engaging a broader and more diverse community
Diversity extends beyond "vital statistics" to include diversity of disciplines, ideas, scientific background and approaches to problem solving. With a rich diversity in disciplines and a broad outreach component that spans all three programs within the SERE Laboratory, SERE provides scientific information to stakeholders, policy makers and the public. Through international programs, convocations of physical and social scientists representing a wide range of disciplinary skills, SERE demonstrates its commitment to engaging a broader community in the atmospheric sciences. This priority area will continue to be a focus in the coming years.
El Nino Affairs in Spanish
Logo of the Disaster Dynamics project 2003-2008
During FY06, the Center for Capacity Building (CCB) prepared a website in Spanish for Spanish-speaking researchers and educators in the Western Hemisphere about the concept of the "Affairs" template. The team assembled Spanish and Portuguese-language materials (peer-reviewed articles, grey literature, books, governmental and non-governmental organization reports, and images) and compiled a selective bibliography related to important El Niño-related topics that encompass science, ecology, economics, health, history, law, and ethics. The overarching purpose of this activity is to empower the Spanish-speaking community working on climate, water, and weather issues. Considerable capacity (and knowledge) exists in Latin America, and this website is being designed to underscore the wider range of climate-related literature that exists in the Spanish language.
During FY07, the website, which includes an extensive listing of links to El Niño information in Spanish (and, to a lesser extent, Portuguese) was updated and expanded by CCB summer visitors, who coordinated biweekly updates to the site. Several PowerPoint presentations on such topics as El Nino Affairs and Climate Affairs, created by CCB staff, were translated into Spanish and added to the website.
The proposal that was prepared for El Nino Affairs in South America is being distributed to interested parties in the region, with the aim of securing additional funds for this initiative in FY08.
Research team:
Michael Glantz, CCB
Elsa Galarza, Universidad del Pacifico, Peru
Ivan Ramirez, Michigan State University
Lino Naranjo Diaz, MeteoGalicia, Spain
The project was supported by the National Science Foundation through its funding of the SERE Laboratory.
Enhancing Diversity in Areas of Earth Systems Science
Climate change, undulating weather patterns and the availability of water resources because of changes in precipitation are not limited to specific geographic domains, national boundaries, or economic sectors. Nor should the scientists and professionals who work to ensure that the knowledge needed to understand the coupled natural and human systems be limited because of ‘boundaries.' The SERE Laboratory is developing and implementing a plan of action to ensure that the scientific professionals in areas of earth systems science better reflect the demographics of the world's population. Development of this action plan requires an understanding of the reasons why the professionals in these areas of science include too few members of diverse populations and how to overcome existing barriers to be more inclusive.
During FY07, the SERE Laboratory, in partnership with CISL, collaborated with the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) to develop a theme and place-based research and education plan to involve faculty members and students from 16 tribal colleges and universities (TCU) in the science of earth systems science. This plan includes a tiered mentoring process that will involve NCAR and UCAR university scientists and researchers that will work collaboratively with TCU faculty on research projects of specific interest to the regions where the TCU are located. This effort is in further collaboration with NASA and Haskell Indian Nations University.
Also underway in FY07 was the development of a Memorandum of Understanding between NCAR and several Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Led by Howard University in Washington, DC, this MOU will provide a more structured collaborative platform with these institutions. Also included in the MOU discussions are Jackson State University in Jackson, MS, AT&T State University in Greensboro, NC and Hampton University in Hampton, VA.
During FY08, it is anticipated that a pilot of the collaborative program with AIHEC will be initiated, the MOU with HBCUs will be in place, and discussions will begin with the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities to initiate a similar MOU as the one with the HBCUs. It is anticipated that the number of collaborations and NCAR/SERE Visiting Scientists and students from colleges and universities that have diverse student populations will significantly increase.
Research Team:
Denise Stephenson Hawk, PhD, Lead, NCAR Associate Director and SERE Director
Michael Glantz, PhD, Director, SERE/CCB
Richard Loft, PhD, CISL
Al Kuslikis, STEM Program Coordinator, AIHEC, Alexandria, VA
Matthew Gilligan, PhD, Savannah State University, Savannah, GA
Albert George, PhD, Director of Educational Programs, Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta, GA
Gregory Jenkins, PhD, Professor of Atmospheric Science, Howard University, Washington, DC
Everette Joseph, PhD, Professor of Atmospheric Science, Howard University, Washington, DC
Mary Atwater, PhD, Professor of Science Education, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Quinton Williams, PhD, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS
Funding for this area is provided by the National Science Foundation.
Career Planning Opportunities for Graduate Students
Postdoctorate Preparation Workshop: 16-18 2007
The Postdoctoral Preparation Workshop, held 16-18 April 2007, provided opportunities for graduate students to discuss career development topics at NCAR.
The National Center for Atmospheric Research and the University of Colorado Diversity Initiative collaborated to convene and host a workshop in April 2007 designed to engage graduate students in a series of career planning activities for the express purpose of preparing them for rewarding and productive postdoctoral opportunities in a broad spectrum of science and engineering fields. The workshop was particularly aimed at engaging participants from underrepresented groups in the geosciences.
The program included presentations and panel discussions by funding agency representatives, successful postdoctoral fellows, early career scientists, engineers and university faculty along with scientific staff from NCAR. The presenters described strategies to identify postdoctoral positions that are best suited to long-term career objectives, and worked with participants to enhance their competitiveness in this market. A total of 15 graduate students participated in the workshop along with 15 presenters and panelists.
The Postdoctoral Preparation Workshop was sponsored by the National Science Foundation.
Weather and Society * Integrated Studies (WAS*IS)
Disasters like Hurricane Katrina remind us that weather events extend beyond the physical sciences. Much remains to be done to translate weather forecast information to its related societal benefits and impacts. To achieve this broader communication, it is essential to connect meteorology and social science. Complementing other programs, such as the American Meteorological Society (AMS) Policy Program, the Weather and Society * Integrated Studies (WAS*IS) program is facilitating this connection in a grassroots way by (a) building an interdisciplinary community of practitioners, researchers, and stakeholders who are committed to this direction; and (b) providing this community with opportunities to learn and discuss related tools and concepts. Primarily, WAS*IS is implemented through workshops. To date, 145 people have participated in WAS*IS.
Summer 2007 WAS*IS workshop, Boulder, Colorado
Following on the momentum of the initial three WAS*IS workshops held in FY06, WAS*IS held two additional workshops in FY07 -- an Australia WAS*IS workshop held January 28-February 2, 2007, in Mount Macedon, Australia; and the 2007 Summer WAS*IS workshop held 12-20 July 2007, in Boulder, CO. Participants represented a variety of disciplines, including anthropology, climatology, communication, geography, health sciences, and meteorology. Also in FY07, a manuscript describing the WAS*IS program was accepted for publication in the November 2007 Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.
FY08 activities will begin with a National Weather Service (NWS) WAS*IS workshop in October to be attended by 20 NWS employees who have participated in past workshops. This “advanced” workshop is an opportunity to take the next step towards integrating social sciences into the operations of the NWS. To further expand the WAS*IS community, staff will convene another WAS*IS workshop, contingent upon funding, in summer 2008. To complement the workshops, staff will continue developing a WAS*IS compendium that highlights successful research projects and cooperative efforts. Finally, WAS*IS staff will conduct a formal evaluation of the program to ensure that the WAS*IS program is meeting its goals and to guide future programmatic directions.
This project also contributes to NCAR Goal 2, priorities 1 and 2; and Goal 3, priorities 2 and 3.
Collaborators:
Jeff Lazo, PhD, Societal Impacts Program / Research Applications Laboratory / Institute for the Study of Society and Environment
Julie Demuth, Institute for the Study of Society and Environment / Research Applications Laboratory
Eve Gruntfest, PhD, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, Colorado
Sheldon Drobot, PhD, University of Colorado-Boulder
Rebecca Morss, PhD, NCAR/Mesoscale and Microscale Meteorology / Institute for the Study of Society and Environment
Mary Hayden, PhD, SERE/Advanced Study Program / Institute for the Study of Society and Environment
Amanda Lynch, PhD, Monash University, Australia (Aus WAS*IS)
Core funding for this program is provided by NCAR's Collaborative Program on the Societal Impacts and Economic Benefits of Weather Information (SIP), which is funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration through the U.S. Weather Research Program; the SERE/Institute for the Study of Society and Environment; UCAR's Visiting Scientist Program; and the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs. Additional funding was provided for the Australia WAS*IS workshop by the Monash Sustainability Institute, the Australian Research Council Network for Earth System Science, the Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology, and Emergency Management Australia. The WAS*IS compendium is being supported by the NCAR Climate and Weather Impact Assessment Science Program. The FY08 NWS WAS*IS workshop is being supported by the NWS Office of Climate, Water, and Weather Services.