Louisiana Sea Grant 2015 Knauss Finalist Named

Emily Smith
2015 Knauss Fellowship Finalist

Emily Smith has been named a finalist for the 2015 John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship. She was nominated by Louisiana Sea Grant.

Smith is a native of Thibodeaux and earned her doctorate from Louisiana State University’s Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences. Her research focuses on harmful algal blooms in the state’s estuaries. Before attending LSU, she earned her Bachelor of Science degrees in marine biology and biological sciences from the University of Southern Mississippi, and a master’s degree from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga where she concentrated on secondary education with a focus on science and environmental studies.

“I have always been interested in the ocean and environment,” Smith said. “I attribute that to my Dad who took me out on a sailing boat all the time when I was growing up. He was a high school science teacher and would always tell my brother and I about the plants, birds and fish we would see on our trips.”

The Knauss Fellowship is sponsored by the National Sea Grant College Program. It allows graduate students interested in pursuing environmental careers the opportunity to gain experience working with policymakers in the legislative and executive branches of the federal government for a year. The finalists will attend an intensive week-long period of interviews in Washington, D.C., in November. Following the interviews, the finalists will be paired with an agency or congressional office for the duration of their internship.

Smith says she hopes to stay in Washington, D.C., following the fellowship to work for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).