Three Ph.D. candidates from Alabama and Mississippi universities will be working next year in the Washington, D.C., area as National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Sea Grant John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellows. The Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium endorsed their applications for the prestigious national fellowship, which begins Feb. 1.
The fellowship provides a unique educational and professional experience to graduate students who have an interest in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources. About 85 fellows will make up the Class of 2023.
Jesse Gwinn
Jesse Gwinn, who is studying marine sciences at the University of South Alabama and Dauphin Island Sea Lab, will spend her time as a fellow in the NOAA Oceanic and Atmospheric Research Division Global Ocean Monitoring and Observing Program. The program supports ocean-based, or in situ, observing research and the sustained global ocean observing system.
Gwinn will serve as a capacity building and communications fellow, with a focus on Pacific Island communities. Read more about Gwinn and her fellowship.
Matthew Hodanbosi
Matthew Hodanbosi, who is studying marine sciences at the University of South Alabama’s School of Marine and Environmental Sciences and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, will serve his one-year fellowship with the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System. This office is part of the NOAA National Ocean Service and coordinates Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS®) implementation. As a science and technology ocean and coastal enterprise fellow, he will support IOOS and NOAA to grow the New Blue Economy on national to global scales. Read more about Hodanbosi and his fellowship.
Sara Marriott
Sara Marriott, who is studying coastal sciences at The University of Southern Mississippi, will serve as a Great Lakes Coastal Program specialist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program (CMHRP). CMHRP is the primary federal marine geology and physical science research program in the country.
She will communicate and collaborate with leadership and staff from multiple federal agencies to support coastal priorities under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). Outcomes of the collaborations could include the implementation of multi-agency coastal projects funded by the GLRI to support stakeholder needs and priorities. She also will identify possible synergies between USGS coastal science expertise and other agency program needs and priorities, as will as assist CMHRP in meeting the needs of internal and external stakeholders. Read more about Marriott and the Knauss fellowship.
Since 1979, over 1,550 fellows have completed the Knauss fellowship program, applying their experience to lasting careers in science, policy and public administration.