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Education

Education

Education and Training [ET]

In accordance with the America COMPETES act, NOAA has a mandate to implement a 20-year Education Strategic Plan which includes developing a diverse workforce in ocean and atmospheric science and policy careers. NOAA CESSRST is committed to recruiting, educating, and training underrepresented groups that can understand and engage in NOAA mission-aligned Science, Engineering, social sciences, policy and resource management fields to address environmental problems. CESSRST is developing and expanding several aspects of its unique and holistic education and training framework to support NOAA’s educations goals. The center-wide education and training framework includes:

  • Recruitment, retention, and student success
    • Strong recruitment efforts attract promising students to majors and programs at NOAA CESSRST institutions. Once a student is accepted to CESSRST, we continually support students financially and, through our retention activities that focus on students’ academic, professional, and social success, to ensure that students remain at CESSRST institutions.
  • Academic and professional core competencies in the areas of
    • Remote Sensing
    • Socio-economic drivers and impacts of Earth System and Environmental Science
    • Environmental Modeling and Algorithm Development
    • Data Analysis and Visualization
    • Individualized Professional Development, including career and academic seminar series, real-time workshops, and online modules designed to maximize each student’s professional abilities.
  • Job-relevant experiences through experiential learning activities in university research laboratories and NOAA laboratories and facilities with a NOAA mentor.
  • Assistance in job placement to help connect students with NOAA-related job opportunities.
Suhey Ortiz Rosa, Doctoral CSC Student at CESSRST/UPRM, seen with her NOAA mentor, took 3rd place in the Best Poster competition at the NOAA NESDIS CoRP Science Symposium.

Undergraduate Opportunities

Baccalaureate candidates receive

  • CESSRST research training with a stipend of $12,000/year
  • Summer to Bridge CESSRST undergraduate research experience for freshman and sophomore students

Qualifying students must:

  • be full-time college students in Engineering, Science, or Social Science at one of the CESSRST partner institutions: CUNY, UMBC, HU, UTEP, UPRM, or SDSU
  • be a U.S. citizen
  • maintain a GPA of 3.0 or above
  • commit to fifteen or more research hours/week

Graduate Opportunities

M.S. students receive

  • Graduate research training and $25,000/year covering stipend, tuition, and travel
  • NOAA Experiential Research and Training (NERTO) paid ($5,000) internship

Ph.D. students receive

  • Doctoral research training and $36,000/year covering stipend, tuition, and travel
  • NOAA Experiential Research and Training (NERTO) paid ($10,000) internship

Qualifying students must:

  • be full-time Masters or Ph.D. candidates in Engineering, Science, or Social Science at one of the CESSRST partner institutions: CUNY, UMBC, HU, UTEP, UPRM, or SDSU
  • be a U.S. citizen
  • maintain a GPA of 3.0 and above
  • commit to forty or more research hours/week
  • have a NOAA advisor/mentor
  • participate in one NOAA internship during the fellowship periods at NOAA CESSRST

Vice Admiral Conrad Lautenbacher PS Scholarship

The Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher Public Service Graduate Scholarship provides financial support for masters’ and doctoral studies in Earth Systems Science, Engineering, Data Science, Geosciences and Remote Sensing Technologies. Read More


Join the CESSRST Program and learn how to engage in research and data analysis. You gain a rich academic & research experience through activities aligned with CESSRST Coastal Resilience & Atmospheric Hazards Thematic Research Areas.


“They [NOAA CESSRST] were very interested and encouraging minorities to enter STEM fields, helping students with classwork and research, as well as with professional development. They were very supportive because they wanted me to be successful.” – Jahnelle Howe, NOAA-CESSRST Fellow and Graduate Student, CCNY