This interview appeared in the Spring 2021 Letters & Science magazine.
In 2015, Ned P. Smith (BS ’65, MS ’67, PhD ’72) saw an opportunity to create two professorships in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences through a match opportunity offered by John and Tashia Morgridge. Five years later, another Morgridge Match inspired Smith to turn those professorships into distinguished chairs. The retired coastal researcher hopes his gift in support of faculty excellence will further understanding of climate change and its impacts.
You received undergraduate and master’s degrees in meteorology, and a PhD in oceanography and limnology, from UW-Madison. How did you decide to come here?
I was born and raised in Markesan [in Green Lake County, about 60 miles northeast of Madison], a village with about 850 residents at the time. I never really considered other schools. The decision to enroll at UW was reinforced when I learned that there was a strong meteorology program. I can trace my interest in meteorology at least as far back as the Weather merit badge I got as a Boy Scout. I must have had an above average interest in weather.
What UW memories stand out?
The large number and variety of courses, both within and outside my major, were impressive. I left UW with a solid background in meteorology and also with an introduction to numerous other fields of study. I appreciated the physical setting [Lake Mendota], and I took advantage of performances at the student union. And of course, I regularly attended football and basketball games. Like most people my age, I recall clearly where I was when I heard that President Kennedy had died: I was entering Commerce Hall and passing an administrative office where updates were coming in on the radio. Four years later, I got my first whiff of tear gas during the Dow Riots—as a spectator who happened to be downwind, not as a participant.
How did you become a research scientist specializing in currents and water flow?
As a PhD student, I collected data on field trips to the Keweenaw Peninsula and flights over Lake Superior to map surface temperatures. My major professor, Bob Ragotzkie, had just been appointed the first director of the Wisconsin Sea Grant Program. They needed students to collect data on circulation patterns in Lake Superior, and that came together easily as part of my dissertation.
I went directly from UW to the University of Texas Port Aransas Marine Laboratory [near Corpus Christi]. That was a good place to work in estuaries and in shallow waters over the continental shelf. When I heard of an opening at Harbor Branch Foundation, then a private research lab on the Atlantic coast of Florida, I was quick to apply. I spent the next 29 years at what is now Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University (FAU).
I later became an affiliate professor, which opened the door to teaching. My research program at Harbor Branch—descriptive physical oceanography—was based on measurements, as opposed to modeling. I worked locally, in the coastal lagoons and along the Central Florida continental shelf, in the Bahamas and in the Florida Keys. Typically, these were cause-and-effect studies exploring some form of air–sea interaction. Examples include the wind-driven circulation and air–water heat energy exchanges. This allowed me to take advantage of my background in meteorology.
How did you decide to support faculty excellence in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences?
I felt I got a very good education at UW and I wanted to give something back to the department at a meaningful level, and ideally with long-term benefits. The Morgridge Matches came at a very good time in my case. I never thought of the 50:50 match in terms of reducing the cost of creating a single professorship. Rather it was an opportunity to add a second professorship for the same amount of money. When the second Morgridge Match was announced, I saw that as an opportunity to formally pledge money I was going to give anyway and double the total.
Why is it important to support climate change research at UW-Madison?
I have strong feelings about climate change. I am convinced that, at least over decadal and longer time scales, it is the most important issue among several that are repeatedly in the news these days. Rising sea level, for example, will require enormous costs and adjustments in coastal cities around the world. I would like to think that ongoing and/or future work at AOS can contribute significantly to our understanding of climate change and how to deal with it.
We have heard that you enjoy travel. Where do you hope to go?
I have visited 119 of the 195 independent countries of the world, and the list of countries I would like to visit for the first time is now quite short. I am currently planning a trip for later this year that will include Moldova, the only country in Europe I have not visited. There might be a few return trips to favorite countries, but mostly I look forward to trips around the United States for as long as my health permits.
