Paul Racette
As an adventurous adolescent, Paul grew up chasing severe thunderstorms across the plains of Kansas. And so he was quite excited after joining the Goddard Space Flight Center in July 1990 to learn that his first assignment was to prepare and install a suite of sensors on a DC-8 aircraft for an experiment to study typhoons. That fall while stationed at Kadena Airbase in Okinawa, Japan, he flew for the first time through the eye of a category 5 typhoon. That experience was the beginning of an exciting and fruitful career developing and deploying microwave remote sensors for studying Earth's environment. Since then, Paul has been the principal engineer responsible for the overall instrument concept, development and deployment for five highly-innovative remote sensing instruments. Each of these instruments has produced unique, scientifically rich data. Paul has participated in more than fifteen major field experiments around the world pioneering techniques to observe the Earth. As a member of the senior technical staff at Goddard, he has initiated technology developments, research projects, and international collaborations that have advanced the state of the art in microwave remote sensing and instrument calibration. For these efforts and accomplishments Paul received the NASA Medal for Exceptional Service and was the first recipient of Goddard's Engineering Achievement Award established to publicly recognize Goddard's highest achieving engineers. In 2005 he completed the requirements for his Doctor of Science in electrical engineering from The George Washington University. Recognizing the critical needs in education and a desire to seek new adventures, Paul applied and was accepted into the NASA Administrator's Fellowship Program. As a NAFP fellow he returned to his home state to serve as a guest faculty at the Haskell Indian Nations University during the 2005 - 2006 academic year. Paul recently competed the second year of his fellowship working at NASA Headquarters as Special Assistant to the Deputy Assistant Administrator in the Office of Education.
Paul is highly commited to serving the public through professional activities. Paul has served the IEEE in many capacities including secretary of the University of Kansas IEEE student chapter, the Geoscience and Remote Sensing Socieity's New Technology Directions Committee Representative, Chair of the Instrumentation and Future Technologies Committee, and Professional Activities Committee for Engineers Representative. He now serves as Editor-In-Chief for Earthzine.
Are efficiency and technology the key to sustainable energy?
Originally Published by environmentalresearchweb: all content
Experts call for the worldwide introduction of price signals for carbon emissions, the development of technologies for capturing and sequestering carbon from coal and other fossil fuels, and the acceleration of the development and deployment of renewable-energy technologies. A doubling of public and private expenditure on critical energy technologies is also needed, along with cutting subsidies to established energy industries and reducing incentives for excess consumption.
Posted on
October 27th, 2007
Energy
Antarctic snowmelt progresses inland
Originally Published by environmentalresearchweb: all content
Using 20 years of data from satellite observations, NASA scientists have confirmed that snow has been melting further inland and at higher elevations in Antarctica. Warmer temperatures are probably responsible for these phenomena, says the team.
Posted on
October 27th, 2007
Climate
Atmospheric carbon dioxide increasing faster than expected
Originally Published by environmentalresearchweb: all content
A new study performed by researchers working at the Global Carbon Project, at the University of East Anglia and the British Antarctic Survey, shows that the growth rate of carbon dioxide emissions has increased from 1.3% to 3.3% each year since 2000. The study shows that global carbon dioxide emissions from all human activities had increased 35% over the emissions in 1990 – the “reference year” in the Kyoto Protocol.
Posted on
October 27th, 2007
Climate
Drug-Resistant Staph Killed More Americans Than AIDS in 2005
Originally Published by Environment News Service
A study published in the “Journal of the American Medical Association” shows that infections caused by anti-bacterial resistant staph infections are no longer confined to hospitals and are increasingly found in community settings such as schools and pose a major health threat.
Posted on
October 27th, 2007
Health
U.S. Senators Propose Compulsory Greenhouse Gas Cuts
Originally Published by Environment News Service
A bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. Senate proposes mandatory, not voluntary, limits on greenhouse gases with the goal of reducing the nation’s emissions more than 60 percent by mid-century. Is this too little? Too late?
Posted on
October 27th, 2007
Politics
Human Behavior, Global Warming, and the Ubiquitous Plastic Bag
Originally Published by NYT > Environment
Americans use 100 billion plastic bags a year that require an estimated 12 million barrels of oil to produce. What can be done to curb America’s insatiable desire to consume disposable waste products?
I confess… I too fail to use alternatives when going to the store, although I usually decline and give back the plastic bags when I can carry the merchandise with my hands. I could do much more to reduce the waste generated by my consumption. We all could. We all must…
Grim Outlook for Polar Bears
Originally Published by NYT > Environment
If emissions of greenhouse gases and resulting global and Arctic warming continue apace, the study said, two-thirds of the 22,000 or so bears will disappear by midcentury. Some bear experts see that prognosis as overly dire.
Posted on
October 27th, 2007
Biodiversity, Ecosystems
Australian Fires Add to Fears on Climate Change
Originally Published by NYT > Environment
Extreme weather, including a drought that has persisted in some places for six years, has focused the Australian public on climate change, and it is shaping up as a major issue in the general elections that are expected to be called in the next few weeks.
U.N. Warns of Rapid Decay of Environment
Originally Published by NYT > Environment
Climage change, the rate of extinction of species, and the challenge of feeding a growing population are putting humanity at risk, the United Nations Environment Program says in its fourth Global Environmental Outlook since 1997.
Posted on
October 27th, 2007
Biodiversity, Climate, Ecosystems
Dozens of Species of Primates Are Under Threat, Study Finds
Originally Published by NYT > Environment
A new report from the World Conservation Union states nearly a third of known primatesare listed as threatened with extinction.
Posted on
October 27th, 2007
Biodiversity
NASA Daily Image
Large X-class Flare Erupts on the Sun
On Jan. 27, 2012, a large X-class flare erupted from an active region near the solar west limb. X-class flares are the most powerful of all solar events. Seen here is an image of the flare captured by the X-ray telescope on Hinode. This image shows an emission from plasma heated to greater than eight million degrees during the energy release process of the flare. Image Credit: JAXA/Hinode