Fellowship Experiences

Living on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay and studying the Bay’s environment for three years has enhanced my respect for not only the power of science but also the complexity of Mother Nature.

As this past summer began to wind down, I grew both excited and anxious about starting a Ph.D. program in physical oceanography at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.

Decisions about conservation are messy because, as everyone eventually realizes, science is subjective. I have been seeing this reality first hand as a Knauss Marine Policy Fellow working in the Office of Protected Resources (OPR) of NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). My work focuses on implementing the Endangered Species Act (for marine species) and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

In her third and final dispatch, an undergraduate intern reflects on her experiences on a NOAA scientific expedition to the North Atlantic. | The Okeanos Explorer is back in port. The ship came in a day early due to concerns about Hurricane Cristobal.

Adapting to a changing climate is arguably one of the most significant puzzles of our time.  As a Knauss Marine Policy Fellow in NOAA’s Climate Program Office, I am exploring some of the many approaches that NOAA and other organizations are taking to prepare the United States and the world for the impacts of a rapidly changing climate. Among these is preserving coastal ecosystems like mangroves, which sequester large amounts of atmospheric carbon.