NOAA CESSRST Awards Second Lautenbacher Scholarship to CCNY Doctoral Student

Posted on June 4, 2018

New York, NY, June 4, 2018 – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Cooperative Science Center for Earth System Sciences and Remote Sensing Technologies is pleased to announce that Ph.D. student Veeshan Narinesingh has been awarded the prestigious NOAA-CREST Lautenbacher Public Service Graduate Scholarship. As part of his interdisciplinary program in Physics at The Graduate Center at the City University of New York (CUNY), he will research atmospheric blocking.

“It’s a dream come true! It’s basically going to be an expansion of some ongoing projects in science outreach with Hamilton-Grange Middle School,” said Narinesingh.

Narinesingh becomes the second recipient of this award administered annually by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Center for Earth System Sciences and Remote Sensing Technologies. Named for longstanding NOAA supporter and past administrator, retired Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, this $45,000 scholarship supports STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) students pursuing graduate level studies at Minority Serving Institutions.

James F. Booth, Ph.D., assistant professor of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the City College of New York (CCNY), Booth is Narinesingh’s CREST advisor and supported his application for the Lautenbacher Award.

“Vee is a smart scientist who happens to also be a terrific human being. In that respect, he is a great fit for this scholarship. I am happy for him and excited to continue to mentor and collaborate with him,” Booth said.

Narinesingh is dedicated to youth STEM education, especially for at risk city youth. The Bronx-born child of immigrant parents remembers being fascinated by a Stephen Hawking physics book that he read cover to cover in 7th grade. After considering multiple career paths, he eventually focused on physics, earning his bachelor’s degree in science from CCNY. Narinesingh maintains a longstanding involvement with Bridge Golf Foundation, a Harlem-based nonprofit. To fulfill part of the scholarship’s service requirement, he is developing a project with at Hamilton Grange Middle School a Title 1 school, where he tutors and mentors their students, preparing them to further engage the community. This public service project will expose the students to meteorology and climate using NOAA resources.

“They see someone who comes in and looks just like them, who grew up in a similar way. They see someone thriving and being successful. I think it means a lot to them to see that growing up,” Narinesingh said.

NOAA-CESSRST is a research and education organization led by CCNY and creates opportunities for students from underrepresented groups to achieve in environmental science and related technologies. CCNY is NOAA-CESSRST’s lead institution with five partner universities. Learn more about applying for the Lautenbacher Fellowship here.

“NOAA-CESSRST 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 the Communications office at (212) 650-8121 or email at noaacrest@ccny.cuny.edu.