Jake Kasitz of Gainesville named Mississippi State’s latest NOAA Hollings Scholar

Press release from Mississippi State University

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Jake Kasitz, a sophomore meteorology major from Gainesville, is Mississippi State’s latest recipient of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship, a prestigious award providing financial support and hands-on, practical experience to the next generation of NOAA-related scientists, policymakers, and educators.

The Hollings Scholarship program prepares undergraduates for careers in weather- and natural resource-related fields, including those with government agencies and educational institutions. Kasitz, an MSU Louis A. Hurst Jr. Presidential Endowed Scholar and student in the Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College, will receive up to $9,500 per year for two years of full-time study and a full-time, paid summer internship at a participating NOAA facility, providing him access to training in research, policy, management and educational activities. The scholarship includes travel funds to the NOAA Scholarship Program orientation and annual Science and Education Symposium and other conferences where students present their research, as well as a housing subsidy.

As a Bulldog, Kasitz engaged in undergraduate research with multiple Department of Geosciences faculty and took advantage of a study-abroad opportunity in the Bahamas, where he learned firsthand how local geography affects the islands’ weather and climate, and later conducted research on the microclimate of St. Kitts and Hurricane Idalia’s structure. He hopes to research the lesser-understood aspects of tropical cyclones, including how they undergo rapid intensification, at NOAA’s Hurricane Research Division after attending graduate school.

“When I toured Mississippi State, I could tell the faculty were overwhelmingly supportive of my goals and invested in helping me succeed,” he said. “MSU has provided many unique experiences that have been instrumental in my college journey. All of them have expanded my skill set and prepared me for the Hollings Scholarship.”