NARRAGANSETT — January 10, 2001 — A University of Rhode Island (URI) graduate student in marine affairs is among 32 national recipients of a one-year $38,000 National Sea Grant College Program Dean A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship. Beginning February 1, 2001, Cynthia Smith, of New Canaan, Conn., will be working for Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), whose committee assignments include Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Energy and Natural Resources; and Environment and Public Works. “If we as a people want to salvage, rebuild, restore, and protect our coastal and marine resources, then we must work together. I am convinced that a collaborative decision-making process must be utilized, and I am determined to be involved,” Smith says. Smith has a diverse background in marine science, receiving her master’s degree in Marine Affairs from URI in 2000. Most recently, Smith served as captain on the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc. in New York. She previously supervised a crew of college students at Boston University’s Sea Education Association, and has worked on board various vessels doing everything from managing personnel to plumbing. Smith also served as a high school science teacher in Maryland, where she developed a program in which students travel to Bermuda to gain experience in natural history and animal husbandry while working at a museum and aquarium. Smith was nominated by the Rhode Island Sea Grant College Program at URI. Announcement of her final selection was made by Ames Colt, Rhode Island Sea Grant interim director. The Knauss fellowship, established in 1979, provides a unique educational experience to students who have an interest in ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources. The program matches highly qualified graduate students with “hosts” in the legislative branch, executive branch, or appropriate associations/institutions located in the Washington, D.C., area. Sea Grant is a nationwide program that promotes the wise use and development of marine resources for the public benefit. Contact: Monica Allard Cox, 401-874-6937