EPP/MSI and Hollings scholar blog

Each summer, EPP/MSI and Hollings undergraduate scholars complete summer internships across NOAA. On the scholar blog, they share their experiences by describing their projects, creating art, writing science communication pieces, and more.

Gaining professional connections and lab skills: An internship on the impact of 'forever chemicals' on grass shrimp

November 21, 2023

Makayla stands at a lab bench, looking down at a lab tray that looks to contain shallow water. She holds a transfer pipette in one gloved hand and a sampling vial in the other. She wears protective goggles and an apron.

The case of the missing females: Channeling Nancy Drew during my summer internship

November 17, 2023

Kate smiles, standing at a muddy table on a dock. She uses gloved hands to grab oysters and her full-length waders are covered in mud from the task.

Researching life in the deep scattering layer: A poster from my Hollings internship

November 17, 2023

A digitally illustrated poster that shows a water column represented as visually noisy acoustic data. On top of the water, a NOAA vessel rests in the water. The deep scattering layer is drawn about a third of the way down the water column. Towards the bottom of the poster, the backscattering response implies sea floor bathymetry that varies in depth. An ROV located in the deep scattering layer is connected by a wire to the NOAA vessel. Gelatinous marine organisms are drawn in the ROV's line of sight.

Communication and community: My internship contributing to a new wave of ocean acidification education

November 17, 2023

Isaac stands next to an ocean acidification display in an empty room. He holds his hand over his eyes and shrugs the other hand as if looking around in confusion.

Illustrating internship research findings of trash use by birds

November 17, 2023

One person's trash is another bird's building material

Eleanor poses with a smile as she uses her hands to gently part a section of a large shrubby plant.

Photo essay: Reflecting on interviews with oyster farmers during my internship

November 17, 2023

Grace and the oyster farmer stand on a dock with boats docked on either side. Grace looks at the oyster grower, who is speaking and gesturing towards his boat.

The adventurer: Visualizing my journey as a scientist and Hollings intern through animation

November 17, 2023

TreVaughn smiles, sitting on an aluminum fishing boat loaded with field equipment. He's dressed for aquatic fieldwork in cold weather.

A day in the life: My internship at a remote Alaskan research station

November 17, 2023

Emma Rudy sits on a smooth weathered log that is lying in shallow water and smiles, looking up at the sky. The water flows into a mountainous Alaskan landscape behind her.

An internship analyzing low or depleted oxygen in U.S. coastal waters

November 17, 2023

Roxanne sits in a cubicle, facing the camera and smiling. There are two monitors and an open laptop on her desk displaying documents and data.

Food for thought: Learning from an internship project on diets of harvested Alaskan fish

November 16, 2023

Seraina smiling at the enclosed helm of a boat. She is dressed for fieldwork in cold weather and wears a personal floatation device.

View all

Other stories about scholars

Devynn sits on a boat with her head turned to the side, looking off into the distance. She is wearing a life vest, rubber field pants, and other cold weather clothes.

Setting sail for the NOAA Corps: An EPP/MSI alumna's professional journey

Nadya kneels on a narrow wooden sampling path that runs through the marsh and leans forward as if to retrieve something. She is wearing gloves and has a 5-gallon bucket on next to her that looks like it holds equipment.

NOAA scholars 2021 internships — from the deep ocean to the upper atmosphere

EPP/MSI scholar shares research with community and regional leaders to raise awareness about air quality

A photo taken from above Natalie's laptop, where she can be seen wearing headphones and typing on her laptop in a office setting. The photo is made up of hundreds of excel cells colored in to create the photo.

When science inspires art: A creative collection of NOAA scholars’ research

Jezella as a baby with her parents while they vacation in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.

The magic of mentorship

EPP/MSI scholar Adriana Muñoz refers to her 2020 summer internship as an exciting roller coaster that she completed from the comfort of a corner in her room. Here, she shows a diagram of a drone that she developed a lightweight winch for during her internship.

'Is my camera on?' NOAA scholars overcome challenges in a 'virtual' reality

Andrew Tokuda, Global environmental science major at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and 2018 NOAA Hollings scholar, holds a chum salmon while kneeling beside the Tutka Bay estuary. Tokuda interned at the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Homer, Alaska, in summer 2019.

What surprised you about working in an estuary? 12 scholars share their insights

EPP/MSI scholar Sheldon Rosa standing at the dock of Phillips Wharf Environmental Center in Maryland in 2019, where he piloted the educational toolkit with 4th - 9th grade summer camp students.

A better moʻolelo (story) for the future: NOAA scholar brings Hawaiian culture to internship

Savannah Miller, a 2018 NOAA Hollings scholar, takes in the scenery while kayaking in the Sitka Sound in Sitka, Alaska, during her summer internship.

Photo story: Explore NOAA scholarships as undergraduates #TakeoverTuesday

A grid of 8 photos. Each photo shows a Hollings scholar during their internship.

Hollings Scholarship news