This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
Welcome to the twenty-second installment of You Should Know, where I give my own #ScholarSunday salute to Science Bloggers and the Blogs you may not yet know about.
Introducing...Dr. J. Marshall Shepherd and The WxGeeks Show
Wx is shorthand Weather and The WxGeeks is a new nationally televised talk show focused on STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics). It airs on the Weather Channel each Sunday at Noon eastern. The program discusses contemporary issues related to weather and climate with some of the top stakeholders in the field. Past guests include Dr. Jane Goodall, Dr. John Holdren (White House Science Advisor), FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, NOAA Administrator and Former Astronaut Kathy Sullivan, National Weather Service Director Louis Uccellini, Warrick Dunn, and many others. Some call it the Face the Nation of Weather.
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The Show was launched in July 2014 with Dr. Shepherd as host of the program, the only STEM focused Sunday morning news style program on cable television. He also writes a weekly blog at Weather Underground in support of the show and on other thoughts that he may have, which usually are around science, weather, climate, and how these issues impact society.
Dr. Shepherd received his B.S., M.S. and PhD in physical meteorology from Florida State University. He was the first African American to receive a PhD from the Florida State University Department of Meteorology, one of the nation’s oldest and respected. He is a member of Association of American Geographers (AAG), 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. and serves on various National Boards associated with his alma mater. Dr. Shepherd is a leading international expert in weather and climate. Dr. Shepherd was the 2013 President of American Meteorological Society (AMS), the nation’s largest and oldest professional/science society in the atmospheric and related sciences. He is only the 2nd African American to hold this post. Currently, Dr. Shepherd is Director of the University of Georgia’s (UGA) Atmospheric Sciences Program and Full Professor in the Department of Geography. Morever, he is the Georgia Athletic Association Distinguised Professor of Geography and Atmospheric Sciences.
In 2014, Ted Turner and his Captain Planet Foundation honored Dr. Shepherd with its Protector of the Earth Award. Prior recipients include Erin Brockovich and former EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. He is also the 2015 Recipient of the Association of American Geographers (AAG) Media Achievement award and the UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences Sandy Beaver Award for Excellence in Teaching. Prior to UGA,
Dr. Shepherd spent 12 years as a Research Meteorologist at NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center and was Deputy Project Scientist for the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission, a multi-national space mission that launched in 2014. President Bush honored him on May 4th 2004 at the White House with the Presidential Early Career Award for pioneering scientific research in weather and climate science. Dr. Shepherd is a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society, and in 2014, he was asked to join the Board for Climate Central, a leading science and media non-profit organization. In 2014, Dr. Shepherd was invited to join the Partnership Council for Mothers and Others for Clean Air. Two national magazines, the AMS, and Florida State University have also recognized Dr. Shepherd for his significant contributions.
Dr. Shepherd currently serves on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Science Advisory Board, the Earth Science Subcommittee of the NASA Advisory Council, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed’s Hazard Preparedness Advisory Group and the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Visiting Committee. He was a member of the United Nations World Meteorological Organization steering committee on aerosols and precipitation, 2007 Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) AR4 contributing author team, a National Academy of Sciences (NAS) panel considering the security implications of climate change on U.S. Naval operations, and a NAS Committee on Urban Meteorology. Dr. Shepherd is a past editor for both the Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology and Geography Compass, respectively.
Dr. Shepherd is frequently sought as an expert on weather, climate, and remote sensing. He was invited to moderate the White House Champions of Change Climate Change and Literacy program on February 9, 2015. He routinely appears on CBS Face The Nation, NOVA, The Today Show, CNN, Fox News, The Weather Channel and several others. His TedX Atlanta Talk on “Slaying Climate Zombies” is highly regarded and cited. Dr. Shepherd is also frequently asked to advise key leaders at NASA, the White House, Congress, Department of Defense, and officials from foreign countries. In February 2013, Dr. Shepherd briefed the U.S. Senate on climate change and extreme weather. He has also written several editorials for CNN, Washington Post, Atlanta Journal Constitution, and numerous other outlets and has been featured in Time Magazine, Popular Mechanics, and NPR Science Friday. He is also a contributing author to Ebony Magazine, and his essay on climate and jobs was featured in the 2014 National Urban League State of Black America Report. He has over 75 peer-reviewed scholarly publications. NASA, National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, and U.S. Forest Service have funded his scholarly research. Dr. Shepherd was also instrumental in leading the effort for UGA to become the 78th member of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), a significant milestone for UGA.
Links to some of his engaging material:
Weathering the Storm: African Americans in Meteorology which is included on the February 8, 2015 segment on The WxGeeks Show.
Previous show and blog focusing on the recent NE Blizzard was very popular
Plus shows and blogs with the White House Science Advisor and Dr. Jane Goodall were very popular ()
Past WxGeeks Show snippets can be found at http://www.weather.com/tv/shows/wx-geeks
Plus, a children's book he co-authored Dr. Fred’s Weather Watch, about weather and weather instruments
You can learn more or engage with Dr. Shepherd through:
Twitter: @DrShepherd2013 and @WxGeeksTWC
Facebook Fan Page: Dr. Marshall Shepherd, Host of WxGeeks
Website: University of Georgia Website and LinkedIn
Connect with him and be sure to leave a comment at one of his blog posts or leave a comment on the WxGeeks Facebook Fanpage. Tell him you found him via The Urban Scientist (me, @DNLee5) and #ScholarSunday.
Also tune in to watch Dr. Shepherd and the White House Champions of Change Climate Education and Literacy program LIVE streamed live on the White House website Monday, February 8, 2015. To watch the event, see www.whitehouse.gov/live at 1 pm (EST).
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I hope you’re enjoying this series of blog posts. If so, then I’d love to shine the spotlight on additional science blogs and scientists and help spread the word of amazing science outreach. If you know of a great science blog and/or science blogger who you think is amazing and would like to help spread the word about how amazing they are then please submit them. Now accepting recommendations for upcoming Outreach Scientist and Science Communicator Spotlight for upcoming weeks.