ECU Voyages season concludes with discussion of zombies, sports, cola, climate science

Dr. Marshall Shepherd
(Contributed photo by KepplerSpeakers.com)

East Carolina University’s Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences concludes its virtual 2020-21 season of the Voyages of Discovery Series with a free, livestreamed event featuring Dr. Marshall Shepherd, former president of the American Meteorological Society (AMS), the nation’s largest and oldest professional society in atmospheric sciences.

Shepherd, who is the Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Geography and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Georgia, will discuss “Zombies, Sports and Cola: Implications for Communicating Weather and Climate Science” at 7 p.m., March 25.

Frequently sought as an international expert in weather, climate and remote sensing, Shepherd routinely appears on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” “NOVA,” “The Today Show,” CNN and Fox News. His TEDx Atlanta talk on “Slaying Climate Zombies” is one of the most viewed climate lectures on YouTube.

Currently, Shepherd hosts The Weather Channel’s award-winning show “Weather Geeks,” a pioneering Sunday talk podcast, is a frequent contributor to Forbes magazine and chairs NASA’s Earth Sciences Advisory Committee.

Before joining the University of Georgia, Shepherd spent 12 years as a research meteorologist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and was deputy project scientist for the Global Precipitation Measurement mission, a multinational space mission that launched in 2014.

Among his many accolades, Shepherd received the 2020 Mani L. Bhaumik Award for Public Engagement with Science, from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the 2019 Advanced Earth and Space Science’s Climate Communication Prize, and the 2018 AMS Helmut Landsberg Award for pioneering and significant work in urban climate.

In 2017, Shepherd received the Brooks award for outstanding service and contributions to the AMS. Ted Turner and his Captain Planet Foundation honored Shepherd in 2014 with its Protector of the Earth Award. Prior recipients include Erin Brockovich and former EPA administrator Lisa Jackson. Shepherd also is the 2015 recipient of the Association of American Geographers Media Achievement award, the Florida State University Grads Made Good Award and the UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences Sandy Beaver Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Shepherd received his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in physical meteorology from Florida State University. He was the first African American to receive a doctoral degree from the university’s Department of Meteorology.

For additional information, visit the Voyages website. Individuals requesting accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) should call 252-737-1018 or email ada-coordinator@ecu.edu at least 48 hours prior to the event.