20 Years of Increasing Minority Participation in Atmospheric Sciences—The Howard University Program

This presentation will explore how sustained investment in a minority-serving institution combined with strategic partnerships with federal agencies and academic partners can lead to successful outcomes in diversifying atmospheric sciences. The atmospheric sciences enterprise at Howard University has evolved significantly over the past two decades. Specifically, four federally funded research centers; the Center for the Study of Terrestrial and Extraterrestrial Atmospheres, the NOAA Center for Atmospheric Sciences, the Beltsville Center for Climate System Observations, and the NOAA Cooperative Science Center for Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology enabled the development of significant research capacity and strengthened faculty expertise. A major outcome of these investments is the Beltsville Observational Facility (BOF). This satellite campus is a 109-acre site that features over $16M in advanced instrumentation, hosts the Maryland Department of Environment Air Quality Operations for southern Maryland, has supported several field campaigns involving NOAA and NASA, and has received a World Meteorological designation as a Global Climate Observing Systems Reference Upper Air Network (GRUAN) site. The enhanced research capabilities also enabled the development of a small but highly effective graduate program, the Howard University graduate program in Atmospheric Sciences (HUPAS). This academic program evolved as another direct outcome of the federal investments and produced over seventy degree recipients, 95% of whom are employed in their field of expertise. Moreover, HUPA has produced 50% of all African American PhDs in atmospheric sciences in the country over the past decade. Key elements of the advising and career development associated with this program will be discussed. The second theme of this presentation will be on the nature of majority-minority-serving academic institutional partnerships. Too often, neoliberal, sharecropping relationships are proposed by majority institutions as a means for increasing diversity. These efforts often fail to yield long term success for a variety of reasons. Some of the pitfalls of these efforts will be highlighted. Finally, the implications of the failures to significantly reduce structural barriers to equitable participation within the atmospheric sciences community, in higher education, and in American society will be discussed.