WWU’s Shannon Point Marine Center Commons named after Steve Sulkin
Western Washington University’s Shannon Point Marine Center is naming its Commons area after Professor Emeritus and former SPMC Director Steve Sulkin.
Western will celebrate the naming of the Stephen D. Sulkin Commons from 2 to 3 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 20 at the marine center. The Commons area is part of SPMC’s Marine Education Center building. Western’s campus community and the public are invited to the event.
Sulkin, a Bellingham resident, served as professor and director at Shannon Point Marine Center from 1985 until his retirement in 2013. He also served as acting Provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at Western in 1993. Asked to identify his most significant accomplishments as SPMC director, Sulkin pointed to his helping secure $4.9 million for the Marine Education Center facility constructed at SPMC in 2006, his obtaining continuous funding from the National Science Foundation since 1991 for the SPMC Research Experiences for Undergraduates Site and Multicultural Initiatives in Marine Science: Undergraduate Participation programs, and the implementation in 2012 of the WWU Marine Science Scholars program that successfully recruits high-performing students to the university from around the nation. Sulkin also represented SPMC at a White House ceremony in 2003 at which the marine center received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Math and Engineering Mentoring.
Sulkin received his doctorate in Marine Biology from Duke University. His professional interests have included research on the behavior and nutritional ecology of the early life history stages of crab species. He has published 55 papers in refereed scientific journals and is considered an expert in the laboratory cultivation, behavior and nutritional ecology of larval crabs.
The Steve Sulkin Education and Research Fund was established to recognize Sulkin’s continuing legacy and his many contributions to Shannon Point Marine Center. The fund is to provide support for student education and research at the Shannon Point Marine Center. The fund may be used to pay any costs related to scholarly activities and research conducted by students. To make a gift in Sulkin’s honor, please visit www.wwu.edu/spmc/giving-opportunities.
The Shannon Point Marine Center’s mission is to support and promote marine science academic programs at WWU, develop new information about local marine environments, train the next generation of marine scientists, and provide public education events.
