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Steven Platnick is the senior project scientist for NASA’s Earth Observing System, which uses research satellites in Earth orbit for long-term global observations of the land surface, biosphere, atmosphere, and oceans. Dr. Platnick is a former deputy project scientist for the Aqua mission and is on the science team of the MODIS instrument that is part of both the Aqua and Terra missions. His research includes theoretical and experimental studies of satellite, aircraft, and ground-based cloud remote sensing. He is the lead of the MODIS Atmosphere Discipline Team and works on cloud optical and microphysical products. Dr. Platnick received B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering from Duke University and the University of California, Berkeley, respectively, and a Ph.D. in atmospheric sciences from the University of Arizona. He has contributed to over 70 peer-reviewed scientific publications and book chapters.