NSSL People: NSSL Students

We love our students!  They come to us from all over the world and through different channels.  Some are not even meteorology majors.

Our students help build prototype weather instruments, participate in field projects, collect data and analyze data.  They work closely with our scientists who mentor them during their time.

We offer a wide range of paid and unpaid employment opportunities to students.  Some student positions can lead to permanent employment.

Undergraduate student opportunities

Once in awhile there are openings for jobs for undergraduate students. These jobs are posted on the University of Oklahoma School of Meteorology website.

Hollings Scholarship Program

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ernest F. Hollings (Hollings) scholarship program is designed to:

  • Increase undergraduate training in oceanic and atmospheric science, research, technology, and education and foster multidisciplinary training opportunities;
  • Increase public understanding and support for stewardship of the ocean and atmosphere and improve environmental literacy;
  • Recruit and prepare students for public service careers with NOAA and other natural resource and science agencies at the federal, state and local levels of government; and
  • Recruit and prepare students for careers as teachers and educators in oceanic and atmospheric science and to improve scientific and environmental education in the United States.

The Hollings Scholarship Program provides successful undergraduate applicants with awards that include academic assistance for full-time study during the 9-month academic year; a 10-week, full-time internship position during the summer at a NOAA facility; and, if re-appointed, academic assistance for full-time study during a second 9-month academic year. The internship between the first and second years of the award provides the Scholars with “hands-on” practical educational training experience in NOAA-related science, research, technology, policy, management, and education activities. Awards also include travel funds to attend a mandatory NOAA Scholarship Program orientation, conferences where students present a paper or poster, and a housing subsidy for scholars who do not reside at home during the summer internship.

More information is available on the Hollings Program website.

Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)

The REU program at the Oklahoma Weather Center is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation to the Center for the Analysis and Prediction of Storms (CAPS). Students participate in a 10-week research program during the summer under the supervision of mentors from the National Weather Center, including NSSL and local private companies.

Students conduct research on severe weather, tornadoes, societal impacts of weather, numerical weather prediction models, atmospheric radiation, climatological studies, dryline studies and more. Students then prepare and present papers reporting the results of their research. The experience is also supplemented by tours, field trips and lectures to produce a well-rounded experience that will give students the opportunity to judge whether a career in research is for them. Housing, travel allowance and a stipend are provided.

More information is available on the CAPS website.

Graduate students

We have many graduate students working at NSSL doing amazing science; they are NSSL's future! Because many of our scientists are adjunct faculty at the University of Oklahoma, they serve on the committees of Master's and Ph.D. candidates. Related jobs are also posted on the OU School of Meteorology website.

NRC Postdoctoral Fellowships

The NSSL postdoctoral scientist program is operated by the National Research Council and funds two recent Ph.D. graduates each year to pursue their research interests in support of the NSSL mission. The program is open to recent Ph.D. graduates in radar engineering, meteorology, hydrology, physics, applied mathematics, computer science and other related disciplines. Successful applicants are mentored by NSSL scientists (advisors) over their two-year tenure and are encouraged to take advantage of the unique and exciting opportunities found within the National Weather Center.