Trossman selected to be among AGU's "Voices for Science"

ICES Research Associate David Trossman was selected to participate in the American Geological Union's Voices for Science program.

This program selects scientists having strong communication skills and the interest in sharing the value and impact of Earth and space science with key decision makers, journalists, and public audiences. Their goal is to increase the widespread understanding of and support for science. As a member of this inaugural class, Trossman was selected from a competitive applicant pool based on demonstrated leadership and the potential to positively influence the local community.

Trossman works in ICES Professor Patrick Heimbach's Computational Research in Ice and Ocean Systems Group.

Voices for Science provides its participants with a number of resources, including unique skills-building focused on communications and policy, hands-on support from AGU staff in conducting and organizing outreach opportunities, and expense-paid travel to Washington D.C. for an April workshop and for the AGU Fall Meeting in December. Beyond the professional development opportunities in the program, Trossman will also network and collaborate with the 29 other scientists selected for the program.

"The scientific enterprise depends heavily on federal support, and now more than ever, it is essential for scientists to interact with policy makers, the public, and the media on a regular basis, said Christine W. McEntee, executive director/CEO of the American Geophysical Union. "Lawmakers need to hear about critical issues both directly from scientists and from their constituents, and Trossman's efforts to reach out to legislators on Capitol Hill and galvanize his local community can and will make a difference.

"Collectively, the Voices for Science participants will help to amplify the influence of the scientific community and help both policymakers and the broader community see that our nation continues to support and benefit from our scientific enterprise.

"David’s enthusiasm for improving his communication and advocacy skills and putting those skills to use as part of the 2018 Voices for Science program is a testament to his dedication to promoting science for the benefit of the scientific community and humanity at large, and AGU would like to commend him."

Trossman joined ICES in 2017 after 2 years with NASA's Goddard Space Center and Johns Hopkins University's Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences through the GESTAR program. Previously, he completed a postdoctoral research position with McGill University's Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, where he worked on ocean circulation-cloud interactions and taught an oceanography class. Before that, Trossman was a postdoctoral research fellow in University of Michigan's Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, where he studied oceanic bottom flow-topography interactions. He earned his Ph.D. in physical oceanography from the University of Washington-Seattle in 2011, where he developed methods to combine information from modeled and observed transient tracers to infer oceanic thermocline ventilation rates and water mass ages.

His current research interests at ICES include the ocean's role in climate interactions at oceanic boundaries; and combining information from models and observations.