ACOM Ralph Cicerone Fellowship in Earth System Science

In honor of Ralph Cicerone, ACOM has launched the Ralph Cicerone Fellowship in Earth System Science in 2019. Dr. Cicerone was highly respected for both his research on atmospheric chemistry and for his influential leadership on related policy issues. He made important contributions to our understanding of the sources of greenhouse gases — particularly methane and nitrous oxide — and of the ozone layer and how human activities affect it. This fellowship is intended for graduate students working on a degree in atmospheric chemistry or a related Earth system science to spend time at NSF NCAR working on a thesis, or final-project equivalent, with guidance from ACOM scientists and engineers. Successful candidates come to NSF NCAR for an, in total four months visit, divided over two years.

The first recipient of the Fellowship has been Claudia Bernier. Claudia is a second year PhD student at the University of Houston with thesis advisor Assistance Professor Yuxuan Wang. Claudia’s research project focuses on surface ozone in Houston and its relation to sea-breeze, halogen chemistry, local emissions and other drivers. The major objectives during her first visit in summer 2019 were to learn WRF-Chem, understand the nuts and bolts of chemical transport modeling and gain a deeper understanding of halogen chemistry and how to implement it in the model. The latter is especially important for simulating air quality in coastal areas. Claudia has made fast progress on all objectives and also has participated in the MUSICA Kick-Off meeting in May 2019 and the FASCINATE workshop in September 2019. ACOM is pleased to have with Claudia a highly talented and engaged student filling this Fellowship and we are looking forward to her second visit in 2020. A new call for applications for the 2020 Fellowship will be announced in Fall 2019.