WASHINGTON SEA GRANT STATE FELLOWS (formerly Marc Hershman Marine Policy Fellows)
The Washington Sea Grant State Fellowship (formerly the Mark Hershman Marine Policy Fellowship) offers a unique educational opportunity for graduate students or recent graduates engaged in studies pertaining to ocean and coastal policy issues. This one-year paid Fellowship program places highly motivated, qualified individuals with marine and coastal hosts throughout Washington. Fellows gain first-hand experience
crafting marine and natural resource policies and are encouraged to share their academic expertise with host offices. This year’s hosts include:
- The Makah Tribe
- The Nature Conservancy
- Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary
FELLOWSHIP DATES
September/October 2018 – September/October 2019
ELIGIBILITY
Individuals who are graduate students enrolled at Washington universities or who have graduated in the calendar year the Fellowship begins may apply. Applicants should be pursuing or have a degree in a marine-related field, including policy, law, social
sciences, oceanography and fishery sciences. They must also demonstrate a strong interest and some experience in marine science and public policy.
AWARD
Each Fellow will receive an award of $51,500, including a stipend of $48,000 to cover living costs and health care and $3,500 for travel and other Fellowship-related expenses.
• The Washington State Department of Ecology (Shorelands Program)
- The Washington State Department of Ecology (Spills Program)
- The Washington State Department of Health
APPLICATION DEADLINE
5:00 p.m. PST, June 1, 2018
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
All applications must include:
- Resume or curriculum vitae (not to exceed two pages; 12 pt. font).
- Statement of the applicant’s goals with emphasis on interest in, contribution to and expectations from the Fellowship (1,000 words or less; 12 pt .font).
- Written summary of academic highlights relevant to the Fellowship (300 words or less; 12 pt. font)
- Two letters of recommendation, including one from the applicant’s major professor. If no major professor exists, the faculty member who is most familiar with the applicant’s academic work may be
- Unofficial copies of all undergraduate and graduate student
FINALIST SELECTION
Up to eight finalists will be selected by the Washington Sea Grant State Fellowship Review Panel, convened by Washington Sea Grant and made up of program partners which may include representatives from federal, state, local and tribal government, NGO’s, industry, faculty and former Fellows. The panel will interview candidates and select finalists. All candidates will be notified by
late June, regarding the outcome of the panel’s selection process.
SELECTION CRITERIA
Finalists are selected based on the following criteria:
- Academic record and employment history including applicability to the Fellowship
- Contribution of the Fellowship to career goals
- Support from two letters of recommendation
- Personal skills, including initiative and communications
- Community and extracurricular activities
Washington Sea Grant is an affirmative action and equal opportunity institution. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for Fellowship opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual
orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status or genetic information.
PLACEMENT OF FELLOWS
A workshop to match host offices with Fellows will take place in Seattle, WA in mid-July, 2018. Of the eight finalists selected, two will be placed within each host
office. The workshop includes an orientation, host office project presentations, finalist presentations, finalist and host office interviews and Fellow matching.
HOW TO APPLY
Applications should be submitted as a single PDF document to sgFellow@uw.edu (preferred) or by mail to: Washington Sea Grant State Fellowship, ATTN: Deborah Purce, Washington Sea Grant, 3716 Brooklyn Avenue NE, Seattle, WA 98105-6716. Letters of recommendation can be sent separately to the same email address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT
Deborah Purce Washington Sea Grant 3716 Brooklyn Avenue NE, Seattle, WA 98105-6716
206.543.6600
sgFellow@uw.edu
TIMELINE
June 1: Fellowship applications due.
June 22 (approximate): Sea Grant screening of Fellowship applications to select finalists completed. Finalists are notified and applications distributed to participating hosts.
July 17-18: Mandatory host placement workshop in Seattle.
Early August: Fellowship matches completed. Mid-September to Fellowships begin.
mid-October:
HOST OFFICE PROJECT SUMMARIES
MAKAH TRIBE – MARINE AFFAIRS AND OCEAN POLICY DEVELOPING THE OCEAN POLICY STRATEGIC IMPLEMENTATION PLAN, THE CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION PLAN AND CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT OF MARITIME DOMAIN AWARENESS (NEAH BAY, WA AND/OR SEATTLE, WA)
The 2018-2019 Fellow will: (1) support the Makah Tribe’s maritime domain awareness efforts, (2) assist in the development of the Makah Ocean Policy Implementation Plan with staff, (3) assist in ongoing Makah Marina projects, including work related to environmental impact assessments and derelict vessel removal, (4) participate in the Climate Change
Adaptation Plan and work with policy and science staff in both the Office of Marine Affairs and the Makah Fisheries Management Department and contribute to the ongoing development of a climate change adaptation plan, (5) track potential emerging natural resource, climate, vessel safety and oil pollution legislation and participate in developing as appropriate, (6) support
the Makah Tribe’s efforts in developing a tribal marine spatial plan, (7) support the Makah Tribe’s engagement in international, transboundary, state and regional marine planning and climate adaptation forums, such as MRAC, the West Coast Regional Planning Body, and the West Coast Ocean Partnership, and (8) collaborate with Makah Tribal staff to produce grant proposals, reports, presentations, and outreach efforts that support the above.
THE NATURE CONSERVANCY COASTAL RESILIENCE, COMMUNITY OUTREACH, AND TRIBAL ENGAGEMENT (SEATTLE, WA)
The 2018-19 Washington Sea Grant State Fellow will participate in one or more of the projects listed below as they align with the Fellow’s interests, knowledge and skills: (1) develop content and conduct outreach to train resilience ambassadors and coastal communities as part of the Washington Coastal Resilience Project (WCRP), (2) engage in the facilitation of meetings
and implementation of specific projects and network building for the Community, Economy and Place Initiative (CEPI) in the Emerald Edge region, (3) develop a Tribal engagement strategy for our Floodplains
by Design (FbD) program by building relationships, developing tribal engagement training for staff in Washington, and other activities. The Fellow will be fully integrated as a member of The Nature Conservancy’s Washington State chapter, with the opportunity to
attend trainings, retreats, and field visits, and learn about The Nature Conservancy’s conservation across the state and throughout the region.
OLYMPIC COAST NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY DEVELOPING AN OLYMPIC COAST OCEAN ACIDIFICATION SENTINEL SITE (PORT ANGELES, WA)
The selected Fellow will serve a number of roles at NOAA’s Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary (OCNMS), requiring a combination of scientific understanding and policy coordination. Primarily, the Fellow will co-lead the formation of a steering committee for an Olympic Coast Ocean Acidification (OA) Sentinel Site, and then assist this body in developing the Sentinel Site management goal(s) and defining priorities and activities for future ocean acidification work on Washington’s outer coast. The
value of a Sentinel Site is not in simply collecting sound scientific information. It will join, align and focus capabilities for monitoring, research, data analysis, education and outreach to raise awareness and inform our actions in response to OA. The Fellow will be integrated into the OCNMS office in Port Angeles with access to a wide range of expertise and mentorship opportunities.
WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF ECOLOGY SHORELANDS AND ENVIRONMENTAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM: ENHANCING COASTAL COMMUNITY RESILIENCE (LACEY, WA)
The 2018-2019 Fellow will play an active role in Washington’s Coastal Resilience Project, working with other state agencies, organizations, and local planners to develop state-level guidance for local governments that are using shoreline planning to address sea level rise. The Fellow will also manage the Washington Coastal Hazards Resilience Network, a network
of more than 75 practitioners working in hazards resilience around the state. Depending on the Fellow’s interests and the program’s activities, work could involve research and writing, policy analysis, strategic planning and project management, event planning and facilitation, partnership building and coordination, web design and maintenance, and internal and external communications. The Fellow will be encouraged to attend relevant coordination meetings, trainings or
other opportunities to gain exposure and understanding of how government and non-governmental organizations work on regional coastal management.
WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF ECOLOGY SPILLS PROGRAM: OIL SPILL PREVENTION, PREPAREDNESS, AND RESPONSE (LACEY, WA)
The 2018-2019 Fellow will focus primarily on coordinating the initial development of a legislative report regarding spill prevention, preparedness and response activities throughout state government and funding for those activities. The Fellow’s work will include: gathering and analyzing oil spill risks across various industries and public modes of transport and recreation; describing historical changes to state oil spill policy and the state and national spill incidents, which created impetuses for such change; working with staff in multiple state agencies to fully and accurately describe oil spill prevention, preparedness and response activities, along with their relative scope and legal authority; performing data analysis to measure the effectiveness of oil spill prevention, preparedness and response activities; scoping and
analyzing potential future oil spill activities to address
emerging risks; and researching and evaluating various funding options for oil spill prevention, preparedness, and response activities. Additionally, the Fellow may also work on vessel and rail traffic risk assessment analyses. The Fellow will interact with a wide range of natural resource experts throughout state government and will be encouraged to attend relevant meetings, trainings and other opportunities to learn how government organizations work on oil spill issues.
WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH SAFETY: EVALUATING AND BUILDING CAPACITY FOR STATE SUPPORT OF POLLUTION IDENTIFICATION AND CORRECTION (PIC) PROGRAMS (TUMWATER, WA)
The 2018-2019 Washington Sea Grant State Fellow will assist the Shellfish Program with improving support for Pollution, Identification and Correction (PIC) programs in the Puget Sound region by: (1) collaborating with Department of Health, local health jurisdictions, Treaty Tribes, the commercial shellfish industry, other state shellfish programs, the Canadian shellfish program partners, and researchers, (2) facilitating a committee of state and local partners for oversight in evaluating current PIC programs and defining key components of successful programs, (3) identifying the need for PIC programs where there are none or where local capacity for PIC work is limited, (4) researching other state and national policies for effectiveness of PIC programs,
(5) attending conferences, producing reports and giving presentations of research findings and policy recommendations, (6) organizing and executing 1-2 regional workshops in partnership with state and local partners on PIC program development, strategies and implementation, and (7) developing an overall strategy for integrating climate change considerations in PIC programs.