17th NOAA CREST Day at CCNY

Posted on May 8, 2018

New York, NY, April 26, 2018– Nearly 400 middle school, high school and college students from across New York City participated in the 17th Annual NOAA CREST Day at The City College of New York / CUNY campus. Each year the open house event combines information sessions about scholarships and fellowships with a day of engaging science activities. Center Director Reza Khanbilvardi explains why this kind of outreach is important:

“The opportunity to discuss the future job opportunities for STEM graduates, especially in NOAA related fields, is exciting and also a tradition at CREST.”

In addition to speaking with undergraduate and graduate research scientists through poster presentations and panel discussions, students explored science with hands-on activities and games. Thursday’s keynote speakers included Director of Satellite Applications & Research for of NOAA/NESDIS, Harry A. Cikanek III.

“I always enjoy the opportunity to engage with the students and faculty, working on making CREST even better, and helping you attract the next generations to the program,” Cikanek said.

The event provided an opportunity for students to learn about STEM scholarships and fellowships funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and test their science knowledge through hands-on activities and games.

“Our students were impressed by the financial and academic opportunities offered by the NOAA-CREST organization,” said College Advisor Delia Leon who brought students from the Academy of Finance and Enterprise.

Schools in attendance included Hamilton Grange Middle School, Walt Whitman Middle School, Academy of Finance and Enterprise, Borough of Manhattan Community College, Bronx Community College, La Guardia Community College, and City College of Technology. Faculty and fellows from CREST campuses across the country joined the celebration remotely.

“NOAA-CREST aims to build a diverse workforce by recruiting, training, educating and graduating a competent cadre of students, early career scientists, and engineers to become competent professionals in NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) related STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) sciences. For more information, visit http://www.noaacrest.org.” Funded by NOAA EPP #NA16SEC4810008

If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Olga Joseph at (212) 650-8121 or email at noaacrest@ccny.cuny.edu.