Danielle Dodge is the second student at FAU to be chosen for the prestigious 30-year old National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship. The Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship provides a unique educational and professional experience to graduate students who have an interest in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources. The Fellowship, named after one of Sea Grant's founders, former NOAA Administrator, John A. Knauss, matches highly qualified graduate students with "hosts" in the legislative and executive branch of government located in the Washington, D.C. area, for a one year paid fellowship.
Dodge is a Biology Master's student and works in the lab of Dr. Josh Voss, Assistant Research Professor at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute and a member of the Integrative Biology PhD program faculty. Her research investigates coral population genetics and gene expression responses to estuarine discharge. Danielle joined the Voss lab in August 2015 and is doing research on gene expression in relation to the St. Lucie Reef Project. She is a recent graduate of the University of Delaware with a degree in Environmental Science and a concentration in Marine Science. Her interest in coral reef ecosystems sparked during participation in a field methods research program on Little Cayman Island where she became an AAUS Scientific Diver, NAUI Rescue Diver and participated in coral abundance and diversity research. Working as a research assistant in an Algal Physiology research group during her undergraduate, Danielle investigated the genetic effects of thermal stress and ocean acidification on coral algal symbioses. She recently spent her summer in Key West teaching marine education with Reef Relief, a non-profit membership organization aimed to protect and improve coral reef ecosystems.