From the Desk of the Founding Director

The City University of New York Remote Sensing Earth System Institute (CUNY CREST) High School Initiative in Remote Sensing of the Earth Systems Engineering and Sciences (HIRES) in its 10th year has supported more than 200 high school students from within the 5 boroughs of New York City (NYC) public schools. Most interns are traditionally underrepresented and historically excluded in STEM learning and outreach opportunities. A 7-week college readiness program, HIRES has created a community of practice of informal Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, (STEM) and K12 educators. 

The program instills confidence and provides learning opportunities to its interns, along with authentic research experiences in Earth System Sciences and Environmental Engineering and 3 College credits. Besides a structured program, the CUNY CREST HIRES community believes and instills soft skills and knowledge within each intern to help them bridge into STEM careers and be college ready in the Earth and geosciences with a focus on NOAA’s mission of science, service and stewardship. 

For many of our interns, CUNY CREST HIRES provides several firsts- having a mentor, learning to utilize software, conducting research and at world-class labs, presenting research to a large audience, participating in public speaking workshops, and attending professional development workshops. As the founding Director of the HIRES program, I am proud to celebrate along with the HIRES team its 10 years of success. Building a community through this program is personally significant to me as I firmly believe that early education is essential for cultivating confident and resilient future STEM professionals.