Below is a list of the AOSC Department Committees. Click the title to expand for more information. 

A. Jones (Chair), A. Ruiz-Barradas, V. Bonhomme, Grad and UG Students

Charge:

• Discuss and evaluate ideas for making AOSC a more welcoming place for all— Undergraduate and graduate students, Staff, and Faculty
• Implement community-driven initiatives, working with the Chair and the department
• Advance diversity, opportunity, and inclusivity in the department

CMNS APT: D. Zhang (AOSC Representative)

AOSC APT: D. Zhang (Chair), G. Cooper

Charge: 

• Evaluate requests for Advancement, Promotion, and Tenure (including emeritus)
• Create APT Subcommittees and oversee the promotion process
• Organize/supervise the AOSC APT votes
• Create Faculty Search Committees, in consultation with the Chair 

Charge to the APT subcommittee:

• Propose a list of appropriate external evaluators, with feedback from CMNS
• Draft objective report—Summary of Professional Achievements—in collaboration with the candidate.
• Draft Department APT report and related documents
• Compile the dossier following CMNS and UMD guidelines
• Ensure the dossier has all necessary elements

Charge to the Faculty Search Committee: 

• Advertise for and recruit outstanding candidates for faculty and staff positions
• Draft search advertisement addressing Chair and Department priorities
• Seek candidates who can enhance the AOSC community and its national profile
• Solicit feedback on candidates from all—Faculty, Students, and Staff
• Recommend candidates who will advance AOSC’s academic and research standing
• Present findings and recommendations to the AOSC faculty and Chair

Z. Li (Chair), J. Carton

Charge: 

• Discuss target awards and potential nominees, meeting at least once a semester
• Organize submission of faculty nominations for college, university, national, and international awards

K. Ide (Chair)

Charge:  

• Help the Burgers Program advance geophysical applications of fluid dynamics
• Help recruit new faculty and students with interests and expertise in these areas

Computer

J. Henrikson (Chair), W. Tribett, Grad Student

Charge:

• Evaluate AOSC computational facilities and recommend enhancements
• Interface with the HPC Committee Chair to develop HPC recommendations
• Develop equitable allocation policies for computer resources among faculty, staff, and students, and across AOSC’s physical premises
• Refine algorithms for legal and equitable allocation of computer use charges

High Performance Computing (HPC)       

K. Ide

Charge: 

• Manage AOSC’s DT2 allocation, with speedy approval of new users and projects
• Help develop instruction in multi-processing techniques with faculty input
• Make recommendations for improvement in AOSC’s HPC capabilities

C. LaPadula (Chair)

Charge: 

• Track maintenance and renovation work of AOSC facilities, keeping all apprised
• Evaluate current allocation of office space, lab space, and other facilities and reassign as necessary, consistent with the AOSC space policy and needs
• Collaborate with the graduate student association on student office assignments
• Coordinate with the corresponding ESSIC committee on dual-use space
• Pursue UMD and external resources to enhance/beautify AOSC space and facilities

N. Zeng

Role

• Represent AOSC in the Faculty Senate
• Attend Senate meetings and report back relevant information/updates 

S. Nigam, J. Poterjoy

Role

• Inform university colleagues about UCAR activities and updates
• Serve on UCAR governance committees, which involve participating in decisionmaking processes
• Represent university perspectives and positions to UCAR and NSF NCAR
• Elect trustees and members of UCAR governance and advisory committees at the Annual Members Meeting
• Participate in scientific planning sessions and discuss matters affecting the scientific enterprise

Below is a list of the AOSC Acedemic Committees. Click the title to expand for more information. 

Grad Program: J. Poterjoy (Director), T. Hendershot (Asst. Director), V. Bonhomme (program specialist)

UG Program: A. Jones (Director), T. Canty (Advisor), L. Uccellini, G. Cooper (Manager) 

Charge:

• Direct the academic program
• Implement policy decisions made by the faculty
• Act on student petitions and resolve concerns/disputes
• Ensure that degree requirements are fulfilled in a timely fashion
• Represent the program on College and University committees
• Survey and maintain student databases
• Respond to prospective student queries about the academic program
• Meet with the students once a semester/year to review the academic program, including course syllabi, recruitment, teaching evaluations, etc.
• Meet yearly with the chair to review the program
• Observe as many thesis defenses as possible to ensure uniformity of standards 

A. Jones (Chair), J. Poterjoy, J. Wenegrat, T. Canty, S. Farrell, G. Cooper; UG Student

Charge:

• ·   Review/update the content and catalog description of all undergraduate courses
• Advise on course textbook choices as needed
• Review the undergraduate curriculum and delivery of course materials
• Consult with faculty as new courses are formulated to ensure the content and delivery follow College and UMD guidelines and satisfy curriculum gaps/needs
• Peer evaluation of teaching: By a committee-identified, post-tenure subject matter expert. Pre-tenure instructor teaching should be reviewed each semester; alternate same course visits should be unannounced. Classes taught by new instructors and faculty up for promotion should be prioritized.  Post-tenure instructor teaching should be reviewed every other year through unannounced visits. The UG Director should accompany the subject matter expert in courses where teaching concerns bubble up. The evaluative report should provide constructive feedback to the instructor.
• ·   Encourage development of new courses addressing topical/emergent issues

J. Poterjoy (Chair), J. Carton, J. Wenegrat, T. Canty, G. Cooper; Grad Student

Charge:

• Review/update the content and catalog description of all graduate courses
• Review/recommend CORE courses and their content
• Advise on course textbook choices as needed
• Peer evaluation of teaching: By a committee-identified, post-tenure subject matter expert. Pre-tenure instructor teaching should be reviewed each semester; alternate same course visits should be unannounced. Classes taught by new instructors and faculty up for promotion should be prioritized.  Post-tenure instructor teaching should be reviewed every other year through unannounced visits. The Grad Director should accompany the subject matter expert in courses where teaching concerns bubble up. The evaluative report should provide constructive feedback to the instructor.
• Meet with graduate students once a year to solicit feedback on teaching and course content
• Recommend ways to boost course enrollment, including restructuring/renaming of electives and their cross-listing with other departments, etc.

J. Wenegrat (Chair), J. Poterjoy, T. Hendershot

Charge: 

• Respond to queries and requests for information about the graduate program
• Screen graduate applicants and recommend the top-tier ones for admission
• Use fellowships, TAs, and AOSC-controlled funds to recruit an outstanding class based on academic excellence, research potential, and community contributions
• Assign academic and research advisors based on research interests and funding

X. Liang (Chair), M. Youngs, R. Salawitch, J. Carton, T. Hendershot

Charge: 

• Identify students taking the Oral Comprehensive Exam approximately two months before the February and September exams.
• Form the Exam Committee: Select four (4) common faculty members (excluding the advisors of exam-taking students) and, together with each student’s advisor, form a 5-member Exam Committee for each student.
• Develop Exam Content: Guide the common faculty (designating one as chair) in soliciting potential questions and discussion topics from faculty (excluding exam-taking students’ advisors), refining these topics to ensure relevance, fairness, and alignment with exam policies. The common committee chair will coordinate with the Graduate Program Office to ensure the timely distribution of exam materials.
• Ensure Consistency: Devise strategies to promote uniformity in exam protocol, expectations, and difficulty across committees.
• Evaluate and Adjust: Organize faculty meetings to review exam results, address concerns, and resolve issues as needed.
• Review Policies: Periodically review and recommend updates to exam policies to enhance the evaluative rigor and consistency of the Oral Comprehensive Exam.

Graduate Committee: Graduate Director, Admissions Chair, AOSC Chair; T. Hendershot

UG Committee: UG Program Director, AOSC Chair; G. Cooper

M. Molina (co-Chair), Z. Li (co-Chair), M. Youngs, R. Dickerson, S. Nigam, E. Wisinski, A. Cresanti

Charge: 

• Recruit speakers for the AOSC weekly seminar, focusing on exceptional research findings, communication skills, national standing, and community engagement
• Advertise AOSC seminars via email to students, faculty, alumni, and academic and research institutions in the Washington/Baltimore area
• Arrange travel and lunch for speakers, as needed; the seminar committee has a department-approved annual budget
• Maintain the seminar website, keeping all seminar information up to date

A. Ring (Chair), W. Tribett

Charge:

• Track alumni and maintain an up-to-date directory
• Foster alumni engagement via events, seminars, Facebook pages, newsletters, etc.
• Help organize AOSC alumni events at the AMS and AGU annual meetings