The Society for Applied Anthropology focuses on the applications of the social sciences (especially anthropology) to real world issues.  The society is a long established (over 3/4^th of a century) organization which publishes the applied social science journal Human Organization.  Social scientists focusing on marine issues form an important segment of its membership.

Several Marine Affairs Faculty participated in these important meetings by chairing sessions and presenting their research at the annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia.  Recent alumni Dr. Tarsila Seara and Research Professor Richard Pollnac co-chaired a two-part session entitled Maintaining Livelihoods and Well-Being in the Fishery during Social-Ecological Transformations which had a total of 10 papers, including presentations of recent research by Dr. Carlos Garcia-Quijano (joint appointment with Anthropology) and Dr. John J. Poggie (Adjunct Professor & Professor of Anthropology); Dr. Richard Pollnac (Research Professor) and Dr Tarsila Seara (recent alumni); recent Alumni Dr. Dawn Kotowicz, Felicia Olmeta-Schult (now a PhD student at Washington State University), and Kristine Beran (MAF Graduate Student).

MAF Research Professor Richard Pollnac (also Affiliate Professor in the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs at U. Washington-Seattle) also chaired a session with 4 papers focusing on Attitudes, Beliefs and Values Related to Perceptions of Marine Resources and Their Management and Use in Puget Sound.  In this session he presented several papers based on Washington Sea Grant funded research in Puget Sound co-authored with U. Washington faculty and graduate students.

Both sessions formed a well-received, important part of the numerous marine related papers presented at this world-recognized applied social science meeting.