NDPTC commences its first annual summer internship program

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Contact:
Ashley Bareng, (808) 725-5234
Delivery Operations Coordinator, NDPTC, Urban and Regional Planning
Posted: Jun 22, 2015

National Disaster Preparedness Training Center
National Disaster Preparedness Training Center

On Monday, June 22, 2015, the National Disaster Preparedness Training Center (NDPTC) will commence its first annual Joint Science Internship for Pacific Resilience and Security (JSIPRS) program.  On Monday, NDPTC will be kicking off the program with a by-invitation-only welcome ceremony for the four selected interns at the downtown Honolulu NDPTC offices. During the event, the interns will share their backgrounds and meet with NDPTC staff.

Last year, NDPTC Weather and Climate Program Manager and Internship Coordinator Owen Shieh met with some U.S service academies, discussed the mission and focus of NDPTC, and introduced the NDPTC JSIPRS program. After the meetings concluded, each of the academies selected internship candidates to send to Pearl Harbor -- the crossroads of the Pacific -- for participation in the NDPTC summer internship program.

NDPTC is excited to welcome the four interns who have been selected to participate in this year’s internship program.

  • CDT Colby HydeU.S. Military Academy, West Point, NY.  Cadet Hyde graduated from Eagle High School in Eagle, ID, in 2010. While there he conducted undergraduate research with the Department of Geosciences, analyzing geothermal well drilling and induced seismic events in Eastern Oregon. In 2012, Cadet Hyde transferred to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, declaring a double major in Environmental Science and Mandarin Chinese. His academic interests include environmental security and sustainability, as well as the geosciences of natural disasters, especially in East and Southeast Asia.
  • MIDN Hank Glenn, U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD.  Midshipman Glenn graduated from Greenwood High School in Bowling Green, KY, in 2011 and also attended Western Kentucky University for one year. He then transferred to the U.S. Naval Academy as a member of the Class of 2016. Midshipman Glenn declared oceanography as his major as a freshman. In May 2014, he participated in the Naval Academy Severe Weather In-Field Training (SWIFT) internship with a team of fellow midshipmen to observe thunderstorms and tornados in the Great Plains. This internship further inspired Midshipman Glenn to pursue his interests in tornado and hurricane research, particularly with improving the prediction of these violent storm systems in order to protect the people who may be caught in their paths.
  • MIDN Jed Salonga, U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD.  Midshipman Salonga graduated from Pacifica High School in Garden Grove, CA, and attended the Naval Academy Preparatory School from 2011 to 2012. He is now pursuing a degree in Ocean Engineering at the U.S. Naval Academy. He will commission in May 2016 and is planning to first serve as a Surface Warfare Officer. Ultimately, he plans to lateral transfer into the Civil Engineer Corps to work with Seabees and engineers. Midshipman Salonga is interested in learning about structural engineering and the coastal environment, and how these two areas of study relate to each other.
  • CDT Sarah Hill, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO.  Cadet Hill was born and raised in the small town of Elkhorn, Nebraska. Growing up in “tornado alley,” she witnessed many devastating storms, which ultimately sparked her interest in severe weather.  She was inspired her to pursue this field of study at the U.S. Air Force Academy after graduating from high school in 2012. She majors in meteorology, with a particular interest in tornados and other aspects of severe weather. Cadet Hill is currently working on a research project on the frequency of lightning flashes prior to tornadogenesis, particularly with regard to storms along the Front Range of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Ultimately, her research goal is to contribute to the task of increasing tornado warning lead times.

The NDPTC JSIPRS internship program will be held over a span of three weeks.  The program is designed to integrate science into decision-making, and to motivate interns to think critically and apply their earth science and/or engineering education to the most pressing civil-military issues in the field of disaster management in a region of the world frequently plagued by natural disasters. The internship will expose the interns to real world challenges in natural hazards training, forecasting and management.  The four participating interns, sponsored by their respective academies, are traveling to Honolulu for the program. They will work directly with NDPTC by contributing to the training course development department and also exploring the offices and operations of some NDPTC partner organizations and as well as other government agencies.

Over the course of the internship, the interns will identify a research need that he or she will later develop into a senior capstone project. On the last day of the program, July 10, 2015, the interns will share their internship program experiences and highlight their identified research needs during a seminar hosted by NDPTC at the National Oceanic Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) Inouye Regional Center on Ford Island.  At the event, they will be able to network with local scientists and officers.

NDPTC is very excited to welcome the four interns for the first annual NDPTC JSIPRS internship program and for the opportunity to provide them with mentorship and exposure to Pacific-based organizations/agencies, scientists, officers and other individuals for the cultivation of relationships and networks. Dr. Karl Kim, who serves as executive director of NDPTC, said he is looking forward to the upcoming program: “The mission of the Center is to build resilient communities through training, education and research on natural hazards. We are delighted to work with and support these outstanding individuals from the service academies. This is an important part of the NDPTC's efforts to increase our nation's preparedness and capabilities to respond to and recover from disasters.”

The National Disaster Preparedness Training Center (NDPTC) is a member of the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium, which was expanded in 2007 to address all-hazards capabilities by the addition of the University of Hawai‘i. The NDPTC is authorized to develop and deliver training and educational programs related to homeland security and disaster management, with a specific focus on natural hazards, coastal communities and the special needs and opportunities of islands and territories. The NDPTC actively engages internally with FEMA and the University of Hawai‘i, as well as with external partners across the region to integrate the delivery of its trainings, products and services

The Department of Urban and Regional Planning in the College of Social Sciences at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa fosters a multidisciplinary set of intellectual and practical tools to improve the quality of life for present and future generations, both locally and globally, through planning, public policy and social collaboration.

The College of Social Sciences (CSS) at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa  is engaged in a broad range of research endeavors that address fundamental questions about human behavior and the workings of local, national and international political, social, economic and cultural institutions. Its vibrant student-centered academic climate supports outstanding scholarship through internships, and active and service learning approaches to teaching that prepare students for the life-long pursuit of knowledge.