The Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology (JCET) was formed under a Cooperative agreement between the Earth Science Division of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) in 1995. The JCET family consists of its business staff, students, research faculty, GSFC Sponsors, appointed fellows and affiliated tenured/tenure-track faculty. JCET is an innovative center where these scientists interact in a seamless fashion with the support of an efficient business and administrative unit.

A central requirement of JCET is the integration of the faculty into the academic life of the University. JCET faculty members are strongly encouraged to affiliate with academic departments and contribute to the overall teaching and research undertaken at UMBC. These contributions can take the form of mentoring graduate and undergraduate students, serving on thesis and dissertation committees or working with faculty on research themes that align with NASA’s Earth Science topics. Affiliated JCET faculty are urged to teach every other year and/or to be active in advising students. JCET faculty may be affiliated and teach in Physics, Geography and Environmental Systems, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mathematics/Statistics, Computer Science and Engineering. JCET’s major academic contribution to UMBC include the leadership in the formation of UMBC’s Atmospheric Physics Program and substantial contribution to the Geography and Environmental Systems new Graduate Program. Graduate students in JCET work both at the UMBC campus and on site at the Goddard Space Flight Center.

JCET faculty are active researchers serving as Principal Investigators on funded research, providing service to the scientific community through peer review roles on various committee (such as thesis, dissertation, journals, proposals, and review committees), and they have the opportunity to develop and teach coursework, advise graduate and undergraduate students. These are the main attributes that makes them highly marketable as future university professors or research lab leaders. In summary, JCET is a collection of highly innovative and valued scientists in a university that is rated one of the “most innovative” and “forward looking” schools in the nation!

As the Director of JCET, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the JCET website. If there is information you do not find on these pages, please feel free to contact me or call the JCET office at 410.455.8812.

Dr. Belay B. Demoz
Professor of Physics and Director, JCET
(410) 455-2715
bdemoz@umbc.edu
http://jcet.umbc.edu/