Conn student awarded NOAA scholarship

Leah Kosovsky ’22 has been awarded an Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) office of education announced. 

Kosovsky, a biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology major with an environmental studies minor, will receive an academic scholarship, paid summer internship opportunities and funding to participate in national scientific conferences.

“I’m really grateful for this opportunity, as this scholarship will allow me to gain further research experience and learn from a new network of scientists,” said Kosovsky, who plans on researching microplastics as part of her senior integrative project as a scholar in the College’s Goodwin Niering Center for the Environment.

Kosovsky is a member of the club soccer and hockey teams and has participated in many community learning  projects, including women in stem, Relay for Life and Conn’s Learn to Skate program, which introduces the sport of hockey to students who have recently immigrated to the U.S.

“Leah will be an excellent addition to the program. She is ambitious, organized, interested and intelligent,” said Marc Zimmer, Jean C. Tempel '65 Professor of Chemistry and Chair of the Chemistry Department.

“She is particularly interested in oceanographic pollution and is the ideal student for a NOAA fellowship for she is not just an excellent student, she is also engaged and passionate.” 

This year, 733 applications were submitted for the Hollings scholarship, along with the Educational Partnership Program with Minority Serving Institutions (EPP/MSI) Undergraduate Scholarship. The selected applicants of both NOAA undergraduate scholarship programs come from a total of 81 different campuses in 35 U.S. states, as well as Puerto Rico.

The Hollings Scholarship Program provides successful undergraduate applicants with awards that include academic assistance (up to $9,500 per year) for two years of full-time study and a 10-week, full-time paid ($700 per week) internship at a NOAA facility during the summer.