Ezzard Charles of New Orleans, a student at Southern University in Baton Rouge, is one of 11 students chosen by the Commerce Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to work with scientists this summer.

Charles, an electrical engineering and technology student, will participate in NOAA’s Undergraduate Scholarship Program, a 10-week internship working with NOAA scientists conducting oceanic or atmospheric research.

“To these students, every day is Earth Day, and they chose fields of study that will help us better understand the way our planet works,” said retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator.

The goal of the scholarship program is to increase the number of students who undertake course work and graduate with degrees in the fields important to NOAA. This program targets students who have completed their sophomore or junior year, attending minority serving institutions (MSIs) and have recently declared, or about to declare, a major in an atmospheric, oceanic or environmental science discipline.

Applicants must be pursuing studies in one of the following subject areas: atmospheric science, biology, cartography, chemistry, computer science, engineering, environmental science, geodesy, geography, marine science, mathematics, meteorology, physical science, photogrammetry, or physics and maintain an overall minimum grade point average (GPA) requirement of 3.0.

The program provides an opportunity for junior and senior students attending MSIs to study in disciplines relating to the agency's mission. Appointments are made to students attending MSIs including Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), Alaskan-Native Serving Institutions (ANSIs) and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions (NHSIs).

One of the highlights of the program is the opportunity for the students to present their research topics to the NOAA scientific community on Aug. 8 in Silver Spring, Md.

The program is part of NOAA’s Educational Partnership Program that provides financial assistance through competitive processes to minority-serving academic institutions that support collaborative research and training of students in NOAA-related sciences.

The Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through research to better understand atmospheric and climate variability and to manage wisely our nation's coastal and marine resources.

On the Web:

NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov

NOAA’s Educational Partnership Program: http://epp.noaa.gov