In July, IOOS Director Krisa Arzayus and IOOS Deputy Director Martin Yapur attended the 12th Biennial NOAA EPP Education and Science Forum at The City College of New York (CCNY). This year’s forum marked a landmark milestone, bringing together students, faculty, and federal researchers to celebrate the 25-year silver jubilee of NOAA’s Educational Partnership Program. Hosted by CCNY’s Center for Earth System Sciences and Remote Sensing Technologies (NOAA-CESSRST), the event featured collaborative research presentations in atmospheric modeling, Earth observation, and coastal resilience while honoring a quarter-century of workforce development. Through technical sessions, professional development workshops, and cross-institutional networking, the forum highlighted the profound impact of sustained academic-federal partnerships in addressing critical environmental challenges. These sessions help build the cross-center collaborations and mentor, peer, and professional relationships that sustain the EPP community well beyond the forum.
Since its inception in 2001, the EPP/MSI program has built an impressive legacy, graduating over 4,000 students across its Cooperative Science Centers and creating a diverse pipeline of future leaders in NOAA-aligned STEM disciplines. It’s a forum we look forward to every year, supporting those collaborative relationships and being a part of shaping the future workforce.