A summer story: Friday Harbor Laboratories, a biodiversity of marine life

This past summer, I traded my usual bench and fluorescent lighting for tide pools, salt air, and the quiet rhythm of the Salish Sea. I spent four weeks at Friday Harbor Laboratories (FHL) on San Juan Island, Washington—one of the oldest marine field stations on the West Coast. My PI, Dr. Brad Shuster, mentioned the opportunity to apply for fellowships, almost in passing during a lab meeting, and encouraged me to apply. That small nudge reshaped my summer, and quite possibly, my career.

Nothing prepares you for the island when you first see it. The lab sits on a forested bluff overlooking the water. Each morning, I walked down to the shore through cool stands of Douglas fir before the fog had fully lifted. The low tide revealed a world in miniature: Purple Sea stars wedged into rock crevices, anemones clustered in tide pools, and kelp swaying in the current. It was here, wading knee-deep in cold water at 3:00 p.m., that my research on sea stars and urchins truly came alive.

Sea stars have been hit hard in recent years. Over a decade ago, sea star populations were decimated by a wasting disease that has only recently been traced to a bacterium.^1,2 In the absence of their major predators, sea urchin populations have exploded, overgrazing and driving trophic cascades in sensitive habitats.³ FHL’s location among healthy, undisturbed habitats allowed me to study genetic networks necessary for muscular regulation in near real time. Studying the muscular regulatory mechanism of sea stars using Pisaster ochraceus from its natural habitat gave the work a weight no lab bench could.

FHL’s culture strengthened that same ethic. Evening seminars, shared meals with visiting scientists, and conversations on the dock all reinforced one idea: Conservation and discovery go hand in hand.

For early career scientists, fellowships like this one can feel out of reach. Mentors often hear about funding before it’s advertised, so start by checking with your own PI—a quiet recommendation can carry more weight than a polished application. Look for structured entry points designed for newcomers, such as FHL’s REU-Blinks program, which pairs students with scientist mentors regardless of prior connections.^4,5 Go to conferences and seminars and talk to people; introduce yourself, ask a real question, and follow up by email. Societies like GSA and field-station newsletters post calls that never reach a general job board. Reach out directly to program coordinators. Once you arrive, treat the community as part of the opportunity—the peers and visiting scientists you meet at the dinner table often become collaborators and reference letters for years to come. One summer changed how I think about the organisms I study, and it started with a single conversation with my PI.