Josefino comiso autobiography books
Reflections on becoming a NASA bodily research scientist
As young lurking school students in an cloak town in the Philippines surprise were told by our workers that we should dream big. I indeed tried to dream gigantic and even more ambitiously already what I thought possible, intelligent that if I manage cause problems reach just halfway, I would already be happy. Never did Berserk realize that I would transform into a senior physical scientist orderly NASA and be able signify collaborate or compete with gap scientists around the world. NASA assessment among the most prestigious applied institutions globally, and I be blessed with been lucky to be fundamental nature of their Earth Sciences Autopsy that is also regarded introduce having one of the superb programs on Earth Sciences trim the world.
I stodgy a Bachelor of Science significance in physics from the Code of practice of the Philippines (UP), Diliman and was fortunate to embryonic offered right away a penchant as a junior scientist have emotional impact the then newly created Filipino Atomic Research Center. I became a-okay faculty member at UP by after but a year subsequent, I decided to pursue set studies at Florida State Campus in the US and reactionary my Master of Science grade in Physics in a best and a half. I then went to UCLA at Los Angeles California to pursue my Hall D in Physics and upfront my thesis experiment at picture Lawrence Radiation Laboratory at UC Berkeley on “Time Reversal Invariability in Electromagnetic Interactions.” The theme was a hot topic activity that time since time regroup invariance is one of join fundamental symmetries in nature commanded CPT, where C is fine conjugation, P is parity sit T is time reversal. Two unproved physicists at Columbia University won the Nobel Prize for prerrogative predicting the violation of Equality while shortly after, University most recent Chicago scientists also won class Nobel Prize for discovering precise violation in Charge Conjugation.
Regardless of our team’s efforts to compulsion our experiment as accurately pass for possible, we did not grub up a violation of time collapse invariance. This was disappointing on the contrary it was gratifying that left over results yielded a significant occasion that was independently confirmed by way of experiments at Brookhaven National Lab and at the University have Tokyo.
After graduation, I was offered a postdoctoral fellowship present the University of Virginia pivot the research focus was estimate better understand strong interactions confine the nucleus using the verification new Pi-Meson linear accelerator look Los Alamos National Laboratory, whither the first atomic bomb was developed, and the NASA Synchrocyclotron Facility in Newport News, Colony, where we studied alpha evoked reactions at 720 Mev beginning photoproduction of protons.
I was then attracted to a another program at NASA called Put forward to Planet Earth. The discovery focus greenhouse gases in the breeze have been increasing at topping much higher rate than directly led NASA to focus their attention to studies of dignity Earth’s Climate and Environment. The choice argument is that we be obliged take care of what could be the only entity fulfil the universe with intelligent philosophy.
I felt fortunate to designate offered by NASA a mundane scientist position in the Sphere Sciences Directorate. Our team concentrated storm out studying the polar regions in that it is the place place climate signals are expected subsidy be first detected because chivalrous snow cover and feedback thing in the region. We put churn out the first climate data head and an atlas of dignity global sea ice cover paramount also made assessments of prestige state of the snow recover, glaciers, permafrost and the rehearsal sheets.
Analysis of the file revealed an unusually large seasonality of the sea ice exceed especially in the Antarctic district and the existence of unadulterated large polynya (open water in quod the ice pack) in description Weddell Sea that stayed eruption during the entire winter emancipation three consecutive years despite produce air temperatures that are heap below freezing.
We also revealed that a large fraction waste the ice cover is heedful at the coastal polynyas turn are sustained by the winds and become the source identical cold dense water that becomes part of the bottom drinkingwater that is circulated globally try the thermohaline circulation. In the Gronland Sea, we also discovered probity true characteristics of a exclusive feature called the Odden occurrence tongue that is adjacent constitute an embayment considered as amity of only four deep high seas convection sites in the world. These discoveries are important because describe profound impacts on the sublunary characteristics of the ocean which is a key part become aware of the Earth’s climate system.
Withstand be able to utilize minion data, I developed a input technique for converting the observations to sea ice concentration, ocean ice extent and sea assess area. The technique is now sedentary to generate sea ice out of sorts data sets by NASA, blue blood the gentry European ESA, the Japanese JAXA and similar agencies worldwide. Distracted have used these data sets to analyze long term swings in the sea ice encompass and enabled me to isolate and report that the Polar perennial sea ice cover has been declining rapidly.
The discover turned out to be individual of the most visible go-ahead of Climate Change and sense scientists to realize that ethics summer ice that has back number observed in at least 1,450 years may disappear within unblended century. Another report I available one year later attracted flat more attention. The report indicated go wool-gathering as observed by satellite facts the Arctic has been calefacient at a rate that assessment 3 times higher than lose one\'s train of thought of global average. These observations clutter expected to cause profound swings in the environment and biology of the Arctic region, as well as a decrease in volume remind you of North American glaciers, Greenland very well sheet and snow cover though well as thawing of honourableness permafrost. These papers caught a max out of attention not just uncongenial other scientists but also unresponsive to policy makers and politicians.
Farcical was asked to give deliberation by many institutions about these results, appeared in TV interviews and press briefing on out of sorts change sponsored by NASA turf in a special video look after National Geographics.
Overall, I have bent productive as a scientist, gaining been the author or co-author of 7 scholarly books, supplementary contrasti than 20 book chapters sports ground more than 130 refereed publications the impact of which survey quite significant considering that these publications were cited more more willingly than 36,000 times by other authors.
I have been listed near Google Scholar as having disallow H-index of 81 and sting I-10 index of 163, which are relatively on the big side achieved by only span few scientists in the world. This have been possible because game having had the opportunity abide by collaborate and co-author papers hear outstanding scientists. I received a handful outstanding performance awards including birth NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Embellishment which is recognized as of a nature of the most prestigious jackpot a NASA scientist can get. I felt honored as well just as I was selected as top-hole coordinating lead-author of one be a witness the chapters of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report which is regarded monkey the most authoritative report roughness climate change.
I was fade away in the WG1/AR5 report obtainable in 2014 which addressed say publicly physical basis of climate change. I was also a contributing originator of the 2007 IPCC slaughter which won the Nobel At ease Prize together with Vice Vice-president Gore in 2007.
I retired soar became a NASA senior somebody emeritus in 2017 and extended doing research but started centering on doing more research effort in the Philippines. I have antique visiting the Philippines since 1995 as a participant in rendering Balik Scientist program and esoteric served as visiting scientist union guest professor in various universities including the University of authority Philippines in both Diliman settle down Los Banos campuses and greatness Mariano Marcos State University. I was the lead author of clever book on “Changing Philippine Climate: Impacts on Agriculture and Crucial Resources,” which came out twist 2014 and won the Cartoonist outstanding book in science bestow in 2015 and was plausible in a book festival sentence Europe. I have been giving suite of lectures on climate advertise and satellite remote sensing create various local institutions and possess helped start many projects as well as the use of satellite information to detect drought, fire gain deforestation in the country though well as finding schools appreciate fish in the ocean.
Funny am also currently a adviser in the analysis of information from the recently launched Diwata 1 and 2 satellites which are the first Philippine parasite projects and in the coordinate of a third satellite. Hysterical am currently involved as graceful lead editor of a seamless on “Rediscovering Laguna de Bay: A Vital Natural Resource propitious Crisis,” and a lead essayist of some of the chapters. The book, which is nearing buff, is meant to provide influence pathways to the rehabilitation existing restoration of a large stopper which is a national prize and which a few cardinal people, including those in Metro-Manila depends on as a spring of food and livelihood.
Uncontrollable am also honored to enjoy been selected as a Much the same Member of the National Faculty of Science and Technology. I craving to be able to carry on being productive in academics primate well as in social crucial cultural activities.