How humans relate to the global ocean

The students of Ocean 480 from 2019

Get to know your fellow classmates

The Students of Ocean 480

Miles Craggs: Hi, I'm Miles Craggs! I'm a junior at UW majoring in ESS. I am in this course because the course description sounded interesting to me, and it also helps satisfy a 400 level credit for my ESS major. Once I am done with school I plan on going into the peace corps.

Dana Fong: Hi, I'm a Junior majoring in Oceanography and I'm really interested in how the ocean has been changing due to anthropogenic activities. Living in California, I grew up quite close to the ocean and have always had a huge appreciation for it, so being able to study it in a setting like UW is exciting. I also grew up with other interests like music performance, video games, and traveling.

Isabela Garcia: My name is Isabela Garcia and I am a senior majoring in Environmental Science. I enjoy writing and music and specialize in ecology and conservation issues. I am in this course as I am interested in the connections between humans and the natural world and I believe that a better understanding of these components will lead to better conservation and I also believe that people don't fully understand how important oceans are to our ecosystem. I want to be better conservationist and I think that by taking classes out of my field will be useful.

Andrew Greuter: My name is Andrew. Right now I’m studying environmental science, which is a great fit for me, but I’m also going to pursue journalism. I plan to use film as a medium to encourage people to take on positive roles and realize that they are not just observers but have some agency in the world. I love to hike, bike, ski, sing and see. I’m a weak swimmer, but still love the ocean and hope to help preserve some of it’s remaining biodiversity and beauty.

Logan Guillet: My name is Logan Guillet, and I'm a senior studying geology in the Earth and Space Science department. I'm excited to be taking this course because it will be a nice change of pace from all the ESS courses I have taken recently, and it will help to further my knowledge outside of my major.

Alexander Islas: I recently started on an oceanography major, I graduated from Grays Harbor College with an associates of natural resources in forestry. I decided to go into oceanography after a lot of volunteer work and learning about phytoplankton and their role in the ecosystem. I am primarily focused on harmful algae blooms and the health effects of their toxins.

Connor Izumi: My name is Connor Izumi and although I did not intend to study oceanography at first, I found that my deep rooted connection to the ocean is a vocation more so than a hobby. As a child, I enjoyed many summers living near the Ocean and swimming its surfaces, and am excited to further my understanding of the marine environments that comprise 70% of this planet.

Katie Johnson: Hello, I'm Katie Johnson, a sophomore majoring in Oceanography. I hope to someday work with corals and rehabilitate reefs. I'm taking this class because I've been learning about how the ocean functions by itself (waves, currents, and such), but I want to learn about how people all over the world have and do take advantage of the ocean and its many resources.

Amy Larsen: I am a junior in Oceanography and I'm interested in this course because I would like to get a broader perspective on the oceans and our interactions with it. I have been on a research cruise (to Axial Caldera on VISIONS 18)  for 10 days and I work in Alex Gagnon's Lab. I am also the president of SOS, Oceanography's undergrad club. I enjoy climbing and I am on the UW Climbing Team.

Leo Macleod: Hi! My name is Leo MacLeod and I’m a LGBTQ activist with a background in teaching sex education. Right now I am a freshman dual majoring in Marine Biology and Oceanography with an interest in arts, notably sculpture, watercolour, and sewing plush aquatic organisms. I love everything about the ocean but especially deep sea organisms, jellyfish, and weird ocean floor formations. I am excited to take this course to learn more about how people connect to the ocean to be able to make marine sciences more accessible.

Ben Mather: I'm a Freshman who is currently a declared oceanography major with the aim of someday having a hand in ocean conservation. My curiosity in the ocean emerged at a young age: Every summer of my childhood, I spent exploring the coastal ocean by shell-hunting, surfing, body-boarding and messing around in the shore-break. It is this same curiosity for the ocean that compelled me to take your course.

Kendra Mckeague: I am a senior and Oceanography and Dance major. I am interested in ocean dynamics and artistic expression. I have found the overlap between the two to be more apparent throughout cultures than I had originally thought and I am looking forward to week 3 topic: Art of the Sea.

Taylor Mixon: Hello, my name is Taylor Mixon. I have just joined the ESS department as a sophomore with a focus on geology. My first few quarters here I struggled academically because I was working full time, but now my focus is solely on school and I am excited to see where I head in the future. There are multiple reasons why I decided to take this course; it's a 400 level elective for my major, it fit around my other classes, and I am curious as to the interdisciplinary relationship between geology and oceanography. My career path is still a bit vague so I am looking at multiple fronts for my interests.

Tehwan Park: Hi, my name is Tehwan Park, and I am a fourth year undergraduate student at UW. I am in this course to get credit for my ESS major and wanted to take a different subject from my major. I am originally from South Korea, but grew up in Sacramento, California. Thank you, that's it.

James Scukas: Hi, my name's James Scukas and I'm in my final year as an undergrad in Oceanography.  I chose this course for upper division Oceanography credits as topics that relate oceanography to human activities are often some of the most interesting areas to me.

Madison Selby: My name is Maddy Selby and I am a junior majoring in Earth and Space Sciences focusing in Biology and pursuing a Sales Certificate from The Foster School of Business. I hope to go into the career field of either Medical Sales or Pharmaceutical Sales. I am in this course as it classifies as an elective for my major and it sounded interesting in the course description.

Xuejie Sheng: I am a second-year master student from School of Marine and Environmental Affairs. In 2017, I got my Bachelor of Engineering Degree in Nankai University, China, major in Environmental Engineering. My career interest is international collaboration in environmental issues.

Jazzy Shepard: I am from a small town in Southwest Washington (Battle Ground) and I am passionate about sport fencing, which I have been competitive in since junior high. I tend to be very outgoing and the first to speak up in discussions. I am in this course to learn more about informing the public of the importance of the ocean and environment because where I live there are two schools of thought about conservation. Most people don't care because they don't think climate change is happening and the remaining people say that it is too late to fix, so why do anything. I wholeheartedly disagree with both of these responses, but I am never sure how to convince people that conservation is worth it.

Joshua Trierweiler: My name's Josh Trierweiler, I'm currently in the ESS dept. studying geology, and I'm in this course because I'm interested in learning about the roles oceans play in how our world functions. Some fun facts about myself: I'm 28 years old, went to Shoreline CC before transferring to UW in fall 17', and for most of my 20's I ran various extended care programs at elementary schools and played rugby for the Seattle Saracens.

Chris Walker: My name is Chris Walker. I am a junior in the Earth Space and Sciences department majoring in geology. From a young age I was always fascinated by the physical sciences, but I also had a passion for computers. I originally was pursuing a degree in computer science until I decided to take an introductory geology class as an elective at Tacoma Community College. I am taking this class as a 400 level elective, but I am excited to expand my interdisciplinary knowledge.

Rachel Wang: I'm a senior student double majoring in English and Sociology. I grow up in northern China and came to Seattle for college four years ago.

Spencer Washom: My name is Spencer Washom, I am originally from the Bay Area and did my undergrad in International Relations at UC San Diego with some time abroad at the University of the South Pacific. I have served as a Naval Flight Officer on board the P-3C Orion aircraft conducting anti-submarine warfare and maritime support/surveillance mostly out of Hawaii, the Med, the North Atlantic, and now Whidbey Island. While my educational focus is in security studies, I have always been personally passionate about the oceans and am very excited to learn from everyone in the coming quarter!

Yifan Wu: My name is Yifan Wu, a sophomore, international students from China.  I plan to major in mathematics and economics. The reason I take this class is nothing but having an interest in exploring how the ocean makes connections all over the world. As a student from China, I fly 14 hours over the Pacific Ocean back and forth about 4 times a year, so I would like to see different perspectives about the ocean.