LaToya earned her Ph.D. through the NOAA Environmental Cooperative Science Center at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee. She conducted research in collaboration with the NOAA Air Resources Laboratory for an interdisciplinary dissertation focusing on atmospheric deposition of pollutants and their impact on ecosystems. Her study had implications for both human and environmental health.

Tom Karl was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1951 and grew up in the suburbs, observing and predicting the weather using homemade instruments with his father.  He attended Northern Illinois University and graduated in 1973 with a major in meteorology and a minor in mathematics.  He attended graduate school at the University of Wisconsin and studied under Werner Schwerdtfeger.  After a brief TV/Radio weather forecasting position at the beginning of his career Tom joined the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in 1975.

Mr. Steven Wilson was born at Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines in 1959.  He studied Food Science and Technology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.  Wilson worked as a USDA poultry and then NOAA fishery products inspector.  In 1988, he became Deputy Branch Chief for the National Marine Fisheries Service.  He also worked as Deputy Director of Field Operations, Chief Quality Officer, and Assistant Director of Quality and Technology.

Gary Shigenaka is a third-generation Japanese American born and raised in Lake Forest, Illinois.  During World War II, Gary's father, other relatives, and over 100,000 other Japanese Americans were forcibly relocated and incarcerated in internment camps. Following the war, Gary's father and mother moved to Chicago's suburbs, where Gary grew up.  Gary studied oceanography at the University of Washington, graduating in 1976.

Dr. Russell Schnell, a distinguished scientist and expert in atmospheric science, has made significant contributions to the field of climate research and environmental monitoring. Born and raised in Castor, Alberta, he has a rich ancestral heritage traced back to Norka. Dr. Schnell earned first-class honors degrees in Biology from the University of Alberta and Chemistry from Memorial University in Newfoundland. Seeking further specialization, he obtained his M.S. and Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science from the University of Wyoming.

Mr. Rutkowski retired from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in 1985 with 33 years of federal service. He served as Deputy Diving Coordinator. He was founder and director of the NOAA Diving/Hyperbaric Training and Diver Treatment Facility from 1973 to 1985 where hundreds of divers have been treated. He also served as co-director for the NOAA/UHMS three week physicians diving and hyperbaric medical training program for the past 21 years.

Dr. Lixion Avila is a renowned meteorologist who has made significant contributions to the field of weather forecasting. Born on November 25, 1950, in Havana, Cuba, Avila grew up in an American church, celebrating holidays like Thanksgiving. His family history traces back to Spain on his father's side and Eastern Europe on his mother's side. Avila's father held various jobs, one of which was a cowboy, transporting cattle from Central Cuba to Havana. Growing up in the Caribbean, he encountered and became fascinated with tropical storms.

Craig McLean was born in Rutherford, New Jersey, in 1957. His father was a first-generation immigrant from Scotland who served in the US Navy during World War II. His mother was a second-generation daughter of Sicilian immigrants. He grew up along the Passaic River, was a self-described "river rat," became a certified diver, and worked for a boatyard next to his house. At Rutgers College, Craig studied marine biology and zoology and worked on research cruises with NOAA ships. During the summers, he worked in the commercial and retail dive industry.

Captain Maureen Kenny was born in 1953 in Richmond, California. She graduated from Michigan State University in 1975 with a degree in Mathematics, and immediately joined the NOAA Corps when she was twenty-two. After training at Kings Point Maritime Academy, Captain Kenny reported to the NOAA Ship Davidson in Anchorage, Alaska. Her assignments took her all over the country throughout her career. She also attended Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, and earned her master's in Oceanography/Hydrography.

Ms. Louisa Koch was born in Boston in 1959 and raised in Brookline, Massachusetts.  She attended Middlebury College in Vermont and graduated with a degree in Physics in 1982.  After working as a consultant for Booz Allen and Hamilton and a researcher for the National Academy of Sciences, Louisa went on to earn her master's degree in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1987. She started her career in Washington working for the Joint Economic Committee of the US Congress as a staff economist.