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Background and Inception
The roots of the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC) can be dated to 1993, when a cooperative agreement between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Laboratory for Atmospheres (LA) and the University of Maryland College Park (UMCP) Department of Meteorology, established the Joint Center for Earth System Science (JCESS). JCESS enabled the research and expertise at GSFC to be used to enhance the education and research at the University of Maryland to benefit NASA’s mission(s) in Earth sciences.
In 1995, negotiations were begun to build on the success of JCESS and, specifically, to broaden its scope to include other areas of Earth System Science relating more comprehensively to the research goals of the Earth Sciences Directorate of the NASA / GSFC and those of UMCP. In keeping with this new thrust, it was decided to name this new center ESSIC.
On September 14, 1999 a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) formally establishing ESSIC was signed by Dr. C.D. Mote, Jr., President, UMCP and Mr. A.V. Diaz, Director of NASA / GSFC.
ESSIC Organization and Management
ESSIC operates within the College of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences (CMNS) at UMCP. CMNS consists of ten academic Departments (astronomy, atmospheric and oceanic science, biology, cell biology and molecular genetics, chemistry and biochemistry, computer science, entomology, geology, mathematics, and physics), seven interdisciplinary centers, and five research institutes, with more than 600 faculty members and over 3000 students. CMNS is home to several excellent graduate programs, including three (Computer Science, Mathematics and Physics) ranked among the top 10 of public universities nationwide. Through its relationship to the Department of Geographical Sciences, ESSIC is also affiliated with the UMD College of Behavioral and Social Science (BSOS) and its numerous outstanding departments and programs.
NOAA Cooperative Institute Administration
The Cooperative Institute for Climate Studies was founded in 1984 to foster collaborative research between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and UMCP in studies of satellite climatology, climate diagnostics, modeling, and prediction. The Institute also was a center at which scientists and engineers working on problems of mutual interest could focus on studies contributing to the understanding of the earth-ocean-atmosphere climate system, climate modeling, climate prediction, and satellite climatology. The Institute was originally managed by the UMCP Department of Meteorology until 2001, when its administration was formally transferred to ESSIC.
During 2003, NOAA’s Satellite and Information Service (NESDIS) Office of Research and Applications (ORA) created the Satellite Climate Studies Branch (SCSB) and co-located their civil servants with CICS at ESSIC, leading to enhanced and productive UMD-NOAA collaborations.
In 2008 NOAA announced its intention to develop a new cooperative institute with dual and potentially multiple lead institutions. The University of Maryland and North Carolina State University partnered to pursue this opportunity proposing two main loci (College Park, MD, and Asheville, NC). They were selected in the spring of 2009 in a competition to form the Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites (CICS) and, as the previous institute, managed by ESSIC.
University of Maryland Research Park (M Square) Relocation
In 2008, ESSIC was able to consolidate its personnel in a newly constructed building on the University’s M Square Research Park, located 1.5 miles from the entrance to the UMCP campus. This improved the collaborative opportunities within ESSIC as well as with NOAA, who’s Center for Weather and Climate Prediction (NCWCP) is housed in an adjacent research park building.
