Academics

UAB student gets prestigious fellowship

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Elizabeth Bevan, a graduate student in the Department of Biology, has been awarded a John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship by the National Sea Grant College Program. Students are matched with hosts in legislative and executive branches of government in Washington, D.C., for a one-year paid fellowship.

“For me, the Knauss Fellowship will connect that circle of marine influence and give me the well-rounded know-how ultimately needed to make the most effective contribution to marine conservation,” Bevan said.

Since 1979, the program has provided educational experience to students who have an interest in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources, as well as in the national policy decisions affecting those resources. The fellowship is named in honor of John A. Knauss, one of Sea Grant’s founders and a former National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration administrator.

Bevan’s research has been focused on the biology and protection of the endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle at Rancho Nuevo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. She will travel to Washington, D.C., for “Placement Week” Nov. 3-8, 2013. There she and other fellows will hear presentations from the executive host offices, participate in interviews and ultimately be assigned to their placements.

“I believe I will walk away from this opportunity with a greater awareness of how best to present my research to achieve desired and needed protection for conservation issues through legislation,” said Bevan, who plans to pursue a doctoral degree.

“I aspire lead the everyday person in society to greater marine awareness and give them the knowledge and power to protect their environment,” she said. “That’s the kind of conservationist I want to be, and I believe this fellowship will help me along that road.”
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