CREST Students Win 2014 NOAA Scholarships

Posted on December 11, 2014

Olivia Poon, EPP Scholar, Completes Her First Summer Internship at NOAA

Olivia Poon, an Environmental Engineering student at the City College of New York, has won a 2014  NOAA Educational Partnership Program (EPP) scholarship through the Undergraduate Scholarship Program (USP).  She spent this summer conducting research at NOAA along with other EPP scholarship winners from different universities. The program included work alongside Dr. Melissa Kenney, her NOAA mentor. At NOAA Olivia worked on developing climate indicators for the US Global Change Research Program's Indicators System. At the end of the summer she presented her research project results at the Education and Science Symposium, held July 28-31st in Silver Spring, MD. 

Climate-relevant indicators can help address key aspects of the changing environment, identify vulnerabilities, and inform decision making at local, state, and national levels. Advances in the understanding of climate indicators allow the development of effective adaptation and mitigation strategies.

"My experience thus far has given me confidence in what I want to do as I move forward in developing my career goals. I am excited to take the first few steps to building a successful and fulfilling career path." - Olivia Poon, EPP Scholar, Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research

The EPP Undergraduate Scholarship Program provides scholarships for students majoring in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines associated with NOAA's mission. Award recipients have an opportunity to conduct research at a NOAA facility during two paid internships for two consecutive summers.

To apply for an EPP/USP Scholarship, students should go to the following website https://oedwebapps.iso.noaa.gov/uspa. The application is available annually September through January. If you have questions, please contact: EPP.USP@noaa.gov.

Andrea Gomez Receives the GRTSP award from NOAA

CREST Masters student Andrea Gomez was awarded the Graduate Research and Training Scholars Program (GRTSP) scholarship from NOAA last month. She completed her Bachelor degree in Marine Biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She feels very passionate about marine biology and is excited about her current research project.  This scholarship is a great opportunity for Andrea to pursue additional learning and professional development. She is an exceptional and hardworking student and looking forward to making the discoveries through her research.

The main objective of Andrea’s research is to investigate the distribution of black band disease in corals using remote sensors on satellites. Environmental data obtained via remote sensing reveals species distribution.

The area of the study is the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. The results might allow coral management and conservation efforts to utilize remote sensing to help predict and minimize future outbreaks of black band disease in corals. Her NOAA mentor is Dr. Cheryl Woodley, who is the Program Manager for Coral Health and Disease at NOAA's Hollings Marine Lab in Charleston, SC, and works for NOAA's National Ocean Service.

GRTSP Scholars have a unique opportunity to become engaged in NOAA mission research activities  collaborating with NOAA scientists and managers at a NOAA facility when selected. Scholars’ graduate education is enhanced with real world experiential training. NOAA also benefits from this program by ensuring that graduate education at the NOAA centers is responding to current and future needs of the agency.