Scientific Outreach, Community Service and Education

These have permeated COLA’s fabric since its founding !!

The opportunities provided to COLA scientists (and students) for sharing their knowledge and skills are amazing – two examples:

-Very strong support and interaction with International Centre for Theoretical Physics

- The first Climate Dynamics PhD Program – at George Mason University (Homework: try googling “Climate Dynamics PhD”)

The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures present scientific subjects to a general audience, including young people, in an informative and entertaining manner. Michael Faraday, during his first year as Director of the Laboratory at the Royal Institution, initiated the first Christmas Lecture series in 1825 at a time when organized education for young people was scarce

Scientific Outreach Has a Long History

Jagadish Shukla, left, stopped to talk to a villager during a walk through Mirdha, India, where he grew up and where his family lives. Professor Shukla resides in the United States but invests time and money in the village.

Outreach is not always confined to scientific matters!

Founded in 1964 by Abdus Salam (Nobel Laureate), the Centre’s mission is to foster advanced studies and research, especially in developing countries.

COLA has played an advisory role, and also regularly organizes workshops, conferences and activities which range from training students/scientists from developing countries to very high-level meetings with leading international

scientists.

COLA staff, GMU Climate Dynamics faculty and GMU students participate each year, and many are eager to continue the involvement !!

2009-Targeted Training Activity: Predictability of Weather and Climate: Theory and Applications to Intraseasonal

VariabilityDirectors: J. Shukla, D. Straus, V. Krishnamurthy - Workshop on High Resolution Climate ModellingCo-sponsor: Center for Ocean, Land and Atmosphere (COLA), Calverton MD, USA; NASA, USADirectors: S. Schubert, In-Sik Kang, J. Shukla

Founded in 1964 by Abdus Salam (Nobel Laureate), the Centre’s mission is to foster advanced studies and research, especially in developing countries.

2008- Targeted Training Activity: Seasonal Predictability in Tropical RegionsDirectors: J Shukla, In-sik Kang

- Conference on Teleconnections in the Atmosphere and OceanDirectors: I-S. Kang, D. Straus, M.P. King, F. Kucharski

2007-Conference and School on Predictability of Natural Disasters for our Planet in Danger. A System View: Theory,

Models, Data AnalysisDirectors: F. Giorgi, V. Keilis-Borok, D. Straus - Targeted Training Activity: Seasonal Prediction of South Asian Monsoon -Directors: J. Shukla, In-Sik Kang

COLA Scientists, Climate Dynamics Faculty Members and Student at ICTP

The COLA / George Mason University Climate Dynamics Ph.D. Program

Students are enriched by opportunities to interact with COLA scientists / Climate Dynamics Faculty (beyond their immediate advisor)

Students benefit from the ability to work with National and International state-of-the-art models and comprehensive data sets

COLA Scientists benefit from the results of Climate Dynamics students’ research

Faculty learn from teaching

George Mason University is thrilled with this PhD Program !!