STUDENTS SELECTED FOR 2007 NOAA ERNEST F. HOLLINGS SCHOLARSHIPS

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that 111 students from 38 states have been awarded scholarships in the 2007 Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship Program. Named after retired South Carolina Senator Ernest F. Hollings who promoted ocean and atmospheric study and research, the scholarships provide hands-on training and experience to encourage undergraduates to pursue study in the NOAA fields, such as atmospheric or oceanic science, research, and technology.

“Promoting environmental literacy is essential to support NOAA’s mission and is an issue vital to Sen. Hollings,” said retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “These young men and women will have the opportunity to work side by side with our scientists and hopefully become our next generation of teachers and scientists.”

Scholarship students will be eligible for up to $8,000 of academic assistance per year for full-time study during the junior and senior years, a 10-week, paid internship ($650 per week) during the summer of 2008, including a housing subsidy, round-trip travel to the internship site, and travel expenses to the Hollings program conference in Silver Spring, Md. A list of the Hollings scholars is available online at: http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/hollings_scholars_2007.pdf.

“Coming from colleges and universities across the nation these students represent a wide diversity of educational pursuits. Their majors range literally from A to Z, from atmospheric sciences to zoology,” said Louisa Koch, director of NOAA’s Office of Education, which funds the $3.7 million program. “We are very pleased to award these scholarships and we are looking forward to working with these students next summer.”

Since its inception in 2005, the Hollings Scholarship has been awarded to 322 students. To be eligible, students must be U.S. citizens, a full-time junior in an accredited college or university within the United States or U.S. territories, hold a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 (based on a 4.0 scale) in all completed undergraduate courses and in the major field of study, and major in a discipline area related to oceanic and atmospheric science, research, technology, or education, and supportive of the purposes of NOAA's programs and mission, such as the biological, social, and physical sciences; mathematics; engineering; computer and information sciences; and teacher education.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, is celebrating 200 years of science and service to the nation. From the establishment of the Survey of the Coast in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson to the formation of the Weather Bureau and the Commission of Fish and Fisheries in the 1870s, much of America's scientific heritage is rooted in NOAA.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and information service delivery for transportation, and by providing environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 60 countries and the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.

On the Web:

NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov

NOAA Office of Education: http://www.oesd.noaa.gov

List of the 2007 Hollings Scholars: http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/hollings_scholars_2007.pdf