Placements Announced for the 2021 Knauss Fellowship Finalists
NOAA Sea Grant has announced placements for the finalists selected for the 2021 John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship program. A total of 74 finalists have been selected for the 2021 class, each nominated by Sea Grant teams across the country. USC Sea Grant is pleased to share that four of these finalists were selected from USC Sea Grant: Katherine Ball, Laura Ingulsrud, Shellby Johnson, and Demetra Panos. Learn more about USC Sea Grant’s four finalists and their executive branch placements below!
The Knauss Fellowship is a unique professional development opportunity for graduate students who have an interest in national policy decisions affecting ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources. This fall, the 2021 finalists will participate in a virtual placement week to interview with several executive or legislative offices in the federal government. Following placement in a host office, they will begin their one-year fellowship in February 2021.
Knauss finalists are chosen through a competitive process that includes several rounds of review at both the state Sea Grant program and national levels. Since 1979, the National Sea Grant College Program has provided Knauss Fellowships to over 1,300 early-career professionals. The 2021 finalists will become the 42nd class of the John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship program. Learn more about the fellowship program here.
Read the full 2021 finalist announcement from the National Sea Grant College Program HERE. Congratulations to our four finalists as well as all 74 finalists across the Sea Grant network!
Learn More About USC Sea Grant’s Four 2021 Finalists and Their Placements
Katherine Ball
Katherine is currently earning her doctoral degree in Human and Social Dimensions of Science and Technology at Arizona State University. Her studies focus on the federal process of implementing ocean policies and how local marine policies are connected at the federal, state, and local levels. She has a passion for addressing environmental concerns and has experience utilizing community engagement as an avenue for communicating complex marine science topics. During her Knauss fellowship, Katherine hopes to learn about the diverse perspectives related to ocean governance and to observe effective engagement practices for federal marine policy while adding a creative approach to science and policy communication.
Placement: Department of Energy (DOE); Wind Energy Technologies Office
Laura Ingulsrud
Laura graduated with a master’s degree in Environmental Science and Management from the Bren School at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She also recently completed a Graduate Research Assistant position with the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary working on a project that aimed to assess the economic value of whales in the Santa Barbara Channel. With a background in marine spatial planning and data analysis, Laura is motivated to leverage her science and policy experience to solve interdisciplinary problems with sound data and smart planning. During her Knauss fellowship, she looks forward to directly participating in and contributing to national policy processes around the important multidisciplinary decisions affecting marine and coastal resources.
Placement: NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS); Office of Protected Resources
Shellby Johnson
Shellby also earned her master’s degree in Environmental Science and Management from the Bren School at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her thesis focused on the complex interactions between international government and non-governmental organizations over coastal issues. Shellby also has experience working on local and federal marine science issues in the coastal Southeast, as well as on environmental policy legislation in Atlanta. She focuses on the human dimension, connecting science with societal application and creating actionable science. As a Knauss fellow, she aims to diversify the faces that tackle environmental problems while learning about the nation’s environmental institutions and obtaining the essential tools for solving issues at the federal level.
Placement: NOAA Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR); Office of the Assistant Administrator
Demetra Panos
Demetra is currently pursuing a Master of Science from California State University Northridge. Her research aims to uncover and understand the span of vital biogeochemical services that kelp forests provide, their function in combating ocean acidification, and ultimately the potential applications for supporting management and restoration efforts towards coastal resilience. Building upon this, her work focuses on the interface of science, communication, and management. During her fellowship, Demetra looks forward to understanding the science, policy, and implementation practices in the real world while working towards conserving and managing marine resources through active stakeholder engagement and communication.
Placement: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS); Headquarters, Ecological Services