Knauss Fellowship Update

I successfully defended my dissertation in Conservation Biology at University of Minnesota Twin Cities in December 2008. In my research I examined the impacts that farmed fishes (genetically engineered, selectively bred, and farmer bred) can have on wild fish when they leave the farm and enter the natural environment. Through this research I was able to collaborate with another former Minnesota Sea Grant Fellow, Dr. Wansuk Senanan, at Burapha University in Thailand. It was a privilege to have Professor Anne Kapuscinski as an advisor and to have had so many amazing opportunities through the Fisheries and Conservation Biology graduate programs at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.

I am now officially settled in my new position and home in Washington, D.C. I am working as a Knauss Legislative Fellow for the Senate Commerce Committee (Democratic staff), Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard. Check out the Web site.

In this new capacity, I deal with anything "salty", including offshore aquaculture, coastal zone management, whaling, sea turtles, marine mammals, coral reefs, marine protected areas, ballast water, international fisheries, climate change, seafood safety, etc. Although these topics are largely new to me, the solid interdisciplinary foundation that I received as a graduate student at the University of Minnesota has positioned me to make unique and worthwhile contributions to these issue areas.

I hope that everyone is doing well and look forward to keeping in touch.

Best,

I wanted to thank you for everything that you've done for me in terms of getting a 2008 Knauss Fellowship and supporting me during the fellowship. Participating in the fellowship is one of best decisions I have ever made. At times I would say to myself, “Wow! I’m working for a member of Congress and advising them on marine policy!”

I would encourage graduate students to apply for the fellowship even if they aren’t sure they want to do policy work. The knowledge and skills that one develops during the fellowship can be valuable in any science oriented career path, whether it’s policy, research, or resource management. If other University of Minnesota graduate students are interested in applying to the fellowship, I would be happy to talk with them.

I also wanted to let you know what I'm doing now. I'm a public policy associate with the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS). Mainly I'm communicating science policy to biologists and communicating science to policy makers.

Sincerely,