Howard University Beltsville Campus - NASA University Research Center
The Howard University Beltsville Center for Climate System Observation (BCCSO) consists of a multidisciplinary group of Howard University faculty in close partnership with NASA/GSFC Earth Sciences Division, three academic institutions and government laboratories and private sector partners. The overall mission of this NASA Group 4 URC is to:
-Engage in basic research with the view that the resulting knowledge will improve weather, climate, and air quality prediction through intensive and long-term atmospheric field observations.
-Train science and academic leaders (minority PhDs) with emphasis on understanding atmospheric processes through the use of state-of-the-art atmospheric observing systems and analytical methods.
-Inspire and engage K-12 and undergraduate students through sustainable outreach programs.
-Contribute to national and international climate research programs and networks designed to investigate the causes of climate and regional environmental change through reference observations of key state variables.
Howard University maintains a ranking by the Carnegie Institute as a Doctoral/Research-Extensive institution. It has accredited PhD - granting programs in atmospheric sciences, physics and astronomy, chemistry, and engineering.
Howard University Program in Atmospheric Sciences (HUPAS) is leading a transformation in atmospheric science research and education. HUPAS offers the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in atmospheric sciences and is a national leader among peer institutions in producing well-trained atmospheric scientists. HUPAS faculty are recognized experts in areas such as tropical storms, chemical modeling and data assimilation, characterization of water vapor, wind, aerosol variability, and characterization of the impacts and microphysical evolution of aerosols.
At the Howard University Beltsville Center for Climate System Observation, a NASA University Research Center, we emphasize the PhD degree as well as the Master of Science degree in our graduate research programs. Our focus reflects our interrelated goals of enhancing research and scholarship by producing the nation’s next generation of African American scholars and faculty members. Further, our objectives are to:
• Focus our research and graduate training in selected, cutting-edge areas of physical sciences, atmospheric sciences, chemical sciences and electrical engineering, while placing renewed emphasis on research.
• Support a greater degree of interdisciplinary instruction and research, among other things by forming interdisciplinary research centers and institutes.
• Reaffirm our nationally and internationally recognized leadership role on issues of overarching human importance, particularly those relating to the African Diaspora and other underserved communities.
The Beltsville Center for Climate System Observation has been a large success to date. Howard University has recruited excellent faculty and has supported BCCSO. Very good students have been recruited to the program, effective partnerships have been established with our collaborators and NASA colleagues, and excellent observational facilities are now housed at the Beltsville campus. The program has the potential to greatly enhance Howard University’s reputation in science research.
The mission of the Beltsville Center for Climate System Observation (BCCSO) is to lead a transformation in atmospheric research and education by inspiring traditionally underrepresented groups.
