Guest blog post by Steven Hall, Electronics Specialist, National Reconditioning Center, National Weather Service I am an Electronics Specialist at the National Reconditioning Center of NOAA’s National Weather Service in Grandview, Missouri. My responsibilities include conducting acceptance inspections, tests, and evaluations on Automated Surface Observation Systems such as the Radiosonde Tracking...

Guest blog post by Davetta Goins, Supervisory Patent Examiner, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Growing up in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, where my family, neighbors, and close friends were scientists, engineers, doctors, lawyers, and teachers, I was surrounded by professionals. My parents were very active in community organizations that helped encourage teens in local high schools to enter...

Guest blog post by Michelle Rogers, Economic Development Specialist, U.S. Economic Development Administration My key responsibility is to support the Partnership Planning program in the U. S. Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) Chicago region. In this capacity, I review all documentation for technical grant management and implementation, including proposals and the subsequent grant awards...

Guest blog by Michelle Hawkins, Chief of the Severe, Fire, Public, and Winter Weather Services Branch in the Analyze, Forecast and Support Office of the National Weather Service (NWS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) I am Chief of the Severe, Fire, Public, and Winter Weather Services Branch in the Analyze, Forecast and Support Office of the National Weather Service (NWS) in...

Guest blog post by DaNa Carlis, Meteorologist and Program Manager at NOAA’s Office of Weather and Air Quality Growing up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, weather was always very important, but as a kid I didn’t know I could make a career out of it. The part that got me interested in science was that as a middle school student, one of my science teachers would set up competitions for every test. One of the...

Guest blog post by Jeanita Pritchett, Academic Program Manager, International and Academic Affairs Office, National Institute of Standards and Technology Black History Month is a time of celebration, reflection, and engagement that is an essential part of American history. It began as a way to acknowledge important people and events in the history of the African diaspora and now serves a critical...

Guest blog post by Francine E. Alkisswani, Ph.D., Minority Broadband Initiative, National Telecommunications and Information Administration Although I grew up in Charleston, I am both a coal miner’s daughter and granddaughter from the hollows of Cabin Creek, West Virginia. As I reflect on Black History Month, I think of those who inspired and nurtured me while I lived in a segregated community and...

Guest blog post by Jeanette Davis, Policy Analyst, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service Contributions by African Americans to science and society is undeniable and Black History Month is a time to recognize and celebrate such contributions, both past and present. It is a month that speaks to resiliency, creativity, and the ability to serve humanity...