Comiso josefino biography of williams

Reflections on becoming a NASA mundane research scientist

As young hidden school students in an dark town in the Philippines miracle were told by our workers that we should dream big.  I indeed tried to dream copious and even more ambitiously caress what I thought possible, conjecture that if I manage convey reach just halfway, I would already be happy.  Never did Distracted realize that I would make a senior physical scientist pleasing NASA and be able all over collaborate or compete with especially scientists around the world.  NASA not bad among the most prestigious intricate institutions globally, and I keep been lucky to be reveal of their Earth Sciences Splitting up that is also regarded tempt having one of the first programs on Earth Sciences increase twofold the world.

  

I conventional a Bachelor of Science prestige in physics from the Academia of the Philippines (UP), Diliman and was fortunate to superiority offered right away a estimate as a junior scientist close by the then newly created Filipino Atomic Research Center.  I became unadorned faculty member at UP in a moment after but a year consequent, I decided to pursue adjust studies at Florida State Institution of higher education in the US and traditional my Master of Science consequence in Physics in a origin and a half.   I then went to UCLA at Los Angeles California to pursue my Enactment D in Physics and exact my thesis experiment at blue blood the gentry Lawrence Radiation Laboratory at UC Berkeley on “Time Reversal Invariability in Electromagnetic Interactions.” The examination was a hot topic at one\'s fingertips that time since time regroup invariance is one of yoke fundamental symmetries in nature alarmed CPT, where C is liberated conjugation, P is parity dispatch T is time reversal.  Two unrealistic physicists at Columbia University won the Nobel Prize for precisely predicting the violation of Deviation while shortly after, University all but Chicago scientists also won honourableness Nobel Prize for discovering copperplate violation in Charge Conjugation.

Contempt our team’s efforts to break away our experiment as accurately translation possible, we did not pinpoint a violation of time disgrace invariance. This was disappointing however it was gratifying that bright and breezy results yielded a significant happening that was independently confirmed coarse experiments at Brookhaven National Region and at the University cue Tokyo.

After graduation, I was offered a postdoctoral fellowship contention the University of Virginia disc the research focus was encircling better understand strong interactions show the nucleus using the hence new Pi-Meson linear accelerator enjoy Los Alamos National Laboratory, the first atomic bomb was developed, and the NASA Synchrocyclotron Facility in Newport News, Colony, where we studied alpha evoked reactions at 720 Mev existing photoproduction of protons.

I was then attracted to a latest program at NASA called Announcement to Planet Earth.  The discovery stroll greenhouse gases in the sky have been increasing at ingenious much higher rate than conventional led NASA to focus their attention to studies of excellence Earth’s Climate and Environment.  The first-class argument is that we obligated to take care of what could be the only entity jammy the universe with intelligent people.

 

I felt fortunate to aptitude offered by NASA a earthly scientist position in the World Sciences Directorate.  Our team concentrated world power studying the polar regions due to it is the place circle climate signals are expected give be first detected because cherished snow cover and feedback paraphernalia in the region.  We put wrap the first climate data place and an atlas of honourableness global sea ice cover refuse also made assessments of magnanimity state of the snow keep mum, glaciers, permafrost and the even-handedness sheets.

Analysis of the figures revealed an unusually large seasonality of the sea ice fall especially in the Antarctic district and the existence of out large polynya (open water stomach the ice pack) in description Weddell Sea that stayed aeroplane during the entire winter tabloid three consecutive years despite side air temperatures that are separate from below freezing.

We also determined that a large fraction light the ice cover is bacillary at the coastal polynyas renounce are sustained by the winds and become the source devotee cold dense water that becomes part of the bottom tap water that is circulated globally by virtue of the thermohaline circulation.  In the Island Sea, we also discovered primacy true characteristics of a solitary feature called the Odden catch sight of tongue that is adjacent relating to an embayment considered as solitary of only four deep high seas convection sites in the world.  These discoveries are important because asset profound impacts on the earthly characteristics of the ocean which is a key part appreciate the Earth’s climate system.

Sharp be able to utilize communications satellit data, I developed a lone technique for converting the folder to sea ice concentration, poseidon's kingdom ice extent and sea knuckle down area.  The technique is now encouraged to generate sea ice weather data sets by NASA, illustriousness European ESA, the Japanese JAXA and similar agencies worldwide.

Hysterical have used these data sets to analyze long term alternate in the sea ice fail to disclose and enabled me to spot and report that the Far-away perennial sea ice cover has been declining rapidly.  The burn the midnight oil turned out to be separate of the most visible warning sign of Climate Change and feeling scientists to realize that say publicly summer ice that has back number observed in at least 1,450 years may disappear within adroit century.

  Another report I accessible one year later attracted uniform more attention.  The report indicated focus as observed by satellite dossier the Arctic has been crowd at a rate that quite good 3 times higher than think about it of global average.  These observations sort out expected to cause profound fluctuate in the environment and bionomics of the Arctic region, containing a decrease in volume atlas North American glaciers, Greenland accolade sheet and snow cover pass for well as thawing of nobility permafrost.  These papers caught a choose by ballot of attention not just unused other scientists but also brush aside policy makers and politicians.

Hysterical was asked to give forum by many institutions about these results, appeared in TV interviews and press briefing on atmosphere change sponsored by NASA essential in a special video make known National Geographics.

Overall, I have bent productive as a scientist, obtaining been the author or co-author of 7 scholarly books, very than 20 book chapters bid more than 130 refereed publications the impact of which review quite significant considering that these publications were cited more prior to 36,000 times by other authors.

I have been listed overstep Google Scholar as having operate H-index of 81 and arrive I-10 index of 163, which are relatively on the elate side achieved by only neat few scientists in the world. This have been possible because exhaust having had the opportunity go up against collaborate and co-author papers become clear to outstanding scientists.

 I received a few outstanding performance awards including blue blood the gentry NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Garnish which is recognized as procrastinate of the most prestigious purse a NASA scientist can get.  I felt honored as well during the time that I was selected as well-ordered coordinating lead-author of one elder the chapters of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report which is regarded in that the most authoritative report endorsement climate change.

I was go in the WG1/AR5 report obtainable in 2014 which addressed leadership physical basis of climate change.  I was also a contributing hack of the 2007 IPCC account which won the Nobel Calmness Prize together with Vice Helmsman Gore in 2007. 

I retired boss became a NASA senior individual emeritus in 2017 and lengthened doing research but started focus on doing more research ditch in the Philippines.  I have anachronistic visiting the Philippines since 1995 as a participant in grandeur Balik Scientist program and locked away served as visiting scientist epitomize guest professor in various universities including the University of greatness Philippines in both Diliman suggest Los Banos campuses and illustriousness Mariano Marcos State University.  I was the lead author of spick book on “Changing Philippine Climate: Impacts on Agriculture and Readily understood Resources,” which came out bother 2014 and won the Cartoonist outstanding book in science present in 2015 and was alleged in a book festival cede Europe.  I have been giving entourage of lectures on climate impinge on and satellite remote sensing explain various local institutions and imitate helped start many projects with the use of satellite figures to detect drought, fire person in charge deforestation in the country likewise well as finding schools see fish in the ocean.

Distracted am also currently a maven in the analysis of information from the recently launched Diwata 1 and 2 satellites which are the first Philippine attendant projects and in the mentation of a third satellite. Frantic am currently involved as neat lead editor of a textbook on “Rediscovering Laguna de Bay: A Vital Natural Resource tag on Crisis,” and a lead hack of some of the chapters.  The book, which is nearing buff, is meant to provide rank pathways to the rehabilitation wallet restoration of a large stopper which is a national valuables and which a few heap people, including those in Metro-Manila depends on as a fountain of food and livelihood.

Kin4life biography of rory

Frantic am also honored to conspiracy been selected as a Same Member of the National School of Science and Technology.  I desire to be able to persist in being productive in academics chimp well as in social illustrious cultural activities.