Earthzine offers its congratulations to two of its staff: Marshall Shepherd, who has received the Captain Planet Foundation Protector of the Earth Award, and Christoph Aubrecht, who has received the American Geophysical Union Natural Hazards Focus Group Award. Each of these men is working to help better society through improved understanding of Earth science.

The new year is good a time to recognize achievements, and Earthzine would like to acknowledge two of our volunteersåÊwho have received awards this month for their outstanding work in different fields of Earth observation.

Christoph Aubrecht. Image Credit: Christoph Aubrecht

Christoph Aubrecht,åÊscientific consultant at the Austrian Institute of Technology as well as the World Bank’s Disaster Risk Management unit andåÊEarthzine senior adviser, received the Natural Hazards Focus Group Award for Graduate Research from the American Geophysical Union (AGU). The award is given to recognize exemplary Ph.D. work that has significantly contributed to research on natural hazards. Aubrecht completed his Ph.D. at the Vienna University of Technology in 2013.

Aubrecht’s research focuses on using geospatial modeling to portray human vulnerability to natural disasters and hazards within the context of socio-economic conditions. It explores underlying social structures that contribute to hazard vulnerability and identifies risk patterns associated with a cadre of situations. The research incorporates social and physical characteristics of the areas at risk for events such as earthquakes, flooding, or heat stress, and has practical applications for risk management planning.

Dr. Marshall Shepherd, of the University of Georgia and Earthzine’s associate editor for weather, was chosen to receive the Protector of the Earth Award from the Captain Planet Foundation (CFP). The award is intended to recognize ‰ÛÏreal, live environmental super heroes,‰Û and Shepherd fills this role as a researcher and communicator.

Previous to his role as a professor at University of Georgia, Shepherd spent 12 years as a meteorologist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. He continues to serve on a number of Earth science advisory councils. Shepherd takes the expertise he gains through his role in scientific research and presents it to the public, working to counter misinformation about climate science in an accessible way. Shepherd has addressed the U.S. Senate on issues of climate change and extreme weather, contributed articles to newspapers and peer-reviewed publications, and currently hosts the Weather Channel show ‰ÛÏWeather Geeks.‰Û

Although they hail from different domains of Earth observation, Aubrecht and Shepherd are each improving understanding of environmental risks and opportunities. Congratulations to both of them on their awards.

Dr. Marshall Shepherd speaks at TEDx. Image Credit: TEDx Atlanta