What is the impact of our passion and what do we leave behind? This episode is centered around the life, work, and legacy of our friend, classmate, and fisheries researcher Anja Sjostrom who passed away in an accident in early January. This episode is meant to serve as an introduction to her work and what drove her to study her passion: the ocean, all the things that live inside it, and the people who are heavily connected and dependent on this resource. We are joined by her mother Natalie Cargill, her Ph.D. advisor at East Carolina University Cindy Grace-McCaskey, and her advisors in her Master’s program at Oregon State University, professors Flaxen Conway and Lorenzo Ciannelli. Anja’s life was centered around the ocean, her curiosity, empathy and ability to connect with people from various backgrounds lead her to a very impressive career at the nexus of social sciences and ecology. She is leaving a huge gap in our hearts, the science community and the world but we are thankful for having had the opportunity to meet such a beautiful soul.
Please consider donating to the Anja Sjostrom Memorial Scholarship in Coastal Sciences to help young researchers like Anja to continue this important work to give underserved communities a voice in ocean management.
We want to thank our partners at the American Shoreline Podcast Network and The Coastal Society for this opportunity, and our community for the support and love we have received during this incredibly difficult time.