CIRES Distinguished Lecture: Tracey Holloway. Linking data with decision-making on air quality

Abstract:
Environmental managers have long relied on atmospheric models and in situ measurements to support decision-making under the Clean Air Act. Today an even wider audience of policy, planning, and advocacy organizations are interested in air quality data to support climate action, environmental justice, emergency response, and other decision needs. By collaborating with these user communities, atmospheric scientists can expand the impact of existing knowledge, data, and tools. Growing the impact of science is the core mission of the NASA Health and Air Quality Applied Sciences Team, a major science applications and engagement effort over the past 10 years. Lessons learned from leading this NASA team will be discussed and extended to broader applications of atmospheric models for applied problem-solving. Atmospheric models play an important role interpreting satellite data, connecting emissions and impacts, and answering “what if?” questions relevant to policy and planning. Traditional scientific frameworks are evolving to better support engagement and to expand the benefits of science to new issues and communities. Still, challenges remain, especially for early-career scientists balancing academic milestones with “real-world” engagement and societal impact.
About Dr. Holloway:
Tracey Holloway is the Jeff Rudd and Jeanne Bissell Professor of Energy Analysis and Policy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, jointly appointed in the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies and the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, and chair of the campus-wide Energy Analysis and Policy (EAP) graduate certificate program in the Nelson Institute. Her work focuses on air quality connections with energy and public health, especially applications of atmospheric models and satellite data. Dr. Holloway serves as the two-time Team Leader for the NASA Health and Air Quality Applied Science Team (HAQAST), a national initiative since 2011 to broaden utilization of NASA data for public health and air quality management. Dr. Holloway helped found and served as the first president the Earth Science Women’s Network (ESWN), and she currently serves as a founding member of Science Moms, a nonpartisan science outreach effort focused on combating climate change. Dr. Holloway is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and the UCAR Board of Trustees, and she has been honored by the AGU Atmospheric Sciences Ascent Mid-Career Award, as well as awards from the University of Wisconsin—Madison for early-career faculty mentoring, teaching, and undergraduate research mentoring.

hollowaygroup.org
haqast.org