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AMS Resources and Response to the Federal Science Crisis
At a time when weather extremes are increasing, environmental challenges are more complex, and public trust in science is more important than ever, the mission of the American Meteorological Society remains essential. As the weather, water, and climate enterprise evolves, AMS faces four challenges: preparing and supporting our workforce, building stronger partnerships across sectors, cultivating a welcoming community, and ensuring the Society remains financially resilient for the future.
The future of AMS lies in advancing science and innovation, supporting our members, and serving society. Most importantly, it lies in the strength of our community and our shared commitment to one another and the communities we serve.
Dr. Melissa A. Burt is an Associate Professor in the Department of Atmospheric Science and Associate Dean for Access and Success in the Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering at Colorado State University. She is a nationally recognized leader in STEM education, mentorship, inclusive excellence, and workforce development within the atmospheric and geosciences communities.
Burt earned her B.S. in Meteorology from Millersville University and her M.S. and Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science from Colorado State University. After completing her master's degree, she joined the National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center for Multiscale Modeling of Atmospheric Processes (CMMAP) as Education and Diversity Manager (2008-2016), where she developed innovative educational and workforce development programs, including a highly successful Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program where she served as Director from 2008–2024.
As an Associate Professor, her scholarship focuses on atmospheric science education research, emphasizing science identity and belonging, mentoring networks, student well-being, science communication, and workplace climate in STEM. Her work examines how mentoring and educational environments influence student success and persistence in the geosciences and engineering. Beyond the university, Burt is committed to broadening participation in science and increasing public engagement with climate issues. Burt served as Vice President of the Earth Science Women’s Network (ESWN), a non-profit 501c(3) dedicated to supporting professional success and career advancement within the geosciences. Burt is a co-founder of Science Moms, a non-partisan group of climate scientists and mothers focused on climate communication.
Dr. Burt is a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society and has been deeply engaged with the AMS for close to two decades. Burt has served as an AMS Councilor, member of the AMS Executive Committee, inaugural Chair of the Culture and Inclusion Cabinet, and Chair of the Board on Women and Minorities. Her contributions have been recognized through numerous honors, including the AMS Charles E. Anderson Award, the STAC Board on Societal Impacts Outstanding Service Award and the AMS Award for Early Career Achievement. Through her leadership, research, and service, she advances educational and professional environments where all individuals can thrive and contribute to addressing society’s weather, water, and climate challenges.
Whenever I attend an AMS event, I'm always delighted by the positive energy and engagement. We have a great community of professionals and students engaged in all aspects of the weather, climate, and water enterprise. Whether from academia, government, or industry, we are working together to advance our knowledge and to apply it to critical issues. Thus, I see the important challenge of AMS is to harness this knowledge and energy in the most effective way to work together with our diverse skills and abilities to address human and environmental needs and to support each other. There are issues and questions to tackle, and AMS can be a center for solutions. In our evolving environment, how do we collaborate to provide the information and support to the populace on our ever-changing weather and climate? How do we leverage the expertise of our members and diversity of thought to engage in multidisciplinary conversations and efforts to advance the way we support society's needs? How can we better organize and act to address the challenges of the future as well as some of the more recent direct challenges to the community? AMS has been a leader in bringing the sectors together; but since the world is not static, we must be willing to evolve to meet emerging needs.
As AMS President Elect, I would work with colleagues within the framework of the council, commissions, boards, and committees to foster yet deeper collaborations and seek to engage the capabilities of the individual members as well as the various sectors to develop the synergy of this great Society in order to accomplish things not possible alone, thus engaging our weather, climate, and water expertise to make the world a better place.
Sue Ellen Haupt is a Senior Scientist in the Research Applications Laboratory (RAL) of NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). She leads projects in renewable energy prediction and coupling mesoscale models to microscale models as well as ones that emphasize machine learning applications. She is a Fellow of the AMS and a Contributing and Founding Director of the World Energy and Meteorology Council. Until June 2023, she served as Deputy Director of RAL, after being Director of the Weather Systems and Assessment Program of RAL. Before that, she headed the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics at the Applied Research Laboratory of Penn State where she remains an Affiliate Professor of Meteorology. She earned her Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science from the University of Michigan, M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, M.S. in Engineering Management from Western New England College, B.S. in Meteorology from Penn State, and did a postdoctoral fellowship with the Advanced Study Program of NCAR. She has been on the faculty of the University of Colorado/Boulder; the U.S. Air Force Academy (visiting); University of Nevada, Reno; and Utah State University and previously worked for the New England Electric System and GCA Corporation.
Haupt is an expert in boundary layer meteorology, large scale atmospheric dynamics, applications of artificial intelligence in the environmental sciences, renewable energy, dynamical systems, numerical methods, and computational fluid dynamics. Her specialty is in applying novel numerical techniques to problems in the environmental sciences in both basic and applied research. She enjoys mentoring early career scientists as well as developing and directing research programs and projects.
Haupt recently served as Commissioner of the AMS Commission on the Weather, Water, Climate Enterprise. She currently chairs the AMS Committee on AI Ethics and Policy and served on AMS Council, the Energy committee, and chaired the Committee on Artificial Intelligence Applications to Environmental Science, as well as other AMS service.