Recent recognition of faculty and staff at the �������� includes France’s National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), the Richard R. Ernst Prize for contributions to magnetic resonance, and a National Science Foundation CAREER award from the Division of Materials Research.

UW professor named CNRS��fellow-ambassador��

, UW professor of aquatic and fishery sciences, was welcomed into the 2026 cohort of��fellow-ambassadors by France’s National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). Active across all scientific fields for more than 80 years, CNRS is Europe’s largest fundamental research agency.��

Launched in 2023, the CNRS Fellow-Ambassador program brings internationally recognized researchers to France to foster scientific collaboration. As one of nine members selected this year, Olden joins a group that includes Nobel laureates and other globally renowned researchers, with��nearly 30��active��fellow-ambassadors.��

As part of the program, Olden will spend time in France over the next three summers, collaborating with scientists on research aimed at addressing sustainability challenges facing freshwater ecosystems.��

The opportunity closely aligns with Olden’s broader research program, which focuses on advancing the science and practice of freshwater conservation. His work spans climate change, conservation biology, invasive species, and freshwater community ecology, with an emphasis on bridging fundamental research and practical conservation challenges through quantitative approaches.��

Olden��noted��that France has long been home to some of the world’s most talented scientists.����

“The opportunity to work alongside them—exchanging ideas, tackling shared challenges in freshwater sciences and building lasting research partnerships—is something I look forward to enormously,” Olden said.��

Chemistry professor receives 2026 Richard R. Ernst Prize for contributions to magnetic resonance

, UW professor of chemistry, was one of four researchers awarded the 2026 Richard R. Ernst Prize in Magnetic Resonance, presented at the EUROMAR 2026 conference in Gothenburg, Sweden.��The��annual prize recognizes scientific achievements that expand the capabilities and impact of magnetic resonance.��

Stoll was recognized for his contributions to electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) through widely adopted computational tools and data analysis methods, particularly��EasySpin, software developed and��maintained��by Stoll and colleagues. The software has become a standard resource in magnetic resonance laboratories, allowing researchers to simulate and analyze complex EPR spectra.��

EPR experiments produce signals that scientists use to learn about the structure and behavior of molecules and materials.��EasySpin��helps researchers interpret those signals by allowing them to model what an experiment should look like under different conditions and compare those simulations with real-world data. That capability supports research ranging from understanding how the structure and movement of proteins affect their function to studying molecular systems with potential applications in quantum sensing.��

For Stoll, the award also brings attention to a part of the scientific process that can��operate��behind the scenes: developing and��maintaining��the software researchers rely on to do their work. He noted that although scientific software is essential to many research pipelines and workflows, securing federal or foundation funding for its development can be difficult.��

“It’s very exciting for scientific software development to get some recognition,” Stoll said.��

Stoll��also credited the��EasySpin��user community with helping drive continued improvements to the software’s scope, performance,��accessibility��and usability.

UW professor of physics receives NSF CAREER Award to study electron interactions in quantum materials��

, UW assistant professor of physics, received a 2026 National Science Foundation CAREER Award of more than $600,000 from the Division of Materials Research.

The NSF CAREER Award is the agency’s most prestigious honor for early-career faculty, recognizing those with the potential to become academic leaders in both research and education.

With the award, Barnard and his team will study how interactions between electrons give rise to unusual forms of electronic order in two-dimensional quantum materials, including superconducting states and electronic crystals. The researchers will use a new measurement technique developed in Barnard’s Classical and Quantum Nanosystems Lab that allows them to deliberately change how electrons interact while simultaneously measuring how the material responds.

In other words, rather than only observing the properties of a quantum material, Barnard’s team can adjust one of the forces shaping those properties and watch what changes. Understanding how these interactions produce behaviors such as superconductivity could help researchers learn how to more precisely control the electronic properties of materials, foundational knowledge for the development of future electronic and quantum technologies.

Barnard said his lab has spent the past several years developing what he described as a “one-of-a-kind tool” to help researchers better understand how superconductivity and other phenomena emerge in atomically thin materials.

“Now, with NSF CAREER funding, we are beginning to put this tool to work and looking forward to what we will discover,” Barnard said.

The project will also provide research training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students and support the development of open-source hardware and STEM modules that offer hands-on experience with van der Waals material assembly and electronic measurements.

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Approximately 90% of the U.S. population . A significant portion of the water supplying those systems comes from forested lands, which means that policies impacting forests also impact our water access.

In 2001, the Clinton administration passed the , blocking 60 million acres of national forest land from development to limit industrial timber harvest and preserve forest ecosystems. Although popular with the public, the roadless rule drew immediate criticism from timber and related industries. Last summer, the federal government announced plans to rescind it.

A new study from the �������� and Conservation Science Partners, , highlights the potential consequences of losing those protections by mapping how the roadless rule protects rivers.

“The roadless rule supports the drinking water supply for 25 million Americans and offers critical protection of wildlife habitat and recreational assets. In short, rivers in roadless areas are essential for both people and nature,” said lead author , a UW professor of aquatic and fishery science.

To show how forests impact freshwater, the researchers looked at nearly 110,000 square miles of national forest representing 2,488 officially designated “roadless areas.” They cross-referenced the roadless areas map with a recent study assessing river protections nationwide to see where rivers and roadless areas overlap, and therefore which rivers were vulnerable to losing protection.

The researchers found that more than 80,000 miles of rivers in the continental U.S. receive some protection from the roadless rule. Of those protected segments, nearly 62,000 miles of river are protected by only the roadless rule. That water reaches 25 million people across the country, often at downstream distances far from roadless areas.

Research shows that forested lands provide higher quality water because soil microbes and plant roots filter contaminants before water arrives at treatment facilities. Cleaner water requires less processing, reducing potential treatment costs for public utilities. Some water utilities are investing in watershed protection as a way to save money and limit chemical use as demand for water rises.

“Forest cover is well recognized for generating economic benefits by avoiding the large capital costs of water treatment plants needed to ensure clean, safe drinking water for people,” said Olden.

Roadless areas are also vital strongholds for sensitive aquatic species, Olden added. At-risk species such as the use protected habitat for spawning and raising young. Hunters and anglers also value roadless areas because they support such productive fish and wildlife habitat and offer unparalleled opportunities for outdoor recreation.

After the U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the plan to rescind the roadless rule last year, more than half a million people submitted comments during the public comment period, which ended in September. According to the Center for Western Priorities, more than expressed opposition to the plan.

Earlier this year, Republican lawmakers attempted to by attaching it to the Wildfire Prevention Act, which supports prescribed burns and forest thinning to fight megafires. Their to justify clawing back protections claimed that rescinding the roadless rule would allow for better forest management, but . Research shows that roadbuilding in formerly roadless areas is more likely to increase fire risk.

“To be clear, the rule does not block any management action that supports forest health, wildfire mitigation or recreation,” Olden said. “In fact, energy projects, transmission lines and mining development remain permitted within roadless areas.”

Roadbuilding and logging can cause sediment build up in lakes and rivers, which must be filtered out. Chemicals from construction can also end up in the water supply. Reductions in forest cover resulting from rescinding the roadless rule may compromise water quality in the U.S., among other negative consequences for animals and ecosystems.

The U.S. Forest Service says it is reviewing public comments and a proposed rule and draft statement of environmental impact this year.

“Any decision to rescind or downgrade the roadless rule that may put forested lands at risk requires careful consideration of the numerous benefits they offer to people and nature,” said Olden. “Our study offers data to inform such decisions.”

This study was funded by the �������� and from a contract from American Rivers to Conservation Science Partners.

For more information, contact Olden at olden@uw.edu.

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Three �������� faculty members��have been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Their work spans environmental science,��computing��and engineering, addressing challenges ranging from climate resilience and ecosystem sustainability to artificial intelligence and accessible healthcare technologies.��

Founded in 1780, the����recognizes leaders across disciplines whose work advances research, public policy��and the common good. The Academy elects��roughly 250��members each year.��

,��UW��professor��in��the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, was��elected��for research on how climate change,��urbanization, and��land use affect freshwater ecosystems and fisheries.��

Schindler’s work focuses on salmon habitats, watershed health��and ecosystem resilience in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, helping scientists better understand how environmental change affects ecosystems, wildlife��and communities that rely on fisheries.��

“I’m deeply honored by the recognition,” Schindler said. “I’m also grateful for the colleagues and students at the UW whose��curiosity��and camaraderie have made our science impactful and genuinely fun.”��

,��professor of computer science and engineering and��director of the Allen��School,��was elected��for��contributions to data management and data science,��as well as her leadership roles at UW and nationally.��

Balazinska��develops data management systems and techniques��to help users across domains process complex and large datasets more efficiently and more easily, including tabular data, images and videos,��content��generated by��artificial intelligence,��and scientific datasets. Her work has included systems for cloud analytics, stream��processing, and video��analysis��among others.������

Balazinska��said joining the Academy��shows��how far science and engineering have come, while also��highlighting future��opportunities that will��arise as AI reshapes research and discovery.��

“AI has the potential to accelerate progress in ways I couldn’t have imagined at the start of my career,” she said.��

, professor in the��Allen School��and the��Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, was��elected��for research in ubiquitous computing, human-computer��interaction��and sensor-enabled systems.��

Patel develops technologies that use smartphones,��sensors��and machine learning to expand access to healthcare and improve sustainability. His work includes smartphone-based health screening tools designed to improve access to care, as well as technologies that help households��monitor��energy and water use more efficiently.��

Several technologies developed by Patel and his students have been commercialized through startups and later adopted by major companies, including Google.��

Patel said he was “humbled and honored” by the recognition and��wants it to encourage��broader thinking about the role of applied computing research.��

“I hope this serves as a catalyst for others to embrace a broader, more practical perspective on what computing can achieve for society,” he said.��

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���������첹’s was home to beluga whales in the late 1970s, but today the population hovers around 300. Despite almost two decades of recovery work, the whales aren’t bouncing back. The Cook Inlet belugas are likely struggling under multiple pressures, including increasing human noise. Researchers are working on deciphering whale-whale communication to better account for the impact of noise on this vulnerable population.

In a new study, �������� scientists eavesdropped on Cook Inlet belugas, recording more than 1,700 calls representing 21 different behavioral encounters. This work builds on a 2023 study showing that noise from commercial shipping, the primary industry in the region, masks common beluga calls. Although many marine mammals rely more on sound than sight, our understanding of acoustic communication among these animals is limited.

Beluga whales use vocalizations to socialize, stick together and avoid danger. The new study, , investigated the behavioral, social and environmental contexts in which the whales produce various calls.

“We knew that human-generated noise was masking their calls, but we didn’t know what those calls were used for,” said, a UW doctoral student in aquatic and fishery sciences. “This study gave us important insights into the world of beluga communication and how it is disrupted by industry and development.”

They found that Cook Inlet belugas use a specific type of call — a combined call — when calves are present. Combined calls were one of the call types that got drowned out by shipping noise in the 2023 study, suggesting that shipping noise could be disrupting communication with calves. If mothers and calves can’t remain in contact, it could spell trouble for the young whales.

“We don’t have the data to directly connect noise and calf separation,” Brewer said, “but if a mother whale can’t acoustically keep in contact with her calf, that could be a huge problem.”.

Researchers also found that calling between whales increased right before a behavioral change in the group, such as a transition from socializing to traveling, and when the tide was coming in. The call rate for individual whales decreased as group size increased, suggesting that individuals call less in a big group, perhaps to avoid talking over each other.

In Cook Inlet, where the whales live year round, silty glacial water gets churned up by powerful currents and dramatic tides. Beluga whales likely moved in after the last ice age, roughly 10,000 years ago. Vocal communication and echolocation, a navigational strategy used by bats and some whales, have allowed them to survive in this extreme environment, but human noise presents a newer challenge.

“Their main foraging hot spots for salmon are in the northern part of the inlet, near Anchorage, and in close proximity to the airport, the Port of Alaska, and the military base. I think there are ways to adapt but it’s tricky for them and noise pollution is far from the only threat,” Brewer said.

Beluga whales in the St. Lawrence Estuary in Eastern Canada — also very noisy — have evolved to , perhaps in response to lower frequency anthropogenic noise. They also make their when it’s noisy, just like two people conversing at a party would.

In the Puget Sound region, where the endangered Southern Resident killer whales live, when whales are reported in the area. Smaller ships are legally required to keep their distance and slow down within half a mile of the whales. This program was introduced after researchers demonstrated that .

“The Port of Alaska could explore similar strategies to mitigate the impact of industry,” Brewer said. “We can’t halt shipping, but we’re trying to understand what we can do to manage these critical habitats, especially when the animals are nearby.”

Co-authors include , a UW assistant professor of aquatic and fishery sciences;�� , a UW professor of aquatic and fishery sciences; , a UW assistant professor of aquatic and fishery sciences; , a research scientist in the UW Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, & Ecosystem Studies; of NOAA; Christopher Garner and Andrea Gilstad of the Air Force Conservation Department.

This study was funded by UW School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, the Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies under a NOAA Cooperative Agreement, and the H. Mason Keeler Endowed Professorship in Sports Fisheries Management.

For more information, contact Brewer at arialb@uw.edu.�� ��

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The �������� was awarded $2.5 million from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to fund 16 postdoctoral fellows in a number of fields across the College of Arts & Sciences, the College of Engineering and the College of the Environment.

The UW is one of 30 U.S. research universities to receive the funding. The grants support work in a range of natural science disciplines supported by the foundation, including disciplines of astronomy, biology, chemistry, Earth and planetary sciences, ecology materials science, physics and quantum information. Post doctoral fellows will receive between $90,000 and $200,000 for work lasting nine to 24 months.��

Gordon and Betty Moore established the Moore Foundation in 2000 to create positive outcomes for future generations. In pursuit of that vision, the Foundation advances scientific discovery and environmental conservation. It is one of the nation’s leading philanthropies with an endowment of approximately $12 billion and annual grantmaking exceeding $500 million.

In awarding the funds, officials with the Moore Foundation noted the “critical role postdoctoral fellows play in advancing scientific discovery and the importance of maintaining the talent pipeline for science.”

The UW is well known for training future researchers and scientific leaders across disciplines. Many of the post-doctoral fellows in this cohort say they plan to pursue faculty positions, to inspire another generation of scientists.

“The work these postdoctoral researchers are doing will increase our understanding of the planet and the universe, helping to create a better future for all,” said Cecilia Giachelli, associate vice provost for research and a professor of bioengineering. “We are deeply grateful to the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation for their generous support.”

UW News asked the cohort of Moore Foundation postdoctoral fellows to share their research goals. Here’s what they told us:

Arachaporn Anutaliya, Applied Physics Laboratory:

“I’m excited to receive this fellowship because it allows me to study large-scale equatorial waves that move heat through the ocean and shape global climate patterns. Understanding how these waves redistribute heat is essential for improving our understanding of climate variability and global warming. This fellowship supports my goal of building a career in ocean and climate science that connects fundamental research to broader climate understanding.”

Arpit Arora, Department of Astronomy:��

“I am thrilled to receive this fellowship, as it lets me collaborate with the UW experts leading the Rubin Observatory to study dark matter — the invisible substance making up 85% of all matter in the universe. I use computer simulations to model ‘stellar streams,’ which are long trails of stars being torn apart by our galaxy’s gravity. By comparing these simulations with new telescope data, I can use the motion of these stars to map out the hidden influence of dark matter and finally understand how it shapes our universe.”

George Brencher, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering:

“My research uses satellite data and machine learning to improve measurements of snow and ice that are needed for managing water resources and natural hazards. Rapid advances in Earth observation and machine learning are transforming the field, allowing us to push the limits of what we can observe on Earth from space. This fellowship will allow me to develop new approaches that translate these advances into meaningful, real-world impact.”

Leo Brody, Department of Chemical Engineering:��

“Receiving this fellowship gives me the flexibility to explore a new class of materials that could dramatically lower the cost of turning waste plastics and biomass into useful fuels and chemicals. I am especially excited about replacing rare, expensive catalysts with materials made from Earth-abundant elements like iron, aluminum and carbon. This support will help me prioritize making energy and chemical production cleaner, cheaper and more sustainable.”

Jamie Cochran, Department of Biology:

“I will study the physiology of the freshwater crustacean Hyalella azteca, which is used to understand the impact of aquatic stressors — such as metals or pesticides — on freshwater environments. Just like humans require a specific ratio of salt to water for survival, these shrimp-like crustaceans must regulate their internal balance of ions to water. My project involves trying to determine the mechanisms behind this balance, which could also help us understand other sensitive freshwater creatures. I am grateful to this fellowship for the opportunity to investigate this ecologically significant species.”

Debarati Das, Department of Chemistry:

“As a biochemist, I am keen on pursuing a career in industry or the government sector addressing questions at the interface of chemistry and biology. I find microorganisms particularly fascinating because they are able to live in diverse habitats, from the deep sea to the human body. With the support of the Moore Foundation, I will be able to develop new skills to study how microbes use unique chemistry to adapt to different environmental conditions. This work will help us to understand the critical roles of microorganisms in every ecosystem on our planet.”

Mateo Lopez Espejo, Department of Psychology:

“When we hear a sound, we turn our heads to focus our vision and hearing on the source. This is a process called active sensing. I am excited to investigate the mechanisms behind this process using the fruit fly as a model so that I can take advantage of its genetic tools and fully mapped brain connectivity. The support of this fellowship will be fundamental to help me establish this research plan during my postdoc, and to cement my future career.”

Cassandra Henderson, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering:��

“I am pleased to accept the Moore Foundation fellowship to support my essential research in preparing Washington communities for climate change. With this assistance, I will be able to continue work on the , which enables long term flood planning that addresses sea level rise.”

Sophia Jannetty, Department of Biology:��

“I use computer simulations to explore how the behavior of individual cells affects the health of our tissues and organs. I am honored to receive the Moore Foundation fellowship, which will allow me to apply this approach to better understand how aging cells and inflammation interact to influence disease. I hope my work can inform more thoughtful strategies for promoting healthy aging.”

Atsushi Matsuda, Department of Biology:

“Electron microscopy reveals extraordinary details inside living cells, but turning these images into accurate three-dimensional reconstructions remains a major challenge. My research aims to overcome this by combining physics-informed machine learning with computer vision to create tools that are broadly usable by biological researchers. I am excited to receive this fellowship because it gives me the freedom to pursue this highly interdisciplinary work at the intersection of biology, computational mechanics and artificial intelligence.”

Hikari Murayama, Department of Atmospheric and Climate Science:��

“Quantifying greenhouse gas emissions was a core pillar of my doctoral work, and this fellowship provides an opportunity to build off of that. We’ll be focusing on historical data: Tracking past methane emissions from oil and gas facilities can give us insight into how emission patterns fluctuate over time. I’m excited to continue developing as an interdisciplinary scholar while also forming my identity as a researcher as I pursue faculty positions.”

Dongmin Shi, Department of Materials Science & Engineering:��

“I am honored to receive support from the Moore Foundation fellowship, which will enable me to pursue innovative, foundational ideas with long-term impact in biomedical engineering. My research focuses on developing wearable biosensors that help monitor and better understand human health. In the future, I aim to become a faculty member who helps translate fundamental scientific discoveries into technologies that improve health care.”

Marta Ulaski, School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences:

“Healthy rivers are the backbone of thriving salmon and trout populations but we don’t yet know if the places we protect are the ones most at risk from a warming climate. I’m looking forward to combining climate, policy and habitat information in a new way to better understand how river protections support salmon and trout. Ultimately I hope this work will help close the gap between research and conservation practice and provide evidence to guide future policy.”

Corinne Vietorisz, School of Environmental & Forest Sciences:��

“I am very excited to receive the Moore Fellowship, which will allow me to join the Willing Lab at the UW to study how fire-adapted microbes can aid in forest recovery following wildfire. I am continuously amazed by the enormous impacts microorganisms have on our world. My long-term goal is to study how soil microbes — including fungi and bacteria — can improve ecosystem restoration and land management outcomes.”

Samuel Wong, Department of Physics:��

“I am interested in proposing novel ways to test theories beyond the current understanding of fundamental physics, such as searching for new particles and forces. Specifically, my work involves finding ways to use precision measurement techniques to search for these tiny signals of new physics. The UW is a leading center for precision measurement, and the support from the Moore Foundation postdoctoral fellowship will allow me to do this work alongside , UW assistant professor of physics.”

Weiwang Zeng, Department of Chemistry:��

“I am excited to receive this fellowship because it gives me the freedom to take big scientific risks at a crucial stage in my career. I use ultrafast bursts of light in a special range of the electromagnetic spectrum to reveal and control new behaviors in atomically thin quantum materials. With this support, I can build toward an independent research program.”

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The U.S. boasts more than 4 million miles of rivers, peppered with laws and regulations to protect access to drinking water and essential habitat for fish and wildlife. But in the first comprehensive review of river protection, research co-led by the �������� shows that the existing regulations account for less than 20% of total river length and vary widely by region.

Freshwater conservation strategies have historically emphasized protections against land use and development on public lands, including National Wildlife Refuges, Wilderness Areas and National Forests. However, protection measures that are specific to lakes, rivers and wetlands are much less common.

Most of the protection afforded to rivers comes from land-based measures, but the growing global consensus is that this isn’t enough. Freshwater ecosystems are losing biodiversity faster than anywhere else. To improve stewardship, researchers first need to map the existing protections and attempt to gauge their benefits.

“We examined the patchwork of different aquatic and terrestrial protection measures that seek to support river resilience to better understand where we are doing well and where there is room for improvement,” said , a UW professor of aquatic and fishery sciences.

Olden co-led this study with and . They published the results Jan. 9 in an in Nature Sustainability, alongside a on the topic.

Rivers supply clean drinking water and power to millions of Americans. They provide habitat for fish, water for thirsty crops, and create transportation networks for people, goods and animals. But the nature of rivers makes them harder to protect. They cross borders, traverse ecological zones and snake between public and private lands.

Waterways are now represented in some major conservation initiatives, such as the — an effort to protect 30% of Earth’s land and ocean by 2030 — but that wasn’t always the case.

“Threats to fresh waters often originate outside the bounds of protected land areas,” Olden said. “So unfortunately no matter how much attention you give an individual stretch of river, it is only as protected as its headwaters.”

Because the mechanism of protection varies depending on the policy or management practice, the researchers developed a river protection index to compare river segments based on water quantity, quality, connectivity, habitat and biodiversity — key ecological attributes supporting freshwater resilience. They categorized segments by protection level to identify gaps and prioritize areas in need of protection.

“We layered local, state and federal protection mechanisms onto the river network to reveal where and how we seek to protect America’s rivers,” Olden said.

The study reported that nearly two-thirds of rivers in the U.S. are unprotected. Just over 19% of total river length in the entire U.S., and 11% in the contiguous U.S., is protected at a level deemed adequate to safeguard the health of river ecosystems. . Protections favor high elevation and remote areas, as well as public lands. Low-elevation headwaters and large swaths of the Midwest and South are underprotected.

River-specific protection efforts remain scarce. The — a seminal freshwater protection measure passed in 1972 —�� protects just 2.7% of total river length. Habitat bulwarks for endangered species protect 1.3% and approximately 2% receive protection from river-specific designations, such as .

Land-based regulations, by comparison, apply to a much larger chunk of the total. Federal Wilderness Area designations apply to 6.3% of total river length and river and floodplain protections encompass 14.2% of total river length.

The study also highlighted the potential value of investing in watershed management programs.

“Working to ensure that protected rivers also have protected upstream watersheds supports reliable access to clean water that doesn’t need treatment, which can be expensive, before it hits the faucets of American households,” Olden said.

Beefing up protections doesn’t mean cutting off access to rivers, either.

“We can use regulatory action to support equitable access to the numerous benefits rivers provide human society,” Olden said. “Protected rivers support recreation, freshwater biodiversity and cultural value. It’s a win-win-win.”

For more information, contact Olden at olden@uw.edu.��

Additional co-authors include , and of Conservation Science Partners; and and of American Rivers.

This study was funded by American Rivers.

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The historic Norwegian tall ship Statsraad Lehmkuhl set sail for San Francisco from the Port of Seattle on Monday, marking the end of and another stop on the to support a sustainable future at sea.

The ship, built in 1914, boasts three towering masts and hails from Bergen, Norway. During the inaugural One Ocean Week Seattle, organized by , it docked at Pier 66 to welcome attendees and members of the public aboard to explore and learn.

The drew hundreds of people to Seattle to discuss marine ecosystems, the seafood industry, shipping and renewable energy, and more. �������� scientists joined policymakers, educators and industry leaders to define and address priorities in stewardship and ocean science.

, a UW affiliate professor and research scientist at the Center for Ecosystem Sentinels, served as a panelist on the “Coast to Coast Collaboration in Research” aboard Statsraad Lehmkuhl on Friday morning.

Moore contributed her expertise as a marine mammal ecologist to help launch the in the Pacific Arctic in 2010, leading to an international effort to establish a network of observatories in the Arctic to track ecosystem health amidst physical changes to the region.

The panel, part of a series hosted by , offered a chance to discuss shared goals as melting ice opens the Arctic up to more traffic.

“It was an important opportunity for international collaboration and public engagement regarding rapid ecosystem changes in Arctic, and local, waters,” Moore said.

, a UW professor of mechanical engineering, helped lead a “behind the scenes” lab tour hosted by the , which joins researchers at UW, Oregon State University and the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

During the tour, researchers showcased marine energy monitoring projects at the , including videos and sonar documenting interactions between marine life and tidal energy turbines, sensors to detect underwater collisions, and systems to monitor how much noise is produced by the devices that help harness energy from waves and currents.

“These tools help us identify and minimize environmental effects associated with harnessing energy from waves, tides and rivers,” Polagye said.

, a UW principal research scientist of aquatic and fishery sciences participated in a panel discussion, where he shared his work on habitat in , which borders downtown Seattle. Toft’s lab studies how shoreline development impacts habitat value for young salmon.

“Although the shorelines of Elliott Bay have been heavily modified, restoration efforts have had positive results,” he said. “The panel gave us a chance to discuss the importance of maintaining a healthy shoreline along a major urban working waterfront.”

Despite the density of human activity along the shores of Elliott Bay, these waters are home to key species, including kelp, orcas and salmon. Maintaining functionality without losing habitat is a challenge, requiring input from various stakeholders, and creativity.

, a coastal hazards specialist at , provided an update on observed and projected sea level rise during a Friday workshop bringing together coastal managers and tribes around the Puget Sound region.

“The opportunity to meet in person with that many people who all came for the workshop was invaluable,” he said.

To connect with a UW expert in ocean or environmental science, contact Gillian Dohrn in UW News at gdohrn@uw.edu.

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Long baleen whale mothers are more likely to have female calves than males, according to a new study led by the ��������. The findings contradict a popular evolutionary theory postulating that strong mammals benefit more from birthing males.

In 1973, that fit female mammals can improve their odds for grandchildren by having males. Large strong mothers will raise large strong offspring that, if male, can outcompete other males for mates.��But, according to the theory, female fitness is less consequential. The studies backing this argument focused on land mammals, such as deer and elk, and often included just tens or hundreds of animals.

UW researchers tested the theory in marine mammals by comparing maternal length and fetal sex in more than 100,000 baleen whales. They found that the fetal sex ratio skews female for longer — and thus more fit — rorqual whales, the predominant baleen whale family that includes humpbacks and blue whales. The findings, on Sept. 24, suggest that female calves benefit more from heritable fitness than males do.

Carrying and caring for young is exhausting, and whales often breed far from food sources. They must rely on stored fat to sustain themselves and their young during and after pregnancy.

“The question we wanted to answer was: if you are in good condition, if you’re big and fat and you’re going to have a big fat calf that will survive and reproduce — do you want that calf to be a male or a female?” said , a UW doctoral student of quantitative ecology and resource management.

To answer this question, the researchers turned to historical whaling data.

Back in the early 1900s, when people hunted whales, a group from Norway began collecting data on their catch. The practice was codified into a law that required all Norwegian hunters to record the whale’s length, sex and pregnancy status, as well as the sex and size of a fetus. In the 1930s, the Norwegian regulation became international law.

“When they hunted whales, there were often biologists around who were knee-deep in the carcasses, measuring and collecting samples,” Rand said. in 1986 to protect dwindling populations from further decimation. The IWC data, however, is a treasure trove for researchers.

“We have this enormous data set with hundreds of thousands of data points that doesn’t exist for almost any other wild population,” said , a UW professor in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. In 2023, Branch and Rand helped create an interactive map depicting whale distribution from the data.

The data also gave Rand an opportunity to investigate fetal sex ratios in marine mammals. Experts argue that some animals just after conception. No one knows exactly how this works for mammals, but adapting sex ratios based on physical or environmental conditions is considered advantageous.

“I think for our mammal brains, it is a little bit confusing,” Rand said, “But insects, and ants, have a lot of control over the sex of their offspring, so it’s not entirely surprising that mammals might have a little bit of control.”

In this study, the researchers modeled maternal length against sex for fetuses measuring three feet and longer — the size at which sex becomes evident. They included seven whale species in the rorqual family, totalling more than 100,000 whales.

If the Trivers-Willard hypothesis were correct, researchers would have seen a slight increase in the number of male fetuses as maternal length increased. Instead, they observed a downward trend, indicating that fewer males were born to larger mothers. The results varied some by species: There was a 77% chance that longer female humpbacks have more female calves, and that probability increased to 99% for sei whales.

There are several possible explanations for why these findings flip the Trivers-Willard hypothesis, and the trends observed in land mammals. Some male whales compete for mates, but competition might not be as significant a pressure as female size because small female whales will likely struggle to reproduce and raise healthy young. Big whales, on the other hand, will have big female calves that will grow into long mothers with strong reproductive potential.

For baleen whale mothers, investing energy in female calves is the best way to ensure generations of grandchildren.

Research also suggests that some whale species are , which could spell trouble for future generations if females are unable to support offspring. The findings could have implications for conservation, but Rand said that this will require further research to confirm.

“Previously it was assumed that if you have male-male competition for mates, bigger mothers will have males,” Rand said. “Our paper shows that you can’t make that assumption because there’s also an advantage to being big as a female.”

Other authors include , the Leader of the USGS Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and a Professor in the UW School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences.

This research was funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Contact Rand at zrand@uw.edu for more information.

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Joth Davis adjusted his waders and stepped into the cool waters of Thorndyke Bay, his Crocs disappearing under a layer of thick, forest-green seaweed. Behind him, jagged Olympic peaks poked above the hilltops. Before him stretched 30 acres of oysters, clams and geoducks — the shellfish farm he’d run for 35 years. ��

A hundred feet from shore, Davis stooped over and reached a hand toward the muck, where a native cockle clam sat on the surface. “This right here,” he said, scooping up the clam, “this is the problem.”��

Under ideal conditions, cockles bury themselves in sand or mud, resting in shallow waters. But the conditions at are not always ideal. Every summer, Davis and shellfish farmers across the Washington coastline contend with an abundance of , a native seaweed that flourishes in tidelands. Commonly called “sea lettuce,” Ulva grows thick and heavy. Left unmitigated, it can smother life underneath.��

Some shellfish, like the cockle in Davis’s hand, can force themselves through the sludge and onto the surface, where they’re more likely to survive. Others — including the oysters and geoducks that are the heart of Baywater’s business — can only suffer on the seabed.����

“Too much seaweed grows in proliferation, and just piles up on top of the (shellfish). We definitely have seen mortalities among geoducks because of the Ulva,” said Davis, who is also a trained marine biologist and affiliate professor of aquatic and fisheries sciences at the UW. “And it’s getting worse.”��

For years, Baywater has removed excess Ulva by hand. Teams of workers hunch over to scoop fistfuls of seaweed into oversized buckets. It’s an expensive, time-consuming, laborious process that creates yet another conundrum — what to do with hundreds of pounds of unwanted seaweed.����

Researchers at the �������� saw an opportunity. Ulva is rich in carbon and other nutrients, which can cause problems when left in the sea. But those same nutrients are vital for land-based agriculture. What if shellfish farmers like Davis could turn all that extra seaweed into an organic soil amendment for vegetable farms?����

“It seemed like a real no-brainer,” said Sarah Collier, a UW assistant professor of environmental and occupational health sciences and the project lead. “What has been a problem for shellfish farms could be a great opportunity for farms on land.”��

That insight led to , a multi-year collaboration between the UW, Baywater Shellfish, , Washington State University, and farm business incubator The project aimed to test the viability of Ulva as a soil amendment, and, if successful, develop a market for sea-based farmers to sell excess seaweed to their counterparts on land. Along the way, Collier’s team would study the supply chain’s agricultural, economic and climate impacts.����

Project leaders hoped their findings would help to solve a problem faced not only in Washington, but also in coastal communities around the globe.����

“Our farm is really a research platform,” Davis said. “We’re doing this because it helps the farm, but it’s really the science that we want.”����

In December 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded the program nearly $5 million over five years. The project launched the following year, removing more than 17,000 pounds of seaweed from shellfish beds and applying it to crops on four local farms, who received financial support for their participation.����

The project generated widespread excitement. Anecdotes from participating farms suggested an increased crop yield, and nearly 70 farms expressed interest in participating in the second year. The project team built a prototype raft-based system to accelerate seaweed removal. Early data suggested a significant economic benefit.��

Then the USDA pulled the plug. In April 2025, federal officials canceled a $3 billion initiative to fund climate-forward agricultural projects such as Blue Carbon, Green Fields.����

“We had to immediately shut everything down,” Collier said. Now the project is at a standstill: Farmers who had been eager to participate were unable to do so, and researchers haven’t been able to fully analyze the first year’s data. The raft-based harvester sits ready, but has no supply chain for the seaweed it collects.��

As the summer unfolds, project leaders have scrambled to maintain what they can, collecting essential data and storing seaweed samples for later analysis. Collier is searching for alternative funding and working with the USDA to potentially tweak the project to fit the Trump administration’s priorities.����

For now, though, a solution to the seaweed problem remains just out of reach.����

“The thing that’s really frustrating is that this is absolutely a win-win,” Collier said. “It makes sense. It solves a problem. It’s just something that makes sense from every perspective whether you’re thinking about the economics, the environmental impacts or�� building resilience and health in the system. It just makes sense from every possible angle.��

“So to have to stop doing this work is just so frustrating.”��

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Sunflower sea stars are the largest sea stars in the world: They have up to 24 arms and grow to the size of a bicycle tire.

Starting in 2013, these creatures and other sea star species along the west coast of North America died in epidemic proportions. The stars had harrowing symptoms: Their arms contorted before falling off completely. Over the past decade, sea star wasting disease has killed billions of sea stars in up to 20 species by effectively “melting” their tissues.

The disease has wiped out more than 90% of the once-common sunflower sea stars, most critically in the continental U.S., landing them on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s . The loss of sunflower sea stars, which support kelp forests by feeding on kelp-eating sea urchins, has had widespread and lasting effects on coastal ecosystems.

Until now, no one knew what caused sea star wasting disease. But on Aug. 4, an international research effort including scientists from the �������� has finally revealed the cause: a strain of the bacterium Vibrio pectenicida. Vibrio is a genus of bacteria that has devastated coral and shellfish as well as humans (for example, Vibrio cholerae is the pathogen that causes cholera).

The researchers in Nature Ecology & Evolution.

“This is the discovery of the decade for me,” said co-author , a UW affiliate professor in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences and Friday Harbor Laboratories. “We have studied both the cause and the impacts of this disease for the entire epidemic. What’s crazy is that the answer was just sitting right there in front of us. This Vibrio is a sneaky critter because it doesn’t show up on histology like other bacteria do.”

“From initial studies, we thought the culprit was a virus,” Harvell continued. “So it was a surprise to find the pathogen in a more common group of bacteria.”

The long-awaited result showing V. pectenicida strain FHCF-3 as the causative agent comes after a four-year research process. Scientists explored many possible pathogens, including viruses. At first, the researchers looked in sunflower sea star tissues before they homed in on the high levels of V. pectenicida in sick sea star “blood,” or coelomic fluid.

“When we looked at the coelomic fluid between exposed and healthy sea stars, there was basically one thing different: Vibrio,” said senior author , a marine disease ecologist at the Hakai Institute and the University of British Columbia. “We all had chills. We thought, ‘That’s it. We have it. That’s what causes wasting.'”

Harvell attributes the team’s success to:

• Having the right facilities at the U.S. Geological Service with proper quarantine and high-quality water flow
• A talented research team that had pathology, virology and bacteriology experience
• Having access to a source of the right test animals, including sunflower sea stars raised in captivity by co-author , UW senior research scientist at Friday Harbor Laboratories.

“I observed and collected health data on nearly every single sea star twice a day for the majority of experiments for all four summers,” said co-author , a UW doctoral student in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. “I have loved sea stars and have been fascinated by diseases since childhood. To get to participate so actively in research that combines both of these interests has been a dream come true. I’m excited about getting to work on a project with such consequential findings for the conservation of these important sea stars: to find both the cause of sea star wasting disease, and to better understand their immune response.”

To confirm that V. pectenicida was the culprit, co-author , a research scientist at UBC, created pure cultures of V. pectenicida from the coelomic fluid of sick sea stars. The team then injected the cultured pathogen into healthy sea stars, which developed symptoms of sea star wasting disease — the final proof.

“When we lose billions of sea stars, that really shifts the ecological dynamics,” said lead author , an evolutionary ecologist at the Hakai Institute and UBC. “In the absence of sunflower stars, sea urchin populations increase, which means the loss of kelp forests, and that has broad implications for all the other marine species and humans that rely on them. So losing a sea star goes far beyond the loss of that single species.”

Now that scientists have identified the pathogen behind sea star wasting disease, they can look into the drivers of disease and potential hallmarks of resilience. Researchers are particularly interested in studying the link between sea star wasting disease and rising ocean temperatures. The effects of the disease seem to be stronger in warmer water, and other species of Vibrio are also known to proliferate in warm water, Gehman said.

Researchers and project partners hope the discovery will help guide management and and the ecosystems affected by their decline.

“It’s just heartbreaking to watch them die,” Harvell said. “Sunflower sea stars are enchanting creatures and they’re quite interactive. At feeding time, they will come toward you. If you throw clams to the stars, they can catch them. It’s so gratifying to finally have an answer.”

Additional co-authors on this paper are Katherine M. Davis and Jan F. Finke at UBC and the Hakai Institute; Paul K. Hershberger at the U.S. Geological Survey; Andrew McCracken at the University of Vermont; Colleen T. E. Kellogg, Rute B. G. Clemente-Carvalho and Carolyn Prentice at the Hakai Institute; and Kevin X. Zhong and Curtis A. Suttle at UBC. The research was supported by The Nature Conservancy of California, the Tula Foundation, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Discovery Grant, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation and British Columbia Knowledge Development Fund Infrastructure award, the University of British Columbia, the U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Threats Research Program, Ecosystems Mission Area and the Quantitative and Evolutionary STEM Traineeship.

For more information, contact Harvell at cdh5@cornell.edu.

Adapted from a release from The Hakai Institute.

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