As a part of its mission to serve as a focal point for the interaction between NOAA and the Great Lakes research community, CILER is involved in a number of programs that increase student and public awareness about Great Lakes science.

As part of a partnership with the Science Department of the Ann Arbor Public Schools, CILER and NOAA-GLERL sponsor high school interns to work with a GLERL or CILER mentor for a summer. GLERL has been a partner with the Ann Arbor Science Department since 1987, and the Partners for Excellence Program has been ongoing since 1990. The program targets students between their sophomore and junior years. According to the schools, this is the period when students start thinking about science as a career path.

The applicants go through a preliminary selection process by the Ann Arbor Public School system. Each applicant composes an essay that conveys interest in and qualifications for the internship, and is recommended by his or her science teacher. Final selections are made after an interview process with mentors. Each intern performs research duties such as laboratory set-up, experiment preparation, data analysis, data coding, and computer input. At the end of the summer, they summarize their experiences in an essay for the Partners-For-Excellence Program.

For more information on the Partners-For-Excellence Program, contact Tom Nalepa.


The National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB) is a nationwide academic competition among teams of high school students. For the past ten years, CILER, NOAA-GLERL, and Michigan Sea Grant have hosted the Great Lakes Bowl, a regional competition of the NOSB. The Great Lakes Bowl is one of 25 regional competitions held around the country, and regional champions advance to the national NOSB competition. The competitions test students' math and science skills as applied to topics on ocean and Great Lakes biology, chemistry, geology, physics, technology, history, and economics. Students involved with the NOSB program are eligible for the Ocean Scholar program and the Coastal and Ocean Science Training Internship Program. The NOSB also supports teachers, providing them with valuable resources and professional development opportunities.

For more information on the National Ocean Sciences Bowl, visit the NOSB home page (www.nosb.org ), the Great Lakes Bowl home page (http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pr/nosb/cur/ ), or contact the Great Lakes Bowl coordinator, Laura Florence.

Each year, NOAA-GLERL and CILER host the Great Lakes Summer Student Fellowship Program. Both undergraduate and graduate students are eligible to participate. Students receive a stipend for the three-month fellowship, and all fellows give a presentation and provide a written report at the end of the summer.

Student fellows gain experience in a broad range of fields, working under the mentorship of a variety of scientists and professionals. Positions such as GIS/Web Programmer, Computer Programmer, Chemist, Aquatic Ecologist, Remote Sensing Tech, Electronic Engineer, Oceanography Tech, and Communication / Outreach Specialist are filled each summer. Students work at the main GLERL lab in Ann Arbor, as well as in Muskegon, Michigan at the Lake Michigan Field Station and at the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Alpena, Michigan. This program provides talented students with a unique opportunity to work with Great Lakes professionals, and many students have gone on to employment or further studies in aquatic sciences as a result of the experience.

We are no longer accepting applications for this year's fellow program, but feel free to take a look at the 2008 Summer Fellowship Program Information and Applications page.

For more information on the Great Lakes Summer Student Fellowships, please contact Laura Florence.