All of Rick's activities - the development of his lab and research, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses, plus his commitment to
several collaborative Education and Outreach (E&O) projects - could not happen without the support of his academic institution, the
University of Washington (UW). Beginning with UW support for the development of COSEE Ocean Learning Communities, starting in 2004, Rick and
his colleagues and students have benefited from an institutional mission that includes an awareness of the importance of E&O. "The University
has a president who has recognized that bringing out the amazing things we have to offer to the public, in a systematic way, is something
we should ensure in a perpetual manner," says Rick.
The primary recipients of the benefits of this awareness on the part of UW are younger faculty and students. New paths have been created for
grad students, such as being able to include an education chapter in a dissertation within the School of Oceanography, recognizing that there
are now many non-academic career paths that await these students. Other grad students from the College of Education are managing collaborative
projects that involve engagement with research, creating interdisciplinary contexts. "The administration took up the charge and has been
effecting change at a younger level, for people who are still engaged in training," says Rick.
