July 12, 2018

Five University of Washington graduates have been selected for the National Sea Grant College Program’s prestigious John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship for 2019 to study, develop and implement policies addressing issues in ocean and coastal management, fisheries and marine resources. The 2019 finalists will become the 40th class of the Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship program. The one-year fellowship pairs motivated, forward-thinking graduates with legislative and executive host offices in Washington, D.C.

The Knauss Fellowship honors the influential legacy of the late John A. Knauss, who was an internationally-renowned oceanographer and meteorologist. His work was instrumental in the founding of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), where he served as director from 1989-1993. Knauss also founded the Graduate School of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island, helped establish the first marine affairs degree program in the country and played a key role in creating the National Sea Grant College Program.

Since the inception of the Knauss Fellowship in 1979, over 1,200 alumni have received hands-on experience transferring science to policy and management through appointments with Federal government offices in Washington, D.C. and gone on to shape U.S. marine policy through influential careers in federal agencies, the U.S. Congress and elsewhere.

Washington State’s 2019 Knauss Fellows include:

Roxanne Carini (Civil and Environmental Engineering)

Michelle Chow (School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences)

Valerie Cleland (School of Marine and Environmental Affairs)

Molly Grear (Civil and Environmental Engineering)

Ben Hughey (Evans School of Public Policy and Governance)

Congratulations to each of them!