2015 John A. Knauss Fellows Announced

Two graduate students from California universities were awarded the John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship, a unique educational experience for students interested in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources and national policy. The students were nominated for the prestigious fellowship by the California Sea Grant program at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at University of California, San Diego.

The following winners have relocated to Washington, D.C. for a one-year paid fellowship with policymakers in the legislative and executive branches of the federal government.

• Amy Bowman, Scripps Institution of Oceanography at University of California, San Diego (UCSD)
• Eliot Crafton, University of California, Davis (UC Davis)

Bowman and Crafton were selected from a competitive pool of nominees from the 33 Sea Grant programs in the coastal and Great Lakes states and territories. Of the 52 fellows selected, there were 35 women and 17 men who are pursuing, or will soon complete, 22 doctorates, 24 master’s degrees, and six J.Ds.

Amy Bowman, a recent graduate from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD, developed an online educational program and game that teaches young students about ocean acidification while earning her master’s degree. For years, she worked as a diver, dive instructor, and naturalist in Hawaii before obtaining a degree focused on marine and natural sciences.  Bowman also holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Sierra Nevada College. As a Knauss Fellow, Bowman will be working in NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Science and Technology.

Eliot Crafton, who is earning his Ph.D. in ecology from UC Davis, is developing a computer-based tool that uses statistical modeling to anticipate and possibly thwart the arrival of new invasive marine species. Before attending UC Davis, he received a Master of Science in Environmental Sciences, Policy, and Management from Central European University and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Williams College. While in Washington, Crafton will work in the legislative office of U.S. Representative Lois Capps as the primary policy advisor on all oceans, fisheries management, and coastal issues.

Learn more about the Knauss Fellowship.