First USU student to earn NOAA scholarship

Utah State University junior Peter Doust has been awarded the Ernest F. Hollings National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Scholarship, which provides up to $9,500 annually for two years and a paid 10-week summer internship at a NOAA facility in the United States.  

“I was very surprised that I got it. It was not on my radar at all,” Doust said.  

The NOAA focuses on all aspects of Earth’s environment and encompasses several line offices, with the most well-known office being the National Weather Service. Other offices include the National Ocean Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Marine & Aviation Operations, Office of Oceanic & Atmospheric Research and more. NOAA’s mission is to better understand the natural world and predict changes in climate, weather, oceans and coasts. 

 With a passion for aquatic ecosystems and environmental science, Doust is pursuing a dual major in fisheries and aquatic sciences and in freshwater and marine ecology, fields that align closely with NOAA’s mission to better understand and protect our planet’s aquatic environments. 

 “They do a lot of stuff that we take for granted, which is cool but sad at the same time,” Doust said. 

The Hollings Scholarship Program is named after a senator from South Carolina who played a major role in ocean policy and conservation while he was in office. He also played a major role in the establishment of NOAA. When Hollings retired in 2005, the scholarship program was established in his honor.  

Not only was Doust one of the 128 out of 829 applicants to receive the scholarship, but he also said

that he is the first USU student to receive it.  

“It’s a really big honor to be the first USU student to receive this scholarship,” Doust said. 

Doust and Londonrose Lee from the University of Utah are the first Utah students since 2015 to receive the scholarship. 

The full-time paid internship that all scholarship recipients receive gives them the opportunity to do research at any NOAA facility in the United States. Doust is currently looking into an internship at the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science Beaufort Laboratory in North Carolina, one of the oldest marine research laboratories. 

Doust said that he has always loved fish and has a passion for protecting the species that live in and rely on freshwater, so much so that he purchased a freshwater fish store in Murray, Utah called The Waterfront SLC in 2021. He said the purchase helped him get into a fishkeeping and aquarium hobby, and he had over 50 aquariums in his house at one point.   

“My main goal is protecting our beautiful ecosystems that we have, especially here in Utah,” Doust said.  

Doust received the information about the NOAA scholarship the day before applications were due after receiving a text from the associate dean at Salt Lake Community College, Jessica Berryman who was Doust professor and manager.  

 “Having research experience, as well as a reliable proactive nature to him, made him a good candidate,” Berryman said. “I’m very excited for him to have this opportunity.”  

Doust said that he received the text around 8 p.m. and stayed up until 3 a.m. to complete the application requirements, which included seven essays. The next morning, he received two letters of recommendation and was then able to submit his application on time.  

“He would show up and look for ways to help others and was engaged with many different projects,” Berryman said.  

His recent research opportunities this past summer have allowed him to work with grad students during their research in Logan. Their research involved checking to see at what point in the year the water stopped flowing in creeks going to the Logan River. Another opportunity he had last summer was to do stream surveying in Moab, Utah.  

Doust said that USU is one of the best environments for students to apply for the Ernest F. Hollings NOAA scholarship. USU has a variety of programs, such as the atmospheric program, that Doust said align with the NOAA goals.  

“It’s one of those scholarships that is definitely worth more students knowing about, especially up here at USU,” Doust said. 

He said that not only will students benefit, but the entirety of USU would benefit from listing this scholarship as an option for students to apply for.  

“I think that a lot of students would really benefit, whether that be from natural resources or from the atmospheric programs or aviation,” Doust said.