Three graduate students from Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium member universities have been named finalists for the competitive 2020 Sea Grant John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship.
Christine Bassett of The University of Alabama, Aaron Macy of University of South Alabama and Leanne Poussard of The University of Southern Mississippi will interview this fall in Washington, D.C., with potential host agencies and offices in the legislative and executive branches of government. The interviews will determine where they will be placed during their fellowship year, which begins in February. As Sea Grant Knauss Fellows, they will actively transfer science to policy and management through their appointments with federal government offices.
Bassett
Bassett is a Ph.D. candidate studying geological sciences at The University of Alabama.
Her research uses geochemistry to examine geologically-recent ocean conditions and climate changes in the Pacific to better understand the current ocean and climate conditions and events.
Bassett holds a master’s degree in geological sciences, also from The University of Alabama, and bachelor’s degrees in anthropology and Latin American studies from The University of Georgia.
Macy
Macy, a Ph.D. candidate in marine science at University of South Alabama/Dauphin Island Sea Lab, is also an extension program associate at Mississippi State University.
His dissertation investigates impacts on ecosystem services as marshes transition to black mangroves in the Northern Gulf of Mexico, and his extension work includes engaging high schools in wetlands stewardship.
He also holds a bachelor’s degree in oceanography from the Florida Institute of Technology.
Poussard
Poussard is a graduate student and research assistant studying coastal sciences at The University of Southern Mississippi's Gulf Coast Research Lab.
While working on her master’s degree, she is using mathematical modeling to measure efficiency of National Marine Fisheries Service shellfish survey gear. She earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Virginia.
Since 1979, the National Sea Grant College Program has provided Knauss Fellowships to more than 1,300 early-career professionals. There are 69 finalists in the 2020 class. They will become the 41st class of the fellowship.
“With each year and class, we continue to be more impressed with the Sea Grant Knauss Fellows,” Jonathan Pennock, director of the National Sea Grant College Program, said. “They bring fresh perspectives and experiences to the coastal and marine science and policy work happening in D.C., and they continue to raise the bar for us all.”
Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship finalists are selected through a competitive process that includes several rounds of review at both the state Sea Grant program and national levels. Students finishing master’s, Juris Doctor (J.D.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) programs with a focus and/or interest in marine science, policy or management apply through a Sea Grant program. If applicants are successful at the state program level, a national panel of experts reviews their applications.
The Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium recommended Bassett, Macy and Poussard for the fellowship.
Executive appointments for the 2019 Knauss fellows included placements throughout the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as well as with Department of the Interior, National Science Foundation, U.S. Navy and other agencies. Legislative placements included the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, the Senate Commerce Committee, the House Committee on Natural Resources and others.
If you are interested in knowing more about the Sea Grant Knauss Fellows’ experiences, the Knauss Fellowship Blog shares stories from current fellows.
