On August 7, 2024, NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D., signed a Letter of Intent that signifies NOAA’s commitment to strengthen the partnership between NOAA and the Educational Partnership Program with Minority Serving Institutions (EPP/MSI) Cooperative Science Centers. Directors from each of the four Centers also signed the letter. Each Center is a consortium of academic institutions led by an MSI that educate, train, and graduate students in disciplines aligned with the NOAA mission.
Directors from the EPP/MSI Cooperative Science Centers joined NOAA leadership as they signed a Letter of Intent strengthening their long-standing partnership. Sen Chiao, Ph.D., Director of the NOAA Cooperative Science Center in Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology (NCAS-M), attended the event in person, shown here with Vice Admiral Nancy Hann, NOAA Deputy Under Secretary for Operations; Ben Friedman, former NOAA Deputy Under Secretary for Operations; and Rick Spinrad, Ph.D., NOAA Administrator. The other Center Directors, Paulinus Chigbu, Ph.D.; Fred Moshary, Ph.D.; and Richard Long, Ph.D., attended virtually. (Image credit: Erianna Hammond/NOAA)
“For nearly 25 years, our work together has brought some of the brightest talent to NOAA and allowed us to tap into new wells of innovation and progress,” said Rick Spinrad. “Today we build on our commitment to this extraordinary partnership by signing this Letter of Intent.”
The Letter of Intent was developed by a collaborative group chaired by Ben Friedman, NOAA’s former deputy undersecretary for operations, who served as the chair of the EPP/MSI Center Champions Working Group. The group, which includes representatives from the Centers and from across NOAA, identified specific actions for both NOAA and the four Centers to take to broaden and deepen the partnership. The actions include:
- NOAA contributing to course development and training at Centers.
- Centers and NOAA exchanging personnel (e.g., NOAA scientists in residence at Centers; Center scientists hosted by NOAA labs).
- Collaborative research and joint publications.
- NOAA communicating research priorities and workforce needs to Centers.
- NOAA inviting Centers to host and participate in training.
These actions create more opportunities to align EPP/MSI student training with NOAA's research agenda and future hiring needs and establish stronger relationships between NOAA and EPP/MSI partner communities.
Implementing the actions in this Letter of Intent strengthens the existing partnership between NOAA and the Centers and enhances career pathways for EPP/MSI Center graduates into NOAA.
“I’ve seen this program mature over the past 10 years. The actions outlined in this letter will bring us to the next level,” said Ben Friedman.
Vice Admiral Nancy Hann, NOAA’s deputy under secretary for operations, will chair the EPP/MSI Center Champions Working Group moving forward. She shares her predecessor’s dedication to strengthening the partnership between NOAA and the EPP/MSI Centers. “I look forward to working with all of you, and I know we can continue this momentum,” said Vice Admiral Hann.
List of letter of intent signees
- Rick Spinrad, Ph.D., NOAA administrator
- Fred Moshary, Ph.D., center director, NOAA Center for Earth System Sciences and Remote Sensing Technologies II
- Richard Long, Ph.D., center director, NOAA Center for Coastal and Marine Ecosystems II
- Sen Chiao, Ph.D., center director, NOAA Center for Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology II
- Paulinus Chigbu, Ph.D., center director, NOAA Living Marine Resources Cooperative Science Center II
More about the EPP/MSI Cooperative Science Centers
The Educational Partnership Program with Minority Serving Institutions supports four Cooperative Science Centers focused on critical NOAA mission-aligned science, natural resource management, technology, and policy. Each of the four Centers consists of a consortium of academic institutions led by a minority serving institution (MSI) with doctoral programs in NOAA mission-aligned disciplines. The Centers build capacity in these disciplines at MSIs by expanding education and research programs and enable students to gain NOAA-mission knowledge and skills at both the Centers and NOAA facilities.
