Since the first awards were made in 2001, NOAA EPP/MSI Cooperative Science Center institutions have awarded post-secondary degrees to over 2,187 students in NOAA-mission fields. A primary long-term goal of the EPP/MSI is to increase the number of students, particularly from underrepresented communities, who attend NOAA CSC institutions and graduate with degrees that are aligned with the NOAA mission. CSC graduates are a diverse candidate pool with degrees in NOAA-mission sciences, technology, engineering, mathematics, natural resources management and policy and are eligible to successfully join the future NOAA workforce.

Current Cooperative Science Center awards

There are currently four Cooperative Science Center awards. Each CSC is a consortium of academic institutions led by an MSI. The partners can be MSIs and non-MSIs that have demonstrated education and research performance in NOAA-mission sciences. The centers train students in core NOAA mission fields: Atmospheric sciences and meteorology, earth system sciences and remote sensing technology, coastal and marine ecosystems, and living marine resources.

The CSC awards support:

1. increasing the number of post secondary graduates with STEM degrees who are qualified to solve today’s environmental and technological challenges;
2. creating new opportunities for underrepresented populations to be introduced to career paths within NOAA; and,
3. working collaboratively with NOAA in areas of science, resource management and social science solutions to real world problems in local communities.