On June 5, 61 college students from 41 different institutions gathered to embark on a career and life-changing experience as part of the 7th class of the “William M. Lapenta Internship Program”, via the program’s official icebreaker event. Participants were competitively selected from a pool of 388 applicants and scored by an official panel of NOAA Line Office representatives on qualifications spanning merit, interest, and inclusivity (28% of the selected Interns were from underrepresented groups). Each student was paired with a Line Office mentor for a summer project that matched their interests and experience and will be completed either in-person at the host Line Office location, or virtually. In addition to their project, participants will have the opportunity to attend seminars, participate in workshops, and meet with NOAA and non-NOAA scientists, managers and leaders, including Dr. Spinrad. This year’s program will conclude with student project presentations scheduled for August 2-4 (hybrid) and August 9-11 (virtual). R2O’s Dr. Peter Roohr has served as the Lead of this mutually rewarding program since 2021. We look forward to celebrating the next class of Lapenta alumni and potential agency employees!

For more information, please visit the Program Homepage.