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A graduate research assistant in the 51Ʒ��’s School of Marine and Environmental Programs has been selected for one of the most prestigious fellowships for early-career marine scientists.

Aubrey Jane B.S. ’20 (Marine Biology), from Biddeford, Maine, is just one of 85 people from across the country picked for the John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship. Jane is a 51Ʒ��alum of both the undergraduate and graduate marine science programs.

"My six years at 51Ʒ��have been full of opportunity,” Jane said. “I've learned how to apply a load of important lab-based techniques to research that helps answer questions about lobster, Maine’s most iconic invertebrate. I’ve also worked on industry partners’ mussel farms, driven their lobster boats, and come to call Maine’s working waterfront home.” 

The Knauss Fellowship is a one-year paid program that places fellows in federal government offices in Washington, D.C. to apply their knowledge in science, policy, and public administration.

“Aubrey is the perfect example of the type of scientist we want to train here at UNE,” said Charles Tilburg, Ph.D., academic director of UNE’s Marine and Environmental Programs.

“She is not content to just study and observe nature but feels compelled to act on the knowledge that she has acquired,” Tilburg added. “I cannot wait to see what she will accomplish as a Knauss Fellow.”

Finalists are selected after completing a rigorous competition with comprehensive reviews at the state and national levels.

“Moving forward in my career, I aim to synergize what I've learned working with researchers and watermen to facilitate trust and collaboration among all of those invested in the marine world,” Jane said. “I'm excited about gaining policy experience at the national level through this fellowship. I can’t wait to bring what I learn back to the Gulf of Maine in 2025."