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Knauss Fellowship Blog

Thoughts on Climate Optimism
Thoughts on Climate Optimism

Thoughts on Climate Optimism

Thoughts on Climate Optimism

My Fellowship Position

Thoughts on Climate Optimism

By: Eleanor Pierel. Upon entering the Knauss Fellowship, I was not sure where I would fall on the optimism scale by the end. You see, as the Climate Policy Fellow, my days revolve around climate change policy and action from the local to international scale. Yet, many of the conversations, meetings and trips throughout my fellowship had a theme of...
Overcoming barriers: Navigating fish passage at hydroelectric dams
Overcoming barriers: Navigating fish passage at hydroelectric dams

Overcoming barriers: Navigating fish passage at...

Overcoming barriers: Navigating fish passage at hydroelectric dams

My Fellowship Position

Overcoming barriers: Navigating fish passage at hydroelectric dams

By: Nicholas Anderson. I work at the NOAA Fisheries Office of Habitat Conservation in support of one of the agency’s missions, to ensure our nation has sustainable fisheries and recover threatened and endangered species by promoting fish passage at hydropower dams. I visited two hydropower dams in May 2021 to see how at a local...
Wondering “weather” to apply: How meteorology fits into the Knauss Fellowship
Wondering “weather” to apply: How meteorology fits into the Knauss Fellowship

Wondering “weather” to apply: How meteorology fits into the...

Wondering “weather” to apply: How meteorology fits into the Knauss Fellowship

Tips and Advice

Wondering “weather” to apply: How meteorology fits into the Knauss Fellowship

By: Renee Richardson. The Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship specifically targets students who “... have an interest in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources.” Although it is not explicitly stated, meteorology does fall under this statement. The atmosphere and the ocean are...
From Paralichthys to Policy
From Paralichthys to Policy

From Paralichthys to Policy

From Paralichthys to Policy

My Fellowship Position

From Paralichthys to Policy

By: Kenneth Erickson. What makes a fisheries biologist qualified to communicate with Congress about satellites and space policy? The same skills that make a successful graduate student: good time management, effective communication and the ability to process and distill complex information.
Life at sea as a Knauss Fellow
Life at sea as a Knauss Fellow

Life at sea as a Knauss Fellow

Life at sea as a Knauss Fellow

My Fellowship Position

Life at sea as a Knauss Fellow

By: Lu Wang. To take full advantage of all this year has to offer, I adapted a mindset early on in the fellowship to try to say “yes” to every opportunity. And so when my host office asked me if I wanted to go to sea as part of my fellowship, my response could only be, “Absolutely, I do.”   
A decade of growth: How Knauss fellows shaped the NOAA Ocean Acidification Program
A decade of growth: How Knauss fellows shaped the NOAA Ocean Acidification Program

A decade of growth: How Knauss fellows shaped the NOAA Ocean...

A decade of growth: How Knauss fellows shaped the NOAA Ocean Acidification Program

Alumni Profiles

A decade of growth: How Knauss fellows shaped the NOAA Ocean Acidification Program

By: Halle Berger. Over the past decade, the NOAA Ocean Acidification Program (OAP) has grown through the recruitment of Sea Grant Knauss fellows like myself. In celebration of OAP’s 10th anniversary, I interviewed the former Knauss fellows currently working in OAP to better understand how the program has evolved since its...
Two sides of the same coin – fisheries science and management
Two sides of the same coin – fisheries science and management

Two sides of the same coin – fisheries science and...

Two sides of the same coin – fisheries science and management

My Fellowship Position

Two sides of the same coin – fisheries science and management

By: Bryan Keller. There are plenty of fish in the sea and some of them taste really good. That is how the saying goes, right? Fisheries management is the reason why plenty of fish continue to be in the sea. But, without fisheries science, fisheries management would not be successful. Transitioning from the world of academia to the world of policy,...
Becoming the type of scientist my childhood self never pictured
Becoming the type of scientist my childhood self never pictured

Becoming the type of scientist my childhood self never...

Becoming the type of scientist my childhood self never pictured

My Fellowship Position

Becoming the type of scientist my childhood self never pictured

By: Naomi Lewandowski. For nearly 10 years, I’ve made career choices based on one very sacred metric: would my eight-year-old self be proud of me? As I navigated college, temporary lab jobs, and graduate school, I held this metric dear. However, after becoming a Knauss fellow, and starting down an unexpected and, potentially, brand new career...
On the rocks? A bartender’s guide to scientific success
On the rocks? A bartender’s guide to scientific success

On the rocks? A bartender’s guide to scientific success

On the rocks? A bartender’s guide to scientific success

Tips and Advice

On the rocks? A bartender’s guide to scientific success

By: Brianna Shaughnessy. While I now live in Washington, D.C., and have committed to a career in science, it was only six months ago that I packed up my favorite corkscrew and bottle opener to begin my adventure as a Knauss fellow. Five of the lessons I learned through my bartending experiences stand out as those that I believe make me successful...
Weathering the Storm: Improving Communications About Extreme Weather and Climate
Weathering the Storm: Improving Communications About Extreme Weather and Climate

Weathering the Storm: Improving Communications About Extreme...

Weathering the Storm: Improving Communications About Extreme Weather and Climate

My Fellowship Position

Weathering the Storm: Improving Communications About Extreme Weather and Climate

By: Christine Bassett. Given my experience thinking about past climate and oceans, it might seem peculiar for me, a geoscientist, to spend my Knauss Fellowship year in the National Weather Service’s (NWS) Office of Observations. Read about how my work at the NWS gives me the opportunity to bring my focus on past human-climate interactions...
How climate change is changing the way we do science
How climate change is changing the way we do science

How climate change is changing the way we do science

How climate change is changing the way we do science

My Fellowship Position

How climate change is changing the way we do science

August 29th, 2005 is a day that I will never forget. My mother and I had evacuated our New Orleans home several days earlier, and we sat glued to the television, transfixed by the images of Hurricane Katrina inundating our city. In the months that followed, we scoured Google Maps, simply to see if our house still stood. When we finally returned...
Waves and Sea Ice and Hurricanes, OH MY!
Waves and Sea Ice and Hurricanes, OH MY!

Waves and Sea Ice and Hurricanes, OH MY!

Waves and Sea Ice and Hurricanes, OH MY!

My Fellowship Position

Waves and Sea Ice and Hurricanes, OH MY!

By: Alison Agather. In 1912, over 1,500 people lost their lives when the RMS Titanic collided with an iceberg and sank. But what does the Titanic have to do with my fellowship role in the National Weather Service’s Ocean Prediction Center?
Learning to Swim with the Big
Learning to Swim with the Big

Learning to Swim with the Big "Fish" (Marine Mammals)

Learning to Swim with the Big "Fish" (Marine Mammals)

My Fellowship Position

Learning to Swim with the Big "Fish" (Marine Mammals)

By Roxanne J Carini
In graduate school, I would quip that I studied everything about the ocean, except what lived there! So, imagine my surprise when I wound up at the Marine Mammal Commission for my year-long Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship.  Falling in love with the world of marine mammals didn’t take long! But, not for the...
From Math to Mapping: Characterizing the U.S. Caribbean
From Math to Mapping: Characterizing the U.S. Caribbean

From Math to Mapping: Characterizing the U.S. Caribbean

From Math to Mapping: Characterizing the U.S. Caribbean

My Fellowship Position

From Math to Mapping: Characterizing the U.S. Caribbean

By Katharine Egan A few weeks ago, I was sitting in the wet lab on the NOAA Ship Nancy Foster watching a video feed from the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) that I helped to deploy. The pilot guided the ROV into shallower waters, and I was quick to identify the corals as these depths. I thought about what I was doing this time last year: sitting...
Conservation Success: How Regulations, Policy and Habitat Restoration benefit Wildlife and People.
Conservation Success: How Regulations, Policy and Habitat Restoration benefit Wildlife and People.

Conservation Success: How Regulations, Policy and Habitat...

Conservation Success: How Regulations, Policy and Habitat Restoration benefit Wildlife and People.

My Fellowship Position

Conservation Success: How Regulations, Policy and Habitat Restoration benefit Wildlife and People.

By: Alicia Wilson While spending my first field season of graduate school on the coastal barrier islands of Georgia, I thought I was lucky to witness a record number of loggerhead sea turtle nests for the state. Three years later, as I watch from my fellowship in D.C., I am even more amazed. Loggerhead sea turtle ladies are kicking butt in...
Spreading the Wing: Congressional Outreach for Monarch Butterfly
Spreading the Wing: Congressional Outreach for Monarch Butterfly

Spreading the Wing: Congressional Outreach for Monarch...

Spreading the Wing: Congressional Outreach for Monarch Butterfly

My Fellowship Position

Spreading the Wing: Congressional Outreach for Monarch Butterfly

By Liz Berg As a Congressional and Legislative Affairs Fellow with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), I act as a liaison between the FWS and Congress. One of the issue areas I work on is the conservation of pollinators, including the monarch butterfly. I have responded to inquiries from staff who work for Senators, House...
From “No” to “Ph.D”: a journey from “imposter” to scientist
From “No” to “Ph.D”: a journey from “imposter” to scientist

From “No” to “Ph.D”: a journey from “imposter” to scientist

From “No” to “Ph.D”: a journey from “imposter” to scientist

Communication

From “No” to “Ph.D”: a journey from “imposter” to scientist

By Zac Cannizzo “Not for you. You just don’t have the mind for science.” The words of my 8th grade science teacher when I asked to be placed in Biology for my freshman year. It hurt. I always liked science, and I loved biology. Some of my earliest memories are watching Jack Hanna’s Animal Adventures. From a young age, I...
Look for the Helpers: Conservation-Focused Research amidst Environmental Crises
Look for the Helpers: Conservation-Focused Research amidst Environmental Crises

Look for the Helpers: Conservation-Focused Research amidst...

Look for the Helpers: Conservation-Focused Research amidst Environmental Crises

My Fellowship Position

Look for the Helpers: Conservation-Focused Research amidst Environmental Crises

By: Andie Chan. I pressed my SCUBA mask to my face as I back rolled off a small catamaran into the warm tropical waters of the Florida Keys. It was my first time SCUBA diving for my Ph.D. research, and I was eager to prove myself. I was starting a project on increasing our understanding of the reproduction and population sizes of pillar corals...
A Lasting Humatak Watershed Adventure
A Lasting Humatak Watershed Adventure

A Lasting Humatak Watershed Adventure

A Lasting Humatak Watershed Adventure

Outreach

A Lasting Humatak Watershed Adventure

“Look! This is where we live?! I can’t believe we’re still on Guam! It’s so beautiful!” That was the genuine reaction of a middle schooler as our bus climbed a hill, revealing to us a breathtaking view of Sella Bay in southern Guam. We were en route to our first stop on the Humatak Watershed Adventure, which I was...

Wednesday, December 28, 2022

Thoughts on Climate Optimism

By: Eleanor Pierel. Upon entering the Knauss Fellowship, I was not sure where I would fall on the optimism scale by the end. You see, as the Climate Policy Fellow, my days revolve around climate change policy and action from the local to international scale. Yet, many of the conversations, meetings and trips throughout my fellowship had a theme of optimism and motivation in the face of climate change...

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Number of views (809)

Thursday, January 27, 2022

Overcoming barriers: Navigating fish passage at hydroelectric dams

By: Nicholas Anderson. I work at the NOAA Fisheries Office of Habitat Conservation in support of one of the agency’s missions, to ensure our nation has sustainable fisheries and recover threatened and endangered species by promoting fish passage at hydropower dams. I visited two hydropower dams in May 2021 to see how at a local level our program provides guidance to the different parties involved in hydropower and fish passage planning.

Comments (0)
Number of views (2687)

Wednesday, October 6, 2021

Wondering “weather” to apply: How meteorology fits into the Knauss Fellowship

By: Renee Richardson. The Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship specifically targets students who “... have an interest in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources.” Although it is not explicitly stated, meteorology does fall under this statement. The atmosphere and the ocean are linked and, in many cases, cannot be considered independent of one another. But what does this mean exactly? 

Comments (0)
Number of views (3461)

Friday, August 20, 2021

From Paralichthys to Policy

By: Kenneth Erickson. What makes a fisheries biologist qualified to communicate with Congress about satellites and space policy? The same skills that make a successful graduate student: good time management, effective communication and the ability to process and distill complex information.

Comments (0)
Number of views (2309)

Friday, August 13, 2021

Life at sea as a Knauss Fellow

By: Lu Wang. To take full advantage of all this year has to offer, I adapted a mindset early on in the fellowship to try to say “yes” to every opportunity. And so when my host office asked me if I wanted to go to sea as part of my fellowship, my response could only be, “Absolutely, I do.” 
 

Comments (0)
Number of views (4146)
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