2020 Knauss Fellows
University of Delaware graduate students Jennifer Joseph and Samuel Fielding have received their placements for their Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowships.
UD Sends Two Students to Capitol Hill
University of Delaware graduate students Jennifer Joseph and Samuel Fielding have received their placements for their Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowships. Starting Feb. 1, 2020, Joseph will be working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Congressional and Legislative Affairs Office, an entity that acts as a liaison between the National Fish and Wildlife Service and Congress, and Fielding will be working with the Army Corps of Engineers with the Engineering with Nature Initiative. He will be primarily concerning himself with using natural barriers like sand dunes to establish protection around coastal communities.
After learning they were finalists for the Knauss Fellowship over the summer, Joseph and Fielding joined the other finalists interested in working in the executive branch for placement week in Washington, D.C. this fall. There they each met, networked and interviewed with multiple agencies, as the program works to match the interests of fellows with the needs of the federal government.
Sponsored by the National Sea Grant College Program and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Knauss Fellowship provides a one-of-a-kind educational experience for students interested in the national policy decisions that impact ocean, coastal and lake resources.
The Knauss Fellowship is named after one of Sea Grant's founders and former NOAA Administrator John A. Knauss. For 41 years, the one-year, paid fellowship has been matching highly qualified graduate students with hosts in the legislative and executive branches of government located in the Washington, D.C. area.
The Knauss Fellowship provides individuals with valuable connections. Hosts that the Knauss Fellows work with are often members of Congress or other federal entities that handle the management of aquatic resources. For graduate students interested in environmental policy, the fellowship allows for invaluable connections with legislators, educators, and businesses.
Jennifer Joseph, who has a B.S. in biology from San Diego State University and M.S. in marine bioscience from the University of Delaware, said the Knauss Fellowship “really helps you in your career. Your office provides many learning opportunities. There’s a lot of networking, and there’s a lot of professional development opportunities.”
Getting the opportunity to be a Knauss Fellow is a very long and difficult process, according to both Joseph and Fielding. Joseph said that the application process takes a year and requires a personal statement, curriculum vitae, plans for the next year, two letters of recommendation and interviews with the national sea grant program.
Samuel Fielding earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Puget Sound, was a Fulbright Scholar in Taiwan, and earned his masters from the Middlebury Institute in Monterey, California. He is currently earning his Ph.D in Marine Policy from the University of Delaware.
Fielding said that he hopes to use the fellowship to advance his Ph.D. dissertation and see what doors open after working with the federal government. He said he is excited for the Knauss Fellowship opportunity.
“There’s a whole bunch of talented, unique people you get to meet,” said Fielding. “Working with federal policy makers will really be eye-opening for how things work in the real world.”
According to the National Sea Grant College Program, more than 1,350 fellows have been placed in federal and congressional offices since the founding of the fellowship. Half of those fellows go on to work for the federal government, becoming policymakers themselves.
Applications for the 2021 Knauss Fellowship are being accepted until Feb. 21, 2020. To learn more about applying for this or other Sea Grant fellowships, visit our official page for the program.
Article by Adam Thomas