Two Students Earn 2026 NOAA Hollings Scholarships
Two UNH students received the NOAA Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship this spring, earning them the opportunity to complete a paid summer internship at a NOAA facility next summer.
Ava Bjorkman ’28 and David Crory ’28 earned the honor, which includes the 10-week, full-time NOAA internship as well as a two-year academic award of $9,500 per year. UNH has had seven Hollings recipients in the past five years.
Bjorkman, from Westminster, Massachusetts, is an Honors College student and an environmental science: ecosystems and sustainability dual major. She hopes to build a career using science to help coastal communities prepare for and adapt to a changing climate.
Bjorkman developed a connection to the coast and the ocean at a young age, with generational family cottages in Maine and the Florida Keys. In those locations, her family has witnessed “the threat and destruction from climate change, including intensified storm surges and increased beach closures due to bacteria and pollution,” she says.
The Hollings Scholarship will allow Bjorkman to take the first steps in that journey. The internship selection process doesn’t begin until the fall, but she is hoping to work within the National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) System, potentially working in New Hampshire’s Great Bay or Maine’s NERR site in Wells.
“The Hollings Scholarship provides the kind of hands-on research, technology, and policy training that will help me make a meaningful impact in areas like the ones that have shaped my connection to the coast,” Bjorkman says. “Working alongside a 2025 Hollings Scholar in my research lab gave me insight into the benefits of the Hollings program and further inspired me to apply. I’m impressed by how the program has helped her and other scholars I know gain confidence and exposure that they feel will make them more qualified candidates for impact in the scientific community and post-grad success.”
Bjorkman is hoping the connections she builds within the NOAA community will help elevate some of her previous work to new levels. She has connections to the Surfrider Foundation – an organization “dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s ocean, waves, and beaches … through a powerful activist network” – as well as NH Sea Grant, and Mass Audubon, all of which helped her launch a coastal protection club, run local water quality research, and develop student-volunteer roles for water testing.
“The Hollings Scholarship is one of the most comprehensive undergraduate programs that provides federal-level climate experience to bridge research and policy, supporting my goal to not just study environmental science but also serve the community through science,” she says.
Crory, from New Ipswich, New Hampshire, is an Honors College student dual majoring in environmental sciences: ecosystems and sustainability. He has long admired NOAA as an organization; in fact, it was a part of his decision to choose environmental science as an area of focus at UNH.
He was particularly drawn to the organization’s focus on creating solutions to real world problems that “make the future brighter, safer, and more sustainable.”
“I've always had a love for the ocean, coasts, and estuaries, which NOAA specializes in. Being able to conduct research with this organization as an undergraduate was an experience I would find nowhere else – so I had to apply,” Crory says.
When the time comes to select his internship, Crory hopes to work on a project related to shoreline or estuary protection, or contamination of water by eutrophication or microplastics. A career goal of his is to work in research and conservation for an environmental government organization or nonprofit, and upon graduation from UNH, Crory hopes to either pursue a master’s degree or work for an organization like NOAA on coastal protection projects.
“Working with NOAA will help refine my independent research and field skills, allowing me to show future employers my capabilities,” he says.
Crory is also looking forward to the opportunity to become part of the network of Hollings Scholars, connecting with people who have built careers around similar interests and potentially opening professional doors down the road.
“You are introduced to so many different NOAA staff who have had lifelong careers in research, and you are connected to a hundred likeminded peers who are working on making the world more sustainable and increasing scientific knowledge,” Crory says. “The network will help me to discover new opportunities and build a career that I am the most passionate about, creating positive change along the way.”