and management or natural resource management.

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.

For over 20 years, Associate Teaching Professor, Sean McDonald, has been working on West Coast crab populations. Among his favorite study subjects is the Dungeness crab. Despite its very high value both commercially and culturally, scientists know surprisingly little about the iconic crustacean’s early life. In a collaborative effort spanning federal agencies, local government, tribes, non-profits and scientists, the Pacific Northwest Crab Research Group (PCRG) has been undertaking a monitoring effort along the Washington coast for larval Dungeness crab, supported by UW students.

Spending the summer of 2024 with the NSF-IRES Costa Rica program, Baylen Ratliff wasn’t just catching rays of sunshine. He spent three weeks in Costa Rica observing estuary rays, exploring coral reef ecology, and recording humpback whale songs. In his senior year at UW, Baylen, shared his four-week research experience with us, including what he worked on, new skills he learned, and how he found out about the opportunity.

Awarded the Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship for 2024-2026, a key part of this program is a summer internship with a NOAA lab. Megan Cosand’s 2025 summer internship will be studying the phenology of two large jellyfish species in Skagit Bay, which is roughly an hour’s drive north of the UW Seattle campus.

Hundreds of thousands of US students take part in study abroad programs each year, earning credits towards their degrees while immersing themselves in different cultures around the globe. For Isabella Robinson, a third year student majoring in Marine Biology and French with a QSCI minor, a study abroad program took her to a much warmer and saltier sea than the Puget Sound which neighbors the University of Washington…The Mediterranean Sea.

Chris Mantegna (Marine Biology ’21) features in a new Be Boundless story by the University of Washington. Joining our program as a transfer student, and now a graduate student in the UW School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, Chris’ story is an inspiring one. Read all about what led her to UW, her passion for the marine environment, and her dedication to making marine science more inclusive and accessible to others.