The NSF Unidata Program Center is pleased to welcome new members to the program's governing committees. Committee members serve three-year terms, meeting twice each year to provide feedback on the effectiveness of the NSF Unidata Program and advise staff on issues facing the university community. Appointments reflect the range of large and small colleges and universities with undergraduate and graduate emphases where Unidata systems are in use.
The following provides a brief introduction to the scientists joining NSF Unidata's committees. You can find additional information about the governing committees, including contact information for committee members, on the Governing Committees page.
Scott Steiger, Users Committee
Dr. Scott Steiger has been a professor of meteorology at SUNY Oswego since 2003. His teaching includes meso- and synoptic-meteorology, weather radar, weather and climate communications, and storm observation (leads a storm chasing program). When doing research, Dr. Steiger loves to involve undergraduates in field work, studying lake-effect snow storms with tools such as the “Doppler on Wheels” radar and lightning mapping arrays.
His interest in NSF Unidata goes back to his time as an undergraduate. Dr. Steiger's goal on the Users committee is to improve weather analysis software for real-time forecasting. He also wants to help in communicating to other schools and organizations about the many great tools NSF Unidata offers.
Brian Tang, Users Committee
Dr. Brian Tang is an associate professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences at the University at Albany. His research focuses on tropical cyclones, including their formation, intensification, and interactions with the environment. He also has researched terrain influences on severe weather and the evolving risk of large hail. Additionally, Dr. Tang is chair of his department’s Inclusion and Diversity Committee and local coordinator of the AGU Bridge Program.
Dr. Tang has used a number of NSF Unidata tools and both his research and teaching, such as the netCDF, Siphon, and MetPy libraries for data analysis and visualization; TDS to share datasets; and the IDV to display model output in courses. “The resources NSF Unidata has provided have been tremendously valuable to me, and I would like to give back by serving on the Users Committee,” says Dr. Tang.
“User needs are constantly evolving as the data ecosystem evolves, making it important for NSF Unidata to adapt to keep it nimble and efficient,” he continues. “For example, how will artificial intelligence affect the services and products that NSF Unidata offers? How can we engage more individuals working in interdisciplinary areas to understand their specific needs? I look forward to working with the Users Committee to gather input and ideas from the community to inform future directions.”
Returning Committee Members
Eric Bruning, Strategic Advisory Committee
Dr. Eric Bruning is an Associate Professor of Atmospheric Science in the Department of Geosciences at Texas Tech University. He served on the Unidata Users Committee from 2018-2021, and has served on the Strategic Advisory Committee since 2021. He will be extending his term of service by one year, until 2025.
