UAF students receive marine policy fellowships in D.C.

June 17, 2016

Kelly Cates and Charlotte Regula-Whitefield, graduate students at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, will head to Washington, D.C., next year as 2017 Knauss Marine Policy Fellows.

The two Alaskans are in a select group of 65 fellows nominated by Sea Grant programs around the country. The one-year fellowship was established in 1979 to provide a unique educational opportunity for graduate-level university students interested in marine resources and national policy decisions that affect those resources. The experience can serve as a springboard to related careers. The 2016 Alaska Sea Grant Knauss Fellow, Erin Shew, is currently working at the White House Center for Environmental Quality.

Cates, a master’s degree student in fisheries at the UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, has been studying humpback whales to create baseline data for future management decisions. “Up to this point I have been primarily research focused and would like the chance to explore how I can broaden my future career path to contain both policy and research aspects,” she said. “I am hoping this fellowship will help expand and shape my future goals.”

Regula-Whitefield, also a fisheries student at SFOS, said her doctoral research relates to the concerns of coastal communities. As part of her academic experience, she helped establish a sea cucumber aquaculture program that developed into a larger working group for Alaska and Washington, the first of its kind in both states. “The fellowship will provide me with hands-on opportunities to expand my skills in integrating interdisciplinary science and public policy to improve coastal communities,” Regula-Whitefield said.

“This is a competitive fellowship, and we’re pleased to have two outstanding Alaskans chosen for next year,” said Paula Cullenberg, Alaska Sea Grant director. “In D.C., Knauss Fellows are engaged in all levels of marine policy and are well-regarded by agencies and Congress. Our new Alaska Sea Grant State Fellowship is modeled after this successful program.”

Cates and Regula-Whitefield will join other fellows in the capital in November 2016 for interviews and placement in the executive or legislative branch of the federal government, and will begin their fellowships in February 2017.

“This fellowship will be unlike anything I have previously experienced,” Cates said. “Previous Knauss fellows have had nothing but positive and encouraging words to describe it, and I am truly thankful for this opportunity.”

A third Alaskan also will head to D.C. as a Knauss Fellow next year. Nicole Kanayurak, from Barrow, has been chosen for the 2017 fellowship through the Washington Sea Grant program. Kanayurak is pursuing a master’s degree in marine affairs at the University of Washington.

The Knauss Fellowship is named in honor of John A. Knauss, one of Sea Grant's national founders and former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration administrator.

Sea Grant is a nationwide network of university-based NOAA programs engaged in scientific research, education, training and extension projects aimed at better understanding and managing the nation's marine and Great Lakes resources. Alaska Sea Grant is based at the UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences.