UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Meteorology and atmospheric science juniors Grant LaChat, Andrew Mardirossian, Jacob Morse, Kallan Parker and Bryttani Wooten received 2019 Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarships from the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Association.
The Hollings Scholarship recognizes outstanding students studying in NOAA mission fields and includes a two-year academic award of $9,500 per year and a 10-week, full-time, paid summer internship opportunity at any NOAA facility nationwide. The internship is conducted between the first and second years of the award. The Penn State students will conduct their internships during the summer of 2020.
Parker plans to complete her internship at the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma.
“I felt that this was the perfect opportunity to get my foot in the door,” said Parker, who has dreamed of working as a meteorologist for NOAA since she was a child.
Scholars also receive funding to present their NOAA research projects at two national scientific conferences.
Mardirossian, specializing in meteorology risk management with an aim to combine weather and business, plans to attend the 100th American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting in Boston in January 2020 and to present research at the 2021 AMS Annual Meeting in New Orleans.
“It’s great to be exposed to that environment,” Mardirossian said. “Networking within NOAA can be really influential for my career.”
Morse, who is studying the forecasting and communications option, also appreciates the connections that the scholarship has allowed him to make.
“At the scholarship orientation in July, we met people across many different fields within NOAA,” said Morse. “Interacting with professionals from the atmospheric and oceanic science fields will hopefully set me up for a successful career after college.”
Wooten said the scholarship will help with her plans to attend graduate school to pursue a doctoral degree. She wants to encourage other students to pursue the scholarship.
“This scholarship is open to students in many other disciplines, not just meteorology,” Wooten said. “For example, students in majors like chemistry or geography are welcome to apply.”
More than 700 students from 74 academic institutions applied to the program and 125 Hollings scholars were selected this year. Jessica Briggs, a student majoring in environmental resource management in the College of Agricultural Sciences, also was named a Hollings Scholar.
The Hollings F. Undergraduate Scholarship was established by NOAA in 2005 to honor Ernest F. Hollings, a senator from South Carolina who was well known for supporting ocean policy and conservation. Hollings died on April 6, 2019.