Trio of Western alums help keep Highline College's MaST Aquarium ... - Western Washington University

"One day we might be diving and collecting animals, or performing health exams to ensure all the animals in the facility remain healthy.  The next day we might be building new aquarium systems, from the construction of the tank stand to plumbing the tanks and life support equipment to the interior tank decor design. Think of the fish and invertebrates as aqua-nauts, and we (the animal care team) are mission control," Bjornsgard says. 

The primary goal to provide excellent care to the animals in the aquarium never changes, but because there are so many components in how to achieve that goal, there's always something new to do or learn on the job.

Bjornsgard said spending time at Western's  Shannon Point Marine Center played a huge role in getting her job at MaST.

"My junior year at Western I took many useful classes at Shannon Point. The organisms I was ID'ing there t are essentially all the same down here at Highline. The knowledge and connections I made at Western and at Shannon Point were huge in my career. Because the MaST Center is a flow-through facility, I need to be aware of the biology and ecology of the area around the aquarium, as well as inside the aquarium. Many of the ecological and biological principles I use daily are from lessons I learned at Western." Bjornsgard said.

Gray, who graduated with a degree in Biology with an emphasis in marine biology, said during COVID she did not have access to as much hands-on research, but her time at Shannon Point was still hugely influential. 

"During my senior year I took an algae class with Brady Olson, a professor at Shannon Point, and through this class I was able to learn how to ID certain algae types. Learning this helped me identify the algae I work with day to day at my job," Gray said. 

Highline College works with Western every year to provide internships for Marine Biology students.

Anyone interested in interning or volunteering at MaST can visit its website at mast.highline.edu for more information.