GESTAR II Seminar Series with Dr. Jack Kaye (NASA HQ, Emeritus)

Join us for a virtual seminar by Dr. Jack Kaye, Principal, Earth.Space.Chem LLC, Affiliate Faculty, George Mason University, and Emeritus, NASA HQ. His talk is titled "Reflections on over a Quarter Century Managing NASA’s Earth Science Research Program: The Fun, the Not-So-Fun, and the Scary.” 

Date and Time: Tuesday, October 27, 2026 at 1:00PM EST
Online: Join us via Teams.  

Abstract:
"NASA's Earth Science Research Program, which I had the privilege of overseeing for more than 25 years, is one of the largest and most comprehensive such programs in the world. Besides maintaining over a dozen disciplinarily-focused programs, it included interdisciplinary work and activities designed to connect to other components of the Earth Science Division (applied sciences/Earth action, technology, flight, and data systems), exploitation of data from NASA Earth Science satellite missions, and the support of enabling capabilities that served the entire Earth Science Division, including airborne science, scientific computing, space geodesy, early career research, and education. Management of the program included coordinating with NASA's interagency and international counterparts and also looking to create and nurture synergies between the human and technical capabilities at the NASA centers and those in the external community. It also required being able to communicate the program's goals and effectiveness both internally and externally. In this talk, lessons learned from those experiences will be shared, along with some thoughts about future evolution of Earth System science research and the utilization of that evolving knowledge in the face of the challenges and opportunities that exist today." - Dr. Jack Kaye

Biography:
Jack Kaye retired from NASA on April 30, 2025 after a 41+ year career as a scientific researcher, program manager, and senior executive. For the last 25+ years of his time at NASA, he oversaw implementation of the Earth Science Research and Analysis Program, covering all areas of the Earth system as well as enabling capabilities (airborne science, scientific computing, space geodesy, early career research, education) that the program implemented on behalf of the Earth Science Division. He served as NASA's Principal for the US Global Change Research Program for many years, and also as a founding co-chair of the Research and Innovation Committee of the Interagency Council to Advance Meteorological Services. Among his international activities were serving as chair of the World Meteorological Organization's Expert Team on Satellite Systems and then co-chair of its Expert Team on Space Systems and Utilization. He was elected as a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Among the awards he has received are the Pecora Award (individual) from NASA and the US Geological Survey (2024), NASA's Distinguished Service Medal (2022), a Special ESA Award from the European Space Agency (ESA, 2025) and three Meritorious Senior Executive Awards from the Office of Personnel Management. He is a member of the Standing Committee on Earth Observations, Data, and Information Systems of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. His education was in chemistry (BA, Adelphi University, PhD, California Institute of Technology). Before joining NASA he was a post-doctoral research associate at the US Naval Research Laboratory. He is married and the father of three grown daughters.

For more information on the GESTAR II Seminar Series, click here.