2012 Knauss Fellowships Awarded

Three University of California graduates nominated by California Sea Grant have been awarded coveted John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowships and will soon head to the nation's capital for yearlong assignments in the executive branch of government.

The three fellowship recipients, all of whom hold either master's or doctorates in marine science or conservation, are:

Deborah Fauquier, placed at the Office of Protected Resources at NOAA Fisheries. Fauquier holds a doctorate in Ocean Sciences from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Alexis Rife, at NOAA Office of International Affairs. She earned a master's degree in Marine Biology and Conservation from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego.

Tali Vardi, at the Office of Science and Technology, NOAA Fisheries. She earned a doctorate in Marine Biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego.

The three women join 38 other outstanding recent graduates from across the country, nominated by other programs within the Sea Grant network.

The Knauss Fellowship is sponsored by the National Sea Grant College Program, which is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), under the U.S. Department of Commerce. The fellowship is named in honor of the distinguished ocean scientist and former NOAA Administrator, who was also a founder of the Sea Grant College Program.

For more information on the marine policy fellowship program, visit: http://www.seagrant.noaa.gov/knauss/.

Written by Christina Johnson