CREST Students win 2015-2017 NOAA EPP Undergraduate and Hollings Scholarships

Posted on August 24, 2015

CREST is deeply committed to mentoring and supporting all of our students. One key activity is “coaching” sophomore science and engineering students through the application process for the NOAA EPP Undergraduate Scholarship Program (USP) and NOAA Hollings Scholarship. NOAA-CREST was particularly successful this year with a record 4 students receiving one of these prestigious awards.

This year two USP - Samuel Oge (Electrical Engineering) and Lawrence Vulis (Earth Systems Science and Environmental Engineering) from the City College of New York, and Milton Martinez Torres (Electrical Engineering) from University of Puerto Rico- Mayaguez. These students had summer internships at the NOAA headquarters during summer 2015. The scholars receive academic year scholarships for Fall 2015- Spring 2017, and will also have an internship during summer 2016 at a NOAA facility.

In addition, this year there were two Hollings recipients- Ahmed Abdelqader (Electrical Engineering) and Jakob Rehmann (Civil Engineering) both of whom attend the City College of New York. These two students attended orientation at NOAA in summer 2015. The Hollings scholars receive academic year scholarships for Fall 2015-Spring 2017, and will also participate in an internship at a NOAA facility during summer 2016.

Ahmed Abdelqader is a sophomore Kaylie Scholar majoring in electrical engineering at the City College of New York. Ahmed first came to CREST as part of the Summer High School Internship Program, where he was an intern the summer before starting college. That summer, Ahmed participated in a research project where he used least squares regression to create linear models of absorption rates of elements in the atmosphere. While at City College, Ahmed has helped found two educational start-ups, one of which was selected as a finalist for the Zahn Center’s Entrepreneurship Competition. This summer, following the NOAA Hollings orientation, Ahmed will do an internship at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. After graduation, Ahmed plans to pursue graduate school.

Samuel Oge is a sophomore Electrical Engineering student at the City College of New York, with plans to minor in both music and math. Sammy has been doing research in an electrical engineering lab this year working on low-cost and portable ultrasound devices, and someday hopes to provide low-cost technologies to developing countries. In addition to his academic studies and research, Sammy is also an Admissions Ambassador and guides prospective students around campus. After finishing his undergraduate degree he plans to pursue graduate school.

Jakob Rehmann is a sophomore majoring in Civil Engineering at the Macaulay Honors College of the City College of New York. He is active in the NY Water Environment Association (NYWEA) City College student chapter and has also participated in a research project in the Dominican Republic to explore water availability and quality. Jakob is deeply interested in the design and redesign of cities, particularly at the intersection of environmental protection, building construction, and urban design. He plans to pursue graduate school to study both environmental engineering and urban design.

Lawrence Vulis is a sophomore majoring in Earth Systems Science and Environmental Engineering at the City College of New York. He has been doing research in a civil engineering lab for almost a year assessing the disinfection process at wastewater treatment plants in New York City. Lawrence is also active in the NY Water Environment Association (NYWEA) City College student chapter, and currently serves as the vice president. After completing his undergraduate degree, Lawrence hopes to pursue a PhD in engineering, with a focus on using mathematics to develop models of physical processes.

This cohort of NOAA scholars is really remarkable. In addition to being recipients of NOAA fellowships, three of these exceptional students, Ahmed Abdelqader, Samuel Oge, and Jakob Rehmann, were also accepted as part of the CCNY Colin Powell Program in Leadership and Public Service. This is an intensive two year program for undergraduate students that prepares fellows for lives of public service and active citizenship. Fellows learn about policy, political institutions, public service careers, and leadership.