Behind the Scenes
Fellowships offer on-the-job experience
When it comes to Great Lakes education, there's no substitute for practical experience. Several fellowships sponsored in part by Michigan Sea Grant offer invaluable on-the-job opportunities for talented college-level students interested in Great Lakes policy and decision-making. The fellow-ships provide a way for students to work in a chosen field or in many cases to identify a career path. Here, two graduate students, who have earned one-year paid fellowships, discuss their responsibilities, what they've learned and their future plans.

Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship
Laura F. Cimo

Term:
Feb. 2001- Feb. 2002

Work location:
I worked in the office of Congressman Ron Kind (D-WI) as a liaison for the Upper Mississippi River Congressional Task Force. The task force represented the five states within the Upper Mississippi River Basin, including Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa and Missouri.

Primary topics:
I worked on all issues related to the Upper Mississippi River basin and the Great Lakes including: nutrient and sediment management; aquatic habitat restoration; invasive species; ecosystem health for aquatic flora and fauna; floodplain management; navigation; wildlife management; and wetland protection.

Responsibilities:
I was responsible for drafting legislation and letters of support for various natural resource and environmental protection programs; coordinating educational briefings on legis-lative topics on behalf of the Upper Mississippi River Congressional Task Force and the Northeast-Midwest Institute; and building coalitions of support for program appro-priations and legislation.

Learning opportunities:
I was given a number of different respon-sibilities in the office, and with each respon-sibility came a new challenge and a new educational opportunity. I learned about the legislative and appropriations processes. As I faced challenges regarding how to bring more resources to our region, I learned how to effectively build a bipartisan coalition of support for programs of regional interest, and help ensure their continuity through nego-tiations with other congressional staff, agencies and organizations.

Benefits of the fellowship:
I will benefit from the fellowship through my increased understanding of how to obtain funding for important scientific research and outreach programs, how to communicate the importance of these programs, and how to compromise and negotiate with different interests and organizations.

Value of the fellowship:
The experience far outweighed my expectations. I worked with a dedicated and talented staff. They were a wonderful team, and I had a great experience because of them. I worked on a host of natural resource and environmental issues, and I learned a tremendous amount.

Future plans:
I will be working as a Legislative Assistant for Congressman Kildee (D-MI). In this position, I will be responsible for the House Resources Committee, environment, energy, trade, transportation, agriculture, housing/economic development, appropriations and grants.