Athens, Ga. – Two Georgia college students will join 49 students from across the country in the Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship starting February. University of Georgia student Kate Segarra and Savannah State University student Sanya Compton will spend one year working for the executive branch of government with funding by the National Sea Grant Program.
Segarra, a marine science Ph.D. candidate in the UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, will serve as a policy analyst with the Navy’s Office of the Oceanographer, working on marine policy initiatives.
“The Knauss Fellowship is a perfect opportunity for me to use my scientific training to help solve some of the biggest problems facing our waters,” said Segarra. “One of my career goals is to facilitate better marine management and conservation practices by narrowing the divide between scientists and policy-makers.”
Meanwhile, Compton, a marine science graduate student at Savannah State University, will spend her fellowship year as a program analyst with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Laboratories and Cooperative Institutes, supporting efforts in research and development.
“This position is flexible and exciting, allowing for creativity and skill development, as well as a chance to meet and work with the highest levels of NOAA management,” said Compton. “It seems to be a great fit for me and will be challenging.”
The Knauss program places highly-qualified graduate students from the nation’s 32 regional Sea Grant offices in federal government host sites, working to establish and implement national policies related to marine, coastal and Great Lakes resources.
Georgia Sea Grant, which supports the economic and environmental health of the state’s coastal region through research, outreach and educational activities, endorsed Segarra and Compton’s candidacy for the National Sea Grant College Program-sponsored fellowship.
For more information about the Knauss Fellowship, see the National Sea Grant website at http://www.seagrant.noaa.gov/knauss/.
