In place of @jukent, I just wanted to follow up with you all. As long as the project main mentor is an NCAR staff member, the co-mentor can be remote (i.e., anyone from the Pangeo community).
This is a funded internship program! So, please spread the word to the rest of the Pangeo community. If you are willing to be a co-mentor, please feel free to share your project ideas here.