WASHINGTON – The Gulf Research Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has announced the nine recipients of its 2019 Science Policy Fellowships. Now in its fifth year, the fellowship program supports the development of future generations of scientists, engineers, and health professionals prepared to work at the intersections of ecosystem health, community health and resilience, and offshore energy system safety in the Gulf of Mexico and other U.S. coastal regions.

The Gulf Research Program’s Science Policy Fellowship helps scientists hone their skills at the science-policy interface by providing them with a one-year experience on the staff of a government or non-governmental environmental, natural resource, oil and gas, or public health agency in the Gulf of Mexico region. Fellows learn what it takes to make scientific information both useful and useable.

The fellowships are awarded to individuals who demonstrate a strong scientific or technical background, superior academic achievement, strong communication skills, and an ability to work across disciplines.

The nine recipients of the 2019 Science Policy Fellowships are:

Hannah Brown
Ph.D. candidate (Interdisciplinary Ecology), University of Florida
Host Office: Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Tallahassee

Lauris Hollis
Ph.D. (Oceanography and Coastal Sciences), Louisiana State University
Host Office: Texas General Land Office, Austin

Abbey Hotard
M.S. (Marine Resources Management), Texas A&M University at Galveston
Host Office: Environmental Protection Agency Gulf of Mexico Program, Gulfport, Miss.

Rachel Kirpes
Ph.D. (Chemistry), University of Michigan
Host Office: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Lafayette, La.

Andrew Lade
M.P.P. (Environmental Policy), Oregon State University
M.S. (Geology), University of North Carolina, Wilmington
Host Office: Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, Baton Rouge

Emily Mazur
M.S. (Marine Resource Management), Oregon State University
Host Office: U.S. Geological Survey Wetland Aquatic Research Center, Gainesville, Fla.

Kathryn O'Shaughnessy
Ph.D. (Environmental Science), University of Plymouth
Host Office: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Austin

Dustin Reuther
Ph.D. candidate (Anthropology), Tulane University
Host Office: RESTORE Council, New Orleans

Amy Teller
Ph.D. (Sociology), Brown University
Host Office: The Data Center, New Orleans

To learn more about the Gulf Research Program’s Science Policy Fellowships, visit nationalacademies.org/gulf/fellowships. Applications for 2020 Science Policy Fellowships will open in early December.

The National Academies' Gulf Research Program is an independent, science-based program founded in 2013 as part of legal settlements with the companies involved in the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. It seeks to enhance offshore energy system safety and protect human health and the environment by catalyzing advances in science, practice, and capacity to generate long-term benefits for the Gulf of Mexico region and the nation. The program has $500 million for use over 30 years to fund grants, fellowships, and other activities in the areas of research and development, education and training, and monitoring and synthesis. Visit nationalacademies.org/gulf to learn more.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are private, nonprofit institutions that provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions related to science, technology, and medicine. The Academies operate under an 1863 congressional charter to the National Academy of Sciences, signed by President Lincoln. 

Contact:
Kacey Templin, Media Relations Officer
Office of News and Public Information
202-334-2138; e-mail news@nas.edu