GFDL – Princeton 71st Anniversary Symposium
October 23-24, 2026 – Frick Chemistry Bldg., Princeton University (main campus)
Join us in celebrating the 71st anniversary of NOAA’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) and its longstanding partnership with Princeton University’s Program in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (AOS). This special two day event will bring together members of the GFDL and Princeton communities to reflect on a shared legacy of scientific discovery, recognize the people and partnerships advancing our work today, and look ahead to the future of weather, climate, and Earth system science. It will be held on Princeton University Campus at the Frick Chemistry Laboratory.
The event will also honor V. Ramaswamy, Jorge Sarmiento, and Larry Horowitz, recognizing their contributions to the scientific communities of GFDL and Princeton.
The program will feature GFDL and Princeton colleagues, alumni, and invited speakers who will offer perspectives on the evolution of our science, its impact, and the opportunities ahead. Panel discussions, informal gatherings, and a poster session will provide opportunities to exchange ideas, reconnect with colleagues, and explore emerging scientific questions and future directions for the GFDL–Princeton partnership.
A group dinner will be held Friday evening at Princeton University’s Frick Chemistry Laboratory.
Registration
Please register by Wednesday, September 30, using this link
Information about visiting Princeton, including local hotels can be found here. A google maps link to the Frick Chemistry Building is here.
Agenda
Day 1: Science in the service of a Changing Planet
| 8:30-9:45 | Intro and Plenary Talks |
| 9:45 – 10:15 | Coffee Break |
| 10:15-11:30 | Earth’s Radiation Budget Confirmed Speakers: Keith Shine (U. Reading), Ryan Kramer (GFDL), Nadir Jeevanjee (GFDL) |
| 11:30-12:45 | Lunch |
| 12:45-2:00 | Atmos Composition, Air Quality, and Aerosols Confirmed Speakers: Arlene Fiore (MIT), Fabien Paulot (GFDL), Geeta Persad (UT Austin) |
| 2:00-2:30 | Coffee |
| 2:30-3:45 | Carbon Cycle and Marine Ecosystems Modeling Confirmed Speakers: Kelly Kearney (AFSC), Steve Pacala (Princeton emeritus), Curtis Deutsch (Princeton), Alison Gray (UW, virtual), Thomas Frolicher (Bern, virtual), Xiao Liu (GFDL), Jessica Luo (GFDL), Charlie Stock (GFDL) |
| 4:00-6:00 | Poster Session |
| 6:00 | Dinner Celebrating Ram, Larry and Jorge |
Day 2: Confronting emerging challenges in Predictability, Prediction, and Projection
| 8:30-10:00 | Weather and Environmental Hazards Confirmed Speakers: Zack Labe (Climate Central), Keith Dixon (GFDL), Andy Hazelton (AOML), Meiyun Lin (GFDL) |
| 10:00 – 10:30 | Coffee Break |
| 10:30 – 12:00 | Too Much and Too Little Water Confirmed Speakers: Nat Johnson (GFDL), Youngji Joh (GFDL), Nate Chaney (Duke), He Wang (UCAR/GLERL) |
| 12:00-1:00 | Lunch |
| 1:00-2:15 | Current Frontiers in Coupled Modeling Confirmed Speakers: Shafer Smith (NYU), Becky Beadling (Temple University), Brandon Riechl (GFDL) |
| 2:15-2:45 | Coffee Break |
| 2:45-4:00 | Current Modeling Frontiers II: Resolution, Complexity, and Data Confirmed Speakers: Ming Zhao (GFDL), Lucas Harris (GFDL) and Kun Gao (UCAR), Zhihong Tan (Princeton/AOS), Spencer Clark (Ai2) |
| 4:00-4:40 | Future Outlooks for GFDL and AOS Confirmed Speakers: Stephan Fueglistaler (Princeton, AOS director), Whit Anderson (GFDL, Acting Director) |
| 4:40 | Finish |