PRINCESS ANNE, MD- (June 2020)- Teemer Barry and Semaj Fielding, NOAA Living Marine Resources Cooperative Science Center Scholars and University of Maryland Eastern Shore sophomores, were recipients of a prestigious STEM award. Both received the NOAA Educational Partnership Program with Minority Serving Institutions Undergraduate Scholarship earlier this month.
NOAA’s undergraduate scholarship is a federally supported program that aims to provide financial assistance to students attending minority serving institutions. The program provides up to $45,000 of support to rising juniors who are pursuing a bachelor’s degree in a STEM-related field. During the recipients’ junior and senior years of college, the scholarship will aid in tuition, travel and other educational expenses.
The scholarship program not only provides financial support, it also provides opportunities for students to expand their knowledge and skills. During their first summer in the program, undergraduates participate in a 10-week orientation and a summer internship at NOAA’s headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland. Scholarship recipients also complete an additional 10-week paid internship at another NOAA facility during their second year in the program.
Environmental science majors Fielding and Barry have already gained experience in the field with multiple internships under their belt. Fielding participated in UMES’ Geoscience Bridge Program during the summer of 2018. In addition, she also completed an internship last summer with the Ackerman Foundation in Charleston, South Carolina, as a member of the inaugural class of the Mayor John T. Tecklenburg Fellowship. Barry also participated in UMES’ 2018 Geoscience Bridge Program. He took part in Savannah State University’s 2019 Bridge to Marine Science research program in Savannah, Georgia as well.
Since the program’s inception in 2001, over 186 students have been recipients of the NOAA Educational Partnership Program/Minority Serving Institutions Undergraduate Scholarship. The program has continued to provide support and academic opportunities to those who are pursuing an education in fields that align with NOAA’s mission and objectives.
Tanesha Hankerson, Communication and Outreach Specialist UMES – University of Maryland Extension, 410-651-6196, tmhankerson@umes.edu.
