This summer, our brilliant Scientific Advisory Committee gathered in Seattle to assess and ultimately determine funding for five new critical research projects here in the Salish Sea. Read about those here.
Our Science Advisors are a vital part of our mission, and we’re excited to introduce two exciting new additions. They are Caitlin Magel of Puget Sound Institute and Phil Bloch of Confluence Environmental Company. We asked them a few questions so you can get to know them a bit better.
Welcome Caitlin and Phil!
SeaDoc: Where'd you grow up and what brought you to the Salish Sea?
CAITLIN: I grew up in Indiana (nearly 800 miles from the closest ocean). Through a series of research experiences during my undergraduate degree, I fell in love with coastal ecology and the Pacific Northwest. I've lived in the PNW for much of the last 15 years and I started studying the Salish Sea about four years ago when I began my current job at University of Washington.
PHIL: I grew up in a lot of places. I was orphaned at age 11, so while I started my formative years in Illinois on the banks of the Mississippi River, I spent years in Massachusetts, Virginia, Michigan, Iowa and North Carolina prior to moving to the Seattle area in 2000. Following grad school my wife and I sought an opportunity to be on the West Coast and Seattle seemed to have a fantastic combination of recreation and work opportunities. We moved to the Seattle area in 2000, and I joined a regional non-profit called People For Puget Sound where I provided science support to their shoreline protection and landscape planning efforts.
SeaDoc: What did you study and what's your current role?
CAITLIN: My undergraduate degree was in biology and environmental science (Lawrence University, WI). I have a M.S. in Marine Science (University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill) and a Ph.D. in Integrative Biology (Oregon State University). My graduate work focused on ecology and biogeochemistry of coastal habitats, including streams and intertidal wetlands. There were many days spent trudging across salt marshes and seagrass beds sampling the plants, mud, and water to understand their interactions. In my current role as a Research Scientist at University of Washington's Puget Sound Institute, I primarily work on models, decision support tools, and synthetic analyses of the Puget Sound social-ecological system to guide ecosystem recovery efforts.
PHIL: I’m a product of liberal arts education with my undergraduate training at Grinnell College in Iowa and my graduate training at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment in North Carolina. After working as a scientist at non-profits and for the State of Washington, my current role is as a Principal Ecologist at a local consulting firm (Confluence Environmental Company). I focus on improving the science at the nexus between development proposals and regulatory environmental protection efforts. I do this while also supporting public infrastructure development projects, private aquaculture, and long-term regional planning around aquatic environments, climate resilience and endangered species.
SeaDoc: What do you most look forward to about being a Science Advisor?
CAITLIN: I look forward to learning more about the great work happening across the region to protect and recover the Salish Sea. Plus, I am excited to connect with the SeaDoc team, board, advisors, and partners who make this work possible.
PHIL: My career has focused on applied science and turning knowledge gleaned from field studies into practical guidance for resource management and protection. As a landscape scientist, I’m also focused on bringing together field studies from many scientists to improve our understanding of how ecosystems function and the interactions that species and man-made projects can have. By integrating research across many different scientific disciplines, I hope we can uncover lessons that detailed examination of a single resource might miss.