Katherine S. McCarter Graduate Student Policy Award Alumni

The 2023 GSPA Cohort at the ESA offices.

Since 2007, over 150 ESA members and ecologists have received the Katherine S. McCarter Graduate Student Policy Award. 

Offered each year, this award gives graduate students hands-on training and science policy experience including interacting with congressional decision-makers, federal agency officials, and ecologists who work in the science and public policy arena.

Many past recipients are currently working in public policy and many view the ESA GSPA as a stepping-stone to policy fellowships such as the AAAS Fellowship or the NOAA Knauss fellowship. Other past recipients pursue a research career, but they find the public policy knowledge gained from the experience provides a foundation for interacting with policymakers.

View the ESA Graduate Student Policy Award Alumni Network page here.

Listen to the interview podcasts of former winners here. 

To view the full list of past recipients, click here.