Prospective Fellows

Creating an Application  - Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship Class of 2023

Deadline: Applicants must submit application materials by 5:00 p.m. local time on February 18, 2022 to eligible Sea Grant Programs. Applicants are strongly encouraged to reach out to the Sea Grant Program in their state one to two months prior to the state application deadline to receive application support and provide notification of an intent to apply. The applicant should allow sufficient time to schedule an interview with the eligible Sea Grant program at the program’s request. Please review the 2023 Knauss Student Application Guide!

Note--a student will not apply through grants.gov, application submission is through the Sea Grant program in the state in which the student is earning their degree. If there is no Sea Grant program, a Sea Grant program will be assigned. 

Eligibility:

Any graduate student, regardless of citizenship, is eligible to submit to this opportunity if:

1. The student is enrolled towards a degree in a graduate program (PhD, MA/MS, JD) at any point between the onset of the 2021 Fall Term (quarter, trimester, semester, etc.) and February 18, 2022;
2. The graduate degree will be awarded through an accredited institution of higher education in the United States or U.S. Territories, and;
3. The student has an interest in ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources.

Required Elements - An application package must include:

(1) Curriculum vitae (not to exceed two pages). The student should not include personal contact information or web links to external resources (e.g., LinkedIn, articles, blogs, etc.). If included, programs should redact excess materials prior to submission to Grants.gov.

(2) Personal education and career development response:

Section One: Ice Breaker

• The student should use one sentence to describe themselves.
• (5 words MAX *this is the only question with a strict word count*): The student should list five adjectives that someone with a close personal connection (coworker, supervisor, etc.) would use to describe them.

Section Two: Career Path and Objectives. (This section can be completed as one continuous statement or as separate responses. The suggested word count is 700 words for this section.) 

• (Suggest 250 words) The student should discuss any experience(s) (researcher or otherwise) that support or relate to the mission of the National Sea Grant College Program or the state Sea Grant program (the student does not have to have had a direct connection to Sea Grant). The student should emphasize (if relevant) any experience with extending and distilling science for non-scientific audiences.
• (Suggest 250 words) The student should discuss their interest in the Knauss Fellowship with a specific focus on how the Knauss Fellowship supports the student’s career pathway. The student should focus on how the Knauss Program would further support their development as a professional.
• (Suggest 200 words) The student should discuss the transferable skills (skills that can be applied across a variety of disciplines) that they would bring to the Knauss Fellowship. In this response, students should highlight experiences from their personal, professional and academic background.

Section Three: Career Path Experience. (The recommended word count is 700 words for this section.)

• (Suggest 300 words) Sea Grant values the principles of equity, diversity, inclusion, justice and accessibility. The student should discuss (1) how they have collaborated or engaged with diverse community members and/or interested partners and/or (2) how they would be an ambassador for these principles throughout the Knauss program.
• (Suggest 400 words) The student should discuss a situation in which they overcame a challenge (e.g. within a community or institution, personally, professionally, etc.) specifically as it relates to how they took a leadership role. The student should also consider including a reflection on what they learned from this experience.

(3) Listing relevant coursework and/or plans for spring 2022, summer 2022 and fall 2022 (not to exceed one page).

• Relevant Coursework: The student may discuss any completed or in progress classes that they deem relevant to their success in the Knauss Program. 
• Future year activities: The student should include a listing of classes and/or plans for spring 2022, summer 2022, and fall 2022.

(4) Two signed letters of recommendation. The letter writers should be individuals who have worked with the student, including at least one from a faculty member with knowledge of the student’s academic and research (when applicable) performance. Letters of endorsement from members of Congress, friends, or relatives will not be accepted.

• Letters should not exceed two pages single spaced. Any letters beyond the two letters of recommendation and the eligible Sea Grant Director’s letter will be disregarded by the selection panel.
• These letters should discuss the following attributes of the student’s: self-motivation, response to setbacks, skills and involvement in teamwork, collaborative leadership skills, willingness to learn a new skill or topic, academic and performance and potential. Additionally, the letters should speak to anything else the review panel should know about the strengths that the student will bring to the fellowship.  
• The letters should not include personal contact information or web links to external resources (e.g., LinkedIn, articles, blogs, etc.). If included, programs should redact prior to submission. 

(5) Clear, scanned copy of all undergraduate and graduate student transcripts.

(6) For applicants in a state or territory not served by an eligible Sea Grant program, but applying through an eligible Sea Grant program, a written statement from the Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship Program Manager referring the applicant to the most appropriate eligible Sea Grant program must be included as part of that applicant's application package to the Sea Grant program.

If an application reaches the national level review, the letter of endorsement from the sponsoring Sea Grant program director, required federal application documents, and required Sea Grant budget forms will also be considered.

Evaluation Criteria - At the state/territory and national Sea Grant reviews, components of the application will be evaluated with consideration of the following criteria:

(1) Relevant experience related to diversity of education; extra-curricular activities; and interpersonal, written and oral communication skills and other applicable competencies  (75 Points). For the Knauss program, this includes the curriculum vitae, personal education and career development response which will be reviewed as follows.

• Curriculum Vitae (10 Points). The point scale is as follows: The CV is unclear and does not adequately address the expectations outlined below (0-3 points); the CV adequately addresses expectations outlined below (4-6 points); the CV exceeds expectations outlined below (7-10 points).
  • The student has employment, volunteer, or extracurricular activities in academic, applied, research, administration, outreach, or policy positions;
  • The education and experience (personal and professional) in the student’s area of expertise are appropriate to the career stage;
  • The applicant demonstrates academic, professional or personal experiences that are relevant and applicable to serving the American people;
  • The applicant’s experiences show prior leadership roles relevant to their career stage (e.g., student government, faculty committees, advisory committees, professional societies, community initiatives, etc.).
• Personal education and career development response.
  • Section One: Icebreaker (5 Points). The point scale is as follows: The icebreaker does not adequately address expectations outlined below (0-1 points); the icebreaker adequately addresses expectations outlined below (2-3 points); the icebreaker exceeds expectations outlined below (4-5 points).
    • The student demonstrates creative thinking and a willingness to think outside the box.
  • Section Two: Career Path and Objectives (25 Points). The point scale is as follows: The career path and objectives does not adequately address the expectations outlined below (0-8 points); the career path and objectives adequately addresses expectations outlined below (9-18 points); the career path and objectives exceeds expectations outlined below (19-25 points).
    • The career path and objectives are specific, direct, and concise while discussing what the student would bring to and gain from the Knauss fellowship;
    • The student clearly articulates their career or professional goal;
    • The career path and objectives demonstrates the student’s diverse personal and professional background;
    • The student demonstrates creative thinking, analytical skill, and/or indicates their capacity and willingness to make connections between science and broader economic, social, and political issues;
    • The student demonstrates their ability to convey scientific knowledge in broader, non-scientific contexts;
    • The career path and objectives align with the broader mission of the Sea Grant program and NOAA.
  • Section Three: Career Path Experience (25 Points). The point scale is as follows: The career path experience does not adequately address the expectations outlined below (0-8 points); the career path experiences adequately addresses expectations outlined below (9-18 points); the career path experiences  exceeds expectations outlined below (19-25 points).
    • The student has shown interest in  working with diverse collaborators, community members and/or interested partners;
    • The student demonstrates and interest in or commitment to the Sea Grant values of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice and Accessibility;
    • The student’s experience demonstrates a commitment to apply expertise to serve science and society;
    • The student demonstrates creativity and willingness to navigate a challenging situation;
    • The student demonstrates leadership and problem solving initiative.
• Relevant Coursework and Future year plans (10 Points).  The point scale is as follows: the relevant coursework and future year plans are unclear and do not adequately address the expectation outlined below (0-3 points); the relevant coursework and future year plans adequately addresses expectations outlined below (4-6 points); the relevant coursework and future year plans exceeds expectations outlined below (7-10 points).
  • The student has employment, volunteer, or extracurricular activities in academic, applied, research, administration, outreach, or policy positions;
  • The education and experience (personal or professional) in the student’s area of expertise are appropriate to the career stage;
  • The student demonstrates work/life experiences that are relevant and applicable to serving the American people;
  • The student’s experiences show prior leadership roles relevant to their career stage (e.g., student government, faculty committees, advisory committees, professional societies, community initiatives, etc.).

(2)  Recommendations and/or endorsements of the student (15 points total). For the Knauss Fellowship program the endorsements and content of the letter from the student's Sea Grant director, academic reference, and the second letter of recommendation are reviewed as follows.

• Letters of recommendation (5 Points). The point scale is as follows: the letters of recommendation do not adequately address the expectations outlined below (0-1 points); the letters of recommendation adequately address expectations outlined below (2-3 points); the letters of recommendation exceed expectations outlined below (4-5 points).
  • The letter writers demonstrate knowledge of the student and their abilities;
  • The letter writers speak to the leadership potential, confidence, maturity, and self-direction of the student;
  • The letter writers provide evidence of the student’s willingness and flexibility to tackle issues beyond their area of expertise and an openness and capacity to expand experiences;
  • The letter writers provide evidence of the student’s ability to convey scientific knowledge in broader, non-scientific contexts.
• Director’s Letter (10 Points). The point scale is as follows: the director’s letter is unclear and does not adequately address the expectation outlined below (0-3 points); the director’s letter adequately addresses expectations outlined below (4-6 points); the director’s letter exceeds expectations outlined below (7-10 points).
  • The director’s letter demonstrates how the student fits with the Knauss Program, including any discussion of why the student belongs in the Knauss Program;
  • Highlights the skills (academic, professional or personal) that the student would bring to the Knauss program;
  • Elaborates on information not specifically addressed by the student in their application package.

(3) Overall application cohesion (10 points total). For the Knauss Fellowship program consider all aspects of the application materials (CV, Personal education and career development responses, Letters of Recommendation, Directors Letter). The point scale is as follows: the application is unclear and does not adequately address the expectation outlined below (0-3 points); the application adequately addresses expectations outlined below (4-6 points); the application exceeds expectations outlined below (7-10 points).

• The application materials compliment each other;
• The student brings a diverse perspective to the program;
• The application materials provide a clear picture of what the student would gain from receiving the Knauss Fellowship;
• The application materials provide a clear picture of what the student would bring to the Knauss Fellowship.

At the national review, evaluation criteria are identical to that at the eligible Sea Grant program level, except that in criteria (3), the letter of endorsement from the eligible Sea Grant program director will also be considered.

For Further Information:

If you have any questions, please contact your nearest Sea Grant program, or reach out to:
Fellowships Management Team
NOAA National Sea Grant Office
Tel. (240) 507-3712
e-mail: oar.sg.fellows@noaa.gov