Articles & Stories

Irwin earns Rotary Award for Excellence in Service to Humanity

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On December 14, 2016, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center’s Dan Irwin received the Rotary Humanitarian STAR Award. The Rotary Club of Sierra Madre bestowed the honor upon Irwin for developing the SERVIR program.

 Screenshot of Rotary STAR Award announcement

SERVIR, a joint initiative of NASA and USAID, works with regional partners around the world to provide developing countries access to and training in the use of Earth observation satellite images and data for addressing pressing environmental issues such as droughts, floods, agricultural monitoring and management, ecosystems, wildfires, and much more.

“Receiving this award was truly one of the biggest honors of my life,” says Irwin, who conceived, founded, and developed SERVIR.

The SERVIR program started as a three-person team in 2004 and today includes four active centers, or “hubs,” serving 47 countries across the globe. SERVIR enables officials and decision-makers tasked with managing disaster prevention and response, food security, weather forecasting, and other functions that protect their populace to access the most cutting-edge space-based technologies the U.S. Government has to offer.

“Dan’s work makes the world a better place,” says Marshall’s Center Director Todd May. “It has always been evident to me that this is more than ‘just a job’ to him. It is his passion, his hobby, and his love.”

Irwin with Rotary Star Award-- etched glass globe on engraved base
Dan Irwin receives the Rotary Humanitarian STAR Award  

The Rotary Club is an international leadership and service organization dedicated to improving the lives of others in communities and worldwide. They offer the STAR Award to outstanding humanitarian accomplishments in the fields of science and technology, aerospace, and robotics, to recognize and promote such advancements for the greater good. Irwin received the award in the Environmental Improvement and Disaster Relief and Recovery category during the 2016 RHSTAR Award Banquet at the Masonic Hall in Pasadena, California.

Note:

SERVIR has regional hubs at the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD)   in Nairobi, Kenya; the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Kathmandu, Nepal; the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) in Bangkok, Thailand; and the Agrometeorology, Hydrology and Meteorology (AGRHYMET) Regional Center in Niamey, Niger.