Grant Supports a New Generation of Atmospheric Scientists

View from the summit of the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center's Whiteface Mountain Observatory.

ALBANY, N.Y. (September 9, 2016) -- The University at Albany is a part of a $11.9 million National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) award made to four minority serving institutions and their collaboration partners to train the next generation of atmospheric scientists.

UAlbany's Atmospheric Sciences Research Center (ASRC) and will partner with host Howard University to further the training of minority scientists in the atmospheric and meteorological sciences.

The five-year award is a continuation of a multiyear program award that has supported training since 2001.

"UAlbany is honored and privileged to partner with Howard University in this critically important endeavor to increase diversity in the atmospheric sciences and advance research directly relevant to the National Weather Service," said Everette Joseph, director of the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center. "UAlbany brings an excellent training environment and relevant expertise with the co-location of the NWS Weather forecast office, the NYS Mesonet, our College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity, and several NOAA funded grants at ASRC and the Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences. It is an important opportunity for us as we strive to provide a more diverse learning environment for our students."

The grant, through the Cooperative Science Center in Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology and Educational Partnership Program, is intended to address NOAA’s future workforce education goal of producing a diverse and skilled cadre of technical and environmentally literate professionals who will help shape the nation's future with a comprehensive understanding of the role of the oceans, coasts, and atmosphere in the global ecosystem.

The parent grant will be administered by Howard University and distributed to UAlbany and several minority serving institutions, Hispanic serving institutions, and historically black colleges and universities, including Pennsylvania State University, San Jose State University, and the University of Texas-El Paso. The long term goal of NOAA's Educational Partnership Program with minority serving institutions is to increase the number of students from underrepresented communities who earn undergraduate and advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Research and development at the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center spans a broad spectrum of scientific areas, including advanced sensor development, laboratory and field experiments in atmospheric chemistry, atmospheric physics, aerosol microphysics, remote sensing of the environment, global aerosol forecasting, air quality, climate change, scientific computing, and visual analytics.

About the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center
The Atmospheric Sciences Research Center was established in 1961 to promote and encourage programs in basic and applied sciences as related to the atmospheric environment. The Center performs world-class research to study the physical and chemical nature of the atmosphere and to apply that knowledge to the interaction of chemical, physical, geological and biological processes impacting the environment.

The combined work conducted by investigators in the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center and the University at Albany's Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, with its emphasis on weather forecasting and the measurement and prediction of extreme weather events, constitutes the largest program of education and research in the atmospheric sciences in New York state.

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