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AMS Resources and Response to the Federal Science Crisis
We’ve seen and experienced multiple weather disasters over this past year. As I write this, the number of fatalities from the Texas flash flooding is still being counted. Hurricane Helene and the Los Angeles-area fires caused unimaginable destruction. And, a myriad of other high-impact and extreme events regularly pose risk to people’s lives and livelihoods. AMS’s mission is to “advance the atmospheric and related sciences, technologies, applications, and services for the benefit of society.” Our community has made incredible strides toward this mission over the past 100+ years. Predictability limitations and critical prediction challenges remain and must continue to be prioritized. Yet, a major challenge we face is how to better realize the “for the benefit of society” part of our mission. I believe doing this will require efforts on at least three interconnected fronts. We must support more user-informed, co-production, and community-engaged efforts by further engaging individuals, businesses, policymakers, schools, public officials, and other decision-makers so that our science better aligns with their predictive information needs and decision contexts. We must enhance social and behavioral science expertise in our community, by further integrating people with this deep expertise and by partnering with their professional societies (e.g., Society for Risk Analysis). We must train, upskill, and robustly support our workforce to conduct more team-based science—including teams comprised of expertise representing different fields, sectors, and practices—to tackle the challenging problems that exist beyond the capabilities of a single discipline. If I have the honor of being elected to the AMS Council, I look forward to working with others in our community and beyond to advance these efforts and further strengthen the invaluable work of our Society.
Julie L. Demuth works at the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) where she is a Project Scientist IV in the Mesoscale and Microscale Meteorology (MMM) Lab and the Lead of the NCAR Convergence Science Program. Julie has an interdisciplinary background in both physical and social science. Her BS is in meteorology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, her MS is in atmospheric science from Colorado State University, and her PhD is in communication with a focus on risk from Colorado State University.
Julie conducts team-based research on hazardous weather risk communication, risk perception, and decision-making, including how these intersect with predictability and prediction capabilities. Her recent research includes: (1) collecting and analyzing repeated surveys of people (longitudinal surveys) during hurricane and atmospheric river events to learn whether, when, and how their risk assessments and behaviors change over time; (2) examining people’s understanding and perceptions of evolving probabilistic forecast information; and (3) developing and refining new model guidance tools–including numerical weather prediction ensemble and AI/ML guidance–for National Weather Service forecasters. As the Convergence Science Program Lead, Julie works to help the Earth System Science community understand, value, and foster convergence research, which deeply integrates disparate expertise to tackle vexing scientific and societal problems. Prior to joining NSF NCAR in 2005, Julie was a Program Officer at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine for the Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate.
Julie is an AMS Fellow and recipient of the 2023 AMS Walter Orr Roberts Distinguished Lecturer in Interdisciplinary Sciences. Currently, Julie is an Advisory Committee Member of the AMS Policy Program Study on the Current Status and Necessary Actions to Ensure Future Success of the Weather Enterprise.
Her love for weather and its effects on people stems from when 7 tornadoes hit Grand Island, NE, on June 3, 1980, where her family lived at the time.
There is no recent precedent for the volume and speed at which change is happening to traditional funding and support structures for our forecasting, research, innovation, and education efforts. Despite the multitude of challenges, there are three critical areas that I believe will require the AMS Council to provide essential leadership:
Funding the Society: The traditional funding model for the AMS has been shifting, and it is critical that we work to identify alternative ways to support our important work beyond journal subscriptions, publications, and some meetings. The Council will need to double its efforts to be creative in identifying ways the AMS can generate revenue from other activities, partnerships, and sponsorships. I believe we are only limited by our imagination in developing new creative opportunities that further enhance our mission.
Advocating for our Scientific Enterprise: There is no more critical time to use our Society's voice to ensure that policy makers and the public understand the important and substantial positive return on investment our work entails. Additionally, the AMS should work to develop relationships with non-governmental funding sources to cultivate interest in supporting the important work we do across the weather, water, and climate enterprise. This should include channeling our energy and efforts toward developing and implementing a marketing campaign that demonstrates the value of our work to various stakeholders.
Supporting our Members: The nature of our work has always been in flux, but now more than ever we need the AMS to be a leader in helping our members navigate the changing landscape of our discipline. Facing these challenges will require our commitment as AMS members to work together and lean into our disciplinary strength in solving complex multivariate problems with creative solutions that break the mold to secure our foundation and continue fulfilling our mission.
Kevin H. Goebbert, Ph.D., has spent over 16 years as a faculty member and administrator at Valparaiso University where he is currently a Professor of Meteorology and Associate Provost. As an educator, he has taught courses spanning Introduction to Meteorology to Meteorological Computer Applications to Synoptic Analysis and Forecasting. He has implemented several educational innovations, including alternative grading methods for developing computer coding and map interpretation competency, creating flipped classroom experiences, and incorporating extensive experiential learning including class-based field observations during the 2024 total solar eclipse.
Goebbert his scholarly work through contributions to MetPy, a widely-used Python package for meteorological data analysis, creating OER materials including a textbook titled “Introduction to Weather Technology using MetPy”, and conducting research with undergraduate students on lake effect snow and other topics. He has published on topics including seasonal prediction of tropical cyclones, public perceptions of climate change, and lake effect snow climatology.
Goebbert has extensive national leadership experience in the weather, water, climate enterprise and specially with the AMS having served as Chair of the Board of Higher Education and as Commissioner/Past Commissioner of the Education and Engagement Commission (EEC). Through his time as EEC commissioner he led an effort to expand the EEC umbrella to enhance synergies and work of closely adjacent AMS activities. In addition to his roles within AMS, he currently serves as chair of the Strategic Advisory Committee for NSF Unidata and is a past member of the PACUR as a part of UCAR activities. Through all of his leadership Goebbert champions education and inclusion efforts that ensure individuals gain the necessary skills and sense of belonging to thrive within our field, no matter where their path takes them.
Goebbert holds a B.S. in meteorology from Valparaiso University and a M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma.
A recent AMS Soundings noted, “The pace of change for the Weather Enterprise in 2025 has been unprecedented and extreme.” That pace—and the growing pressure to sideline and denigrate science and scientific expertise—is, in my view, one of the most significant challenges facing AMS today.
The Society has responded with strong advocacy for the value of science and the importance of a vibrant weather enterprise. That work must continue, especially through partnerships with other professional organizations and by amplifying the voices of our world-class science communicators. AMS is well positioned to help the public navigate uncertainty with trusted, evidence-based information.
At the same time, emerging technologies—especially artificial intelligence—are reshaping how we collect data, prepare and communicate forecasts, and support decision-making. AMS must help its members adapt to these tools while ensuring that scientific rigor, creativity, and human expertise remain central to our mission.
If elected, I would prioritize greater cooperation across the academic, public, and private sectors. A more unified voice can help the broader world understand the value of our work. I would also focus on engaging students and early-career professionals, who are entering a rapidly evolving field.
In my current role leading an undergraduate program—and as a practicing broadcast meteorologist—I work daily at the intersection of science, education, and communication. I believe this combination of experience would allow me to contribute meaningfully to the Council and the Society’s future.
AMS is strongest when its members are engaged. I encourage everyone to get involved, amplify the Society’s mission, and help shape what comes next. We have power in our numbers.
Jon M. Nese has spent more than 35 years teaching the atmospheric sciences in both formal and informal settings in a career that has spanned academia, broadcasting, and museum education. He currently oversees the undergraduate program in the Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science at Penn State where he holds the rank of Teaching Professor. Nese also directs the department’s Weather and Climate Communications Group which is responsible for Weather World, the department’s long-running weekday weather magazine show.
Nese started his professional career as a radio and television meteorologist while still at Penn State working on his PhD. He transitioned to a faculty role teaching meteorology, earth sciences, and mathematics before becoming chief meteorologist at the Franklin Institute Science Museum in Philadelphia in 1998. There, he designed exhibits, conducted shows for visitors, and provided forecasts and educational features for local NPR and PBS. In 2002, he joined The Weather Channel as an on-air storm analyst, covering the major weather stories of the day and writing and producing daily weather vignettes.
In 2005, Nese returned to the Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences at Penn State where he teaches all levels of undergraduate classes and created the department’s Professional Development course. In his role as Associate Head of the undergraduate program, he works with students from the time they express interest in the program as high schoolers to the time they graduate, and beyond. On the broadcasting side, he has written and produced more than 700 educational features for the department’s Weather World show and in 2015 was awarded a Mid-Atlantic Emmy for that work.
Nese has co-authored three books including The Philadelphia Area Weather Book which was honored with the Louis J. Battan Author’s Award from the American Meteorological Society in 2005.