this aggie oceanography student spent her summer with the us navy oct 11 2017for three sweltering months this summer lauren replogle called the naval oceanographic office homea texas a&m department of oceanography graduate student replogle worked in the oceanographic office which plays a role in ocean forecasting and protecting us assets and personnel through an internship with the united states navy in mississippi the goal of that department is to provide global ocean forecasting capability using the navy ocean circulation models/hydrodynamic wave ocean circulation numerical models replogle said using those models they analyze and forecast ocean properties for the us navy scientists within the department run and maintain the ocean models collect and quality-control ocean observing data sets and prepare forecasting products that align with the navys mission objectives they also develop and maintain data basis of oceanographic observations and collect observations on oceanographic service ships that deploy oceanographic sensing devices such as gliders profiling floats and buoys she explained as a student in the science mathematics and research for transformation defense scholarship for service program (smart) a stem-focused department of defense program for undergraduate and graduate students an internship was a requirement for replogle different facilities within the department of defense hand-pick students who align with that facilities mission or goal she said the department of defense will then pay for your education and then however many years they pay for you work that amount of years back she was introduced to the program simply by walking the halls of the o&m building seeing a bulletin-board flyer and then consulting with dr don conlee an atmospheric sciences professor about the opportunity students apply for the program just as they would any other scholarship i was selected to work for the naval oceanographic office within the program said replogle that office will provide funding for my masters degree and then following that i will work two years of service in the navy although two years are required replogle plans to continue working there after those are over it's something that i really enjoy and it makes me feel like i am contributing to society and the protection of the country through the same goal as the military she said for undergraduates hoping to follow in her footsteps and attend graduate school replogle had this advice: find a professor with your research interest and ask to work under them so you can get experience in researching; and participate in undergraduate research scholars replogle graduated in 2016 with a bachelors of science in meteorology with a minor in oceanography from texas a&m her undergraduate education helped her this summer she said by taking classes such as ocean observing systems and data methods in geosciences as well as my background in meteorology and understanding how coupled atmospheric ocean models work it gave me a full understanding of how to produce products that fit the objectives of the us navy one of the most important things replogle learned this summer was how hard both uniformed and civilian people work to keep the country safe through oceanographic information by taylor fuechec top: lauren replogle texas a&m university; malarie obrien coastal carolina university bottom: katie david tulane university; patrick saylor dartmouth university photo courtesy of the us navy