MEGAN MUELLER IS THE 2011-2012 KNAUSS FELLOW FROM MARYLAND. She will spend her fellowship year as the Special Assistant to Craig McLean, acting Assistant Administrator for NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR). She will work directly with the executive leadership of OAR, providing briefings and attending meetings with the Assistant Administrator. Mueller looks forward to getting involved with cross-cutting research initiatives and the Working Groups focused on oceans and Great Lakes, climate, and weather — all of which will give her exposure to other NOAA line offices.

A 2010 graduate of the University of Maryland School of Law, Mueller focused on natural resources law, earning a certificate in environmental law concurrently with her J.D. Supplementing her coursework with internships at the EPA and Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Mueller advocated for protection of the Chesapeake Bay, including lobbying for plastic bag reduction in the Maryland State House. Mueller earned a B.S. in marine science and biology from the Honors College at the University of South Carolina, specializing in fisheries policy. She also worked as a naturalist and outdoor educator in Kiawah Island, South Carolina.

Mueller is enthused about working in science again and experiencing the cutting edge research going on at NOAA through her year at OAR. Combining her legal background and lifelong love of the ocean, she will use her legal education in new ways while getting back to her science roots. She is also excited to soak up D.C. culture and experience everything her new neighborhood of Capitol Hill has to offer.

The Knauss Fellowship, established in 1979, is designed to present outstanding graduate students with an opportunity to spend a year working with policy and science experts in Washington, D.C. The program, named for marine scientist and former NOAA administrator John A. Knauss, is coordinated by NOAA's National Sea Grant Office.

Fellowships run from February 1 to January 31 and pay a yearly stipend plus an allowance for health insurance, moving, and travel. Applicants must apply through the Sea Grant program in their state.

For more about Knauss Fellowships, visit the web:

• Maryland Sea Grant Program, Knauss Fellowships:
  www.mdsg.umd.edu/topics/graduate-fellowships/knauss-marine-policy-fellowships/
• National Sea Grant Program, Knauss Fellowships:
  seagrant.noaa.gov/FundingFellowships/KnaussFellowship.aspx