CIRES Fellow Solomon Named to Time Magazine's 2008 List of World's 100 Most Influential People
Time magazine has named CIRES Fellow Susan Solomon to its fifth annual list of the world's 100 most influential people. In the Time piece describing Solomon, Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change wrote, "All scientists like to believe they will leave the world better than they found it. Susan Solomon of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration surely will. Having helped save the earth's atmosphere already, she is now playing a role in doing it again."ARCHIVE
CIRES to Host Symposium on Civilian Use of Unmanned Aircraft
The Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado will host a three-day symposium entitled Civilian Applications of Unmanned Aircraft Systems at its Boulder campus on October 1-3, 2007. In recent years, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) have received increased attention from such diverse users as scientists seeking to fill important data gaps in their research to federal agencies considering their use in border-patrol and wildfire-monitoring applications, among others. The purpose of the event is to develop an integrated vision of future UAS use in the United States through input from governmental agencies, academia, and industry.CIMMS Readies for First US-China Symposium on Mesoscale Meteorology
The Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies (CIMMS) is entering its final stages of preparation for the First US-China Symposium on Mesoscale Meteorology to be held in Norman, OK on February 26-28, 2008. The goals of the symposium are to define the state of knowledge in the two countries with regard to mesoscale meteorology and data assimilation, and to identify the most important challenges in the field for the next decade. The symposium will be organized into six half-day sessions: 1) observations of mesoscale phenomena; 2) theory of mesoscale phenomena; 3) data assimilation techniques and mesoascale applications; 4) simulations of mesoscale phenomena; 5) forecasting of mesoscale phenomena; and 6) connections between mesoscale phenomena, regional climate, and larger-scale circulation.Cooperative Institute for Climate Studies Announces Remote Sensing Workshop
The Cooperative Institute for Climate Studies at the University of Maryland recently announced plans for a three-week summer workshop entitled Application of Remotely Sensed Obervations in Data Assimilation. The workshop will take place from July 23 to August 10 on the College Park campus. The range of topics to be covered include 3D and 4D variational methods, ensemble Kalman filtering, radiative transfer models, and remote sensing and assimilation of satellite data. The syllabus will include lectures from experts in government and academia and practical exercises for the students. The workshop is open to recent Ph.D. recipients and graduate students at U.S. institutions who will receive their Ph.D. in atmospheric or related sciences prior to June 2008. On campus housing is available and support for travel and living expenses will be provided to participants.Newest NOAA Cooperative Institute to Hold Annual Conference
The 2007 Annual Northern Gulf Institute Conference, which will showcase NOAA's newest cooperative institute, has been set for May 16-17 in Biloxi, Mississippi. Created in October 2006, the Northern Gulf Institute (NGI) is a consortium of universities and research institutions led by Mississippi State University, in partnership with the University of Southern Mississippi, Louisiana State University, Florida State University, and Dauphin Island Sea Lab. The NGI conducts collaborative research with NOAA researchers and other NOAA partners under four scientific themes: (1) ecosystem management; (2) geospatial data integration and visualization; (3) climate change and variability effects on ecosystems; and (4) coastal hazards. The central goal of the conference is to further strengthen the collaborative efforts of academic, governmental, and non-governmental researchers and practitioners needed to address the ecosystem-wide challenges facing the Northern Gulf of Mexico region.JISAO Climate Impacts Group Receives 2007 King County Green Globe Award
The Climate Impacts Group (CIG) at the University of Washington's Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean (JISAO) was named a recipient of a King County 2007 Green Globe Award on April 13, 2007. Recipients of the Green Globe Award are recognized for leadership and activities that foster environmental stewardship by protecting the environment, managing natural resources, and benefiting the community. The CIG received the "Leader in Climate Science Award" for its work on understanding the consequences of natural climate variability and human-caused climate change for the people and resources of the Pacific Northwest. The King County Green Globe Awards were established on Earth Day 1997 to recognize outstanding achievement in environmental stewardship. The awards are given biennially by the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks.NOAA Holds Cooperative Institutes Annual Meeting
From February 13-15, NOAA held its Cooperative Institutes Directors & Financial Administrators Annual Meeting at its Silver Spring, MD, headquarters. The meeting updated Directors & Financial Administrators on NOAA's Research Plan, its recent initiatives in science education and regional collaboration, and changes in NOAA policy that impact Cooperative Institute (CI) operations, among other topics. In addition, the meeting provided CI Directors & Financial Administrators the opportunity to directly communicate their issues of concern to senior NOAA managers to ensure that CIs remain the balanced partnerships necessary to fulfill NOAA's myriad research needs.Immediately prior to the meeting, on February 12, NOAA held a CI Capabilities Fair to educate NOAA personnel about the capabilities available within NOAA's current network of 21 CIs and to educate CIs about NOAA program planning and research needs. The Fair culminated in a brainstorming session with CI Directors and NOAA Goal Team Program Managers that resulted in the identification of possible mechanisms of interaction between CIs and NOAA at appropriate steps of the NOAA planning cycle.
JISAO Employees Recognized for Contributions to Award-Winning CAMEO Program
JISAO Research Scientists Mary Evans and Carl Childs were recognized in November for their contributions to the CAMEO (Computer-Aided Management of Emergency Operations) program, recipient of the 2006 Department of Commerce Silver Medal. The Silver Medal is the second highest recognition the Department bestows and is granted "for exceptional performance characterized by noteworthy or superlative contributions." CAMEO is an integrated set of software modules designed to help first responders and emergency planners plan for and quickly respond to chemical accidents. In a letter from NOAA Emergency Response Division Chief William Conner to JISAO, Ms. Evans was acknowledged for her improvements to CAMEO's user interface and Dr. Childs was cited for his critical review of the program's algorithm development and documentation. Over the past two decades, CAMEO has become the most widely used chemical and emergency response and planning tool in the United States. Since 9/11, CAMEO has experienced a ten-fold increase in its use; over the last three years, there have been more than 200,000 downloads of CAMEO.
NOAA Reviews Two Cooperative Institutes
NOAA conducted science and administrative reviews of two of its Cooperative Institutes in October 2006. Sanctioned by the Science Advisory Board, the purpose of NOAA science reviews is to ensure that NOAA can achieve consistent standards of excellence in the research that it supports. NOAA science reviews are conducted by panels consisting of external technical experts, NOAA management, and non-NOAA users of NOAA scientific/technical products. NOAA also carries out an administrative review that examines the administrative procedures associated with the grant management at the Cooperative Institute and relevant parent institution(s). Because the administrative review focuses on requirements imposed by federal regulations for managing federal financial assistance, this review is conducted by NOAA employees with grants management experience.
From October 3-5, 2006, NOAA reviewed the Cooperative Institute for Climate Applications and Research at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, NY. From October 17-19, 2006, NOAA reviewed the Cooperative Institute for Oceanographic Satellite Studies at Oregon State University in Corvallis, OR. Summaries of these reviews will be presented at a future NOAA Science Advisory Board meeting, along with a written report that will describe the review panels' findings and recommendations in greater detail.
