Knauss legislative fellowships in Congress help build careers — and they're fun and educational. See our video and fact sheet for details.
Delaney Mezan
Fellowship Institution:
Towson UniversityAdvisor:
Alice BestermanStart Year:
2026Program Announcements
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Featured Fellow
Nina Santos
Nina Santos is a Ph.D. student at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. For her dissertation, she is focused on small shrimp-like crustaceans called mysids – an understudied yet important part of many estuarine and coastal food webs.
Featured Research Project
Geochronology Study of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Deposition and Ecosystem Response in the Chesapeake & Maryland Coastal Bays
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are environmentally persistent contaminants linked to adverse health outcomes in humans and wildlife. In Maryland's Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Bays, PFAS accumulation in sediments and biota, as well as their ecological impacts, remain poorly understood. This project will reconstruct multidecadal PFAS deposition histories using sediment cores, apply microbial community profiling to assess benthic ecosystem responses, and translate findings into practical guidance for aquaculture and environmental management.
