AOML welcomes 22 young men and women, including new and returning high school, undergraduate, and graduate students, who are completing internships at the lab this summer. Over the course of their six to ten week internships, students will work with mentors in the fields of Ocean Chemistry & Ecosystems, Physical Oceanography, and Hurricane Research, as well as specialists in Computer Networks and Services, Administration, and Communications, to participate in field sampling efforts, perform data analysis, and create new content for internal and external websites.
AOML’s internship opportunities provide students with experiences that motivate and prepare them for careers aligned with NOAA and its industry and university partners. For many students, these internships are unique experiences that provide an opportunity to learn from some of the nation’s leading scientists. They participate in activities that support ongoing AOML research, and sometimes create new opportunities that become the foundation for their first scientific publication.
Each intern works alongside their AOML mentor to conduct research activities that match their educational interests and background. Their assigned work includes experimental data collection and processing, equipment design and testing, field research, and computer software and web content development. Some of the specific internship projects this summer include:
- water quality field sampling efforts and use of molecular techniques to assess and characterize microbial contaminants;
- examining particular storm characteristics that influence hurricane development in an effort to improve hurricane intensity forecasts; and
- observing and modeling climate fluctuations in the central and northeastern Tropical Atlantic.
Many of these projects are at the cutting edge of science and technology, and all are important to future NOAA research efforts.
The group of talented students hails from local Miami-Dade high schools and higher learning institutions such as MAST Academy, G. Holmes Braddock Senior High School, Miami-Dade College, and the University of Miami, as well as other U.S. and International universities. The group also contains three undergraduates from the prestigious Hollings Scholarship Program. Administered by NOAA, the program provides support and multidisciplinary learning experiences for undergraduate students interested in pursuing research, public service, or teaching careers in the oceanic and atmospheric sciences.