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Knauss Fellowship Blog

Life is like a box of… oysters
Life is like a box of… oysters

Life is like a box of… oysters

Life is like a box of… oysters

Tips and Advice

Life is like a box of… oysters

By: Kaitlyn Theberge. To honor the wonderful time I spent working on an oyster farm prior to being a Knauss Fellow, I tell my story by presenting four “life lessons from oysters,” which I learned by interacting with these amazing animals day after day working on the oyster farm.  
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Running Up That Hill: A View from the Capitol
Running Up That Hill: A View from the Capitol

Running Up That Hill: A View from the Capitol

Running Up That Hill: A View from the Capitol

My Fellowship Position

Running Up That Hill: A View from the Capitol

By: Spring Gaines. Recently, I had the unique opportunity to take a winding tour of one of the most symbolic sites in Washington, D.C.—The Capitol Dome. While climbing the almost 300 steps leading up to an eye-level view of Brumidi and Cox’s work with the Rotunda frieze, the Apotheosis of George Washington and beyond, I was...
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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...
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The Sky’s the Limit
The Sky’s the Limit

The Sky’s the Limit

The Sky’s the Limit

My Fellowship Position

The Sky’s the Limit

By: Michelle Nguyen. I stand there in the Hawk’s Nest launch viewing area right outside of Vandenberg Space Force Base near Lompoc, CA, watching as NOAA’s JPSS-2 satellite, atop an Atlas V rocket, successfully joins its Joint Polar Satellite System comrades in orbit. While my eyes are trained on the ascending rocket, I can’t...
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Snapshots from the UN Ocean Conference
Snapshots from the UN Ocean Conference

Snapshots from the UN Ocean Conference

Snapshots from the UN Ocean Conference

My Fellowship Position

Snapshots from the UN Ocean Conference

As part of the Knauss Fellowship, fellows have the opportunity to engage in professional development and travel related to their placements. This summer, a group of fellows traveled to Lisbon, Portugal, for the United Nations Ocean Conference. Continue reading to learn about their unique experiences.  
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Locating Progress
Locating Progress

Locating Progress

Locating Progress

My Fellowship Position

Locating Progress

By: Kate Shlepr. Change invites uncertainty and therefore risk. I feel the weight and exhilaration of this reality as I sit to reflect on events from the past six months, both in my personal life and in our world. For one, it strikes me that I am (now) an openly queer person writing from my desk in a Congressional office two generations after...
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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...
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Building confidence in a new position
Building confidence in a new position

Building confidence in a new position

Building confidence in a new position

Tips and Advice

Building confidence in a new position

By: Michaela Margida. If you type the title of this article into a Google search, as I did nearly a year ago when I was first placed in U.S. Senator Cory Booker’s office as a Legislative Knauss Fellow, you’ll find that there are over 27 pages of results. I read the first 30 or so search results before realizing that confidence...
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Fight or Flight
Fight or Flight

Fight or Flight

Fight or Flight

Tips and Advice

Fight or Flight

By: Shellby Johnson. When I received an unexpected invitation during my Knauss Fellowship to join an ocean exploration transit across the North Atlantic, stress definitely entered the room, but I chose to fight, and it was one of the best professional and personal experiences of my life. Learn about my experience in this interactive feature.
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Achieving resilience through flexibility
Achieving resilience through flexibility

Achieving resilience through flexibility

Achieving resilience through flexibility

Tips and Advice

Achieving resilience through flexibility

By: María Mercedes Carruthers Ferrero. “FEMA flexible” is a phrase I have heard many times throughout my Knauss Fellowship. I have learned that the mindset alluded to by this phrase is not only key to achieving community resilience, but to personal and professional success. 
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Bipartisanship is Alive in the House Science Committee
Bipartisanship is Alive in the House Science Committee

Bipartisanship is Alive in the House Science Committee

Bipartisanship is Alive in the House Science Committee

My Fellowship Position

Bipartisanship is Alive in the House Science Committee

By: Megan McKeown. Turn on any of today’s news outlets and it’s easy to believe bipartisanship is dead. But after almost a year of witnessing how the “sausage gets made” on Capitol Hill, I can tell you that there are pockets of Congress where bipartisanship is still alive.
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Centering communities at the heart of fisheries policy
Centering communities at the heart of fisheries policy

Centering communities at the heart of fisheries policy

Centering communities at the heart of fisheries policy

My Fellowship Position

Centering communities at the heart of fisheries policy

By: Marina Cucuzza. In my work on climate and fisheries issues at the national scale as a Knauss fellow, I am often reminded of the lessons learned from years working with fishers and fishing communities in Maine and in other coastal places. During my Knauss fellowship, I have been able to see firsthand how public input is critical in shaping...
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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...
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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.
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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.”   
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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...
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A Day in the Life of a Legislative Fellow
A Day in the Life of a Legislative Fellow

A Day in the Life of a Legislative Fellow

A Day in the Life of a Legislative Fellow

My Fellowship Position

A Day in the Life of a Legislative Fellow

By: Elle Wibisono. As an Indonesian fishery scientist, I had no previous knowledge of or experience with the inner workings of the U.S. Congress. Now, as a "leg" fellow, I've learned I need to be prepared to respond to virtually anything. Here is a glimpse of a calm day in the life of a legislative fellow.
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A Work in Progress
A Work in Progress

A Work in Progress

A Work in Progress

Tips and Advice

A Work in Progress

By: So-Jung Youn. There’s something to be said for the strength and comfort you find in being surrounded by a community that’s passionate and dedicated to the same issues you care about. Listening to the Capitol Hill Ocean Week 2021 speakers, I was inspired by their stories, dedication and perseverance.
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Floating in Interagency Space
Floating in Interagency Space

Floating in Interagency Space

Floating in Interagency Space

My Fellowship Position

Floating in Interagency Space

By: Clea Harrelson. “Who is that?” was a constant refrain in my head for the first few months of my Knauss fellowship. The feeling of being overwhelmed that comes with the beginning of any new job is often described as a “crush”, but for me, it was more accurately a sensation of being untethered, floating in interagency...
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Lessons from the (corn) field
Lessons from the (corn) field

Lessons from the (corn) field

Lessons from the (corn) field

Tips and Advice

Lessons from the (corn) field

By: Maggie Beetstra. As a social scientist in the Midwest, I spent hours and hours having conversations with farmers, visiting their farms, meeting their families, and trying to understand how they make conservation decisions. Now, as a Knauss fellow, I’ve traded the corn and soybean fields for community resilience and marine education,...
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Friday, November 13, 2020

By giving back, I gained more than I could imagine

By giving back, I gained more than I could imagine

By: Lauren Bonatakis. When I decided to quit my full-time, benefitted job to move to a new state for a year of service with AmeriCorps on a whim, it was a surprise to those who know me best. It was also one of the best decisions I have made. 

 

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Number of views (2728)
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Categories: Knauss Blog, Graduate School, Academia to Government, Outreach

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Thursday, October 29, 2020

Lessons learned: The difference a mentor makes

Lessons learned: The difference a mentor makes

By: Tiffany Atkinson. I can’t emphasize enough how incredibly valuable it can be when someone takes you under their wing as a mentor. The lessons we learn from these relationships can teach us so much about ourselves and the world.

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Number of views (3212)
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Categories: Knauss Blog, Graduate School, Outreach, My Fellowship Position, Communication, Tips and Advice

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Thursday, October 8, 2020

International affairs... from the comfort/confines of home

International affairs... from the comfort/confines of home

By: Victoria Luu. A quick Google search reveals no shortage of articles and blog posts describing 2020 as what, at the end of 2019, many hoped and believed would be a “Super Year” for the ocean. However, with the travel bans and limits on in-person gatherings imposed in the wake of COVID-19, most of the international meetings have been postponed. Where does that leave someone working in NOAA’s Office of International Affairs?  

 

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Categories: Knauss Blog, Government, Fellowship Logistics, Policy, My Fellowship Position

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Friday, October 2, 2020

The Lost Geographer: Following the road signs to Knauss

The Lost Geographer: Following the road signs to Knauss

By: Michelle Harris. There’s a common joke that geographers “know where it’s at” - but for this geographer, a sense of direction is not something I’m inherently adept at. No matter how much I plan, there is always an unexpected turn somewhere along the way to be laughed about later. When comparing this to my life roadmap, it is because of fateful turns that this “lost geographer” ended up becoming a Knauss fellow. 

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Categories: Knauss Blog, Graduate School, Academia to Government, My Fellowship Position

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Thursday, September 24, 2020

“Knauss” is everywhere you go

“Knauss” is everywhere you go

By: Grace Roskar. From a summer internship in North Carolina to policy work in D.C., graduate school in Florida, and a research cruise in the Southeast, the variety of experiences I had and the people I met over the years are what influenced my journey to the fellowship.

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Categories: Knauss Blog, Graduate School, Academia to Government, Policy

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