Two UGA students selected for prestigious NOAA Hollings Scholarship

The NOAA Office of Education has selected two University of Georgia Franklin College of Arts and Sciences students, Margaret Needham and Adam "Grayson" Smith as Ernest F. Hollings undergraduate scholars for the class of 2025. Needham and Smith join 130 winners out of 820 applicants this year.

The Hollings Scholarship Program provides successful undergraduate applicants with awards that include academic assistance (up to $9,500 per year) for two years of full-time study and a 10-week, full-time paid ($700/week) internship at a NOAA facility during the summer, as well as funding to participate in two national scientific conferences.

The 2025 Hollings undergraduate scholars attended orientation from May 27-29, and will complete their 10-week internships during the summer of 2026. 

Both Needham and Smith are double majors in the geography and atmospheric sciences.

"I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be part of the 2025 Hollings Scholarship Class. From the moment I first heard about the scholarship during my freshman year, I knew it was something I wanted to work toward," said Needham, a rising junior from Woodstock, GA. "I had become close friends with UGA's previous Hollings scholars, and saw them as an inspiration. In the time since receiving the scholarship, I have met students from across the country and had the opportunity to visit NOAA Headquarters in Maryland. I look forward to continuing to work with both my peers and NOAA scientists as I prepare for my research project next summer." 

Hollings scholar alumni report that the experience influences their academic and career paths, expanding their professional networks and improving their skills for working in NOAA mission fields. 

"I feel truly grateful to have been awarded the NOAA Hollings scholarship. I believe it reflects the quality of education and training provided within the UGA Geography Department and the Atmospheric Science program," said Smith, a second-year student from Griffin, GA. "I am looking forward to continuing to learn more about the vital functions that NOAA provides to the people of the United States and to taking steps toward pursuing a career advancing those critical functions. 

Needham and Smith join total 10 winners of the NOAA Hollings Scholarship from the UGA department of geography and the Atmospheric Sciences Program, including 8 in the past 5 years.  

"Our students continue to excel and win prestigious awards at the undergraduate and graduate levels," said John Knox, Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of Geography, and associate director and undergraduate coordinator in the Atmospheric Sciences Program. "This year we had as many or more NOAA Hollings winners as the largest meteorology programs in the nation, the University of Oklahoma and Penn State University. The high quality of our program and our students, such as Meg and Grayson, is recognized nationally."

Image: Grayson Smith, left, and Margaret Needham.