California Sea Grant Names 2016 Knauss Marine Policy Fellows

Two University of California graduates nominated by California Sea Grant have been awarded the prestigious 2016 John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship. The fellows will spend the year in Washington D.C., serving in executive and legislative offices.

The two fellowship recipients are:

• Amanda Netburn will be the Ocean Exploration Fellow with NOAA Research Office of Ocean Exploration and Research (OER).  In her role, Netburn will provide policy advice, lead briefings on science topics, and assist the OER Director. Netburn graduated from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) at the University of California, San Diego, with a doctorate in biological oceanography in 2015.
   
• Paloma Aguirre will serve as the Legislative Fellow at the office of U.S. Senator (New Jersey) Cory Booker. She will join the legislative team and help formulate Senator Booker's policy agenda within the energy, environment, and economic development issue areas. Aguirre earned a master of advanced studies in marine biodiversity and conservation from SIO in 2015.

The two fellows join 51 other recent graduates nominated by other Sea Grant programs across the nation.

Sponsored by the National Sea Grant College Program, the Knauss Fellowship program places students with host offices in the legislative or executive branches of government in Washington, DC. Fellows learn about the national policy decisions that affect ocean, coastal, and the Great Lakes resources while contributing their knowledge to current issues facing the nation.