The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Educational Partnership Program (EPP) held its seventh Biennial Education and Science Forum October 26-29, 2014. Savannah State University (SSU) was represented by a group of ten members, led by Dionne Hoskins, Ph.D., director of NOAA-sponsored programs at SSU. The delegation included two undergraduate students – Darius Stanford and Shaneese Mackey –  six graduate students – Keya Jackson, Emma Schultz, Chelsea Parrish, Jennifer G?t, Tiffany Ward, and Sanya Compton –  and one postdoctoral fellow, Jolvan Morris, Ph.D.

This conference’s theme was “Developing a Premier Future STEM Workforce to Support Environmental Sustainability.” The forum provided an opportunity for students at NOAA-EPP funded academic institutions and NOAA scientists to showcase results of collaborative research and education projects, as well as to discuss new engagement opportunities and promote career opportunities for STEM. The goal is to educate and develop a diverse science, technology, engineering and mathematics workforce.

Students had the opportunity to interact with NOAA leadership, attend skill building and networking workshops and present research that aligned with NOAA’s four long-term goals: Climate Adaptation and Mitigation, Weather-Ready Nation, Healthy Oceans and Resilient Coastal Communities and Economies. In categories that were judged, SSU brought home three awards: Best Poster Presentation by an Undergraduate Student in Healthy Oceans Category (3rd place Shaneese Mackey), Best Poster Presentation by a Graduate Student in Healthy Oceans Category (3rd place Jennifer G?t), and Best Poster Presentation by a Graduate Student in Resilient Coastal Communities and Economies Category (2nd Place Keya Jackson).

The event was jointly sponsored by NOAA and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES), and was hosted by UMES’ Living Marine Resources Cooperative Science Center (LMRCSC), located on the UMES’ campus in Princess Anne, Md. SSU was among the seven NOAA LMRCSC partner institutions that attended the forum.

Established in 1890, Savannah State University is the oldest public historically black college or university in Georgia and the oldest institution of higher learning in the city of Savannah.  The university’s 4,900 students select majors from 27 undergraduate and five graduate programs in three colleges — Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, Business Administration and Sciences and Technology — and the School of Teacher Education.