heritage

Black History Month Spotlight: Alan Sealls

Alan Sealls speaks with attendees at the AMS 105th Annual Meeting

February is Black History Month. In this post, we spotlight the illustrious career of AMS’s president elect, Alan Sealls.

Sealls is an AMS Fellow and Certified Broadcast Meteorologist, and an adjunct professor at the University of South Alabama. He retired in January 2024 from a 37-year career in broadcast meteorology (most recently, he was chief meteorologist at WPMI-TV in Mobile), in which he won 16 regional Emmys. He has also received multiple AMS awards and held many leadership positions within both the AMS and the National Weather Association. We spoke with Alan about his career and what he’s learned. You can read his full bio here.

Can you give us a few career highlights?

The big thing that most people talk about is when I went viral, covering Hurricane Irma in 2017, getting millions of views on YouTube for what I thought was just a solid discussion and forecast about the storm!

My TV career propelled me to becoming (the first Black) president of the National Weather Association in 2018, and now incoming president of the American Meteorological Society for 2026. Those are things that I never would have ever imagined but friends and colleagues of all colors, ages, and professional stages pushed me forward and supported me.

What are you most proud of in your professional life?

Serving my communities on a daily basis with useful information, as a role model, and an educator, with dozens of young people influenced to pursue science, and many of my former students now doing what I did, and other positive things.

What was an important moment in your early career?

Learning that job politics can slow your progress and that they are a reality.

Have things changed for Black meteorologists over the years? What still needs to change?

Black meteorologists are more accepted and more numerous but we remain underrepresented. More of us in broadcasting are Chief Meteorologists. We still need more Black meteorologists in management and leadership levels within the sectors of government, academia, and private industry, not just for equity and diversity of perspective but because the existence of a Black face is representation. It shows young people that it is achievable. It confirms to all people that Black people are capable of contributing, coordinating and innovating in science and in all endeavors.

Are there other Black meteorologists/atmospheric scientists who have particularly influenced or inspired you?

While I knew of a handful of Black meteorologists as an undergraduate and then graduate student, it wasn’t until a few years into my career that I actually learned of many of the other Black meteorologists around the country. I gained tremendous inspiration just from hearing of, and then meeting, other Black meteorologists throughout my career. I am inspired and proud when I see the next generation of Black students pursuing meteorology along with the dedicated early career professionals. At the same time, I’m still learning more about the history of Black meteorologists and our roles in the U.S. weather enterprise. All of that gives me hope, and all of that is why we recognize Black History Month. It’s an effort to focus on facts, figures and issues that we might not otherwise give much thought to or have knowledge of.

Watch Alan Sealls’ 2024 video on African Americans in Meteorology, “From Juneteenth to the Sky,” on YouTube.

Photo at top: Alan Sealls speaks with attendees at the AMS 105th Annual Meeting. Photo credit: Zack Smith Photography.

Native American Heritage Month Spotlight: Robbie Hood

Robbie Hood

November is National Native American Heritage Month. In this post, we spotlight the exceptional career of one of our Native American community members: Robbie Hood.

Hood is an atmospheric scientist with over 30 years of experience at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. She is a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.

Can you tell us a few highlights of your current or most recent work?

I am a Cherokee meteorologist who worked with NASA and NOAA for a combined total of 30 years. Now in retirement, I am collaborating with NCAR personnel to explore how low-cost 3-D printed weather stations could be used by Indigenous communities for student training and tribal decision-making. I have also been collaborating with the Rising Voices Center for Indigenous and Earth Sciences to plan the program for the 2025 AMS Heather Lazrus Symposium to be held during the 105th AMS Annual Meeting in New Orleans. In this symposium, I will be moderating a panel discussion focused on cultivating tribal and community partnerships within the weather, water, and climate enterprise.

What was an important moment in your early career?

I started my meteorological career as scientific programmer, but I was given an opportunity to step out of my comfort zone at NASA. I became the project scientist for a new passive microwave aircraft instrument that could observe precipitation within thunderstorms and hurricanes. This move gave me the opportunity to work with and, eventually, lead teams of renowned scientists, engineers, and pilots during large international weather field experiments that were conducted in places like Australia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Cape Verde, and the Marshall Islands. Along the way, I got to fly through four different hurricanes, all because I initially stepped out of my comfort zone.

What is something you’re proud of professionally?

My experience leading weather field experiments led me to become the manager of a NOAA program to test the potential benefit of drones and remotely piloted aircraft for operational application. In this role, I was able to organize and fund a multi-million-dollar field experiment to test, for the very first time, the capabilities of a high-altitude Global Hawk remotely piloted aircraft that was controlled from a central command center in Virginia to fly over and observe the characteristics of hurricanes and tropical storms in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. During these missions, relevant data were successfully sent in near-real time to meteorologists at the National Hurricane Center to assist in their forecasts. Later research studying the impact of Global Hawk data assimilated into weather prediction models demonstrated positive results.

Are there ways in which your Native heritage has influenced or enriched your career?

I credit my Cherokee mother for teaching me to listen closely to how people tell their stories and pay attention to their feelings and expressions as they talk. She thought this would help me better understand who they are and how things looked from their point of view. These skills have helped me build good working relationships and strong collaborations throughout my career.

Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month Spotlight: Dr. Maria J. Molina

In recognition of National Hispanic Heritage Month (15 September-15 October), the American Meteorological Society is spotlighting the amazing careers and contributions of a few of our Latinx/Hispanic community members. 

This week, we hear from Dr. Maria J. Molina!

What is your current work? Can you tell us a bit about it?

I am currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland in College Park. One of my favorite parts of my job includes conducting research with graduate and undergraduate students, where we use machine learning to answer questions we have about weather and climate. I also get to teach courses like Physical Meteorology and Neural Networks for the Physical Sciences, both of which are really fun!

What was an important moment in your early career?

My years spent at the National Center for Atmospheric Research as an Advanced Study Program (ASP) postdoc and a project scientist were critically important for my career. During my time there, I gained confidence in myself as a scientist through the realization that it’s totally fine to not know things, and that we can always learn and grow at any age. I was able to see world-class scientists say, “I don’t know how to do that,” and then ask others for help, building professional collaborations and learning along the way. This is such a rewarding part of being a scientist; plus, it makes for a much more inclusive work environment.

What is something you’re proud of professionally?

By far, the professional experience I am most proud of is seeing students grow as researchers and critical thinkers. It is immensely rewarding when students start resolving their own software and methodology hurdles, and start coming up with research questions and ways to answer them on their own.

Are there ways in which your Hispanic/Latinx heritage has influenced or enriched your career?

Most definitely. As a Hispanic/Latinx immigrant that experienced extreme weather events growing up in South Florida, I empathize with vulnerable communities that experience extreme weather, oftentimes having to navigate complex decisions with language and cultural barriers. It has helped me appreciate the work done by social scientists and keep the human component of the Earth systems in mind as I conduct my research.

Learn more about Dr. Molina here.