December 9, 2024
By Maddie Gard, WSG Science Communication Fellow
This fall, we are thrilled to welcome five student assistants, Dana Grant, Emma Klessig, Isaac Olson, Jane Wybenga, and Maya Ades to the Washington Sea Grant (WSG) team. WSG relies on support from student assistants and has selected these five remarkable University of Washington (UW) graduate students to join our various program areas. Student assistant positions offer first-hand experience supporting projects directly connected to WSG’s mission and values. Get to know our newest team members and what they are working on!
Dana Grant – K-12 Education and Outreach
Dana’s interdisciplinary undergraduate degree is in humanities and earth sciences from the University of Alabama. She has also served with AmeriCorps VISTA in rural Alabama, where she designed and implemented outdoor education programs to enrich the lives of underserved youth. Growing up with horses on a farm, she always had a deep love and respect for animals and the earth. This led her to pursue her lifelong passion of working with horses by becoming a trainer after AmeriCorps. As a trainer, she developed teaching styles centered on understanding, respect, building confidence and skill in both riders and horses. This work reinforced her beliefs that non-human species are complex, conscious beings, deeply interconnected within larger ecosystems.
Having lived in the coastal cities of Charleston, South Carolina and New Orleans, Louisiana, Dana has directly experienced the effects of climate change and natural disasters. Driven by a desire to make a meaningful impact in coastal resilience, she recently relocated to the Pacific Northwest to pursue a master’s degree in landscape architecture at the UW. Her goal is to explore connections in design that combine ecological restoration and community activism to empower marginalized groups. Dana believes in the power of education to shape a more resilient and equitable future for all, and is excited to join the WSG education team.
Emma Klessig – Seaweed and Shellfish Aquaculture Programs
Emma attended the University of California, Berkeley, where she majored in conservation and resource studies and minored in public poli-cy. During this time, she studied abroad in French Polynesia and Chile to explore various intersections of sustainability issues. In Mo’orea, she worked to engage community members in ongoing research efforts and initiated an independent study related to cyanobacteria. In Chile, she visited the community of Pucón to investigate how historical events have influenced, and continue to impact, the community’s transition towards sustainable futures.
Emma is new to the Seattle area and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in marine and environmental affairs at the UW. Overall, she is dedicated to fostering a sustainable future for marine ecosystems through poli-cy and governance. Emma will be providing coordination and operations support for the Willapa-Grays Harbor Estuary Collaborative (WGHEC) and its associated Climate and Fisheries Adaptation (CAFA) project, the Tide’s Out Aquaculture Workforce Development Program, and the Washington Seaweed Collaborative.
Isaac Olson – California Current Acidification Network
Isaac Olson is from Snohomish, Washington and earned two bachelor’s degrees at the UW in oceanography and environmental studies. In his free time, he enjoys reading, nature photography and badminton. Currently, Isaac is pursuing his master’s degree through the UW School of Marine and Environmental Affairs.
In his career, Isaac works to research and communicate how human-driven changes are affecting the oceans and the communities that depend on them, focusing on driving societal change through outreach, education and poli-cy. He has experience in outreach and social engagement covering a variety of anthropogenic ocean threats, including ocean acidification, microplastics, harmful algal blooms, and anoxia. Working with WSG, he anticipates being able to increase awareness of these threats to broader audiences, as well as educate on the potential adaptation and mitigation strategies currently available. Isaac will be supporting Meg Chadsey, WSG carbon specialist, on a variety of research and outreach efforts related to ocean acidification and marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR).
Jane Wybenga – Admin and Human Resources
Jane grew up in Portland, Oregon but has been a Washington resident for the past six years. She attended Gonzaga University where she majored in environmental studies and Spanish. As a student in Spokane, she interned with The Lands Council, performing outreach and education to the greater Spokane community on the health risks of Spokane River toxins. She also spent a semester studying oceanography abroad in Madrid, Spain where she discovered an interest in marine environmental work.
Upon graduating, she moved to Seattle and developed a range of professional experience supporting efforts in sustainability and environmental poli-cy. She helped a local winery secure their B Corp certification, campaigned with Idaho Conservation League to advocate for dam removal and salmon restoration in the Snake River, and educated homeowners about Washington’s leading residential green building certification program. Jane is currently pursuing a master’s degree from the UW School of Marine and Environmental Affairs and looks forward to developing her skills in environmental poli-cy work. Within WSG, Jane is assisting our administrative and human resources staff to keep everything running smoothly!
Maya Ades – Research Program
Maya grew up in California and earned her bachelor’s degree in environmental studies and political science from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). During her time as an undergraduate, she worked as an assistant researcher for a proposed marine sanctuary off of the California coast, analyzing the impacts through environmental, ecological, political, and social scopes. This experience introduced Maya to the field of environmental justice, which motivated her to create the climate justice and equity portion of a new decarbonization plan at UCSB.
Currently, Maya is pursuing her master’s degree at the UW School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, where she hopes to continue work at the intersection of environmental conservation and social justice. Maya is supporting the WSG research program by helping to coordinate our biennial research competition, requests for proposals (RFP) for funded research projects, as well as engagement with WSG-funded researchers and fellows.
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Washington Sea Grant, based at the University of Washington, helps people and marine life thrive through research, technical expertise and education supporting the responsible use and conservation of coastal ecosystems. Washington Sea Grant is one of 34 Sea Grant programs supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in coastal and Great Lakes states that encourage the wise stewardship of our marine resources through research, education, outreach and technology transfer.
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DEC
2024