Hazel Bain, space weather prediction

At the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), Hazel Bain’s leadership, expertise, and enthusiasm have helped shape the nation’s understanding of space weather impacts on aviation and the strategies necessary to mitigate them. In September 2022, Bain helped lead SWPC’s inaugural Space Weather Prediction Testbed Experiment (SWPT), a key component of the recently-released Space Weather Research-to-Operations and Operations-to-Research Framework published by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Recognizing the importance of collaboration during the ambitious event, Bain ensured the experiment incorporated contributions from the airline industry, SWPC, NASA, model developers, international partners, and others. The successful, multi-day event was a key step in both improving space weather products in support of global aviation and improving flight safety by mitigating impacts to aircraft systems and passenger health during space weather storms.