In celebration of National Intern Day, NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic & Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) is proud to recognize its FY-2026 class of interns. Ranging from high school to graduate students, these talented individuals are gaining hands-on experience across a wide array of research areas—including coral reefs, microbial ecology, hurricanes, ocean acidification, physical oceanography, science communication, and more.
This year’s interns join us from a variety of programs such as NOAA Ernest F. Hollings scholarship program, William M. Lapenta – NOAA student internship program, NOAA Experiential Research and Training Opportunities (NERTOs). Other students join AOML through collaborations with our partners, such as the University of Miami, the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS), and Miami-Dade College (MDC)–through the CIMAS/Miami-Dade College internship program. To learn more about student opportunities with NOAA, please visit the NOAA student opportunities database.
Aiko Abo Dominguez is working with the Ocean Chemistry & Ecosystems Division as a CIMAS intern providing support aboard the ECOA research cruise.
Veronica Ayala Kuncz is a student at Miami-Dade College interning with CIMAS in the AOML Physical Oceanography Division. During her internship, Veronica has been analyzing Argo float data to better understand how ocean observations are shared through global data systems. Her project focuses on comparing data from the Global Telecommunications System (GTS) and the Global Data Assembly Centers (GDAC) to identify differences in profile availability and parameter coverage across different datasets.
Claire Bailey is working with the AOML communications team as the 2026 CIMAS hurricane intern. She is gaining experience in environmental communications by sharing critical hurricane research with a broad audience. Claire is pursuing a Master of Professional Science degree in the Climate and Society track at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School, and has a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from North Carolina Wesleyan University.
Suchit Basineni is a NOAA William Lapenta Intern and a sophomore at Cornell University, studying Computer Science and minoring in Atmospheric Science. He is working with Andy Hazelton, PhD, Sundararaman Gopalakrishnan, PhD, and Jun Zhang, PhD, analyzing precipitation for Landfalling Tropical Cyclones by comparing HAFS and WoFS outputs with NEXRAD observations and other sources of verification. This project should identify pitfalls in model rainfall forecasts and how to better forecast extreme rainfall events associated with landfalling hurricanes.
Nicole Boardman is a University of Miami student serving as a CIMAS intern in the Ocean Chemistry & Ecosystems Division.
Nanushka M. Bonano-Collazo is a NOAA Living Marine Resources Cooperative Science Center fellow completing her NOAA Experiential Research and Training Opportunities internship at the AOML Omics program. She is analyzing data from a 3.5-year sediment trap study, building on previous Sargassum export findings by examining the microbial community and eukaryotic epibionts associated with macroalgae that sinks to the deep sea. She is from Puerto Rico, and is a second-year PhD student at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, where she studies the HAB dinoflagellate Karenia brevis from a sequencing perspective.
Isabella Brothers is a NOAA College-Supported Intern from Smith College supporting the Ocean Chemistry & Ecosystems Division through the analysis of historical Porities growth and calcification rates using coralCT. She has worked with CT scans of coral cores and marked annual growth bands, as well as note anomalies within the coral skeletons. She is graduating in the fall with a Bachelors in Biology and a minor in Marine Science.
Marissa Dallaire is an MPS student at University of Miami Rosenstiel School working with Stephanie Rosales, Phd to determine the efficacy of a specific coral-derived probiotic (Halobacteriovorax) on coral pathogens by isolating and culturing them in the lab. She is studying microbiology and molecular biology.
Julia DeChaves is a NOAA College-Supported Intern from College of Holy Cross supporting the Ocean Chemistry & Ecosystems Division through long-term erosion rate tracking of dead Acropora palmata colonies following the 2023 mass bleaching event. She is pursuing an Environmental Studies and Geoscience undergraduate degree, and hopes to continue her studies in marine and freshwater systems as well as study climate change and environmental solutions.
Angely Diaz is an Ernest F. Hollings Scholar (‘25-’27) at AOML, where she is studying oxygen variations in the Florida Current. She is working alongside the Western Boundary Time Series team and has contributed to their research. She is pursuing a bachelor of science in Microbiology with a minor in Marine Science at the Inter American University of Puerto Rico, Bayamón Campus.
Santiago Dimas is a NOAA Experiential Research and Training Opportunities Intern from Florida A&M University supporting the Omics and Molecular & Computational Biodiversity program in the development of a machine learning pipeline to analyze heavy metal pollution, antimicrobial resistance, and bioremediation potential in estuarine microbiomes.
Matthew Donahue is an intern working alongside Lew Gramer, Ph.D., in the HAFS Ensemble Product Team to support the AOML Hurricane Research Division.
Diego Ferreira is a CIMAS intern working with the AOML Coral Program, continuing research dedicated to understanding and safeguarding our coral reefs. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Miami and is currently working on a project investigating differential gene expression of corals exposed to in-situ ocean acidification.
Sofia Garza is a 2026 Lapenta Intern with the AOML Coral Program working on Module 2 of the FRESCA project with Emma Pontes, PhD, and Ian Enochs, PhD. She is currently a rising Senior at Trinity University pursuing a degree in Geoscience and minor in Astronomy.
Luis Orencio Hernandez is an intern from SUNY Albany supporting the Hurricane Research Division.
Jia Hwang is an Ernest F. Hollings Scholar (‘25-’27) with the AOML Coral Program, where she is studying the algal symbiont assemblages of urban corals in southeast Florida using ‘Omics approaches. She is pursuing a bachelor of science in Marine Biology with a minor in chemistry and a certificate with the Marine Option Program at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
Alexis Idun-Ogde is a CIMAS intern with Miami Dade College working under researcher Ashley Rossin, PhD, with the AOML Coral Program, where she supports the Ocean Chemistry & Ecosystem Division through urban spawning efforts in the Port of Miami. She recently earned an Associate in Arts degree from Miami Dade College and is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology at Florida International University.
Jennifer Lee is an MPS Marine Conservation student from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School. She is working with the Communications Team as the CIMAS Science Communications Intern. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Management & Protection, as well as minors in Biology and Land Rehabilitation & Restoration Ecology from California Polytechnic State University- San Luis Obispo.
McKenna Lindsay recently graduated with a Master of Professional Science degree from the University of Miami in the Climate and Society track and worked with AOML’s communications team through CIMAS during a year-long internship. McKenna has a bachelor of science degree in Environmental Studies from Alma College where she also minored in Biology and Communications.
Sophia Maginnes is a University of Miami Rosenstiel School MPS student pursuing a degree in Tropical Marine Ecology and interning with CIMAS and the AOML Coral Program. Sophie has a background in coral biology, with experience ranging from research at Duke University’s Nicholas School, to coral disease coordination with NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program, and hands-on restoration work in the U.S. Virgin Islands
Sean-Michael McCormick is a Geoscience graduate from Florida International University, now pursuing GIS studies at Miami Dade College. He is a CIMAS intern working with Andrew Hazelton, PhD, verifying AOML’s experimental HAFS-M v2.1 model’s ability to predict tropical cyclone genesis for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season. He plans to study storm surge forecasting and geospatial risk analysis in graduate school.
Marco Monrouzeau joined the CIMAS Communications team as a data visualization intern. He holds a B.S. in Atmospheric Science with a Communication minor from Purdue University, where he researched Puerto Rican tornado climatology, and is currently pursuing a Master of Professional Science in Weather Forecasting at the University of Miami. Marco brings valuable operational experience from National Weather Service internships in San Juan and Pittsburgh, ranging from StormReady hazard assessments to historical storm analysis.
Nathan Moore is a 2026 Lapenta Intern in the Physical Oceanography division, where he is working with Shenfu Dong, PhD, and Marlos Goes, PhD, on the analysis of turbulent heat fluxes near the Gulf Stream using XBT and shipboard observational data. He recently graduated with his B.S. in Atmospheric Sciences from Vermont State University Lyndon, and will begin his master’s program in Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Utah this fall.
Lena Morefield is a NOAA Hollings Scholar interning in the AOML Coral Program. She is working in the Experimental Reef Lab on the FRESCA project. Lena is from Nazareth, Pennsylvania, and is entering her senior year as an Environmental Science student at the University of Delaware.
Jonathan Nash is a CIMAS Intern from Arizona State University supporting the Ocean Chemistry & Ecosystems Division on an ECOA Research Cruise. Jonathan is currently a second-year PhD student in the School of Ocean Futures at Arizona State studying the effect of ocean acidification on pteropods.
Lya Noriega studies biology at Miami-Dade College and has spent the summer working with the AOML Omics group, reconstructing past oceans in 3D: Foraminiferal morphology via microCT.
Faith Nunez studies Medical Laboratory Science at Miami Dade College. She is a 2026 CIMAS-MDC Intern working with mentor Stephanie Rosales, on molecular detection of PaV-1 in Caribbean Spiny Lobsters, Panulirus argus. This internship has allowed her to expand on her laboratory and analytical skills, gain hands-on research experience, and explore her interests in environmental science, marine biology, and molecular research more deeply.
Rodolfo (Rudy) Peluzzo, a Miami Dade College STEM smart scholar, has joined CIMAS for the summer, working with Jennifer McWhorter, PhD and Candice Hall, PhD, supporting the AOML Physical Oceanography Division. He analyzed Biogeochemical-Argo data in the Caribbean, specifically in river plumes and Sargassum patches. Rudy is currently an undergraduate Chemistry major.
Aaliyah Perez is a Master of Science candidate in Atmospheric Science at Hampton University and a NOAA EPP/MSI Center for Earth System Sciences and Remote Sensing Technologies II, Cohort IV Fellow. She completed a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology at Virginia Tech. Her research at Hampton involves quantifying hurricane turbulence using IWRAP and NOAA TDR radar data with Stephen Guimond, PhD. This summer, Aaliyah worked at AOML with Paul Reasor, PhD revisiting pre-2012 TC-RADAR cases using NOAA’s current radar processing and analysis software to improve the quality of TDR profile analyses.
Gabriel Pernalete is a 2026 CIMAS-MDC Intern with AOML’s Hurricane Research Division (HRD), working with mentor George Alvey, PhD, on analysis of tropical cyclone vortex alignment using Doppler radar. He is working with radar scan data from Hurricanes Dorian and Erika, collected over Martinique and Guadeloupe, performing manual quality control that feeds into the Ronin machine-learning QC model. Gabriel is a sophomore at Miami Dade College studying Electrical Engineering.
Savannah Porcelli is a Master of Professional Science student studying marine conservation at the University of Miami. She is a graduate of Rutgers University, with degrees in marine science and English. She is completing a year-long internship with the Coral Program with a specific focus on urban corals.
Virginia St. Clair is a 2026 Lapenta Intern with AOML, GOMO, and the Adopt a Drifter Program. She is working on creating an interactive dashboard for students to engage with drifting buoy data in the classroom, as well as developing a new webpage titled “Why Do Drifters Matter?” Virginia is a rising senior at Furman University, where she is studying Sustainability Science and Data Analytics.
Sasanka Talukdar is a visiting PhD student from the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin. His research focuses on understanding the physical processes that drive extreme weather events. Currently, he is investigating the influence of the brown ocean effect and convective cold pools on hurricane dynamics. His work integrates the use of dynamical models, such as the Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting (HWRF) model, along with observational data to gain insights into these phenomena.