15 U.S.C. § 9709: National Weather Service hydrologic research fellowship program

The term “Assistant Administrator” means the Assistant Administrator for Weather Services of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The term “decision support services” means information, including data and refined products, that supports water resources-related decision-making processes. The term “institution of higher education” has the meaning given that term in section 1001 of title 20 . The National Ocean Service. The National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service. The National Marine Fisheries Service. The Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research. The Office of Marine and Aviation Operations. The Administrator shall establish a hydrologic research fellowship program (in this section referred to as the “program”) for qualified individuals. a citizen of the United States; and hydrology; earth sciences; atmospheric sciences; computer sciences; engineering; environmental sciences; geosciences; urban planning; or related social sciences. Fellowships under the program shall be awarded pursuant to guidelines established by the Assistant Administrator. In selecting qualified individuals for participation in the program, the Assistant Administrator shall give preference to applicants from historically Black colleges and universities and minority-serving institutions. The program shall support the placement of qualified individuals in positions within the executive branch of the Federal Government where such individuals can address and advance the research priorities developed by the Assistant Administrator under paragraph (7). A fellowship under the program shall be for a period of up to 2 years. Advance the collaborative development of a flexible community-based water resources modeling system. Apply artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities to advance existing hydrologic modeling capabilities. Support the evolution and integration of hydrologic modeling within an Earth Systems Modeling Framework. Improve visualizations of hydrologic model outputs. Advance the state of coupled freshwater and salt water modeling and forecasting capabilities. Advance understanding and process representation of water quality parameters. Advance the assimilation of in-situ and remotely sensed observations and data. Support the integration of social science to advance decision support services. Develop methods to study groundwater sustainability and estimate the efficiency of recharge management. earned a degree from a program described in subsection (b)(2)(B); successfully fulfilled the requirements of the fellowship within the executive branch of the Federal Government; and meets qualification standards established by the Office of Personnel Management. The direct hire authority provided by this subsection shall be exercised with respect to an individual described in paragraph (1) not later than 2 years after the date on which the individual completed the fellowship under the program.