University of North Georgia
01/24/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/24/2025 13:25
Renowned weather expert to speak at UNG
Shepherd is the Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Geography and Atmospheric Sciences and director of the University of Georgia's (UGA) Atmospheric Sciences Program. His research focuses primarily on hydrometeorological extremes, urban climate, and the intersections of atmospheric sciences with society, and these areas will be the topic of his UNG talk.
Shepherd's roots led him to UGA after working at NASA.
"I'm a native son of Canton, Georgia. The pull of home was strong. The opportunity presented itself to make UGA a key voice and resource in atmospheric science," Shepherd said. "I also try to make sure I take advantage of these opportunities to share this knowledge in an accessible way at our sister institutions. I look forward to talking to the people at UNG."
In 2021, Shepherd made history by becoming the first UGA faculty member to be elected to the National Academy of Science, National Academy of Engineering, and American Academy of Arts and Sciences in the same year. He is one of only a handful of scholars to hold membership in all three distinguished organizations. Shepherd is also a senior contributor to Forbes Magazine.
Shepherd was named the 2022 Southeastern Conference Professor of the Year.
He uses remote sensing, weather-climate modeling, and risk-vulnerability approaches to address challenges such as urban flooding, energy-food-water nexus, weather-climate risk, and communication-warnings.
Shepherd is a leading international expert in weather and climate. He was the 2013 president of AMS, the nation's largest and oldest professional/science society in the atmospheric and related sciences. Shepherd serves as full professor in the UGA Department of Geography, where he was a previous associate department head. He also holds a joint appointment in the College of Engineering and is the associate director for climate and outreach in its Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems.
Shepherd is the recipient of many awards, including the 2020 Mani L. Bhaumik Award for Public Engagement with Science and the 2019 AGU Climate Communication Prize. He is the 2018 recipient of the prestigious AMS Helmut Landsberg Award for pioneering and significant work in urban climate and in 2017, he was honored with the AMS Brooks Award, a high honor within the field of meteorology. Ted Turner and his Captain Planet Foundation honored Shepherd in 2014 with its Protector of the Earth Award. Prior recipients include Erin Brockovich and former EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson.
Prior to UGA, Shepherd spent 12 years as a research meteorologist at NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center and was deputy project scientist for the Global Precipitation Measurement mission, a multi-national space mission that launched in 2014. Former President George W. Bush honored him on May 4, 2004, at the White House with the Presidential Early Career Award for pioneering scientific research in weather and climate science.
Shepherd 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 one of the most viewed climate lectures on YouTube. Shepherd is also frequently asked to advise key leaders at NASA, the White House, Congress, Department of Defense, and officials from foreign countries. In 2013, Shepherd briefed the U.S. Senate on climate change and extreme weather, and he addressed the U.S. House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology in 2019.
Dr. Shepherd received his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in physical meteorology from Florida State University. He was the first African American to receive a Ph.D. from the Florida State University Department of Meteorology, one of the nation's oldest and most respected. He is also the second African American to preside over the AMS.
This marks the 28th year of the Hoag Lecture Series. The aim of the series is to reflect former UNG President Merritt E. Hoag's educational philosophy that higher education should educate students beyond the traditional classroom environment and enable them to develop intellectual fullness by encouraging learning in a variety of disciplines.