James Marshall Shepherd is an American meteorologist, professor at the University of Georgia's Department of Geography, director of the university's atmospheric sciences program, and 2013 president of the American Meteorological Society (AMS).[5] In 2020 he was awarded the AAAS Award for Public Engagement with Science.[3] In 2021, he was elected to the U. S. National Academy of Engineering.[6]

J. Marshall Shepherd
Born
Alma materFlorida State University
AwardsPresidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers[1]
Media Achievement Award from the Association of American Geographers[2]
AAAS Award for Public Engagement with Science[3]
NCSE Friend of the Planet Award (2021)[4]
Scientific career
FieldsMeteorology, atmospheric sciences
InstitutionsUniversity of Georgia
Thesis
Doctoral advisorPeter S. Ray

Early life and education

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Shepherd grew up in Canton, Georgia, where he first became interested in meteorology in the 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.[7] He received his bachelor's (in 1991), master's (in 1993), and Ph.D. (in 1999) degrees in physical meteorology from Florida State University (FSU),[8] 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.[9]

Scientific career

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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.[10] He served on the NOAA Science Advisory Board.[5] 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.[11] Shepherd is a contributor to both Forbes[12] and Weather Underground.[13] Shepherd served as the President of the American Meteorological Society in 2013.[14]

Views

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Shepherd has written that African Americans may be more vulnerable to the effects of global warming, such as heat-related deaths.[15] 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.[16][17]

Television appearances

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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.[2] He also appeared on Face the Nation in 2014.[18]

Awards

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In 2004, Shepherd received a NASA Presidential Early Career Award.[19] In 2014, he received a Media Achievement Award from the Association of American Geographers.[2] In 2019, Shepherd won the American Geophysical Union's Climate Communication Prize. [20] In 2020 he was awarded the AAAS Award for Public Engagement with Science.[3] In 2021, Shepherd earned the distinction of being the first UGA faculty member, and one of few faculty, to be elected to the National Academy of Sciences,[21] the National Academy of Engineering[22] [6] and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences[23] in one year.[24] Shepherd was selected as SEC Professor of the year in 2022.[24]

References

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  1. ^ "President Bush Names 20 Promising, Young Scientists and Engineers to Receive Awards". National Science Foundation. 4 February 2004. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  2. ^ a b c "Rob Kitchin, Marshall Shepherd to Receive AAG Media Achievement Award". Association of American Geographers. 10 November 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  3. ^ a b c "Renowned Meteorologist J. Marshall Shepherd Receives 2020 Mani L. Bhaumik Award for Public Engagement with Science from AAAS". American Association for the Advancement of Science. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  4. ^ "Friend of Darwin and Friend of the Planet awards for 2021 | National Center for Science Education".
  5. ^ a b "Curriculum Vitae: Dr. J. Marshall Shepherd" (PDF). Science Advisory Board CVs. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-02-13.
  6. ^ a b "News from the National Academy of Sciences". April 26, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2021. Newly elected members and their affiliations at the time of election are: ... Shepherd, J. Marshall; Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor and director, UGA Atmospheric Sciences Program, University of Georgia, Athens, entry in member directory:"Member Directory". National Academy of Sciences. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  7. ^ "J. Marshall Shepherd". Profiles of Minority Professionals. University of Michigan. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  8. ^ Florida State University (2013-09-20). "Alumni, 1993". Archived from the original on 2013-10-22. Retrieved 2014-02-07.
  9. ^ "J. Marshall Shepherd". University of Georgia. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  10. ^ "J Marshall Shepherd, FAMS, PhD". American Meteorological Society. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  11. ^ "All of us are Protectors of the Earth - Dr. Marshall Shepherd's acceptance speech | Captain Planet Foundation". captainplanetfoundation.org. 12 January 2015. Retrieved 2015-09-13.
  12. ^ "Marshall Shepherd". Forbes. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  13. ^ "Dr. Shepherd Wx Geeks". Weather Underground. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  14. ^ "Past Presidents Directory". American Meteorological Society. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
  15. ^ Shepherd, J. Marshall (11 February 2013). "Are African-Americans More Vulnerable to Climate Change?". Ebony. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  16. ^ Dankosky, John (18 October 2013). "With Shutdown Over, Scientists Assess the Damage". NPR. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  17. ^ Lewis, Tanya (24 May 2013). "Storm Clouds Ahead: Budget Cuts Threaten Severe Weather Forecasts". LiveScience. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  18. ^ "Face the Nation Transcripts February 16, 2014". CBS News. 16 February 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  19. ^ "NASA Scientists And Engineers Receive Presidential Awards". May 4, 2004.
  20. ^ "Pavel S. Molchanov Climate Communication Prize". AGU.
  21. ^ Fahmy, Sam (2021-04-27). "Three faculty elected to National Academy of Sciences". UGA Today. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
  22. ^ Fahmy, Sam (9 February 2021). "J. Marshall Shepherd elected to the National Academy of Engineering". news.uga.edu. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  23. ^ "Marshall Shepherd elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences | Franklin College of Arts and Sciences". www.franklin.uga.edu. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
  24. ^ a b "James Marshall Shepherd | Geography Department at the University of Georgia". geography.uga.edu. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
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