NASA’s Operation IceBridge, a survey of polar ice, carried out parallel flights in the north and south poles for the first time in seven years. The mission to the Antarctic Peninsula recorded a big drop in height of the two … Continue reading NASA’s Operation IceBridge confirms observations on ice shelf collapse, JCET researcher Shuman explains
For twenty years JCET has brought leading scientists to UMBC in research areas that align with NASA’s Earth science interests, such as climate and radiation, atmospheric chemistry and dynamics, and solar system sciences, including geophysics. UMBC is now ranked among the world’s top universities for geosciences. Continue reading NASA renews partnership with UMBC’s JCET for $46 million over five years
The new funding will “enable closer connections between NASA and universities, which simplifies sharing ideas and performing joint research and technology development,” Jan Merka says. He emphasizes, “Another significant benefit is connecting students with research opportunities and mentors in heliophysics.” Continue reading UMBC to receive $10 million from NASA to support sun and space environment research
Noah Sienkiewicz, the NASA recipient, says UMBC’s partnerships with the agency helped set him up for success. “I’ve gotten to be more exposed to actual NASA work, and sit in meetings with NASA officials,” he says. “So, as far as the childhood dream of ‘I want to work for NASA,’ I feel like it’s been a great stepping stone to doing that.” Continue reading NASA, Dept. of Energy grant prestigious research awards to UMBC physics Ph.D. students
“Now we have so much raw data. So how do we analyze it? How do we make it useful for the research community?” asks Jianwu Wang. As data archives balloon, the capabilities of artificial intelligence are rapidly increasing. There is also an urgent need to understand Earth’s systems as they shift due to climate change. All of these factors drove Wang and his collaborators to find ways to help researchers access satellite data much faster. Continue reading NASA awards UMBC team $1.4M to develop AI that improves how computers process climate data from satellites
NASA has served as “a role model and inspirational force,” that has led people to reach for the stars for generations, shares Dean Bill LaCourse. “The Earth and Space Institute is our opportunity to reach for new heights,” he says. “To take that chance in the name of science, commitment, passion, and basic human curiosity.” Continue reading UMBC dedicates new Earth and Space Institute, building on decades of NASA collaboration
Belay Demoz enjoys directing JCET because of its dual educational and scientific focus. “I’ve always believed in the goal of JCET to connect scientists and students,” he shares, noting that it’s been especially important to him to increase these opportunities for students from underrepresented groups. Continue reading Belay Demoz, director of JCET and leading climate scientist, elected as a fellow of the American Meteorological Society
“This grant—and the important partnership it represents—will enable us to continue research that advances science and benefits our state and beyond,” says President Freeman Hrabowski. “Moreover, it will create opportunities for students to prepare for careers by working alongside world-class experts.” Continue reading CRESST II space science consortium to receive $87.5 million from NASA Goddard
Jasper Lewis and Simone Lolli just received the 2016 Alan Berman Research Publication Award for results that show a new role for wispy cirrus clouds in regulating Earth’s temperature. Continue reading UMBC’s JCET researchers discover new wrinkle in the role of clouds in climate change
Will longer growing seasons help slow climate change, or will increased drought speed it up? New research demonstrates a remote-sensing technique has the potential to help us figure that out, and follow-up studies are already putting it to work. Continue reading UMBC’s Huemmrich uses NASA satellite to measure effects of climate change on evergreen forests
“It has proven an unfathomable tool,” says JCET researcher Erricos Pavlis. “It has produced much higher-quality results than were originally expected.” Continue reading NASA and UMBC scientists gather to celebrate LAGEOS on its 40th anniversary in orbit
The Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) connected to NOAA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) is NASA’s new tool to provide scientists with a unique perspective of the Earth’s clouds, land surfaces, and aerosols. EPIC captures measurements in visible, ultraviolet, and … Continue reading New NASA camera gives scientists an EPIC perspective of Earth, UMBC researcher explains
Dr. Belay Demoz has been appointed as Professor in the Department of Physics and Director of the Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology (JCET), a cooperative center between UMBC and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). Dr. Demoz’s appointment will be effective August 1, 2014. Dr. Demoz joins the UMBC community from Howard University where he held the position of Professor of Physics and Atmospheric Science. Prior to his appointment at Howard University, he served as a Physical Scientist at NASA GSFC from 2002 to 2008. Between 1998 and 2002 he held the position of Research Assistant Professor at UMBC … Continue reading Dr. Belay Demoz Appointed Director of UMBC’s Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology (JCET)
NASA and UMBC issued a joint press release August 2nd announcing the first measurement-based estimate of the amount and composition of tiny airborne particles that arrive in the air over North America each year. Co-authored by Lorraine Remer, senior research scientist and Tianle Yuan, research associate in the climate and radiation laboratory of UMBC’s Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology (JCET), along with NASA and University of Maryland, College park scientists the study determined that it was dust and not pollution which constituted the main ingredient in small airborne particles which arrive in the air over North America every year. The results published … Continue reading Lorraine Remer, Tianle Yuan JCET, Co-Authors Study on Foreign Aerosol Imports
The Geography and Environmental Systems Seminar presents Michael Studinger, project scientist for Operation IceBridge, Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology (JCET), UMBC and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. The seminar, “NASA’s Operation IceBridge: Using Instrumented Aircraft to Bridge the Observational Gap Between ICESat and ICESate-2 Laser Altimeter Measurements,” will be held Wednesday, September 7, at noon in Sondheim Hall Room 001. For more information, contact Dawn Biehler at dbiehler@umbc.edu or ext. 5-2095. Continue reading Geography and Environmental Systems Seminar: NASA’s Operation IceBridge (9/7)
Emissions from household products are on the rise compared to emissions from combustion engines, but their effect on air quality is poorly understood. “So, if we want to have a better understanding of air quality, now and as climate continues to change, we really need to be able to understand how the chemistry changes with this new class of emissions,” says Reem Hannun. “It’s a new, interesting dynamic.” Continue reading UMBC’s Reem Hannun to co-lead urban air quality study with NOAA Climate Award
Sixteen years of continuous data from NASA’s CERES mission confirm that humans’ role in climate change, indicated by a quantity known as the “radiative forcing,” is the driving factor pulling Earth’s energy budget out of balance. “As far as we can see, the long-term trend in the CERES record seems to be almost entirely accounted for by the radiative forcing,” Ryan Kramer says. Continue reading UMBC’s Ryan Kramer confirms human-caused climate change with direct evidence for first time
“UMBC continues to perform well on the international stage,” says David Di Maria, associate vice provost for international education. He notes, “The cross-border collaborations and contributions of our faculty, students, and staff position UMBC shoulder to shoulder amongst the top universities in the world.” Continue reading Shoulder to shoulder: U.S. News again names UMBC one of the Best Global Universities
“I would like to thank the HARP team as a whole, because HARP is really the result of the perseverance of the team over many years,” said Vanderlei Martins, as he accepted the award on behalf of the team, which has included many students. Continue reading Small satellite, big ambitions: UMBC’s HARP named SmallSat Mission of the Year
“I love to help people succeed, so for me, if others have put time into my career and my future, I feel that it’s only right to reciprocate that love to other students,” says Cherie Tebah ’20. She and other UMBC students have found ways to support their classmates while still pursuing their own degrees. Continue reading Support comes full circle: When students become mentors
“As an engineer, I’m looking to develop technology that can make the science happen,” says Dominik Cieslak. That’s exactly what Cieslak and the rest of the team have accomplished with their cubesat, HARP. When it is released from the International Space Station in about a month, it will collect new kinds of information about clouds and tiny particles in the atmosphere to increase our understanding of climate and air quality. Continue reading We have liftoff! UMBC-developed mini satellite launched into space to study climate, air quality
It wouldn’t be a proper farewell to 2018 without reminiscing about some of the biggest UMBC stories from the year. Here are ten highlights from a year we won’t soon forget. Continue reading UMBC’s Top 10 Highlights of 2018
The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently released its latest Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) survey, including UMBC among the top 150 U.S. universities in federal research and development expenditures for fiscal year 2017. Continue reading UMBC ranks among top 150 U.S. universities in federal research funding
“We’re laying the groundwork for developing ways of monitoring vegetation,” says Fred Huemmrich. His and Petya Campbell’s new research uses images captured by instruments on the international space station to reveal global photosynthesis rates in unprecedented detail. Continue reading UMBC scientists measure plant productivity from space, with applications from farming to forest conservation
UMBC celebrated a banner year in 2016. In thousands of ways, big and small, this golden anniversary has been full of moments to remember for the university community. Here are 12 top highlights. Continue reading UMBC’s Top 12 Highlights of 2016
Zhang’s lab uses data obtained by Earth-orbiting satellites to “put the pieces of the puzzle together” of how clouds affect climate. His new award “will increase my visibility and the visibility of UMBC,” Zhang says. Continue reading Zhibo Zhang wins prestigious International Radiation Commission Young Scientist Award
Vanderlei Martins, a professor of physics and researcher with the Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology (JCET) joined Sheilah Kast on Maryland Morning to discuss his cube satellite or CubeSat project. Martins is working with students, other professors and NASA scientists to build the backpack-sized satellite. Martins plans to use his tiny satellite to study the role of aerosols, particles in the atmosphere, in cloud formation. Aerosols, he says, are essential for forming clouds. If there weren’t any aerosols there wouldn’t be any clouds. Listen to the program Continue reading Vanderlei Martins on the Value of Cube Satellites
