They are two of four University of Rhode Island students who applied for the fellowship through Rhode Island Sea Grant and were chosen through a competitive process that includes review panels made up of experts in marine science, policy, and education. The finalists will participate in a week-long matching process that will pair them with their executive and\/or legislative host office in the coming months. Meet the new Knauss Fellows below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Diana Fontaine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Fontaine, who earned her Ph.D. in oceanography, remembers dissecting sea cucumbers in a high school science class. After studying marine science at the University of San Diego, she spent two years at the Smithsonian studying plankton in ballast water on cargo ships. Her undergraduate advisor suggested continuing her research in graduate school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fontaine ended up in the Rynearson Lab<\/a> at GSO, where she participated in 12 research cruises and tracked the fixation of carbon dioxide in phytoplankton via time series research as part of an effort to develop a predictive understanding of the ocean\u2019s carbon cycle. She got her first exposure to science communication writing for Ocean Bites<\/a>, a blog that explains current oceanographic and marine biology research for a non-expert audience. Fontaine is looking forward to her fellowship placement in the legislative branch, where she will work with a senator, representative, or a committee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have a strong understanding of both science communication and research,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m interested to learn how people in D.C. use the science people do around the world and turn it into policy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Habtemichael is a Ph.D. candidate in oceanography, and has also earned two master\u2019s degrees in environmental science and management and in marine affairs at URI. His path to ocean sciences was different from many of his URI peers. He\u2019d always wanted to be an engineer, but in his home country, Eritrea, students take a national exam at the end of high school, which, along with government policies and the country\u2019s desperate need for trained personnel in applied marine science, decided his path. \u201cThat turn of events was a blessing in disguise,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He has thrived in his field and at URI, winning accolades like the Emerging Coastal Leaders Award and a science communication award through the DWELL Lab<\/a>. His work has focused on bioaccumulation of persistent pollutants in the marine food web. Of his current research into per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), found in materials like Teflon, and considered forever chemicals, he said, \u201cwe\u2019re trying to understand something you can\u2019t see or touch.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n He applied for the Knauss Fellowship because he has come to realize that science and policy are not separate, even though they are often perceived as individual pathways. \u201cEcosystems show us that everything is connected,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To read more about the other two Knauss Fellows from URI, visit https:\/\/seagrant.gso.uri.edu\/four-uri-grad-students-selected-for-2025-national-knauss-marine-policy-fellowships\/<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nAsta Habtemichael<\/h2>\n\n\n
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