Knauss legislative fellowships in Congress help build careers — and they're fun and educational. See our video and fact sheet for details.
Past Post Graduate Fellows
State Science Policy Fellowship
Fellowship at:
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Fellowship at:
Maryland Department of Natural ResourcesCool Facts:
Natasha De La Cruz is working with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Chesapeake and Coastal Service unit with a plethora of environmental policy projects promoting coastal resilience and climate mitigation efforts across the state.
Fellowship at:
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Fellowship at:
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Fellowship at:
Maryland Department of the EnvironmentCool Facts:
Macon greatly enjoyed living in California and white water rafting in the Trinity Alps but is excited to return to his home state, where he enjoys sailing on the Chesapeake Bay and hiking in the Appalachian Mountains. He hopes to leverage his experience in public communications and interagency coordination to build bridges between the state and local communities to break down barriers for more resilient environmental policies.Science Management and Policy Internship
Fellowship at:
Maryland Sea Grant CollegeCool Facts:
Cally graduated from the University of Delaware in 2023 with a bachelor's degree in environmental science with a minor in marine science. Cally has contributed to a variety of projects at Maryland Sea Grant, all with a common thread of understanding the intersection between human and natural environments and the ways in which they shape one another.
Fellowship at:
Maryland Sea Grant CollegeCool Facts:
Hannah graduated from North Carolina State University with degrees in Biological Oceanography and Zoology and a minor in Applied Ecology. Throughout her undergraduate career, she enjoyed learning about and participating in a mixture of ecological research and environmental management and policy. Hannah particularly enjoyed exploring the impacts of climate change on environmental and community health and was interested in working with an organization committed to addressing climate change.Maryland Law and Policy Fellowship
Fellowship at:
Agriculture Law Education Initiative and Maryland Sea Grant CollegeCool Facts:
Kerry McClaughry is the ALEI and Maryland Sea Grant 2024-2025 Law and Policy Fellow. She recently graduated from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law where she earned a Certificate in Environmental Law. She is excited to continue to work on projects focused on protecting the Chesapeake Bay and build on past Fellows work to expand the voices being heard on environmental policy issues.
Fellowship at:
Agriculture Law Education Initiative and Maryland Sea Grant CollegeCool Facts:
While in law school, Hardy served as the environmental justice managing editor for the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, playing basketball, reading, playing guitar, and watching movies.
Fellowship at:
Agriculture Law Education Initiative and Maryland Sea Grant CollegeCool Facts:
As an islander who grew up in Taiwan, her love for the land, coast, and ocean is the driving force behind her research and career path. She enjoys working in an interdisciplinary arena where law and science can complement each other in policy-making processes. Her recent research has been published in the Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences.Program Announcements
News and Blogs
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.
