Below is the list of participants who brought their diverse perspectives, knowledge, and enthusiasm to engage in and contribute to the success of this workshop.
Bruce F. Molnia
U.S. Geological Survey Scientist Emeritus
Bruce Molnia, U.S. Geological Survey Scientist Emeritus, serves as Senior Science Advisor for National Civil Applications. His research interests focus on the cryosphere, especially understanding temperate glacier response to changing climate. Bruce, the namesake for Molnia Bluff, a bedrock massif in Antarctica’s Dry Valleys, has authored or co-authored more than 550 journal articles, abstracts, reports, maps, and books, including Alaska, the 525+ page ‘chapter’ of the Satellite Image Atlas of Glaciers of the World (https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/p1386k/).
Maloy Kumar Devnath
Ph.D. Student, Department of Information Systemes, University of Maryland Baltimore County
Maloy Kumar Devnath is a Ph.D. student in the Information Systems Department at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. His current research focuses on comprehending the melting patterns of sea ice and investigating its implications on the melting of land ice, which is a key factor contributing to the rising sea levels. Maloy is conducting his research in the Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning area under the supervision of Dr. Vandana P. Janeja and Dr. Sudip Chakraborty. His academic journey began with a BSc degree, and he briefly worked as a Software Developer at Code Crafters International Limited. Following his passion for education, he transitioned to an academic role as a Lecturer at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science & Technology University, Gopalganj. He is proud to share that, on June 3, 2022, he was promoted to Assistant Professor, reflecting his dedication to teaching.
Muhtadi Munawar Zahin
Ph.D. Student, Florida International University
Hi, I am Zahin. Being a boy from Bangladesh, I have been studying mechanical engineering with an aim to improve general human quality of life. I am currently pursuing my Doctorate in Florida International University, and am looking forward to learning and applying narrative lenses to my engineering career, and perhaps toy with opportunities present here.
Mayeesha Humaira
Ph.D. Student, Department of Computer and Information Sciences, Towson University
I am a PhD student in Information Technology at Towson University, conducting research at the forefront of Artificial Intelligence. My work emphasizes Deep Learning, Big Data Analytics, Data Science, Geo-AI, and Health AI to address complex challenges across environmental and healthcare domains. I am passionate about leveraging AI-driven insights to inform decision-making and improve communication strategies. I look forward to collaborating with participants to bridge climate science and effective communication.
Jianwu Wang
Professor, Department of Communication,
Florida International University
Dr. Jianwu Wang is a Professor at Department of Information Systems, UMBC. He leads the Center for Scalable Data and Computational Science (ScaleS) at UMBC, and co-leads iHARP. His research interests include Big Data Analytics, Causal AI, Earth Informatics and Distributed Computing. He has published 150+ papers and has been funded by ARL, NSF, NASA, DOE, State of Maryland, and Industry. He received Early-Career Faculty Excellence Award from UMBC in 2019 and NSF CAREER Award in 2020.
Lynn Vartan
Percussion Interarts Performance
College of Performance, Visualization & Fine Arts
Dr. Lynn Vartan is an internationally renowned music performer, known for her collaborative performances and artistry. She has been multiple times Grammy nominated, and performed Pulitzer Prize finalist album. Dr. Vartan is endorsed by Paiste, Remo and Marimba One, is a US Fulbright Specialist, and has a signature series of marimba mallets developed for her. Her Interarts projects have been featured for Percussive Arts Society, the A.M.P.S conference, and at music festivals on 4 continents.
Sai Vikas Amaraneni
Ph.D. Student, Department of Information Systems, University of Maryland Baltimore County
I’m Sai Vikas Amaraneni, a PhD Student in the Information Systems Department at UMBC working under the supervision of Dr. Vandana P. Janeja and Dr. Sudip Chakraborty. My area of research focuses on spatiotemporal data mining to investigate the spatiotemporal relationships between ocean and atmospheric variables affecting various Antarctic regions.
Karen Chen
Professor of information Systems University of Maryland Baltimore County
I am an assistant professor of information systems at UMBC with a background in AI, machine learning, and data science. My role as a data science educator, practitioner, and researcher inspires my interest in data storytelling and science communication in general. I am also the education and outreach co-lead of iHARP, which allows me to explore how we could use data storytelling to communicate about the science of climate change.
Susan M. Sterett
Professor, Emerita of Public Policy, University of Maryland Baltimore County
Susan M. Sterett is professor emerita of public policy at UMBC. She writes on climate governance, legalized processes, and courts. She is most recently the author of Litigating the Pandemic: disaster cascades in court (2023), which begins with the pandemic as a climate-related disaster. She has a book in progress on legal encounters and social welfare in climate-related disaster. She also co-edited a forthcoming special issue of Law and Society Review on climate change litigation.
Klein Barbara
Associate Professor, Texas A&M University
Barbara Klein, MFA, is an Instructional Associate Professor at Texas A&M University in College Station, Co-Director of the Virtual Production Institute, and Associate Program Director for Graduate Programs. She is a creative technologist and educator with expertise in visualization, design, virtual production, and entrepreneurship. As an academic leader, she develops innovative curricula, fosters industry collaborations, and champions entrepreneurial thinking. She emphasizes applied learning, design, and global perspectives through study abroad programs, preparing students for leading with an entrepreneurial mindset in creative and technological industries.
Michael Walsh
Associate Professor of Practice – College of Performance, Texas A&M University
Michael Walsh, MFA, is an Associate Professor of Practice at Texas A&M University. He is a 3D artist and motion capture expert with over 20 years of experience in feature film, animation, and digital art. His work spans major film productions such as Avatar, Beowulf, The Adventures of Tintin, and The Amazing Spider-Man.
Michael specializes in advanced technologies, including motion capture, LiDAR scanning, and virtual production, applying these tools to both entertainment and practical applications. Beyond film, he has contributed to military simulation projects for the United States Army and Marine Corps, as well as 3D courtroom visualizations for trial. As the director of Texas A&M’s Starlab, Michael leads cutting-edge projects that inspire and equip the next generation of creators.
Sarah Jewett
Director of Learning Partnerships in Research and Practice, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Dr. Sarah Jewett serves as the Director of Learning Partnerships in Research and Practice at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). She is passionate about teaching and learning, and is a faculty affiliate with the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Public Health, and the Language, Literacy & Culture doctoral program. As an ethnographic researcher focused on educational equity, inclusive communities and sociocultural identities, she has become deeply engaged in digital storytelling and its unique role in fostering dialogue in an era of climate change.
Ann McNamara
Professor, Department of Computer Science, Texas A&M University (TAMU)
Dr. Ann McNamara is a professor and researcher in the field of computer science, focusing on computer graphics, visualization, and human-computer interaction. She is based at Texas A&M University (TAMU), where she contributes to both research and education in these domains. Her work bridges technical innovation and perceptual understanding, making her a notable figure in fields that require interdisciplinary expertise.
Courtney Starrett
Program Director, College of Performance, Visualization & Fine Arts, Texas A&M University
Courtney Starrett is an artist working at the intersection of art, craft, and technology. Her work is included in permanent collections and exhibited internationally and published in several journals and texts. Starrett’s creative research investigates using conceptually relevant environmental data to create forms utilizing computer programming and digital design/fabrication processes in combination with handwork. With Susan Reiser, Starrett coined the term data materialization to describe a subgenre of data art which utilizes data as a raw material.
Kel Elkins
Data Visualizer, NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio, Goddard Space Flight Center
Kel Elkins is a data visualizer with NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. He works with scientists to visualize data from NASA missions, including both observational data (from satellites, aircraft, etc.) and supercomputer simulations. These visualizations promote a greater understanding of Earth and Space Science research activities at NASA.
Bayu Adhi Tama
Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Bayu Adhi Tama is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the NSF HDR Institute for Harnessing Data and Model Revolution in the Polar Regions (iHARP) at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He specializes in applied data science for polar research, leveraging machine learning and deep learning techniques to address environmental challenges.
Omar Faruque
PhD Student, Department of Information Systems, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Omar Faruque is a 3rd-year PhD student specializing in Causality Analysis for time series and spatiotemporal data, leveraging Deep Learning and AI techniques. His research primarily focuses on Climate and Earth domains, but he maintains an open interest in NLP, medical, and biological applications. Omar’s expertise extends to computer vision and machine learning, with a growing curiosity for Foundation Models and Diffusion Models. His interdisciplinary approach and diverse interests position him as a versatile researcher at the forefront of AI applications in various scientific fields.
Ran Duan
Assistant Professor, Reynolds School of Journalism, University of Nevada, Reno
Ran Duan is an assistant professor at the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno. Her research interests include environmental, science, and visual communication, such as the uses and effects of visuals in the communication of wildfire and climate change, the development of scales for measuring visual literacy in science communication. She received Ph.D. in Media and Information from Michigan State University in 2018, with a specialization in Environmental Science and Policy.
Jenny Baeseman
International Science, Policy, and Climate Consultant, Baeseman Consulting & Services LLC
Jenny Baeseman is an international science, policy and climate consultant based in Wisconsin. Her background includes studying life in extreme environments from acid mine drainage to the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. She previously served as the Founding Director of the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists, Director of the World Climate Research Programme’s Climate and Cryosphere Project, and as Executive Director for the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. One of her personal goals is to make sure everyone she meets knows that polar bears don’t eat penguins – as they live at different Poles.
Stewart Ziff
Associate Instructional Professor of Virtual Production, Texas A&M University
Stewart Ziff is an artist, technologist, and educator, currently appointed as an associate instructional professor of virtual production at Texas A&M. A founding member of the Personal Cinema collective, he has taught at Georgia State University, Parsons School of Design, and SVA. He was systems architect for the Hayden Planetarium, technical director at MTV’s DTV R&D lab, and a consultant on Earth and Space Sciences visualization projects, blending academia, industry, and media arts expertise.
David A. Donkor
Associate Professor of Performance and Africana Studies, Texas A&M University
David A. Donkor (PhD), Associate Professor of Performance and Africana Studies at Texas A&M University and Carnegie Diaspora Fellow, researches performance as a form of public political practice. He is the author of Spiders of the Market: Ghanaian Trickster Performance in a Web of Neoliberalism (2016). He is also a stage director, performer and adaptor of folktales, personal narratives and literature, and recipient of the Entertainment Critics and Reviewers Association of Ghana award for acting.
Helen-Nicole (Eleni) Kostis
Product Manager – Data Visualization, Texas A&M University
Helen-Nicole (Eleni) Kostis leads data dashboards and visualizations for NASA’s Earth Information Center wall-sized displays. Based at the Scientific Visualization Studio at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Eleni designs, develops and produces data-driven media, conduits, and experiences with the goal to communicate complex climate phenomena and research findings to the scientific communities and the public. Eleni is the recipient of NASA’s Exceptional Achievement Award for Outreach.
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/
https://earth.gov/
Sarah M. Garvey
Program Manager, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Sarah Garvey (she/her) is the Program Manager for the Global Nitrogen Innovation Center for Clean Energy and the Environment (NICCEE). She is an interdisciplinary scientist interested in biogeochemistry, climate science, and coupled human-natural systems. Sarah received her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and earned her Ph.D. with the Hutyra Terrestrial Carbon Lab at Boston University. Her previous research combined lab, field and analytical work to investigate anthropogenic impacts on soils and the carbon cycle.
Chhaya Kulkarni
Ph.D. Student , University of Maryland, Baltimore County
David Victorson
Director of the Flourishing in Society and Health Research Lab in the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University
David Victorson is a licensed psychologist, Professor of Medical Social Sciences, and Director of the Flourishing in Society and Health Research Lab in the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. He also directs Integrative Oncology Research at the Cancer Survivorship Institute at the Robert H Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center and is a founder and director of a nonprofit for young adults and caregivers affected by cancer called True North Treks. His research focuses on the role of mindfulness-based emotion regulation, deep social connection, nature contact and planetary health, and positive health behavior engagement in promoting health, wellbeing, and flourishing in people, our population, and the planet.
Mostafa Cham
Ph.D. Student, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Mostafa Cham is a Ph.D. student in Information Systems at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, with expertise in AI and big data analytics. His research focuses on improving climate data predictions, including precipitation forecasting and ice sheet dynamics, and enhancing medical imaging techniques.
Sanjay Purushotham
Associate Professor, Department of Information Systems, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
I am Sanjay Purushotham, an Associate Professor in the Department of Information Systems at UMBC. My research focuses on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, with applications in health and climate sciences. I have authored over 90 peer-reviewed publications in leading AI/ML venues, including AAAI, ICML, KDD, SDM, and NeurIPS. My work has been supported by the NSF, NASA, NIH, and ARL, and in 2023, I received the prestigious NSF CAREER award. Currently, my research is focused on advancing trustworthy federated learning systems for computational healthcare and developing novel deep learning and computer vision algorithms for polar science applications.