Inauguration of the Joint Global Carbon Cycle Center

The University of Maryland (UMD) and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA-GSFC) announced Thursday, March 7, 2013, the establishment of the Joint Global Carbon Cycle Center at the UMD Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center.

 

This event was a celebration of both the establishment of the Joint Global Carbon Cycle Center and a 30 year-long partnership between UMD and NASA-GSFC. Leadership from both UMD (Wallace Loh, President of UMD; John Townshend, Dean of College of Behavior and Social Sciences; and GeorgeHurtt, Professor and Research Director at the UMD Department of Geographical Sciences) and NASA-GSFC (Christopher Scolese, Director of NASA GSFC and Piers Sellers, Deputy Director of NASA Sciences and Exploration Directorate) came together to discuss their accomplishments and promising future endeavors. 

 

The Center, whose Project Scientist is Dr. Fernando Sedano, will combine the strengths of NASA-GSFC and UMD to advance science and education on studies of carbon beyond what either institution could achieve alone. Initial research foci will include remote sensing estimation of terrestrial carbon stocks and fluxes; mapping land-cover and land-use changes; field campaigns for calibration and validation, and integrated computer modeling of carbon cycle dynamics and management options. The center will also strive to provide unique joint education opportunities for undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students.

 

 

*Photo provided by Andrew Roberts. From left: Drs. Piers Sellers, John Townshend, Wallace Loh, Chris Scolese, and George Hurtt. 

 

Published on Wed, 03/27/2013 - 13:35