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Seminar Announcement** * ------------------------------ * *Why we need huge datasets of space-based Earth observations, examples of what we do with them for studying airborne dust, smoke, and pollution, and how an involved statistician might help out* * * *Ralph Kahn* *NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center* * * *Johnson Center G19 - Gold Room** * *4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030*** *Time: 11:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M.*** * * *Date: Friday, Feb 22, 2013 *** * Abstract* From a human perspective, Earth is a huge planet, and environmental conditions are enormously diverse. Yet we care very much about even small-scale and short-lived phenomena, as they affect climate and determine habitability. As such, satellite-borne instruments that can make frequent, global observations are central to our study of current conditions, and are indispensable for efforts to predict future change. As a window into the nature of massive Earth science data sets, I will use space-based measurements of aerosols: desert dust, volcanic ash, wildfire smoke, and pollution particles. The environmental context for these measurements, general data set attributes, key questions these data are intended to address, and the need for coupling such observations with climate and air quality numerical models, will be covered. The final aspect of the seminar, how statisticians might help out, will be explored during discussion at the end of the presentation. -- Yunpeng Zhao, PhD Assistant Professor Department of Statistics Volgenau School of Engineering <[log in to unmask]> George Mason University Engineering Building, Room 1719, MS 4A7 4400 University Drive Fairfax, VA 22030-4444 Phone: 703-993-1674 Email: [log in to unmask]