Shepherd to receive AAG Presidential Achievement Award

The American Association of Geographers (AAG) announced University of Georgia faculty member Marshall Shepherd as one of two 2024 Presidential Achievement Award winners.

The AAG Presidential Achievement Award, established by the AAG Council to recognize individuals who have made long-standing and distinguished contributions to the discipline of geography, honors up to two recipients per year.

Shepherd, Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences Department of Geography and Atmospheric Sciences Program and Associate Dean for Research, scholarship, and Partnerships in the college, is a widely-recognized expertise on weather, climate, and remote sensing. He is also known for raising public awareness, increasing the public’s understanding of climate change, and drawing attention to the importance of geography and the need to create a more diverse, just discipline. His areas of research include urban climate, hydrometeorological extremes, weather-climate risk, and innovative outreach strategies.

“Though trained in atmospheric sciences, my research, teaching, and services have always blurred disciplinary lines," said Shepherd, who was elected to the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in 2021. "Geography is one of the original interdisciplinary disciplines so it is humbling that its leading professional organization is recognizing me with such a high honor and further adopting me into the fold.”

A frequent advisor to key leaders at NASA, the White House, Congress, Department of Defense, and officials from foreign countries, Shepherd has written editorials for CNN, The Washington Post, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and other outlets, and has been featured in Time Magazine, Popular Mechanics, and NPR Science Friday. 

"The field of Geography is strengthened by its interdisciplinarity, and UGA Geography is among the more intellectually diverse and interdisciplinary departments in the country," said Hilda Kurtz, professor and head of the department of geography. "We are thrilled that Dr. J. Marshall Shepherd’s interdisciplinary work at the intersection of atmospheric sciences and geography has been recognized with the AAG’s Presidential Achievement Award."

Image: Photo of Marshall Shepherd, credit Getty Images/Bloomberg