The National Diversity in Stem Conference (NDiSTEM) organized by the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics & Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) is the largest multidisciplinary and multicultural STEM diversity event in the U.S., serving to equip, empower, and energize participants for their academic and professional paths in STEM.
At the 2023 event held in October in Portland, SAFS graduate student, Nicole Doran, won the research presentation prize for Best Graduate Student Oral Presentation in the field of Ecology and Evolution, and recent Marine Biology graduate, Olivia Anderson, won a Native American/Indigenous Student Research Abstract Award. 

Following a successful Marine Biology 2023 Launch Event, held on 9 October with almost 100 first term Marine Biology majors in attendance, we asked our faculty to answer some of the more popular questions. Click below for some more insight from our faculty about research opportunities, future careers, and advice for those at the beginning of their studies. 

Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) Programs offer students a unique opportunity to take part in research related to their field of study. Involved in the Philippines-IRES (International Research Experience for Students) this summer was UW Marine Biology senior, Grace Davis. Funded under an NSF award, the program is led by the Old Dominion University and Texas A&M Corpus Christi University and provides students with an independent research project with Filipino mentors from the Silliman University (SU) in the Philippines, with a focus on fisheries impacts on marine biodiversity. 

What inspired you to study marine biology?
I really dove into marine biology during high school. I’ve always had an interest in the marine environment and being born in the Philippines and then moving to Seattle, this affinity for the marine environment was always there for me. Going to beaches, tracing the seafood I ate, stewardship principles – these things are all a big part of my culture.  

Combining a love of sea life with a love of photography. What did second year student Sam Eck share with us during his Instagram takeover?
Hi there! My name is Sam and I’m currently a second year Marine Biology student at UW. Ever since I could remember I had a fascination with aquatic life. This could be tracking skittish crayfish in a backyard creek or watching sea anemones bask in tide pools. 

While volunteering with the Seattle Aquarium last year, Marine Biology sophomore, Alice Vimal, met Dr Sylvia Earle as part of the SeaChange 2022 event. She shares her passion for marine life and the ocean, and her experience as a Youth Ocean Advocate.
Watch the video below (starting at 33 minutes) to find out more about what inspired her love of marine biology. 

What brought a UW Marine Biology student to California in 2023? Marine mammal research! Ashley Rendon, in her junior year at UW and an Air Force reservist, spent just under a month with NOAA’s Marine Mammal Laboratory on San Miguel Island, the westernmost island of the California Channel Islands.
Finding out about the internship through an email sent by UW Marine Biology adviser Joe Kobayashi, Ashley applied to be a part of the research experience which focuses on population abundance, vital rate estimates, and foraging ecology of California sea lions and northern fur seals. 

Have you ever seen a lava whirl? Experience the VISIONS 2023 Expedition through the eyes of Jolee Thirtyacre who spent time on Leg 4 of the seagoing discovery voyage.
Ever seen a lava whirl? We saw this geological feature 1500m down at the Axial Caldera when on the VISIONS 2023 Expedition, as we watched on a screen in the control van of the ROV Jason. 

Each year, UW students get to join a seagoing and discovery expedition aboard the R/V Thomas G. Thompson which utilizing deep diving robots to explore some of the most extreme environment on Earth. Marine Biology student, Aakriti, tells us about her experience on the VISIONS 2023 Expedition.

Hey guys!! Here are some of the top 10 experiences and pictures that truly capture the VISIONS experience. 

What’s a day in the life of an assistant biologist with NOAA Fisheries like? Find out in our latest Instagram takeover with UW Marine Biology student, Sofia.
Hi! My name is Sofia Tee, and I’m a sophomore in the Marine Biology program at UW! This summer, I was a volunteer biologist for NOAA’s 2023 West Coast Groundfish Bottom Trawl Survey, and I’m taking over the marbio instagram to share my experience!