Brief Bio
Dr. John Schnase is a Senior Computer Scientist in NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s Office of Computational and Information Science and Technology. His work focuses on the development of new information technologies and their transfer into practical use. As a veteran ecologist and computer scientist in a career that has spanned more than thirty years, Dr. Schnase brings experience with the social, organizational, and economic factors that influence the acceptance and sustainability of technological innovation within scientific practice.
Before joining NASA in 1999, Dr. Schnase’s work on the life history of Cassin’s Sparrow (Aimophila cassinii) resulted in an early application of computers in avian energetics modeling. As a co-organizer of the ACM Hypertext ’91 Conference, he assisted Tim Berners-Lee with the first public demonstration in the United States of communication between a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (http) client and server via the Internet. He was Director of the Center for Botanical Informatics at the Missouri Botanical Garden (1995-1999), Director of the Advanced Technology Group at Washington University School of Medicine (1992-1995), Senior Research Associate in the Department of Computer Science at Washington University (1992-1995), Visiting Assistant Professor in the Visualization Laboratory in the College of Architecture at Texas A&M University (1990-1992), and Lecturer in Computer Science at Texas A&M University (1986-1992). Dr. Schnase attended Angelo State University, the University of Texas at Austin, Baylor College of Medicine, and Texas A&M University, where he earned his PhD in Computer Science in 1992.
His early work at NASA focused on invasive species habitat suitability modeling. He served as Principal Investigator and Program Scientist for the Applied Sciences Program’s Invasive Species National Application. He was founding chair of Goddard’s Information Science and Technology (IS&T) Colloquium, co-lead of NASA’s Earth Science Vision 2010-2025 Biosphere, Ecosystems, and Human/Biosphere Interactions Working Group, and a member of Goddard’s Science Vision 2035 technology team. He has published over 70 peer-reviewed scientific articles, has received seven Software Release Awards from the NASA Inventions and Contributions Board, and is a recipient of the Government Technology Leadership Award.
Dr. Schnase is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), a member of the Executive Committee of the ABET Computing Accreditation Commission, and a member of the External Advisory Board of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Cyberinfrastructure Program’s DataNet Federation Consortium. He is a former member of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) President's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystems and a former member of the OSTP National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Sustainability (CENRS) Subcommittee on Ecosystem Services (SES).
Dr. Schnase currently is helping lead the development of scientific data services in the NASA Center for Climate Simulation (NCCS). He also serves as a science advisor for NASA's DEVELOP Internship Program and is a Principal Investigator on activities that focus on the use of data grids, cloud computing, and map reduce analytics in climate research. He continues ecological research on the climate adaptation influences on invasive species and post-wildfire ecosystem recovery. When not working on NASA projects, he helps teach scuba classes and occasionally can be found working as a safety diver at the National Aquarium in Baltimore.
Brief Bio
Dr. John Schnase is a Senior Computer Scientist in NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s Office of Computational and Information Science and Technology. His work focuses on the development of new information technologies and their transfer into practical use. As a veteran ecologist and computer scientist in a career that has spanned more than thirty years, Dr. Schnase brings experience with the social, organizational, and economic factors that influence the acceptance and sustainability of technological innovation within scientific practice.
Before joining NASA in 1999, Dr. Schnase’s work on the life history of Cassin’s Sparrow (Aimophila cassinii) resulted in an early application of computers in avian energetics modeling. As a co-organizer of the ACM Hypertext ’91 Conference, he assisted Tim Berners-Lee with the first public demonstration in the United States of communication between a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (http) client and server via the Internet. He was Director of the Center for Botanical Informatics at the Missouri Botanical Garden (1995-1999), Director of the Advanced Technology Group at Washington University School of Medicine (1992-1995), Senior Research Associate in the Department of Computer Science at Washington University (1992-1995), Visiting Assistant Professor in the Visualization Laboratory in the College of Architecture at Texas A&M University (1990-1992), and Lecturer in Computer Science at Texas A&M University (1986-1992). Dr. Schnase attended Angelo State University, the University of Texas at Austin, Baylor College of Medicine, and Texas A&M University, where he earned his PhD in Computer Science in 1992.
His early work at NASA focused on invasive species habitat suitability modeling. He served as Principal Investigator and Program Scientist for the Applied Sciences Program’s Invasive Species National Application. He was founding chair of Goddard’s Information Science and Technology (IS&T) Colloquium, co-lead of NASA’s Earth Science Vision 2010-2025 Biosphere, Ecosystems, and Human/Biosphere Interactions Working Group, and a member of Goddard’s Science Vision 2035 technology team. He has published over 70 peer-reviewed scientific articles, has received seven Software Release Awards from the NASA Inventions and Contributions Board, and is a recipient of the Government Technology Leadership Award.
Dr. Schnase is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), a member of the Executive Committee of the ABET Computing Accreditation Commission, and a member of the External Advisory Board of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Cyberinfrastructure Program’s DataNet Federation Consortium. He is a former member of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) President's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystems and a former member of the OSTP National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Sustainability (CENRS) Subcommittee on Ecosystem Services (SES).
Dr. Schnase currently is helping lead the development of scientific data services in the NASA Center for Climate Simulation (NCCS). He also serves as a science advisor for NASA's DEVELOP Internship Program and is a Principal Investigator on activities that focus on the use of data grids, cloud computing, and map reduce analytics in climate research. He continues ecological research on the climate adaptation influences on invasive species and post-wildfire ecosystem recovery. When not working on NASA projects, he helps teach scuba classes and occasionally can be found working as a safety diver at the National Aquarium in Baltimore.
