Scientists from the Department of Geographical Sciences at the University of Maryland and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) have a long history of interactions, ranging from individual collaborations to large collaborative projects. This collaboration has been highly successful and has won international recognition, particularly in areas of remote sensing of the Earth System. Following a series of joint UMD-NASA visioning workshops in 2011, and establishment of a Space Act Agreement in 2012, the Joint Global Carbon Cycle Center (JGCCC) was inaugurated in 2013 help formalize the relationship between these two institutions and enable even closer and more profitable collaborations. Since its inception, JGCCC has facilitated important new research, piloted a novel graduate education program, and initiated coordination and outreach activities that would not otherwise occur.

Since its inception, the Joint Global Carbon Cycle Center has initiated a program of activities in the areas of research, education, and coordination/outreach.

Research:JGCCC research foci include remote sensing estimation of terrestrial carbon stocks and fluxes, mapping land-cover and land-use changes, field campaigns for calibration & validation, and integrated computer modeling of carbon cycle dynamics and management options.JGCCC facilitates the formation of collaborative research teams integrating scientists from GSFC and UMD. Additionally directly funded research within the center is carried out by JGCCC Project scientists.

Education:Increasing opportunities for students is important to both institutions and a objective of the center. JGCCC piloted a new joint graduate education program. This competitive program awards partial funding to a cohort of top graduate students at UMD to engage at GSFC in related research themes. The students, physically based at GSFC, are advised by both UMD and NASA-GSFC scientists and participated in both UMD and NASA-GSFC activities (seminars, workshops, talks) in line with their research interests. Students in the program gained unique advantages from the joint program and NASA-GSFC experience.

Coordination and Outreach:JGCCC coordination and outreach activities aim to foster collaborative research and develop a network of researchers from GSFC and UMD in the main JGCCC four themes of research. JGCCC organized a series of Research Coordination Events prior to major relevant research solicitations to bring researchers from both institutions together to discuss upcoming solicitations and foster coordinated joint responses where appropriate. 

Professor George Hurtt acts as Technical Point of Contact at the University of Maryland and Dr. Jim Tucker acts as Technical Point of Contact at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Dr. Fernando Sedano is the project scientist for the Joint Global Carbon Cycle Center.