Educational Partnership Program

FY2025 The Educational Partnership Program (EPP), a Federal STEM education and future workforce program, is increasing US talent for future careers in public and private industry that support the NOAA mission and contribute to American global competitiveness. EPP provided financial assistance to 4 Cooperative Science Centers (CSC) comprising 24 institutions. EPP also supported students who are all U.S. citizens, in the Undergraduate Scholarship Program USP), as well as in a year-long graduate fellowship at a NOAA site and mentored collaboratively by a NOAA scientist and an academic advisor.

In FY25, the EPP Cooperative Science Centers made progress and had significant achievements. More than 260 students were supported in postsecondary education. The EPP awards are increasing the number of students who successfully complete a college degree. These awards are also advancing collaborative research among the Centers, and with NOAA, supporting NOAA's mission goals (incl. core functions like weather forecasting, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in environmental monitoring, fisheries management, and coastal restoration using Omics, uncrewed systems, remote sensing and satellite technologies), for the benefit of the nation's economy, environment, and saving lives.

More than 75 students completed their studies, including those who earned their undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degrees and gained knowledge, technical skills and practical experience to enter, succeed and advance in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers related to the NOAA mission. The CSC students presented innovative research at major conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals, showcasing the high caliber of research emerging from the Cooperative Science Centers.

The commitment to professional development was strengthened through targeted initiatives like the Annual Center-Wide Cohort Experience (ACE) and specialized workshops and seminars. The center-wide training activities ensured the students acquired the core competencies and cutting-edge technical skills, like strategies to apply artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), data analytics, supercomputing, etc. necessary to tackle complex environmental challenges.

The awards continued to provide meaningful, hands-on experience, which is critical to bridging the gap between academia and federal service. The NOAA Experiential Research and Training Opportunity (NERTO) remains the pinnacle of experiential training at various NOAA sites. In FY25, seventy (70) students (with 51 at the graduate level completing, at least twelve weeks) were in training at various NOAA sites, working side by side with NOAA scientists and managers. These residential opportunities, guided by NOAA mentors, have not only advanced mission-critical research but have also served to create a robust pipeline of highly qualified professionals for the United States of America.

As an example, the research endeavors from the awards are aligned with NOAA's National Weather Service (NWS) Weather-Ready Nation (WRN) and Impact-based Decision Support Services (IDSS) goals, and added significant contributions. The performance of Center includes fieldwork, field campaigns like the Joint Collaborative Research and Development Project (JCRDP), and many other collaborative projects focused on improving forecasts, addressing network observation gaps, and integrating social and behavioral sciences to better communicate risk to local communities.

The authentic collaborations that define the CSC community are shaping the careers and lives of the next generation and directly strengthening the technical capacity of the future workforce related to the NOAA mission, for the private and public sectors.

The CSC model, as a federal-academic partnership has proven to be a transformative force, significantly increasing the participation of U.S. citizens in NOAA-aligned STEM fields and creating a robust pipeline of highly qualified professionals. These awards are supporting the nation's competitiveness.

The Cooperative Science Center (CSC) awards have increased the number of students who successfully complete a degree in NOAA mission disciplines by 2,215 graduates, since the first awards were made, in 2001. CSC awards are expanding the number of individuals who gain the knowledge, technical skills, and practical experience needed to enter, succeed, and advance in NOAA mission related science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers. The CSC awards, since 2021, have supported a total of 1,237 participant seats completing NOAA mission skills and core competencies training/workshops (e.g. number of students completing: Data Science - 257; Social Science - 258; Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning - 208; Uncrewed Systems - 187; NOAA Mission Priorities - 276; etc.).