Parrish has an undergraduate degree from Carnegie-Mellon (1982)[1] where she studied biochemistry and biophysics. While she was an undergraduate student, she spent a period of time at the Duke University Marine Laboratory, which she credits for guiding her towards getting her Ph.D. at Duke University studying the schooling behavior of fish.[2] Parrish moved to the University of Washington[when?] where she holds the Lowell A. and Frankie L. Wakefield Endowed Professorship.[3]
Research
Parrish's research is a combination of observational research and conservation activities. Her graduate research centered on fish where she examined mucus production by the Atlantic silverside fish[4] and the importance of physical location within schooling groups of fish.[5][6] Parrish began working on Tatoosh Island in 1990 after an invitation to the island from a graduate student in Bob Paine's lab.[7] Her work on the island focuses on common murres,[8] a seabird that forms dense nesting colonies on the island.[7] She has examined interactions between bald eagles and common murres and noted declines in the common murre population as a result of the recovery of the bald eagles.[9] Parrish has modeled the role of aggregating animals in the survival of organisms[10][11] and its subsequent implications for marine protected areas in the conservation of marine species.[12] Parrish's research has linked dead birds found on the beach with changing seawater off California,[13] the presence of harmful algal blooms,[14] and marine heatwaves.[15][16] Through the collection of data from volunteers, Parrish was able to link recent observations of the by-the-wind sailor jellyfish with seawater conditions off the beaches of California.[17][18][19]
Citizen science
A common murre carcass found along the high wrack being prepared for photographic identification by COASST volunteers
Parrish founded and directs the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team, COASST, a citizen science project started in 1999 that organizes volunteers to gather details about dead birds and marine debris on beaches along the west coast of the United States.[20][1] Parrish's activities include research into the scale of citizen science projects, the value of in-kind contributions made by volunteers,[21] factors limiting the use of data collected by citizen scientists,[22] and demographic factors leading to the success of data collection by citizen science projects.[23]
