As a high school student, Jose Solorzano was split between his interests in land and marine science. But the summer before his senior year, he took a field course in coral reef ecology that intrigued him.
Wanting to learn more about the oceans, he decided to attend the University of Miami to study at the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science.
Last summer, Solorzano had another pivotal experience as a Hollings Scholar when he spent 10 weeks in Honolulu, Hawaii, at a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) laboratory, studying how datasets are detecting changes in dissolved oxygen throughout the North Pacific. He tracked how oxygen distribution storage is changing over time and impacting the habitat of species such as bigeye tuna.
Those experiences helped confirm his interest in becoming an ocean scientist.
“It’s been life changing,” said Solorzano, now a senior studying oceanography. “There’s so much I’ve learned that I’ve already used.”
As Solorzano wraps up his Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship, five more Rosenstiel School students have been selected for NOAA’s prestigious program for undergraduates interested in the earth sciences.
Over the past five years, several students from the University have received the honor, so Mohamed Iskandarani, associate dean of undergraduate studies at the Rosenstiel School, hopes even more students will consider applying this year. Each fall, Rosenstiel School faculty members partner with the student honor society Rho Rho Rho to support applicants. Current sophomores can still apply until Jan. 31, and Rho Rho Rho will be holding an open information session on Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 8 p.m. in the Cox Science Building, Room 145.
“This scholarship aims to prepare the next generation of scientists to join NOAA and gives them financial support, but most importantly, they get to spend a summer interning in one of the NOAA labs across the country and working with scientists,” said Iskandarani, a professor of ocean sciences. “It’s a fascinating experience, and most students really like being in a new place and engaging in research happening at the national level.”
This year’s Hollings Scholars are juniors Lucy Barnard, who is studying marine science and computer science; Tessa Brown, marine science and physics; Yubee Chang, marine biology and ecology; Madeleine Carmichael, marine biology and ecology; and Savannah Flowers, marine biology and ecology.
Barnard said she was shocked and thrilled when she learned last spring that she had won the scholarship. She hopes her summer internship will help narrow her research interests before graduate school.
“I am on the fence about diving deeper into aerosol and ocean chemistry or focusing on the modeling and remote sensing topics of marine science,” Barnard said. “I think the current project I have my eye on is a good mix of both, so it will likely help me come to a better understanding of what I like and don't like about each potential career path.”
The two-year Hollings Scholarship provides tuition support and a paid 10-week internship at a NOAA facility after a student’s junior year of college. Scholars also attend a NOAA orientation, present their research at a summer symposium conference and receive support to attend two academic conferences.
At NOAA’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Solorzano spent most of his time learning about the oxygen minimum zone in the Pacific Ocean to determine how its boundaries are shifting. He also explored the applications of his work by touring the Honolulu Fish Auction, strengthened his data analysis skills, and presented his findings at multiple conferences. The Miami native also spent some of his free time learning about the geology of Hawaii.
“The internship taught me how to do one research project from start to finish, and it was a project that I was in control of, but it also it taught me how to work with other scientists in a lab setting,” he said. “It was really good training, not just to be in the workplace, but the scholarship also connects you with some incredible people.”
