The Lapenta Manual  spells out the program from application through actual internship.

Note:  The Sept 23 Q&A session will now be on Sept 24 (check details below)

1. Application process is via SmartSheets.
2. Prepare the following to be uploaded to the site.
   • A personal statement
   • Curriculum Vitae (CV) or resume
   • A transcript (unofficial is sufficient) from your institution
3. Two letters of recommendation are required to be submitted on your behalf. At least one reference must be from a professor or academic advisor.  The second reference may also be an academic reference or a character reference (e.g., employer, coach) who can speak to your capabilities and interests as they relate to the internship.  Please ask your recommenders to start on letters before a link is given to you (just after you submit) to send to them.  That way they can quickly upload into our folders.  Letters of recommendation are due by Dec 17 but please get in sooner if you can.  The letters can be sent by email to peter.roohr@noaa.gov or lapenta.internships@noaa.gov.
4. If you have any questions about the application process please contact Lapenta team at lapenta.internships@noaa.gov or the contacts on this page
   • Q&A Sessions for Sept 2026:   Sept 14, 7:30-8:30 pm EDT (meet.google.com/wpi-vgxq-idf); Sept 24, 9:00-10:00 pm EDT (meet.google.com/rar-whre-oav).  More will be scheduled for Oct thru Dec.

The 2025 Lapenta internship ended on August 8, 2025 with presentations from interns (Presentations on Aug 1, 6-8 and 22).  Many of the interns will present their work at either the AGU Annual Meeting in New Orleans LA in Dec 2025, the AMS Annual Meeting in Houston TX in Jan 2026, and the AGU-sponsored Ocean Sciences Meeting in Glasgow Scotland in Feb 2026.  Congrats to all 68 interns from 5 line offices across 17 different locations!   

Pictures from 2025 Internship:

Jaden Lau (working in OAR ARL) at College Park MD

Quinn Adamy (working in OAR ARL) at Oak Ridge TN

Zion Powell (working at Louisville KY WFO)

Caroline Terry (working in OAR AOML) at Miami FL

Ellie Rafalski (working at NWS NCEP Aviation Weather Center) in Kansas City MO

Here are some pictures of 2024 Lapenta interns in action!

Hailey Zangara, Luke Wichrowski (not shown), and Paige Bartels (NESDIS GOES-R) in Florida.

Lillian Zhou at AOML in Miami FL

Mike Schram was virtual with NMFS but had venture off Pacific Coast

Brianna Salazar with OAR ESRL Global Monitoring Lab in Boulder

Justice Saxby was with OAR Air Resources Lab doing field work in Colorado and Utah!

• The 2023 Lapenta Internship ended on August 11, 2023 with presentations from the interns in a hybrid fashion.  Many of the interns presented their work at AGU meeting in San Francisco CA in Dec 2023 as well as AMS Annual Meeting in Baltimore MD in Jan 2024 and Ocean Sciences Meeting in New Orleans in Feb 2024.  Congrats to everyone!!

  2023 Lapenta Interns in action! 

  Kaitlin Escobar in the field with OAR Air Resources Lab scientists and instrumentation.

        

  Brianna Hauke working with her mentor Changyong Cao of NESDIS STAR.

     

  Benjamin Moose in the NWS NCEP Aviation Weather Center

  

   

            

      Carina                        Laura

  Carina Rodriguez '21 and Laura Cabrera '21 present their work at AGU Fall Meeting

  Lapenta Alumni Carina Rodriguez and Laura Cabrera (both Summer 2021) present their work at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, held 13-17 December 2021 in New Orleans, LA.