Second USM Graduate Student Awarded Knauss Fellowship
Thu, 10/12/2023 - 11:08am | By: Gabriela Shinskie
Hameed Ajibade, a graduate student at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) School of Ocean Science and Engineering
(SOSE), has been selected for the 2024 class of the John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship
for the executive branch of the U.S. government by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA).
Ajibade is one of two USM-SOSE graduate students that have been awarded this prestigious fellowship.
“I was really excited when I got the news [of the award],” Ajibade said. “This has been so amazing, and I thank Dr. Jerry Wiggert [USM Professor of Marine Science] for recommending me.
“This opportunity is a steppingstone to a greater future. I’m working with a lot of people, and this will give me great experiences. I look forward to getting more insights.”
The Knauss Fellowship enables recipients to apply their knowledge of the sciences and obtain experiences in legislative and public policy. Students apply through their local sea grant, get selected, and become part of a national competition. The fellowship was awarded to 85 recipients from 66 different universities across the country.
A native of Nigeria, Ajibade enrolled at USM as an international student in the fall
of 2021 under the guidance of Dr. Wiggert in SOSE’s Division of Marine Science (DMS).
Dr. Wiggert is proud of what Ajibade has accomplished, especially with his enrollment
in the middle of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Dr. Wiggert noted the closeness of the DMS ocean modeling group, which has provided great partnership opportunities for Ajibade and the other student members working with the group’s post-doctoral scholars and faculty. Ajibade focuses his research on circulation modeling, studying the influence of estuarine-shelf exchange on biogeochemical processes in the Mississippi Bight.
“With the Knauss Fellowship, Hameed will build connections and relationships that last for the rest of his life,” said Dr. Wiggert.
Learn more about the Knauss Fellowship Program.