Robbie Hood

Image courtesy of The JASON Project

Robbie Hood’s profession is as unique as her genealogical history.

She is a direct descendant of the first and sadly, only, elected chief of the Cherokee Nation - John Ross (Kooweskoowe)– who held the position for nearly 4 decades until his death in 1866. He is best known for having led the Cherokee nation on the Trail of Tears in 1838-1839, when they were forcibly relocated to Oklahoma from the Southeast by the U.S. government.

With such impressive ancestry it is no wonder that Robbie, who like John Ross is one-eighth Cherokee, is poised for greatness as well.

She is a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) atmospheric scientist, better known as a ‘hurricane hunter’: one of an elite group of individuals – and only a handful of women – who not only monitor and track hurricane data, but actually fly into hurricanes in small airplanes to get up-to-the-minute information on storms.

Crew members prepare for a mission aboard a NASA DC-8 airplane that flies into hurricanes.(Photo courtesy of The JASON Project/NASA)

While she also uses satellites and remote-sensor technology to collect data on storms, these airplanes provide a 3-D view of how a hurricane works, and more detail than could ever be achieved from an outside or satellite view. Carrying her laptop on board, she uses it, and high-tech equipment attached to the outside of the plane, to record and analyze data on the storm’s intensity and where it is headed, and to send it on to eagerly awaiting weather forecasters.

Robbie’s work focuses on the study of storms, and particularly on improving hurricane prediction. For those living along coastlines, this work is not just important; it can be a matter of life and death. The predictions of this special branch of scientists help people decide whether a storm calls for evacuation, and where safety can instead be found.

Daring rides in high tech hurricane-piercing planes are a far cry from Robbie’s upbringing, having grown up on her family’s cattle farm in Neosho, Missouri. But it was there than she experienced the sometimes positive, and oft-destructive effect of storms on the farm, and its animal and human inhabitants. In 1969 after moving with her family to Picayune, Mississippi she and her family witnessed the devastating destruction of Category 5 Hurricane Camille, further propelling her into the career path she has since thrived in.

After obtaining a BA degree in atmospheric science from the University of Missouri and a MA degree in physical meteorology from Florida State University, Robbie first worked as a university researcher and meteorologist.

photo courtesy of NASA

She has been working at NASA’s National Space Science and Technology Center/ Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama since 1987, where her husband, Michael Goodman, is also a NASA atmospheric scientist.

The work produced at the Marshall Center is considered to be one of NASA’s forefront efforts in the development of space transportation, propulsion systems, and low-gravity environment research. Working hand in hand with universities and federal agencies in Alabama, the partnership between scientists, educators, and engineers allows these great minds to share facilities and work collaboratively on research, with impressive results. Robbie, herself, has served as a lead scientist both in important research collaborations on weather and on NASA missions to study hurricanes, such as the CAMEX.

In 2002 she received the Women of Color distinction at the Women of Color Government and Technology Awards conference in Washington, D.C. The awards aim to foster equality in the workplace and to encourage women to aim for the sky in the workplace by “recognizing contributions made by minority women in traditionally male-dominated fields.” As she said in a NASA interview: "I credit my Native American heritage with my intense interest and appreciation of people," Hood said. "I think I like studying hurricanes because they act so much like people. Hurricanes have names and personalities and don't behave like we expect them to sometimes."

Most recently, Robbie took part in the JASON Project's 'Monster Storms' expedition, working alongside student Argonauts in hands-on educational workshops as a research scientist. The JASON project is a nonprofit subsidiary of the National Geographic Society that brings a fresh and exciting approach to science, pairing young people with renowned scientists and explorers on unique scientific 'expeditions'.

Her JASON bio states that "her goal is to bring critical data-gathering capability to other areas of the world that are impacted by the devastation of tropical storms and hurricanes. The lives of many more people worldwide can be protected and saved using the technology and understanding of severe weather that Robbie is helping to develop."

To many, Robbie Hood is a hero for the sheer fact that she is a Native American woman thriving in a rigorous male-dominated scientific field. This is true in all respects, but for those living in storm-prone zones, and particularly now in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Robbie is also considered a lifesaver for dedicating herself to both the current study of hurricanes in action, and to the future of hurricane prediction. Never before has the world so realized the importance of this field of science and of the brave and dedicated scientists paving the way to understanding these 'monster storms.'