§9709 National Weather Service hydrologic research fellowship program

Summary

Creates a hydrologic research fellowship program run by NOAA’s Assistant Administrator for Weather Services. The program gives fellowships to U.S. citizens who are in research-based graduate programs in fields that match the Assistant Administrator’s research priorities, like hydrology, earth or atmospheric science, computer science, engineering, environmental or geosciences, urban planning, or related social sciences. The Assistant Administrator sets the rules for the fellowships. Fellows are placed in federal executive-branch jobs to work on published research priorities. Fellowships last up to 2 years. Applicants from historically Black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions get preference. The research priorities, set with input from NOAA line offices, the U.S. Geological Survey, FEMA, and the Army Corps of Engineers, include things such as community-based water modeling, using AI and machine learning for hydrology, linking hydrologic work into Earth system models, better visual displays of model results, coupled fresh- and salt-water modeling, water quality processes, using in‑situ and satellite data, adding social science into decision tools, and studying groundwater sustainability and recharge. Defined terms (one line each): Assistant Administrator — the NOAA Assistant Administrator for Weather Services. Decision support services — information and data to help water-resource decisions. Institution of higher education — a college or university as defined in federal law. NOAA line offices — the National Ocean Service; the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service; the National Marine Fisheries Service; the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research; and the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations. Starting in fiscal year 2022 and after, a federal agency head may hire a fellowship graduate into a federal job without following most normal hiring rules (except sections 3303 and 3328 of title 5), if the person earned the qualifying degree, completed the fellowship in the executive branch, and meets Office of Personnel Management standards. The agency must make such a hire within 2 years after the fellow finishes the fellowship.