Genene M. Fisher, Ph.D.

Senior Policy Fellow

Phone:  (202) 737-9006, ext. 422

Fax:  (202) 737-9050

Dr. Genene Fisher is a Senior Policy Fellow at the Policy Program of the American Meteorological Society. Her policy research interests include: space weather policy, atmospheric policy, federal funding of atmospheric and space research, and the interaction between the federal government, scientific community, and private sector.
Dr. Fisher is currently working on a NSF funded study examining policy issues in integrating space weather observations and forecasts into airline operations. This 3 year policy research study will lead to recommendations that will increase the safety, reliability, and efficiency of the nation's airline operations through more effective use of space weather forecasts and information. She has recently received another NSF grant to study issues in Advancing Space Weather Science and its Use through Policy Research. This work will develop policy analyses that will build the capacity of space weather scientists and policy makers to improve decision making regarding present and future technologies impacted by space weather. Through these projects, she interacts with the scientific community, policy makers, and end users of space weather information.

Dr. Fisher is also developing curricula to educate atmospheric and space weather science students about policy. She implemented a pilot course, “An Introduction to Science Policy: Space Weather and Meteorology,” at George Mason University during the Spring 2005 semester. The goal of this project is to provide material for use by multiple universities. This curricula will educate the present and future leaders in atmospheric science, space weather, and related fields of geophysics to gain an understanding and appreciation of policy so that they can effectively engage policy makers and effect sound public policy decisions. She is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor of Physics at North Carolina State University.
In addition, Dr. Fisher is working on the AMS Policy Study Series, “Weather, Climate, and National Priorities,” bringing together scientists, end users, and policy makers to make recommendations on how to help decision makers use weather/climate information to make informed decisions. From Aug 2002 -Jan 2003 she worked under contract at NOAA for the Climate Change Science Program Office. In 2001, she received a NSF grant to study space weather impacts and national policy. That work involved extending existing assessments of the social and economic impacts of space weather on our society. She continues to integrate space weather into AMS activities, including having an active role in shaping the Symposium on Space Weather and other activities at the AMS annual meeting.

Education:
In 2001, Dr. Fisher received a Ph.D. in Atmospheric and Space Sciences and a Master of Public Policy from the University of Michigan. Her PhD dissertation research involved a combined theoretical and experimental study of the dynamics of the polar mesosphere and lower thermosphere. She operated and maintained optical instruments at Peach Mountain, MI and Resolute Bay, Canada.
Dr. Fisher received an MPP from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. She conducted research projects on the following issues: Presidential leadership in setting science policy, public access to research data, and doubling of the science budget. She was selected as a Fellow at the Center for the Study of the Presidency for the 2000-2001 term.
She received a B.A. in Planetary and Space Science from Boston University, where she was also an undergraduate research assistant at the Center for Space Physics. In 1995 she was a NSF REU Fellow at the National Astronomy and Ionospheric Center at Arecibo, Puerto Rico. In 1994 she was a summer fellow at the Department of Meteorology at the University of Miami.

Professional Activities:

• Chair, writing committee for AMS policy statement on Space Weather, October 2007-present
• Policy Editor, Bulletin of the AMS, September 2007-present
• Session Chair and Committee Member, AMS Symposium on Space Weather, 2003-present
• Session Chair and Committee Member, AMS Symposium on Policy and Socio-economic Research, 2005-present
• Coordinator, International Committee for Space Weather Impacts on Aviation Safety (ICSWIAS), 2005-present
• Presenter at numerous scientific conferences
• Peer reviewer of research proposals submitted to NSF and NASA
• Peer reviewer of research articles submitted to AGU Space Weather, BAMS, and SPIE/OSA
• Chair of AMS session at the Washington Academy of Sciences conference, March 2004
• Participant in annual AMS Summer Policy Colloquia, 2001-present
• Member of AGU (since 1995), AAAS (since 1999), AMS (since 2001)

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