The NOAA Experiential Research and Training Opportunities (NERTO)

Important Notice

• Students must contact the CESSRST team (advisor, Campus PI, and CESSRST Management) regarding questions/concerns on their NERTO.
• If you have questions or concerns about the NERTO opportunities and application process, please contact the CESSRST Office at City College of New York at cessrst@ccny.cuny.edu, or (212) 650-8099.  
• NERTO Informational Workshop - Fall 2021 (View Presentation)
• NERTO Informational Webinar - Spring 2022 (View Presentation | Recording)

Download the NERTO Step-by-Step Onboarding Guide

What is NERTO?

• NERTO helps the Center's M.S. and Ph.D. students to learn about NOAA's mission and workforce opportunities by interning for at least 12 consecutive weeks in a NOAA lab or office.
• The goal is to augment students' academic research with NOAA mission science and place-based experiential hands-on opportunities.

Important Elements of NERTO 

• The NERTO should be conducted within a NOAA federal facility for 12 continuous weeks. It can be done in multiple locations as well as aboard a NOAA vessel/ship or other field campaigns.
• A NOAA Mentor must guide the research. The mentor must be a NOAA Federal Employee. A NOAA contractor (NOAA Affiliate) may be a co-mentor.
• The process begins as soon as the student is admitted as a NOAA CESSRST Fellow by signing the Letter of Understanding (LoU).
• A NERTO project does not necessarily have to be the same as the student's research project. It could augment their on-campus research training by acquiring research and technical skills that could help advance their M.S. or Ph.D. research project

Phases of NERTO 

1. Phase I - PRE-NERTO
2. Phase II - During NERTO 
3. Phase III - POST-NERTO Within two weeks AFTER the completion of the NERTO