July 21, 2010

NOAA has selected seven graduate students as national recipients of the Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarships, representing graduate-level scholars in marine biology, coastal resource management, and maritime archeology.

The scholarships were established in memory of Dr. Foster, a leader in marine resource conservation who was inspirational in her role as one of the top senior executives in the marine field. Dr. Foster was a former NOAA assistant administrator for oceanic sciences and coastal zone management and director of NOAA’s National Ocean Service. Congress created the scholarship in 2000 as a means of honoring her life's work, 23 years of service to NOAA, and her contribution to the nation.

“This program is an exceptional opportunity for training and developing the next generation of NOAA scientists and researchers, and is particularly important as we face today’s challenges,” said Louisa Koch, director of NOAA’s Office of Education.

Each scholarship recipient will receive an annual stipend of $30,000, up to $12,000 annually as an education allowance, and is eligible for up to $10,000 to support a four to six week research collaboration at a NOAA facility. Doctoral students are eligible to continue the scholarship program for four years and master’s level students for two years.

The seven scholarship recipients are:

Julia Burrows, Duke University Melinda Conners, University of California at Santa Cruz Sherri Eldridge, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth Corinne Gibble, University of California at Santa Cruz Jessica Joyner, University of Georgia at Athens Jessica Lopez, Hawaii Pacific University Michelle Meadows, Florida Institute of Technology

This is the tenth year of the scholarship program. NOAA received more than 170 applications to evaluate. A panel of NOAA scientists reviewed and scored the applications. The finalists were selected based on their rankings, financial need, academic excellence, recommendations, and research and career goals.

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Visit us on Facebook.