The NSF Unidata Users Committee is seeking nominations for a Graduate Student representative to join the group of university faculty members who serve on this committee. Nominees should be Graduate Students who use NSF Unidata software, hold a strong interest in the NSF Unidata program, and have an interest in learning how a community-based program like NSF Unidata is governed. Nominations may be made by any community member, and self-nominations are acceptable. This position will be for a two-year term beginning with the fall 2025 Users Committee meeting.
— Roger Riggin
In addition to bringing a valuable student perspective to NSF Unidata committee discussions, Graduate Student representatives make numerous professional contacts at NSF Unidata and in the university community at large, and gain insights stemming from participation in NSF Unidata program governance. The NSF Unidata Users committee meets twice a year; the NSF Unidata Program Center pays all travel and lodging expenses for the student representative's travel to committee meetings.
“It has been an honor to serve as the graduate student representative for the NSF Unidata Users Committee for the past two years. During my service, I've had numerous opportunities to network with the amazing group of Users Committee members, NSF Unidata staff, and other professionals working to meet so many needs across the Earth Systems Science community,” says Roger Riggin, who has been the Users Committee Graduate Student Representative since 2023. “Throughout these interactions, I"ve also had the privilege of being the voice of the graduate-level community, helping ensure that our needs are brought to the table during important discussions about the future of the NSF Unidata program. Furthermore, working with the NSF Unidata Users Committee also introduced me to other amazing groups and resources in the Earth Systems Science community, such as Project Pythia, that have been invaluable towards developing my own skill sets and improving the teaching of computer programming back at my home institution.”
“I've gained invaluable insights by being a part of the discussions and watching how NSF Unidata has had to evolve during a time of tumultuous funding cuts at the federal level,” Riggin continues. “I don’t think many graduate-level students understand all that goes on in the background to run these federally funded projects until they transition into faculty and/or research science positions. Seeing the efforts, sacrifice, and resilience needed to keep these projects going has been a learning experience that I can carry on into my future career.”
To nominate a student for this committee position, please send a short (no more than one page in length) description that includes:
- Your contact information (e-mail, phone)
- The student's name, institution, and e-mail address
- The student's discipline and major
- Which NSF Unidata software and tools the student is using
- Evidence of interest and/or willingness to engage in community service
- Explanation of why the student is well suited for participation on the committee
(Note: Nominees may also be asked to provide a letter of recommendation from their graduate advisers.)
Please submit nominations by July 31, 2025 to: nominations@unidata.ucar.edu.
NSF Unidata is a leader in educational software development and data distribution. We rely on input from two governing committees, the Users Committee, which is charged with providing feedback from the user community to Unidata, and the Strategic Advisory Committee, charged with ensuring that community needs are being met by NSF Unidata. For additional information on NSF Unidata's governing committees, see Unidata's governing committee pages.
If you have questions, please contact:
Casey Davenport (casey.davenport@charlotte.edu), or
Alex Davies (adavies@usna.edu)
Co-Chairs, NSF Unidata Users Committee
