For young professional Rachael Finigan, a year with the Sea Grant Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship in Washington, D.C. helped solidify her career goal: to translate science to the public.

Coming from an ecological research background , Finigan said she became interested in water early in her career. She worked with tadpoles in wetlands as an undergrad at Allegheny College, studied freshwater mussels while completing her master’s at Western Carolina University, and worked on largemouth bass populations for her Ph.D. at The Ohio State University.