Any student who, on February 29, 2008, is in a graduate or professional program in a marine or aquatic-related field at a United States accredited institution of higher education is eligible to apply for a Knauss Fellowship. Students in Florida institutions must apply through Florida Sea Grant. Applications are due at Florida Sea Grant February 29, 2008 by 4 PM EST. Earlier applications are strongly recommended. This allows adequate time for Florida Sea Grant to work with students to strengthen the application. For more information, contact:

Before October 15, 2007	After October 15, 2007
James C. Cato, Director	Karl E. Havens, Interim Director
Florida Sea Grant College Program	Florida Sea Grant College Program
University of Florida	University of Florida
Building 803, Room 104	Building 803, Room 104
PO Box 110400	PO Box 110400
Gainesville, FL 32611-0400	Gainesville, FL 32611-0400
(352) 392-5870 SUNCOM 622-5870	(352) 392-5870 SUNCOM 622-5870
Fax (352) 392-5113	Fax (352) 392-5113
jccato@ufl.edu	khavens@ufl.edu

The Sea Grant Federal Fellows Program/Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship is now in its 29th year. There have been almost 700 participants in this excellent program. About 80 applications are sent to the National Sea Grant Office each year. About 50 fellows were selected for the 2008 class (10 legislative; 40 executive). Forty have been from Florida universities with all placed since 1982.  Florida had three Fellows in 2001, one Fellow in 2002, 2003, 2004, three Fellows in 2005, one Fellow in 2006, three Fellows in 2007 and one Fellow in 2008.

The program continues to be successful because so many marine and coastal resources are either part of the public trust or a common property resource subject to multiple usages and affected by policy, legal, and regulatory considerations. The program is intended to provide a unique educational experience to students in master’s, doctoral, or professional programs in a marine or aquatic-related field or who have marine related interests in their chosen field. It is not meant to be a training program or to just augment the legislative or executive branch workforce. Activities might include research or drafting of legislation, liaison with other offices, writing policy papers, organizing hearings and witnesses, or interpreting scientific data for management issues. Many interns report a significant impact of this experience on their career plans.

The legislative and executive branches are all potential hosts for the program. Placement preference should be stated by the applicant but cannot be guaranteed. The following locations are the types of placement available each year, although the list will vary from year-to-year.

Marine Mammal Commission National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of the Under Secretary Office of Legislative Affairs Office of Program Planning and Integration Office of Education and Sustainable Development Office of Deputy Asst. Sec. of Commerce for International Affairs Office of Public Constituent and Intergovermental Affairs National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Office of Policy Office of Constituent Services Office of Habitat Conservation   Ecosystem Assessment Division   Habitat Protection Division Office of Protected Resources   International Affairs Fellow   Protected Species Recovery and    Conservation Fellowship Office of Science and Technology   Senior Social Scientist   Fisheries Biologist Office of Sustainable Fisheries   Foreign Affairs Fellow   Fishery Management Specialist National Ocean Service (NOS) National Centers for Coastal and Ocean Science Ocean and Coastal Resource Management National Policy and Evaluation Division & Coastal Services Center National Marine Protected Areas Office of National Marine Sanctuary Program Office of Response and Restoration Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) Office of Scientific Support Office of Global Programs Oceans and Health Program Science Advisory Board External Affairs Team Archaeological Program Assistant Science Policy Program Assistant National Science Foundation (NSF) Biological Oceanography Program Division of Ocean Sciences Office of Polar Programs Environmental Research and Education

Ocean US Oceanographer of the Navy State Department Office of Marine Conservation U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety, Security & Environmental Protection Environmental Standards Division U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Public Affairs   Environmental Education Office of Water   Oceans and Coastal Protection   Coastal Management Branch   Cruise Ship Pollution Discharge Mitigation   Vessel Standards Development Office of Waste Water Management   Industrial Branch   State/Regional Branch U.S. Department of the Interior Coastal Barrier Conservation Fellow Marine Mammal Conservation Fellow Legislative Hosts: House Representative Thomas Allen (D-ME) Representative Sam Farr (D-CA) Representative Neal Abercrombie (D-HI) Representative Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) Representative Ron Kind(D-WI) House Committee on Resources Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife & Oceans (R) Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife & Oceans (D) House Science Committee (R) Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation (R) Senate Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii) Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Oceans, Fisheries, and Coast Guard (D) Subcommittee on Oceans, Fisheries and Coast Guard (R)

Selection
The evaluation criteria will include:

• Quality of applicant's personal education and career goal statement (30 percent).
• Strength of academic performance (15 percent).
• Recommendations and/or endorsements of student (15 percent total): this includes endorsement/content of letter from the applicant's Sea Grant Program Director, the applicant's major professor and the second letter of recommendation.
• Additional relevant experience (40 percent total) related to: diversity of education, extra-curricular activities, honors and awards, and interpersonal, written, and oral communications skills in marine or aquatic-related fields.

Application
A total of six applicants can be submitted by Florida Sea Grant to the national competition. The Florida Sea Grant Director will make the final determination on the Florida applicants to be submitted. Only those deemed qualified and competitive at the national level will be submitted. Applicants should be in a graduate or professional program in a marine or aquatic-related field or have marine interests in their chosen field at the time of application (February 29, 2008). The applicant’s major professor or supervisor will be the principal investigator on the grant if the applicant is successful.

Each application shall include:

• Personal and academic curriculum vitae (not to exceed two pages using a 12 point font with 1 inch margins).
• Statement from the applicant (not to exceed 1000 words, 12 point font) emphasizing the applicant’s abilities and what the prospective Fellow expects to obtain from the experience in the way of career goals and development. In the past we have found it advantageous to structure the statement in the form of a proposal that addresses the student’s objectives (why do it), background (qualifications), and expected benefits (what each side will gain). Use these items as headings. Placement preference in the Executive or Legislative Branches of the Government may be stated and will be honored to the extent possible.
• Two letters of recommendation including one from the student’s major professor. If no major professor exists, the faculty member who is most familiar with the applicant academically may be substituted. The Florida Sea Grant Director will write a third letter. The letters are extremely important. Make sure you choose two people that will write strong, informative and supportive letters.
• Not more than one page listing classes taken/to be taken and/or plans for spring 2008, summer 2008 and fall 2008.
• Official copy of all undergraduate and graduate transcripts.
• Budget sheet. A stipend amount of $34,000 per Fellow and a total grant of $43,500 per application is allowed. The stipend can be in both per diem and salary. Salary is the taxable item. Students are advised to read IRS Publication 520 on Scholarships and Fellowships for guidance. The remaining $8,000 will be used to cover mandatory health insurance for the Fellow and for moving expenses. Each institution is responsible for ensuring that health insurance coverage is provided the Fellow for the full year. This can be done through the university or by use of a portion of the $8,000. Reasonable moving expenses to and from Washington are allowed and at least one round trip fare equivalent. In addition, any remaining funds shall be used during the Fellowship year, first to satisfy academic-degree-related travel, and second for Fellowship-related travel. During the fellowship, the host may provide supplemental funds for work-related travel by the Fellow.  Indirect costs are not allowable for either the Fellowships or for any costs associated with the Fellowship [15CFR917.11(e), Guidelines for Sea Grant Fellowships]. No matching funds are required, except for fellows chosen for the Legislative Branch.  During the fellowship, the host may provide supplemental funds for work-related travel by the fellow. Below is a sample budget and we can assist you with budget preparation. Florida Sea Grant will provide travel funds for the December 2008 interview week.
• Appropriate signed forms by the institution's Sponsored Programs Office.



Salary	$25,000
Per Diem	9,000
Medical Insurance	1,500
Travel	5,000
Moving Expenses	1,500
TOTAL	$42,000



• Florida Sea Grant will add $1,500 to pay for the interview trip for students selected for finalists, to reach the $43,500 total award.

There is no need to receive anything else from the sponsoring institution. Letters of endorsement from members of Congress, relatives, or others will not be considered. In this way all applicants are treated fairly. Past successful applications “stand out” in terms of the student’s strong qualifications which make him or her a valuable professional asset to a legislative or executive branch staff.  No prior contacts/arrangements are to be made with potential host offices.

Applications that are bound or contain staples will not be accepted. Paperclips are acceptable.

Deadlines

February 29, 2008 at 4 PM EST	Application due at Florida Sea Grant. This office will review all proposals and request revisions of the top applicants if time allows before submitting them for national competition. A maximum of six Florida applicants can be submitted. Please call or email us as soon as possible to let us know of your intent to submit an application.
Apr 10, 2008	Application received by National Sea Grant College Program Office as submitted by Florida Sea Grant.
Late May 2008	Selection of finalists at national level. Notification of Florida finalists by Florida Sea Grant Director.
Sept 2008	Florida Sea Grant submits short proposal to National Sea Grant for each finalist selected.
Nov - Dec 2008	Interviews and final selection in Washington, D.C. Selected applicants required to travel (expenses paid) to Washington, D.C. for interviews with potential hosts over a one week period.
Feb 1, 2009	Fellowship begins. This date can be slightly adjusted to accommodate academic semester needs.
Jan 31, 2010	Fellowship ends.

Selection of Finalists
Applicants will be individually reviewed and ranked, according to the criteria outlined above, by a panel appointed by the Director of the NSGO with input from the Sea Grant Association and the National Sea Grant Review Panel. The panel will include representation from the Sea Grant Association and the current, and possibly past, class of Fellows. Once the entire class is selected, based on the criteria listed, the Knauss Program Manager will group the top-ranked applicants in each category, legislative and executive, based upon the applicant’s stated preference and/or judgment of the panel based upon material submitted. Academic discipline and geographic representation may be considered by the National Sea Grant Office to provide overall balance. The number of fellows assigned to the Congress will be limited to 11.

Protocol
The federal Fellowship Program is an on-the-job learning experience. The Fellow and the host must be sensitive to their mutual responsibilities in achieving a balance between job and education. On the one hand the Fellow should honor the working protocols of the host office and contribute to useful and relevant products. On the other hand, the host is expected to provide opportunities for involvement in substantive issues that honor legitimate professional, educational and development activities of the Fellow.

Conflicts
Participation in the Fellowship Program is a privilege, not a right. In addition to earning the privilege, the Fellow must continue to justify this benefit by demonstrating diligence and adaptability to the host environment. Problems that may arise will be adjudicated by the National Fellows Program Director after due consultation with and consideration of the mutual rights and interests of the Fellow, the host, the sponsoring Sea Grant Director and the National Sea Grant College Program.

Additional Information
This Florida call for applications is patterned after the national guidelines which may be viewed at: http://www.seagrant.noaa.gov/knauss/knausshowtoapply.html. All information in this application, if incorrect, is superseded by that contained in the Federal Register announcement at http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?oppld=15338&flag2006=true&mode=VIEW.

For additional information on past Florida Knauss Fellows and other Florida Sea Grant student programs, please go to the Faculty/Student section of our website for a Pdf version of our student publication "An Investment in Florida's Future: Sea Grant Sponsored Graduate Education."

To download the 90-4 budget form, click here: 90-4.