Screenshot of mentors and participants (mentees) during the last session of the 2022 Mentorship Program.

2022 GPM Mentorship Program

The GPM Applications Team in collaboration with the University of Coimbra created the GPM Mentorship Program to support new users from established and underrepresented communities and provide tailored hands-on learning experiences in using GPM data for applications. The goal of the program is to provide an overview of using state-of-the-art satellite-based precipitation estimates, and to provide users their first experience of applying GPM data to support real-world problems. The 2022 initiative is the first edition of the mentorship program.

About the Program

The GPM Applications Team in collaboration with the University of Coimbra created the GPM Mentorship Program to support new users from established and underrepresented communities and provide tailored hands-on learning experiences in using GPM data for applications. The goal of the program is to provide an overview of using state-of-the-art satellite-based precipitation estimates, and to provide users their first experience of applying GPM data to support real-world problems. The 2022 initiative is the first edition of the mentorship program.

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Statistics from the 2022 GPM Mentorship Program. Credits: NASA

Data and information collected from Earth observing satellites allows us to better understand our planet and make informed decisions that lead to improved outcomes for society. Specifically, the use of high-quality precipitation data from NASA’s Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission has informed decision-making throughout the world, from short-term crises to long-term planning. GPM has supporting planning and decisions related to water resource management, crop forecasting, ecological monitoring, disaster risk reduction and response, public health, aviation, weather forecasting, and climate modeling, among others. A fundamental component of the GPM Applications efforts is to continue to engage new and existing users to help guide the use of GPM data within their systems to address real-world problems and make informed decisions that directly benefit society.

Unlike training programs consisting primarily of passive content consumption – for example, video webinars and tutorials - the GPM Mentorship Program provides both theoretical and practical trainings supported by direct interaction with subject matter experts from NASA’s Precipitation Measurement Mission (PMM) Science Team. Participating in the program helps to consolidate learned skills and promotes interaction with top scientists in the GPM community.

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Screenshot of mentors and participants (mentees) during the last session of the 2022 GPM Mentorship Program. Credits: NASA

The program began by selecting a small cohort of participants to partner with PMM mentors, with the goal of developing 2-month projects using GPM data. These projects focused on topics suggested by the mentors that were tailored to the skills and interests of the participants. Participants are expected to become local pivots for the dissemination of PMM products and best practices, laying the foundations for further use of GPM data in their communities.

All training and participation for the 2022 GPM Mentorship Program took place online across a period of three months. Participants spent about 8 hours per month participating in training sessions and working on collaborative projects with PMM scientists, then shared the outcomes of their project and lessons learned during the final session.

Some outcomes from the program include:

  • Dissemination of information about GPM’s data resources to their peers and local organizations and communities
  • Project presentations highlighting the use of GPM data for decision-making
  • Mentor and mentee highlights showcasing best practices and lessons-learned for integrating GPM data into their activities
  • All 2022 training sessions (presentations and recordings) are available through the University of Coimbra’s webpage

Mentees & Projects

Mentors

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