Knauss legislative fellowships in Congress help build careers — and they're fun and educational. See our video and fact sheet for details.
Current Post Graduate Fellows
Science Management and Policy Internship
Fellowship at:
Maryland Sea Grant CollegeCool Facts:
Caldonia (Cally) graduated from the University of Delaware in 2023 with an Honors B.S. in Environmental Science and a minor in Marine Science. While there, she conducted research on a wide variety of topics related to climate change, coastal science, and plant ecology. She fell in love with wetlands specifically while studying saltmarsh grasses in the Delaware Great Marsh Preserve. Sharing her passion for coastal ecology and conservation through various campus leadership positions inspired her to continue pursuing opportunities in environmental outreach.State Science Policy Fellowship
Fellowship at:
Maryland Department of Natural ResourcesCool Facts:
Natasha De La Cruz is working with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Chesapeake and Coastal Service unit with a plethora of environmental policy projects promoting coastal resilience and climate mitigation efforts across the state.Maryland Law and Policy Fellowship
Fellowship at:
Agriculture Law Education Initiative and Maryland Sea Grant CollegeCool Facts:
Kerry McClaughry is the ALEI and Maryland Sea Grant 2024-2025 Law and Policy Fellow. She recently graduated from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law where she earned a Certificate in Environmental Law. She is excited to continue to work on projects focused on protecting the Chesapeake Bay and build on past Fellows work to expand the voices being heard on environmental policy issues.Program Announcements
News and Blogs
Featured Fellow
Leone Yisrael is a cephalopod-loving scuba diver, cook, and loves to try new activities. She conducts genetic analysis and fieldwork at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center through the Coastal Disease Ecology Lab.
Featured Research Project
Developing a habitat model for mysids, an important link in Chesapeake Bay food webs
Mysids are important mesozooplankton prey for many species of fish in Chesapeake Bay and are an important link in transferring energy from lower to upper trophic levels. Mysids also serve as biological vectors for benthic-pelagic coupling due to their diel vertical migration and omnivorous prey-switching behavior, which makes mysids important regulators of food web architecture. Despite their central role in coastal food webs, surprisingly little is known about mysid ecology and dynamics in Chesapeake Bay.
