

From DC to Antarctica: Gina Selig
Check out this new video from 2023 fellow Gina Selig discussing her work with the Antarctic Treaties Commission and her upcoming trip to Antarctica.
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Check out this new video from 2023 fellow Gina Selig discussing her work with the Antarctic Treaties Commission and her upcoming trip to Antarctica.
In my Knauss fellowship so far, one of the most meaningful pieces of advice I’ve heard is to “think of your career as a journey, not a destination.” As the fall begins and my fellowship rounds the corner into the back nine, so to speak, I’ve shifted the way I think about my career journey. I’ve been in my feelings a lot lately about what my next steps will be after January, a familiar feeling for Knauss fellows, as we browse USAjobs.gov and subscribe to job digests from various job boards, patiently waiting for the precise second that our direct hiring authority privilege kicks in. In this time, I’ve been refining the language I use to describe myself and my accomplishments. I’m reflecting on the past and the stories beneath the single-line additions to my résumé meant to represent my capability. For instance, my master’s degree is one entry on my résumé, but how do I share what sparked my desire to pursue environmental policy as a career path?
What do Knauss Fellows actually do? Well, it depends!
You may know NOAA for its science, but there are teams of people that help get the science in motion and to the communities that need it most.
2023 Knauss Fellow Briana Yancy works as a Transition Manager at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Lab this year. Check out her experience!
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Sea Grant College Program (Sea Grant) is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2024 class of the John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship program. The 85 early-career professionals selected will be placed in federal government offices throughout Washington, D.C., and join the over 1,600 individuals who have participated in the program since its inception in 1979.
As the Capacity Building and Stakeholder Engagement Fellow in the NOAA Ocean Acidification Office, the overarching goal of my position is to help the program support our community members to effectively reach their goals. Part of my portfolio this year is capacity-building for ocean acidification research and monitoring in the Caribbean region.
When people talk about the Knauss Fellowship they always mention how Fellows have the opportunity to go to places they never imagined. But as a marine ecologist, I didn’t expect my destinations to include Utah, Missouri, and Indiana. These were just some of my stops on a cross-country road trip from the West to East Coast, visiting project sites and meeting with partners.
NOAA and Sea Grant are pleased to announce the finalists for the 2023 class of the Sea Grant John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship program. The 2023 class represents the largest in recent years with 86 finalists. The 2023 finalists describe themselves in a map of the universities that they hail from, celebrating their different paths to the fellowship.
In this episode of On My Coast, we connect with former Sea Grant Knauss Fellows and discuss their experiences as fellows, where they are now, and some advice for prospective fellows.
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?
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.
NOAA and Sea Grant are pleased to announce the finalists for the 2022 class of the Sea Grant John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship program. The 74 finalists in the 2022 class represent 28 of the 34 Sea Grant programs. Since 1979, almost 1,500 fellows have completed the program, becoming leaders in science, policy, and public administration roles.
The Knauss Fellowship offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work on marine and coastal policy issues in the nation’s capital. Four alumnae of the Knauss Fellowship share their experiences with science, policy, communication, cultural identity and more, in their own words.
In February 2021, the 42nd class of the John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship will begin fellowships across NOAA and other federal agencies to make their mark on national ocean and coastal policy and administration. While the experiences and backgrounds of each class are quite diverse, many selected fellows build on educational experiences offered by NOAA earlier in their careers.
The 74 finalists in the 2021 class represent 27 of the 34 Sea Grant programs. This year’s class includes early career professionals who have diverse backgrounds and experiences. Since 1979, over 1,400 fellows have completed the program, becoming leaders in science, policy, and public administration roles.
Knauss Fellowship alumni use the experiences they gain during the fellowship to pursue a variety of careers, from NOAA Chief of Staff to professors or U.S. Senate committee staff. But as a musician in the successful band Animal Collective, 2004 fellow Brian Weitz may have the most out-of-the-box “where are they now” story.
Catalina Martinez, a 2002 Knauss Fellow through Rhode Island Sea Grant, was one of six NOAA experts recognized at the 2019 annual Women of Color in STEM conference. Martinez explains how the Knauss Fellowship paved the way for her 18-year career at NOAA.
The 2020 finalists for the John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship program will become the 41th class of one of the most prestigious marine policy fellowships in the U.S. The 69 finalists represent 28 of the 34 Sea Grant programs. Since 1979, Sea Grant has provided one-year Knauss fellowships to early career professionals to work in federal government offices in Washington, D.C. to over 1,300 early professionals.
Sixty one finalists have been selected for the 2018 John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship, a program sponsored and managed by the National Sea Grant College Program.
You might say that Tony Murphy’s career took him around the GLOBE and back.
“I use the skills I gained from my experience as a Knauss fellow on a daily basis in my career. The writing and policy analysis skills that I developed as a fellow have been critical. In addition, while at the Commission, we worked with 16 commissioners with diverse backgrounds to develop a consensus report. The experience of working with a group like that to evaluate stakeholder input, discuss policy ideas and develop recommendations has been valuable.” – Angela Gustavson
I use so many of the skills and experiences I gained as a Knauss fellow at my current position. I remained in the Army Corps after my fellowship and I continue to work with many of my former coworkers. I learn new things every day about my agency.
“I truly believe the opportunity that I was given as a Knauss Fellow has led to the fact that I have been in D.C. for 10 years. My job in Sam Farr’s office gave me the launching pad for my career that ultimately led to the White House,” – Jessican Maher
For Shelby Walker, a 2002 Knauss Fellowship seemed like a chance to take a break from the lab and consider her future. It wound up being a life-changing experience, one that would put her at the heart of groundbreaking ocean observation efforts and national ocean priority-setting, a key role in the federal response to the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster – and in 2014, at the helm of Oregon Sea Grant.
Learn how Sea Grant programs across the US help communities prepare for hurricanes
Sea Grant Knauss Fellows Shane Hanlon and Victoria Ramenzoni present their research.
Lauren is an Extension Agent at Louisiana Sea Grant. She was a recipient of the John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship in 2011 where she worked at the National Sea Grant Office. She has a masters in Oceanography and Coastal Sciences with a Minor in Applied Statistics from Louisiana State University.
MEASURING AT RELEVANT SCALES: HOW WHELKS RESPOND TO DIFFERING PREY LEVELS ACROSS REGIONS AND YEARS
Will Tyburczy, NOAA Policy, Planning and Integration
Changing vessel routes to open areas for offshore wind development could generate significant societal benefits by Katya Samoteskul
Influence of predator identity on the strength of predator avoidance response in lobster by Erin Wilkinson
Santhiska Pather, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Water, Office of Science and Technology presenting: Ammonium cycling in the rocky intertidal: remineralization, removal and retention
Leslie Irwin, NOAA OAR Office of Communications presenting: The value of communicating science: Lessons from the Fellowship
Fishery Management and Information Sharing Networks: The Association between Sector Management and Social Capital by Gabe Dunham
Plastic pollution in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre by Miriam Goldstein, Ph.D
Placement week is a full week event in which Sea Grant John A. Knauss Marine Policy Finalists travel to the Washington, D.C. to interview with, and ultimately be placed in, a federal agency (executive) or congressional office (legislative).
Class of 2014 Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship applications are due by 5:00 pm local time on February 15, 2013 to eligible Sea Grant Programs and Projects. Official application can be found in the 2014 Federal Funding Opportunity.