Articles

• Working Waterfronts
• 10 Questions on the Gulf of Mexico Research Plan
• Mississippi Team Wins Hurricane Bowl
• Lewis and Plutchak Selected as Knauss Fellows
• Josh Clemons Leaves Sea Grant Law Center
• Crozier Retires from DISL, Joins Bellwether Group
• Featured Publication
• Guest Editorial

Sea Briefs is a report on the results of the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium.

Editor: Valerie Winn

This newsletter is available in PDF format from:
masgc.org/seabriefs

MASGC supports applied, interdisciplinary marine science research, education and outreach efforts to foster the sustainable development and management of the Mississippi and Alabama coasts and nearshore ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico

Mississippi-Alabama
Sea Grant Consortium
703 East Beach Drive
Ocean Springs, MS 39564
Phone: 228-818-8840
E-mail: seabriefs@masgc.org
MASGP 08-011-01

Lewis and Plutchak Selected as
Knauss Fellows

Staci Lewis, a graduate of Salem College in Mass. and Rochelle Renee Plutchak, a graduate of Lindenwood University of St. Charles in Mo., have been awarded Dean John A. Knauss Marine Police Fellowship for 2008. As Knauss fellows both have moved to Washington, D.C. where they are spending one year working with a government agency in the field of marine policy and regulations. Each has been paired with a host agency in the executive branch of government.

Lewis, who is working on a master’s degree in environmental science and policy at George Mason University in Northern Virginia, is researching the role of a coral reef predator in the incidence of coral disease. As a Knauss fellow, she is working for the Under Secretary of Commerce as the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Vice Admiral Conrad Lautenbaucher.

“Working for the head of an agency, I expect it to be fast-paced and very exciting,” said Lewis. “Also, I will witness how NOAA operates and how big policy, management and organizational decisions are made.”

Plutchak, who is pursuing a master’s degree in marine science at the University of South Alabama, is working as a communications specialist to promote NOAA’s preeminence in research, to show how NOAA science adds value to society and to communicate scientific information to a non-scientific audience.

“I wanted to learn about how the government, scientific community and the general public interact and how these interactions affect the way policy is decided,” said Plutchak. “This is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to dive into a whole new area and be exposed to many different aspects of NOAA.”

MASGC nominated the applications of both Lewis and Plutchak. The paid fellowship is sponsored by NOAA’s National Sea Grant College Program.