Robbie Hood

Robbie Hood is an atmospheric scientist who studies hurricanes. She was lead scientist for the Convection and Moisture Experiment at NASA and Director of the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Early life and education Hood grew up in Neosho, Missouri and Picayune, Mississippi, where in 1969 she witnessed the devastation of Hurricane Camille and in 1974 the Neosho tornado, She earned a BS degree in atmospheric science from the University of Missouri at Columbia and an MS degree in physical meteorology from Florida State University. n September 2008, Hood became the first permanent director of NOAA's Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program. She led the Sensing Hazards with Operational Unmanned Technology (SHOUT) program, using high-altitude drones to measure wind speed and other attributes within storms. She has credited her Native American heritage for her appreciation of the beneficial contributions that diversity brings to all community sectors. She was keynote speaker for the NASA Awareness Days symposium held with the North Dakota Tribal Colleges in 2002. After retirement, she worked with the Choctaw nation in Oklahoma to develop a testing ground for unmanned aircraft systems with support from the Federal Aviation Administration.