Seminar: Howard University Graduate Program in Atmospheric Science and NOAA Center for Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology: Challenges, Priorities, and Opportunities

Abstract

The Howard University Graduate Program in Atmospheric Science (HUPAS) is an advanced degree-granting interdisciplinary program offering the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in atmospheric science. Established by the Howard University Board of Trustees in 1997. HUPAS is dedicated to preparing students from traditionally underrepresented groups for leadership careers in atmospheric science and related fields.

Around 1999, the NOAA Educational Partnership Program (EPP) with Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) planned to increase the number of students, particularly from traditionally underrepresented and historically excluded communities, who are trained and graduate in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), natural resource management and policy fields that directly support NOAA’s mission. Thus, the NOAA Cooperative Science Centers were made in 2001. The Center proposed themes that align with NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Ready Nation (WRN), Impact-based Decision Support Services (IDSS), and the NOAA Science Advisory Board Report on Priorities for Weather Research (PWR). The NOAA funding has enabled HUPAS to become the nation’s leader in producing minority Ph.Ds in Atmospheric Sciences. Given the success of Howard University in this and related fields, the Department of Earth, Environment, and Equity (EEE) was established within the College of Arts and Sciences (COAS).

Currently, NCAS-M collaborates with NOAA and NOAA stakeholders in support of this mission in three thematic areas: 1) Innovative observations for advancing climate, weather, and air quality analysis and prediction; 2) Interdisciplinary scientific research to support modeling and forecasting activities for building community resilience against extreme weather, water, atmospheric, and climate events; 3) Integrated research in support of building public safety through Impact-Based Decision Support Services (IDSS). This presentation will highlight some recent research progress in hurricane modeling, machine learning on atmospheric rivers, air quality bias correction, and atmospheric boundary layer.