Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771

ENGINEERING COLLOQUIUM

Monday, March 27, 2006 / 3:30 PM, Building 3 Auditorium

Dr. J. Marshall Shepherd

"Katrina and Her Brothers and Sisters: The 2004 and 2005 Hurricane Season and The Unique Scientific View Gained From Space."

ABSTRACT -- The 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons were devastating reminders of the power of nature. Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and others have caused socio-economic hardship for the Nation and sparked scientific debate on why recent storms have been so severe. However, it is clear that satellite-based remote sensing continues to provide critical data for both operational requirements and scientific inquiry. In this talk, we examine the following topics: (1) the great hurricane-climate change debate, (2) the unique scientific perspectives that Earth observing satellites contributed to the 2004-2005 storms, and (3) an outlook on the 2006 season and beyond.

SPEAKER -- Dr. J. Marshall Shepherd joined the Department of Geography at the University of Georgia in January 2006. He is an Associate Professor in the Department's growing Atmospheric Sciences program. Prior to joining the UGA faculty, Dr. J. Marshall Shepherd was a research meteorologist in the Earth-Sun Division at NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center. Dr. Shepherd was also Deputy Mission Scientist for the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission, which launches in 2010. For the past 13 year, he has conducted research into weather and climate systems using advanced satellites, experimental aircraft, radars, and sophisticated computer models. This research seeks to understand weather processes (i.e. thunderstorms, hurricanes, rainfall) atmospheric processes and to relate them to current weather and climate change. Dr. Shepherd received the highest federal award given to the Nation's young scientists and engineers. He was honored on May 4, 2004 at the White House with the Presidential Early Career Award for pioneering scientific research. He was also honored by Black Enterprise Magazine recently as one of their 2005 Hot List members, and The Network Journal magazine in 2005 as one of its "40 Under Forty".

Dr. Shepherd received his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D in physical meteorology from Florida State University. He was the first African American to receive a Ph.D from the Florida State University Department of Meteorology, one of the nation's oldest and respected. He is an AMS/TRW Industry and Dolores Auzene Fellow as well as a National Achievement Scholar. He is a member of Sigma Xi Research Honorary, Chi Epsilon Pi Meteorology Honorary, and Omicron Delta Kappa National Honorary. He is also a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. During the Hurricane Seasons of 2004 and 2005, Dr. Shepherd appeared in over 50 media interviews including the Today Show, Larry King Live, CNN, Fox News, and several others. Dr. Shepherd serves the broader community in many capacities as a reviewer, panel member, editor, and expert. He was also recently elected to the American Meteorological Society Council.