GOMO Plank Owner to Retire
After 28 years associated with NOAA Research, Dr. Sidney Thurston will retire from Federal service at NOAA on December 31, 2022 to accept the newly established position of Vice President for Global Science and Technology (S&T) at EarthX.org and EarthXTV.com.
Dr. Thurston joined NOAA’s “Office of Global Programs” (OGP) in 1995 as a Knauss Sea Grant Fellow and continued in this role for two years. While residing in Japan during the next six years, he conducted ocean surface gravity wave research for two years at Japan’s Port and Harbor Research Institute in Kurihama with the Japan Science and Technology Agency and Seoul National University. He then worked in Oppama as a visiting scientist for two years at Japan’s Marine-Earth Science and Technology Center (JAMSTEC) while facilitating NOAA’s ocean-climate cooperation with Indo-Pacific Partners. He served as OGP’s Liaison in Tokyo for over two years to facilitate research, modeling and observations collaboration across the Indo-Pacific Region and coordinate DOC/NOAA VIP visits. In 2006 he was detailed to the American Embassy (Tokyo) Science Office for four months for NOAA’s Leadership Competencies Development Program (LCDP-5 The Ambassadors).
Dr. Thurston has proudly served NOAA’s Global Ocean Monitoring and Observing (GOMO) Program as Program Manager for Ocean Observing Technology and Overseas Program Development, managing several Global Met-Ocean Observing Networks, including the Global Drifter Program and Global Tropical Moored Buoy Array. This has allowed him to build Resource-Sharing Partnerships, traveling 2.5 million air miles across the Indo-Pacific Region over the years to help organize over thirty capacity building workshops on the social-economic applications of Met-Ocean observations such as with Korea, Indonesia and India. He expects to continue to serve the Global Community as Vice-Chair of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Standing Committee on Earth System Observing and Monitoring Networks and the WMO-Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) Joint Collaborative Board.
As EarthX evolves and expands globally, Dr. Thurston’s new position will provide continuity to help raise the visibility of the global ocean-climate-weather S&T efforts, explore alternative energy, empower the planet with science-based climate adaptation, and tackle other urgent climate issues. Two primary duties will be to:
1. Deliver S&T content for TV, Films and Documentaries on the EarthX global platform,
2. Identify S&T projects which EarthX can support to lead by example including renewable energy, nextGen Information Technology, the Climate and Health connection, enhancing climate resilience, and Trees/Forests and new eco-friendly building materials.
We thank Sid for his service at NOAA and wish him the best in his new role!