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Directorate News

Peters-Lidard Elected Member of National Academy of Engineering

02.07.2023
Congratulations to Dr. Christa Peters-Lidard, Director of the Sciences and Exploration Directorate, for being named one of three NASA-affiliated newly-elected members of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). Election to the NAE is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. Dr. Peters-Lidard was honored for contributions to understanding land-atmosphere interactions, soil moisture monitoring and modeling, and leadership in Earth system modeling.

Three SED Scientists named 2022 AAAS Fellows

01.31.2023
Three Sciences and Exploration Directorate scientists have been named 2022 fellows by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in recognition of their scientifically and socially distinguished achievements in the scientific enterprise. Rita Sambruna (600) was recognized in Astronomy, Jennifer Wiseman (660) was recognized in Physics, and Dorothy Peteet (611) was recognized in Earth Science. Congratulations to all!

Dr. George Huffman Named Recipient of 2022 William Nordberg Memorial Award for Earth Science

08.11.2022
George Huffman speaking in front of a video screenWe are thrilled to announce the selection of Dr. George Huffman as the 2022 William Nordberg Memorial Award for Earth Science winner.

Dr. Huffman is being recognized for outstanding contributions to, and leadership of, algorithm development, science, and applications of the TRMM and GPM multi-satellite precipitation analyses.

Dr. Huffman received his B.S. in Physics at The Ohio State University (1976) and a Ph.D. in Meteorology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1982). He then was an Assistant Professor at University of Maryland, College Park, then moved to GSFC in 1988, where he consulted until entering government service in 2012. Dr. Huffman’s primary focus has been the design, implementation, and extension of combined (satellite-gauge) estimates of global precipitation. The resulting data sets include the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) monthly and daily products (carried out as a contribution to the World Climate Research Program, WCRP); the NASA Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis; and the successor NASA Global Precipitation Measurements (GPM) mission’s Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for GPM (IMERG). Allied work includes estimating errors and extreme precipitation event statistics. Dr. Huffman is the Project Scientist for GPM, as well as the lead for the GPM Multi-satellite Algorithm Team. His research has resulted in 145 publications, 15 as first author, and numerous presentations. As well, he is the Chief for the Mesoscale Atmospheric Processes Lab, Code 612, at GSFC. Recent awards include NASA/GSFC Special Act Team Award, Earth Sciences Division Lab Management, 2021; NASA/GSFC Robert H. Goddard Group Award for Science, IMERG Development Team, 2019; Fellow of the American Meteorological Society, 2019; and NASA Exceptional Service Medal, 2018.

George will be presented with the William Nordberg Memorial Award during a future Scientific Colloquium.
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Overview

The Sciences and Exploration Directorate is the largest Earth and space science research organization in the world. Its scientists advance understanding of the Earth and its life-sustaining environment, the Sun, the solar system, and the wider universe beyond. The Directorate is part of Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Researchers in the Sciences and Exploration Directorate (SED) work with engineers, computer programmers, technologists, and other team members to develop and operate the cutting-edge technology needed for space-based research. Instruments are also deployed on aircraft, balloons, and Earth's surface.

The Directorate's researchers share their findings and data with the scientific community. Education and Public Outreach programs explain the science to students and the general public.

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