Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship

Pennsylvania Fellows

Nathaniel Edelheit-Rice (2025)

Nathaniel Edelheit-Rice is working at NOAA Headquarters within the Environmental Review and Coordination Section, NOAA Office of General Counsel. Nathaniel is a recent graduate from the University of Pennsylvania, where he received a Master of Environmental Studies degree and a Juris Doctorate degree concurrently.

Nathaniel says, “I have always been incredibly passionate about marine conservation and the interface of science and law in making positive change for our oceans. I’m excited to join the Environmental Review and Coordination section of NOAA’s Office of General Counsel, the first time NOAA’s OGC has placed a Knauss Fellow. Working at OGC is an incredible opportunity to further work with both science and law for the betterment of our oceans.”

PA Sea Grant’s summer 2025 CEI digital communications intern, Grace Sawyer, spoke with Nathaniel. Read the feature story now.

Sahara Rios-Bonilla (2025)

Sahara Rios-Bonilla is working in NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration as the Deep Sea Sample Strategy Fellow working to optimize deep sea sampling paradigm for the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer.

Sahara says, “I’m excited to be working with join NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration as the Deep Sea Sample Strategy Fellow, where I am contributing to NOAA’s legacy of optimizing deep-sea sampling efforts to make them as effective and knowledge rich as possible. I look forward to helping communicate our discoveries and gaining invaluable skills. This is a voyage that will enrich my life in all aspects as I sail toward a greater appreciation and conservation of our planet’s deepest mysteries.”

PA Sea Grant’s summer 2025 CEI digital communications intern, Grace Sawyer, spoke with Sahara. Read the feature story now.

Chelsea Russ (2025)

Chelsea Russ is working with the Department of the Navy, Office of the Oceanographer of the Navy. In this role she works in the Pentagon alongside a NOAA Corps Officer, a Naval Officer, two civil servants and a contractor to track policy changes that may impact naval oceanography.

Chelsea says, “I’ve been placed with the Department of the Navy, in the Office of the Oceanographer of the Navy, as their International and Interagency Ocean Policy Liaison. I’m looking forward to combining knowledge I’ve gained through 13 years of service in the Navy and 6 years in school to serve the US and the world. I’m excited to get a high-level view of ocean policy development, work with Congress, and understand how federal agencies coordinate to reach optimal solutions.”

PA Sea Grant’s summer 2025 CEI digital communications intern, Grace Sawyer, spoke with Chelsea. Read the feature story now.

Karen Beatty (2024)

Karen Beatty was placed with NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Protected Resources. She graduated from Penn State University in 2023 with a Master of Science degree in Ecology.

Jessica Eason (2023)

Jessica Eason worked as a Congressional Affairs Knauss Fellow at the Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs, at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. We caught up with Jessica during the fellowship to find out how things were going.

Lincoln Rehm (2022)

Katie Lample (2021)

Katie Lample received a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies from Drexel University and a Master’s Degree in City and Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania. Katie secured a Knauss Fellowship in the office of Senator Jeffrey Merkley (OR). Katie is now a regional planner for Los Angeles County, California.

About the fellowship, Katie said, “The Knauss fellowship helped me develop a familiarity and fluency of federal law and policy that is critical to preparing to make valuable contributions in the field of marine policy and coastal management throughout my career. Moving forward I hope to focus my work on coastal resilience, water infrastructure and resource management as I now understand these to be some of the most pressing and complex facets of the climate crisis. I intend to contribute towards federal marine policy that cultivates conditions conducive to all life, tipping a hat to the nuances of culture, equity and ecology.”

Brian Redder (2021)

Brian Redder graduated Magna Cum Laude from Hartwick College, Oneonta, NY, with a B.S. in Environmental Chemistry and B.A. in Mathematics; and minors in Environmental Science and Policy, and Geology. He received a Master of Science in Forest Resources, and a Ph.D. in Soil Science and Biogeochemistry from Penn State University.

About the fellowship, Brian says, “I would recommend this fellowship to those even remotely interested in science and water policy. It offers an immersive experience that allows you to quickly learn about potential careers opportunities without a long-term commitment.” Read about Brian’s experience.

Sandra Cross (2021)

Sandra Cross (née Demberger), received a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science with a Hydrology Concentration, from the University of Delaware, Newark, DE, and a Master of Science in Environmental Science from Villanova University. Sandra’s first coastal experience was with her high school biology class which travelled to Slaughter Beach, Delaware to conduct a horseshoe crab survey. Their data collection contributed to a citizen science database, which local managers used to define beach closures to minimize bird disturbance. She recalls the experience as being pivotal, as it revealed how research informs policy and natural resource management.

Of her career interests, she said “My passion for the environment has evolved from supporting fieldwork to a vision of translating research into tangible large-scale policy and management. I am pursuing a career coordinating strategic efforts between scientists, government, and the public to improve coastal resiliency.”

Sandra currently works for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Read more about Sandra’s Knauss experience. 

Andrea Chan (2020)