At the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School for Marine and Atmospheric Science, we are very proud of our 40+ year collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This collaboration started in 1977 with the founding of the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS). CIMAS serves as a mechanism to bring together research resources and personnel of the University of Miami Rosenstiel School with those of NOAA for a Center of Excellence focused on understanding the Earth’s oceans and atmosphere within the context of NOAA’s mission of Science, Service, and Stewardship. The Rosenstiel School and CIMAS are uniquely positioned at the gateway of tropical meteorology and climatically important oceanographic processes including marine ecosystems. In addition, we are situated in close proximity to NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, NOAA National Hurricane Center and NOAA South Eastern Fisheries Science Center This co-location in terms of scientific and laboratory geography enables scientific progress that underpins NOAA’s efforts to save lives and property, and ensure economic opportunity in the face of environmental challenges.
During our 40+ years of collaboration, we have expanded our scientific interactions so that nearly 50% of the workforce embedded in the NOAA labs are University of Miami employees. We have also expanded our collaboration to include nine partner Universities (FAU, FIT, FIU, FSU, NOVA, UF, UPRM, USF, and USVI). All of these collaborations are organized around seven CIMAS research themes: Climate Research and Impact, Tropical Weather, Sustained Ocean and Coastal Observation, Ocean Modeling, Ecosystem Modeling and Forecasting, Ecosystem Management, and Protection and Restoration of Resources—all of which inform and guide NOAA in meeting its mission. Additional details are provided on this website.
Finally, we are also very pleased with the expansion of our partnership in graduate education. A large number of Rosenstiel School Master of Professional Science students prepare for their professional career with internships at the NOAA laboratories, which often turn into permanent employment. More recently, we have established CIMAS PhD graduate assistantships which are specifically focused on enhancing research collaborations between scientists working in the NOAA laboratories and University of Miami-RSMAS faculty. All of these educational efforts help NOAA have the best and brightest future workforce, and allow Rosenstiel School faculty to work side-by-side with NOAA scientists to meet their mission.
Dr. Ben Kirtman, Director
