Friday, April 10, 2026 | The Rutgers Club | Rutgers University
This full-day symposium celebrates the career and impact of Dr. David A. Robinson, Distinguished Professor of Geography at Rutgers University and New Jersey’s State Climatologist. For more than four decades, Dave has advanced our understanding of the climate system—particularly snow cover, regional climate monitoring, and applied climatology—while mentoring generations of students and serving communities, agencies, and decision-makers.
Bringing together researchers, practitioners, alumni, and students, the event highlights the many ways climate science informs real-world action. Through invited talks, a keynote lecture, and discussion sessions, speakers will explore how observations, data, and research translate into policy, planning, and public service.
The symposium honors Dave’s legacy not only as a scientist, but as a generous colleague, leader, and educator whose work exemplifies the value of applied climate science.
The symposium is co-sponsored by the Department of Geography, the Department of Environmental Sciences, the Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences, the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University, and Rutgers Health-RWJBarnabas Health Center for Climate, Health, and Healthcare.
Registration is now closed. The event is full
PROGRAM
The symposium will feature a series of invited talks, a keynote lecture, and opportunities for discussion and informal exchange. Presentations will highlight advances in climate observations, applied climatology, cryosphere science, and regional climate services, as well as the translation of climate research into policy, planning, and public service—reflecting the breadth of scholarship and impact that have defined Dave’s career.
Breakfast & Registration (9:30–10:00 AM)
10:00–10:05 AM — Opening Remarks
Kevin St. Martin and Åsa Rennermalm
Rutgers University
Theme 1 — General Applied Climate (Moderated by Arafat Hassan)
10:05–10:15 AM — Jersey Roots, Global Impact: Reflections on the Applied Climate Science Contributions of Dave Robinson
Robin Leichenko
SAS SBS Area Dean, Department of Geography, Rutgers University
10:15–10:25 AM — Playing in the Snow: A Tale of Two Jersey Guys
Anthony Broccoli
Department of Environmental Sciences, Rutgers University
10:25–10:35 AM — The Delaware Water Tracker: An 80-Year Journey from Thornthwaite–Mather Concepts to an Operational Tool
Dan Leathers
Professor Emeritus, Department of Geography and Spatial Sciences, University of Delaware
10:35–10:45 AM — TBD
Nicole Davi
William Paterson University
10:45–10:55 AM — TBD
Soko Setoguchi
Institute for Health, Rutgers University
10:55–11:05 AM — How the Weather and Climate Network Changed Native Berry Farming in New Jersey
Peter Oudemans
Marucci Blueberry and Cranberry Research and Extension Center, Rutgers University
11:05–11:15 AM — Q&A
Theme 2 — Cryosphere (Moderated by Arafat Hassan)
11:15–11:25 AM — Understanding the Role of Atmospheric Circulation on Extreme Runoff Events in Northwest Greenland
Thomas Mote and Gina Henderson
University of Georgia; U.S. Naval Academy
11:25–11:35 AM — Monitoring variability and change from consistent long-term sea ice climate records
Walter Meier
National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado, Boulder
11:35–11:45 AM — Greenland Ice Sheet Hydrology
Åsa Rennermalm
Department of Geography, Rutgers University
11:45–11:55 AM — The Rutgers–NOAA Snow-Cover Climate Data Record: A Cornerstone of Climate Monitoring
Dorothy Hall (remote)
Lunch (11:55 AM–12:55 PM)
Including a short talk by Dave Robinson
Theme 3 — Applied Hydrology & Water Resources (Moderated by Åsa Rennermalm)
12:55–1:05 PM — Characterizing and Correcting for Global Climate Models’ Biases in Multiyear Extreme Precipitation Scenarios
Allan Frei
Hunter College, CUNY
1:05–1:15 PM — Water Data and Drought Policy: Tracking Reservoir Evaporation in the Lone Star State
Nelun Fernando
Texas Water Development Board
1:15–1:25 PM — Synoptic Circulation and Watershed Hydroclimatology in the Great Miami Basin
Natalie Samollow
Miami University
1:25–1:35 PM — DEP and Dave: Climate, Collaboration and Communication
Steve Domber and Clint Oman
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
1:35–1:45 PM — Q&A
Theme 4 — Climate Data
1:45–1:55 PM — The Evolution of Applied Climate Information System
Keith Eggleston
Northeast Regional Climate Center, Cornell University
1:55–2:05 PM — Scaling Down: Building Mesonets to Improve Monitoring at the State Level
Kevin Brinson
University of Delaware
2:05–2:15 PM — The ONJSC's Expansion of NJ's Long-Term Weather & Climate Record
Mathieu Gerbush
Office of the New Jersey State Climatologist, Rutgers University
2:15–2:25 PM — The PRISM Approach to Mapping Weather and Climate
Christopher Daly
Oregon State University
2:25–2:35 PM — The CoCoRaHS Network – Citizen Scientists measuring precipitation across the Garden State and North America!
Henry Reges
CoCoRaHS, Colorado State University
2:35–2:45 PM — Q&A
Group Photo (2:45–2:55 PM)
Break (2:55–3:15 PM)
Theme 5 — Climate Science in Practice: Connecting Research with Communities
3:15–3:45 PM — Panel Discussion
Moderated by Åsa Rennermalm
Panelists
Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux — Vermont State Climatologist, University of Vermont
Dan Zarrow — Chief Meteorologist, New Jersey 101.5
Keynote (3:45–4:45 PM)
Renaissance Man: The Golden Age of Applied Climatology Through the Career of Dave Robinson and Beyond
Art DeGaetano
Northeast Regional Climate Center, Cornell University
Honoree Remarks (4:45–4:55 PM)
David Robinson
NJ State Climatologist, Department of Geography, Rutgers University
4:55–5:00 PM — Closing Remarks
Åsa Rennermalm
Department of Geography, Rutgers University
Reception (5:00–6:30 PM)
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Dr. Arthur DeGaetano
Professor, Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Cornell University
Director Northeast Regional Climate Center
Art DeGaetano is a Professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric at Cornell University. He earned his Ph.D. in meteorology from Rutgers University in 1989. Since 2001 he has been the director of the NOAA Northeast Regional Climate Center (NRCC). He has nearly 200 peer-reviewed publications, spanning a wide range of topics in the field of applied climatology, with his current research focussed on extreme rainfall projections and the development of ice storm climatologies using machine learning techniques. He serves as a climate specialty editor for the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. In his free time, he is an avid college and high school soccer referee and enjoys skiing, hiking and gardening.
VENUE
The symposium will be held at The Rutgers Club, located on the Livingston Campus of Rutgers–New Brunswick, on the second level of the Livingston Dining Commons.
The symposium will conclude with an reception at the Rutgers Club, providing time to reconnect with colleagues, students, and collaborators and to celebrate Dave’s many contributions to the field.
Address:
The Rutgers Club
85 Avenue E , 2nd Floor
Piscataway, NJ 08854
Visit the Rutgers Club website for more details: https://rutgersclub.rutgers.edu/
GETTING TO THE RUTGERS CLUB
By Car
Rutgers–New Brunswick’s Livingston Campus is easily accessible from major highways, including I-95/New Jersey Turnpike (Exit 9). Follow GPS directions to the address above.
Parking
Visitors may park in the RU Club lot and lot 101 using the link: https://parkingbase.com/c/rutgers/d/3676664?eventId=37cfed09-15b0-4f84-a75d-4dfd66163e62.
Attendees will click “Visitor”, select the dates attending and enter their email and vehicle information to complete registration.
Once completed, they will receive an email and or text confirmation.
Rutgers affiliated Faculty, Staff and Students must have a Rutgers parking permit (Semester, Daily, or Event) and park accordingly. Faculty, Staff, and Students parking without a parking permit or outside their parking permit assignment will be subjected to ticketing and/or towing.
By Train / Public Transit
The closest train station is New Brunswick, served by NJ Transit and Amtrak. From the station taxis, taxis and rideshares provide access to the Rutgers Club (approximately 10 minutes). Metropark Station offers additional Amtrak service and is about 20 minutes away by taxi/ride share.
By Air
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) is the nearest airport, approximately 30 minutes from campus by car. Taxis, rideshares, and NJ Transit connections are available.
NEARBY LODGING
Several hotels are located near Rutgers University and downtown New Brunswick (approximately 10 minutes from The Rutgers Club by taxi or rideshare). Options include:
The Heldrich
10 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
732-729-4670
Hyatt Regency New Brunswick
2 Albany Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
732-873-1234
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE AND CONTACT INFORMATION
If you have questions about the symposium, logistics, and mobility accommodations, please contact the symposium organizer by email.
Organizing committee
Åsa Rennermalm, Department of Geography
Md. Arafat Hassan, Department of Geography
Kevin St. Martin, Department of Geography