J. Marshall Shepherd

James Marshall Shepherd
Born Canton, Georgia, US
Fields Meteorology, atmospheric sciences
Institutions University of Georgia
Alma mater Florida State University
Theses
Influences Warren Washington[1]
Notable awards Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers[2]
Media Achievement Award from the Association of American Geographers[3]

J. Marshall Shepherd is an American meteorologist, professor at the University of Georgia's Department of Geography, the director of the university's atmospheric sciences program, and was the president of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) in 2013.[4]

Early life and education

Shepherd grew up in Canton, Georgia, where he first became interested in meteorology when he was in sixth grade. He had planned to do a science project about bees, but decided to do it about the weather instead after he discovered he was allergic to bees.[5] He received his bachelors' (in 1991), masters' (in 1993), and Ph.D. (in 1999) degrees in physical meteorology from Florida State University (FSU),[6] and was the first African-American person to receive a Ph.D. in meteorology from the university. He became a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, Iota Delta chapter at Florida State in 1988.[7]

Scientific career

Shepherd initially worked at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) as a research meteorologist for twelve years. He then joined the University of Georgia's department of geography in 2006.[8] He served on the NOAA Science Advisory Board.[4] In recognition of his work in climate science and global climate awareness, he was the 2014 recipient of the Captain Planet award by Ted Turner’s Captain Planet Foundation.[9] Shepherd is a contributor to both Forbes and Weather Underground.

Views

Shepherd has written that African Americans may be more vulnerable to the effects of global warming, such as heat-related deaths.[10] He has also spoken out about the United States federal government shutdown of 2013, and has argued that it significantly delayed research into the use of global climate models in the United States, and that it also prevented members of the National Weather Service (NWS) from attending the National Weather Association (NWA)'s annual conference.[11][12]

Television appearances

Shepherd has appeared on the Today Show and Larry King Live, and, since July 2014, has hosted "Weather Geeks", a talk show airing on the Weather Channel.[3] He also appeared on Face the Nation in 2014.[13]

Awards

President George W. Bush honored Shepherd with a Presidential Early Career Award in 2004.[14] He also received a Media Achievement Award from the Association of American Geographers in 2014.[3]

References

  1. "Focus on Faculty: Marshall Shepherd". University of Georgia. Retrieved 6 March 2014. I have been reading the autobiography of Dr. Warren Washington recently. He is a recent recipient of the Presidential Medal of Science and is one of my mentors.
  2. "President Bush Names 20 Promising, Young Scientists and Engineers to Receive Awards". National Science Foundation. 4 February 2004. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 "Rob Kitchin, Marshall Shepherd to Receive AAG Media Achievement Award". Association of American Geographers. 10 November 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  4. 1 2 "Curriculum Vitae: Dr. J. Marshall Shepherd" (PDF). Science Advisory Board CVs. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2012.
  5. "J. Marshall Shepherd". Profiles of Minority Professionals. University of Michigan. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  6. Florida State University (2013-09-20). "Alumni, 1993". Retrieved 2014-02-07.
  7. "J. Marshall Shepherd". University of Georgia. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  8. "J Marshall Shepherd, FAMS, PhD". American Meteorological Society. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  9. "All of us are Protectors of the Earth - Dr. Marshall Shepherd's acceptance speech | Captain Planet Foundation". captainplanetfoundation.org. Retrieved 2015-09-13.
  10. Shepherd, J. Marshall (11 February 2013). "Are African-Americans More Vulnerable to Climate Change?". Ebony. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  11. Dankosky, John (18 October 2013). "With Shutdown Over, Scientists Assess the Damage". NPR. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  12. Lewis, Tanya (24 May 2013). "Storm Clouds Ahead: Budget Cuts Threaten Severe Weather Forecasts". LiveScience. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  13. "Face the Nation Transcripts February 16, 2014". CBS News. 16 February 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  14. J. Marshall Shepherd, PhD (2013-02-13). "Perspectives on Contemporary Extreme Weather Within the Context of Changing Climate". United States Senate. Retrieved 2014-02-11. line feed character in |title= at position 77 (help)

External links

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