NOAA Awards $13.1 Million Educational Package to Minority Serving Institutions

The Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) today announced $13.1 million in grant awards as part of its Educational Partnership Program with Minority Serving Institutions (EPP/MSI). The awards will provide funds on a competitive basis for programs aimed at atmospheric, environmental and oceanic sciences and remote sensing research and educational programs to minority-serving institutions including Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions and Tribal Colleges.

“This education initiative is a special partnership effort between NOAA and several academic institutions to expand education, research and professional opportunities in NOAA-related sciences,” said retired Navy Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “The grants reflect the Bush Administration's priority on education and will offer new opportunities for students and researchers to pursue careers that will protect our environment and further our understanding of the world in which we live.”

NOAA's Educational Partnership Program initiative is designed to support the development of quality education to students at minority serving institutions while meeting the prescribed goals of NOAA and the nation. Working with partner MSIs and other research and federal government institutions, the NOAA program provides pportunities and programs for students to pursue careers in atmospheric, environmental and oceanic sciences and remote sensing.

The EPP/MSI program provides funds for Cooperative Science Centers that concentrate on atmospheric, environmental and ocean sciences and remote sensing. It also provides funding for an Environmental Entrepreneurship Program, an Undergraduate Scholarship Program and a Graduate Sciences Program to
support the training of students attending MSIs in NOAA-related sciences.

Four Cooperative Science Centers receiving funding are:

Under the Environmental Entrepreneurship Program, Environmental Entrepreneurship Awards were provided to MSIs to develop environmental demonstration and program development projects in NOAA sciences. The successful MSI recipients are as follows:

Program Development

Hampton University (HU) in Hampton, Virginia will receive $242,451 to support a three-year marine science and policy program development and enhancement effort that includes offering students an opportunity to explore the rich heritage of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. HU has established partnerships with NOAA programs such as, The Office of Marine and Aviation to expose students to NOAA’s fleet of research vessels.

The Bronx Community College (BCC) in Bronx, New York will receive $250,000 to strengthen the capacity of environmental science and technology programs and research experiences for students and faculty through curriculum enhancement, hands-on training and internships.

Salish Kootenai College (SKC) in Pablo, Montana will receive $250,000 to enable students and faculty to engage in environmental research and monitoring projects aimed at addressing local water quality issues in collaboration with NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL). This will enhance student’s familiarity with NOAA’s research facilities, skills in using state-of-the art environmental analytical instrumentation, and hands-on training under the mentorship of GLERL scientists.

Stone Child College (SCC) in Box Elder, Montana will receive $237,440 in program development and enhancement funds to develop a new Engineering Technology Certification and pipeline program for advanced study. The SCC will collaborate with NOAA’s Environmental Technology Lab to support research efforts and educational opportunities for students and faculty.

The City College of the City University New York (CUNY) in New York will receive $228,329 to develop a new concentration in data reduction (with emphasis on remote sensing) pertaining to observations of oceans and atmosphere as part of the CUNY Computer Sciences Master’s program in collaboration with NOAA. NOAA staff including experts from the National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service will serve on the advisory committee to support curriculum development.

Wilber Wright College (WWC) in Chicago, Illinois will receive $249,515 to develop and enhance programs in NOAA environmental-related fields including new instruction in GIS, Global Positioning Systems, environmental remote sensing, meteorology and climatology. Students will also have an opportunity to address local environmental programs through internship experiences with various local stakeholders such as, NOAA’s Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Program.

Environmental Demonstration

Alcorn State University (ASU) in Alcorn, Mississippi will receive $299,637 over three years to engage students in hands-on research demonstration projects using spatial technology and modeling for estuarine pollution prevention in a shared Mississippi-Louisiana watershed through collaborative efforts with NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service.

California State University (CSU) in Seaside, California will receive $299,959 to engage students in environmental demonstration projects though internships, mentoring and entrepreneurial training in marine science and technology with nine NOAA affiliated marine organizations. For example, The National Marine Fisheries Service will provide students with practical laboratory experience in fisheries ecology research. The NOAA Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Program will train students in the resource management application of Geographic Information Systems and NOAA’s Marine Protected Areas Center ill train students on local marine science research projects.

Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, Florida will receive $298,969 to strengthen its capacity for students and faculty to conduct environmental research and hands-on training. The FIU will collaborate with NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory to provide students and faculty with valuable skills and real-life experiences. For example, students will engage in the remediation and revitalization of Florida’s “most polluted” urban tidal waterway – Wagner Creek in the city of Miami.

Morgan State University (MSU) in Baltimore, Maryland will receive $300,000 over three years to support an educational and community-based wetland demonstration project in collaboration with the NOAA Beaufort Laboratory, Restoration Center and Chesapeake Bay Office and several other federal, state, academic and non-profit partners. This collaborative effort will give MSU students meaningful hands-on experience in tidal wetland restoration and monitoring activities in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Texas A & M International University (TAMIU) in Laredo, Texas will receive $268,350 to train students in the collection, analysis and dissemination of hydrometeorological information in partnership with NOAA’s National Weather Service in Corpus Christi. This will give students an opportunity to visit the NWS to learn first hand about the detection and forecasting of severe weather events affecting South Texas.

The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) in Princess Anne, Maryland will receive $227,162 over three years, to train and mentor students in hands-on environmental demonstration projects in collaboration with NOAA’s National Ocean Service Oxford Laboratory. This partnership effort will contribute to conserving environmentally compromised wetlands and fisheries habitat of the Chesapeake Bay.

For more information on NOAA's Educational Partnership Program with Minority Serving Institutions, please visit http://epp.noaa.gov.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources.

To learn more about NOAA, please visit http://www.noaa.gov.