Brian Ulaski is a postdoctoral researcher in the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences marine biology department at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He received a bachelor’s degree in aquatic biology from the University of California Santa Barbara where he also learned to scuba dive in the giant kelp forests. Before graduate school, Brian worked as a scientific diving assistant with the Mo’orea Coral Reef Long Term Ecological Research program in French Polynesia to help develop his skills in using scuba to study marine environments. He received a PhD from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and conducted his doctoral work on the response of wild seaweeds to harvesting and how naturally detached seaweeds form habitat for intertidal animals when cast ashore in Southcentral Alaska. Currently, Brian’s research focuses on how suspended oyster and seaweed culture techniques used in Alaskan mariculture influence biological communities at established farm sites.

Brian's Activities in Sitka Included:

• The Morning Interview – Click here to listen to Brian's KCAW interview
• Beach Day Meet & Greet– An early morning cold dip and tide pool exploration
• Community Snorkel with a Scientist – A community snorkel adventure around Magic Island to learn about our local seaweed species
• Natural History Seminar with Kitty LaBounty – In partnership with the University of Alaska Southeast, a seminar about Brian’s research titled "The Importance of Seaweeds: Dead of Alive"
• Classroom visits to Mount Edgecumbe High School and Sitka High School
• SCUBA diving around Sitka Sound to explore kelp forests and urchin barrens
• Science communication training