Education and Science Forum

The Biennial Education and Science Forum focuses on the important role educational partners such as the four EPP/MSI Cooperative Science Centers (CSCs) and Undergraduate Scholarship Program contribute to the NOAA community. The EPP Forum supports NOAA’s objective to develop a diverse and capable workforce. Since 2001, EPP/MSI institutions have graduated over 2,000 students in NOAA mission fields. Over seventy percent of graduates are from communities traditionally underrepresented in NOAA mission fields.
10th Biennial NOAA EPP/MSI Forum
The NOAA EPP/MSI 10th Biennial Education and Science Forum - phase one is scheduled for April 8 - 9, 2021. The forum is hosted by the NOAA Center for Coastal and Marine Ecosystems at Florida A&M University, but will occur virtually due to the COVID-19 public health threat. Learn more about the forum and view the schedule of eventsoffsite link. Stay tuned for an announcement for phase two dates!
Forum theme: "Two decades of excellence: Nurturing future leaders in STEM," highlights the important role of educational partners, such as the four EPP/MSI CSCs, and how they contribute to the NOAA community and the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) community at large.
Purpose: To showcase collaborative research and education between faculty and students at EPP/MSI CSCs and NOAA scientists. The forum provides a venue to present research findings, discuss new engagement opportunities, and to promote career opportunities for STEM graduates with academic, government, and private sectors.
Phase one sessions:
April 8, 2021
- Plenary I: Keynote - Larry Robinson, Ph.D.
- Plenary II: Passing the torch to the next generation STEM workforce - panel discussion
- Student workshop I: Student professional development workshops
- Invited student talks
April 9, 2021
- Plenary III: Student-focused activity
- Roundtable discussions - Strategies for NOAA science: AI/cloud/computing/unscrewed systems/bioinformations
- Invited student talks
- Student workshop II: Student professional development workshops
Phase two:
Check back for phase two dates and sessions.
9th Biennial Forum
The Ninth Biennial NOAA EPP/MSI Education and Science Forum was hosted by the NOAA Center for Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology at Howard University from March 18 - 21, 2018.
Forum theme: “Partnering with Academia to Prepare Highly Skilled and Diverse Candidates for NOAA's STEM Workforce: Building Successful Educational and Research Collaborations for an Inclusive NOAA Mission Enterprise.”
Purpose: To showcase collaborative research and education between faculty and students at EPP-funded Cooperative Science Centers and NOAA scientists. The forum provides a venue to present research finding, discuss new engagement opportunities, and to promote career opportunities for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) graduates with academic, government, and private sectors.
Sessions:
- Plenary
- 150 technical presentations (oral and poster)
- Workshops (choices of technical and professional development activities)
- Networking engagements:
- providing students and postdocs with an improved sense of the career choices and opportunities
- providing opportunities for potential employers to identify candidates for their future workforce from the students and postdocs talent pool developed through EPP awards
- Exhibitor Hall
8th Biennial Forum
The 8th Biennial EPP/MSI Forum was held August 28–31, 2016, at the The City College of New York.

Forum Schedule
Forum 9 - 2018: Howard Universityoffsite link
Forum 8 – 2016: The City College of The City University of New York
Forum 7 – 2014: The University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Forum 6 – 2012: Florida A&M University
Forum 5 – 2009: Howard University
Forum 4 – 2006: Florida A&M University
Forum 3 – 2004: The City College of The City University of New York
Forum 2 – 2003: NOAA (Silver Spring) - Howard University
Forum 1 – 2002: The University of Maryland Eastern Shore

8th Biennial Forum - Oral Presentation Awards (2016)
Name | Center | Status | aWARD | Theme |
---|---|---|---|---|
Armando Aispuro | ECSC | Graduate student | 1st place (tie) | Climate Adaptation & Mitigation |
Elius Etienne | CREST | Graduate student | 1st place (tie) | Climate Adaptation & Mitigation |
Arun Ravindranath | CREST | Graduate student | 3rd place | Climate Adaptation & Mitigation |
Cheila Cullen | CREST | Graduate student | 1st place | Weather Ready Nation |
Keren Rosado | NCAS | Graduate student | 2nd place | Weather Ready Nation |
Luis Ortiz | CREST | Graduate student | 3rd place | Weather Ready Nation |
Jessica Andrade | LMRCSC | Graduate student | 1st place | Healthy Oceans |
Keith Leonard | LMRCSC | Graduate student | 2nd place (tie) | Healthy Oceans |
Robert Figueroa-Downing | ECSC | Graduate student | 2nd place (tie) | Healthy Oceans |
Shanna Williamson | LMRCSC | Graduate student | 1st place | Resilient Coastal Communities & Economies |
Kristen Lycett | LMRCSC | Graduate student | 2nd place | Resilient Coastal Communities & Economies |
Michelle Dovil | NCAS | Graduate student | 3rd place | Resilient Coastal Communities & Economies |
Poster Presentation Awards
Undergraduate students
Name | center | award | tHEME |
---|---|---|---|
Erica Andujar | CREST | 1st | Climate Adaptation & Mitigation |
Yanna Chen | CREST | 2nd | Climate Adaptation & Mitigation |
Wilson Pena | CREST | 3rd | Climate Adaptation & Mitigation |
Kweku Mills-Robertson | CREST | 1st | Weather Ready Nation |
Miguel Cortez | NCAS | 2nd | Weather Ready Nation |
Tony Hurt | NCAS | 3rd | Weather Ready Nation |
Niya Wilkins | LMRCSC | 1st | Healthy Oceans |
Tyler Plum | LMRCSC | 2nd (tie) | Healthy Oceans |
Vanessa Foster | LMRCSC | 2nd (tie) | Healthy Oceans |
Queriah Simpson | ECSC | 1st | Resilient Coastal Communities & Economies |
Valentina Rappa | CREST | 2nd | Resilient Coastal Communities & Economies |
Demarcus Robinson | ECSC | 3rd | Resilient Coastal Communities & Economies |
Poster Presentation Awards
Graduate students
David Melecio-Vazquez | CREST | 1st | Climate Adaptation & Mitigation |
Behzah Asadieh | CREST | 2nd | Climate Adaptation & Mitigation |
Kafayat Olayinka | NCAS | 3rd | Climate Adaptation & Mitigation |
Steven Buckner | CREST | 1st | Weather Ready Nation |
Daniel Yeager | NCAS | 2nd | Weather Ready Nation |
Sean Levor | CREST | 3rd | Weather Ready Nation |
Alex Tompkins | ECSC | 1st (tie) | Healthy Oceans |
Charles Downey | ECSC | 1st (tie) | Healthy Oceans |
Emma Schultz | LMRCSC | 3rd | Healthy Oceans |
Efosa Igbinigun | NCAS | 1st | Resilient Coastal Communities & Economies |
Alana Menendez | CREST | 2nd | Resilient Coastal Communities & Economies |
Read about the 7th Biennial Education and Science Forum (2014).