Just one short year ago, I was starting my Knauss Fellowship with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Division of Congressional and Legislative Affairs. While I had experience working with Congress in past positions and studied wildlife policy in graduate school at Indiana University, it was still a significant transition into this fellowship and working with the federal government.

Luckily, my office had a fellow the previous year and both of my supervisors are Knauss alums, so they understood and appreciated the role of the fellowship in career development. From the moment I began my fellowship with the service, I was treated like a full member of the team and given a robust portfolio of programs to cover, including the Endangered Species Act and the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program. I worked closely with service leadership and developed relationships both inside the agency and with Congressional staff (including the many legislative fellows).

With the completion of the fellowship in January, I am very excited about my latest transition into a full-time position with the forest service. I am continuing my work with the Division of Congressional and Legislative Affairs and even sitting at the same desk. I knew that my experiences over the past year would be important in my future career, though the direct connection was more than I had dared to hope for last February.

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Alyssa, left, celebrating bat week with colleagues and a Madagascan flying fox.

The Knauss Fellowship has afforded so many opportunities for career development, learning about marine policy, and meeting new people. With fellow-run committees focused on career development and social activities, and even a thesis-writing club, we were inundated with opportunities to engage with each other and other professionals in our field. My class was open to new experiences and friendships, and I look forward to continuing these relationships with my class as we move forward in our careers.

I recently met the newest class of Knauss Fellows, and admit that I had a few pangs of jealously that they are just beginning this great experience. I wish them all the best of luck with their next year and future pursuits.

Alyssa Hausman was one of our Knauss Fellow for 2015.

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Most people associate jellyfish with the ocean, but there are freshwater jellyfish too. Native to China’s Yangtze River, Craspedacusta sowerbii has spread worldwide and has lived in the Great Lakes region for decades, including Illinois and Indiana. With funding from Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, researchers led by biologist Nadine Folino Rorem (Wheaton College) and Paulyn Cartwright (University of Kansas) are studying this species and the local environmental conditions where it thrives.Full story: at the link in bio.
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