The Knauss Fellowship program of the National Sea Grant College Program matches highly qualified graduate students with hosts in the legislative and executive branch of government located in the Washington, D.C. area, for a one year paid fellowship. For the class of 2013, New York Sea Grant is happy to announce two Fellows were selected for this prestigious program named in honor of one of Sea Grant’s founders, former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Administrator, John A. Knauss. The Knauss fellowship, established in 1979, provides a unique educational experience to students who have an interest in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources.


Knauss Fellow Zachary Schulman will participate in an Arctic marine domain awareness exercise on a polar science research icebreaker in September. Photo courtesy of Zachary Schulman


As a Knauss Fellow, Zachary Schulman, who earned his JD in international and environmental law at Pace University School of Law, was placed as the Executive Assistant to the Director of the Marine Transportation System of the U. S. Coast Guard. In September, Zach will be on board the USCGC HEALY, a polar science research icebreaker. Among its other missions, the Coast Guard’s NOAA partners will test out an unmanned aerial vehicle from the ship. Zach’s undergraduate education was in international affairs and geography at George Washington University. He has also served as a law clerk in the Office of Regulations and Administrative Law within the U.S. Coast Guard and as Junior Legal Advisor/Delegate for the Cape Verde Permanent Mission to the United Nations.


Knauss Fellow Daniel Sousa attends a Knauss reception with NYSG Associate Director, Dr. Kathy Bunting-Howarth. Photo by James Ammerman


Daniel Sousa, who received a Masters degree in Climate and Society from Columbia University, began working for U.S. Representative Mike Thompson of California. Says Dan, “Being a legislative Knauss Fellow is a marvelous once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I feel incredibly fortunate to work with such diverse, talented people and it is wonderful to be in a position to learn something new every day.” Dan who received an undergraduate degree from the University of California, Davis, has also held a unique policy-based internship with a sustainable development effort related to coastal policy in the low lying country of Bangladesh.

— Barbara A. Branca