NOAA’s National Weather Service has created the The William M. Lapenta NWS Student Internship Program in remembrance of Dr. William Lapenta, former director of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) and Acting Director in NOAA’s Office of Weather and Air Quality (OWAQ). The deadline for applying is 1/31/2020. Read below for more information.
Eligibility
Must be enrolled in an undergraduate (sophomore and junior status only) or graduate degree program, and be a U.S. Citizen willing to undergo a security background check.
Students from the following majors are welcome to apply: math, physics, meteorology, atmospheric and climate science, computer science, engineering, and social science.
NOAA’s Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan states that:
“NOAA’s unique mission of science, service and stewardship demands a diverse workforce to reflect, understand, and respond to the varied communities and stakeholders we serve. Equally important is an inclusive work environment that drives employee and organizational performance. NOAA recognizes that a sustained commitment to strengthening diversity and inclusion is critical to enable a future where societies and the world’s ecosystems reinforce each other and are mutually resilient in the face of sudden and prolonged change.”
Members of groups underrepresented in the sciences including African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Alaska Natives and Pacific Islanders, persons with disabilities, veterans, first generation college students and economically disadvantaged students are encouraged to apply.
Program Details
Internships are full time for 10 weeks between June and August, with a preferred starting date in early June.
Participants may be involved in projects such as:
- Activities that improve understanding of forecasting problems
- Activities that address some critical aspect of operational model development
- Activities that will create new data analysis techniques with wide application and usefulness in operational forecasting
- Development of improved forecast tools (including use of GIS)
- Coding and testing of data visualization systems
- Development of datasets for the Science on a Sphere
- Incorporation of social science to communicate forecast uncertainty
- Improving air quality and dispersion models
- Contributing to research that advances understanding of the Earth system
- Contributing to the development of the National Climate Assessment and other reports
In addition to their project, participants attend lectures, participate in workshops to build skills and knowledge relevant to the job, and present their projects in both written and oral formats. The internship is approximately 40 hours per week.
NWS provides:
- Internship stipend ($5000)
- Furnished dormitory style housing
- Travel allowance to get to and from College Park, MD/Silver Spring, MD.
To apply and for more information click here.
