Emberson part of DRCS Team that Received 2024 Blue Marble Award

Three Goddard teams were recipients of a 2024 Blue Marble Award, among them the NASA Disasters Response Coordination System Team of which Robert Emberson (617/UMBC) is a member. The team was a “recipient in the category of Resilience or Climate Change Adaptation for outstanding contribution to science-based disaster response and resiliency planning.” Created in 2006, the Blue Marble Award recognizes personnel who demonstrate environmental leadership in carrying out the agency’s mission. The award ceremony was held October 8, 2024, at the NASA 2024 Environmental Operational Meeting at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. Congratulations!

We asked Dr. Emberson for more information on the Disasters Program and the Disaster Response Coordination System: “I am one of the Associate Program Managers for the Disasters Program at NASA HQ, which supports both funded research projects as well as a range of agencies to inform decisions relating to Disaster response. I’ve been involved in various capacities in the disaster response support work for the past 5 years, but this year the program has formalized these activities into the Disaster Response Coordination System, an expanded way to leverage NASA assets to support our partners.” Read about the launch of the new system in this June 2024 NASA news feature.

The Disasters Program provides resources via Earth observing data to aid and inform emergency management decision-makers; most recently, they’ve been activated in response to Hurricanes Milton and Helene. The DRCS is featured in this article on nasa.gov regarding the devastation from Hurricane Milton and how NASA is providing FEMA and state agencies with resources. The DRCS team also utilizes the NASA Disasters Portal, which “provides access to a range of data sources for our response activities.” Read more about current and previous disaster activations here.