As part of its mission to train the next generation of ocean explorers, scientists, engineers, and communicators, NOAA Ocean Exploration hosts students in the Explorer-in-Training Program. These interns gain valuable, interdisciplinary experience in ocean exploration while collaborating on office projects and expeditions. Explorer-in-Training internships enable students to increase their competitiveness for educational and career opportunities in ocean-related fields.
Explorers-in-Training Kathrin Bayer and Daryin Medley process mapping data in the control room aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer. Image courtesy Caitlin Bailey, GFOE. Download larger version (jpg, 4 MB).
NOAA Ocean Exploration is dedicated to exploring the unknown ocean, unlocking its potential through scientific discovery, technological advancements, and data delivery. By working closely with partners across public, private, and academic sectors, we are filling gaps in our basic understanding of the marine environment. This allows us, collectively, to protect ocean health, sustainably manage our marine resources, accelerate our national economy, better understand our changing environment, and enhance appreciation of the importance of the ocean in our everyday lives.
With priority placed on exploration of deep waters and the waters of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, NOAA Ocean Exploration applies the latest tools and technologies to explore previously unknown areas of the ocean, making discoveries of scientific, economic, and cultural value. By making collected data publicly available in increasingly innovative and accessible ways, we provide a unique and centralized national resource of critical ocean information. And, through live exploration video, online resources, training and educational opportunities, and public events, we share the excitement of ocean exploration with people around the world and inspire and engage the next generation of ocean scientists, engineers, and leaders.
A core part of the NOAA Ocean Exploration mission is to train the next generation of ocean explorers through internship and fellowship opportunities for students and early career professionals. One of the many ways that the office addresses this goal is through a partnership with the Cooperative Program for the Advancement of Earth System Science (CPAESS) , a community program of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) , to coordinate opportunities for students to gain valuable experience in ocean exploration.
Explorer-in-Training Henry Arndt works on multibeam sonar mapping data processing aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer. Image courtesy of Caitlin Bailey, GFOE. Download image (jpg, 3.9 MB).
Jennifer Clifton, Explorer-in-Training, reloads an expendable bathythermograph (XBT) to collect ocean temperature data. Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, EXPRESS: West Coast Mapping 2022. Download image (jpg, 642 KB).
Since 2009, NOAA Ocean Exploration and CPAESS/UCAR have hosted over 180 Explorers-in-Training. The program equips participants with skills to meet the current and future demands of the ocean exploration workforce, providing meaningful experiential learning opportunities that support NOAA Ocean Exploration’s mission and inspire ocean literacy for the next generation. The program features two internship options: (a) 2 to 4-week expedition-based opportunities and (b) 10-week summertime opportunities. The 10-week internships give students an opportunity to develop their skills and knowledge through long-term projects supported by NOAA Ocean Exploration mentors. The 2 to 4-week expedition-based internships involve participation in specific NOAA Ocean Exploration-supported expeditions, giving participants the chance to contribute to mission efforts while gaining tangible skills that can benefit their future pursuits. For 2023, both 10-week summer internships and 2 to 4-week expedition-based opportunities are available for application.
The Explorer-in-Training Program offers multiple internship themes to reflect NOAA Ocean Exploration’s diverse expertise, work products, and services. These themes are designed to be interdisciplinary and reflect the office’s main focus areas while providing training in critical ocean exploration mission fields. Available 2023 themes include:
Applications for the 2 to 4-week expedition-based internship will still be accepted until all slots are filled for the 2023 field season. Please see below for eligibility requirements and application instructions.
This year, the Explorer-in-Training Program will feature two internship options: (a) 2 to 4-week expedition-based opportunities and (b) 10-week summertime opportunities.
Please ask your references for permission to include their information before final submission of your application.
Submit Your ApplicationIf you have any questions, need guidance, or experience technical difficulties, please contact NOAA Ocean Exploration’s Internship Program Coordinator at oer.internships@noaa.gov.
Applications for the 2-4 week expedition-based opportunities will be accepted on a rolling basis, with a priority deadline of January 31st, 2023. After this priority deadline, applications will still be accepted until all slots are filled for the 2023 field season.
Applications for the 10-week shore-based opportunities are no longer being accepted.
The Explorer-in-Training Program strives to foster a safe and inclusive environment for all, viewing our unique differences not as a barrier, but as a necessity for progress toward our shared goals of exploration and discovery. NOAA Ocean Exploration seeks to involve participants from groups that are historically underrepresented in ocean exploration, including Black or African-American, Indigenous, Hispanic or Latino, female, first-generation college students, veterans, and participants with disabilities. The Explorer-in-Training Program welcomes participants of all sexual and gender identities, students who have experienced educational or economic disadvantages, and/or have circumstances that may complicate their professional development progress. To ensure sustainability of this commitment, we accept and value feedback from our interns and apply it to ongoing efforts to make Explorer-in-Training a model of excellence for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.