Student Opportunities at NWS Sioux Falls

Student Volunteer - NWS Sioux Falls will be unable to host student volunteers for calendar year 2025.

Eligibility: 

1. Undergraduate or Graduate Student majoring in Meteorology, Atmospheric Science, or Hydrology
2. GPA must be 3.0 or higher
3. Must be a U.S. Citizen

Time of Year: Summer

Length of Opportunity: Approximately 1-3 Months (in the May to August timeframe)

Paid: No

Most summers we bring in a student volunteer to work part-time at our office. The application period starts in December and ends in February. Since this is an unpaid position, we are flexible when it comes to hours/days worked. Many students have summer jobs or other commitments. Typically student volunteers come in 1-2 days a week for a 1 to 3 month time period (sometime May through August).

As a student volunteer, you will have the opportunity to work at an NWS forecast office and see how the forecasts are prepared. You can learn about AWIPS, NOAA Weather Radio, weather radar, and various other NWS tools. We will set up training shifts for specific forecast tasks, including public, aviation, hydrology, and severe weather. As opportunities arise, you may be able to visit remote equipment, go on storm damage surveys, or attend meetings with our partners. 

Basically, our goal is to give you experience shadowing and performing most of the duties of a entry-level meteorologist in the NWS. Also, we try to find a concise research project, such as a weather-event case study or local climate study, which can be completed during the summer that will have lasting benefit for your professional career and for our office.

Some students receive academic credit for their work here, but many do not. That is up to you and your academic advisor. If you want to receive academic credit, it is up to you to ensure the time/hours criteria are met and all of the necessary parties are notified of the requirements (advisor, SOO, etc).

Application Process:

Interested in becoming a student volunteer at NWS Sioux Falls? If so, we typically accept applications from prospective students from December 1 through February 28, and make selections in March.

1. To submit an application, click here.
2. Once the submission deadline has concluded, managers will select a panel of applicants to interview via Google Meet. If selected for an interview, you will be asked to provide an up to date transcript.
3. You will then be notified by March 31 if you have/haven't been selected to be a Summer Volunteer.
4. If selected, you will be required to complete a background check (which includes getting fingerprinted) to gain access to our office. This may cost a small fee. 
5. Once the background check clears, you will be notified and work with the program leader to come up with a schedule and start date for summer.

If you would like more information about our student volunteer program, feel free to contact brittany.peterson@noaa.gov.

Job Shadow

Available for: High School and College Students

Time of Year: Year Round

Length of Opportunity: Approximately 4-6 Hours

Throughout the course of the year, we offer a limited number of students to come into the office and shadow one of our meteorologists on shift for an allotted period of time. Students will start with a brief tour of the office and operational overview about who we are and what we do at the NWS. Students will then sit with a meteorologist as they perform their routine forecast duties. Forecast duties and tasks covered will depend on the current and forecast weather as well as student interest, but we will do our best to give you exposure to as many tasks of the shift as we can, including public forecasting, aviation forecasting, radar operations, observational analysis, hydrology, climate, etc.

To request a meteorologist job shadow, please fill out our online shadow request form and someone from our office staff will get in contact with you.

Pathways Internship (Formally known as SCEP)

On some occasions, a Meteorologist Pathways Internship is offered at our office. This program is designed to provide students enrolled in a wide variety of educational institutions, from high school to graduate level, with opportunities to work in agencies and explore Federal careers while still in school and while getting paid for the work performed. Students who successfully complete the program may be eligible for conversion to a permanent job in the civil service.

Additional information about the Internship Program can be found here: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-authorities/students-recent-graduates/#url=Program-Fact-Sheets

Ernest F. Hollings Internship

On some occasions, a Ernest F. Hollings Internship is offered at our office. This scholarship program is designed to:

1. Increase undergraduate training in oceanic and atmospheric science, research, technology, and education and foster multidisciplinary training opportunities;

2. Increase public understanding and support for stewardship of the ocean and atmosphere and improve environmental literacy;

3. Recruit and prepare students for public service careers with NOAA and other natural resource and science agencies at the federal, state and local levels of government; and

4. Recruit and prepare students for careers as teachers and educators in oceanic and atmospheric science and to improve scientific and environmental education in the United States.

For more information Go to: https://www.noaa.gov/office-education/hollings-scholarship/prospective for more information on the program.

Also, a link to a video from NOAA Education on the Hollings program.