From 4/24-27/23, SERVIR Amazonia introduced a new cohort of NASA Applied Science Team (AST) projects to the hub at an event hosted by Brazilian consortium member Imaflora in Piracicaba, Brazil. The new AST-4 PIs include Naiara Pinto, Michael Keller, Izaya Numata, and Ben Zaitchik. This event served as an overview of SERVIR Amazonia’s resources and ongoing services for the ASTs, as well as an introduction to the proposed 3-year AST projects. Additional discussion was dedicated to strategically planning a smooth transition and alignment of overarching goals between the Amazonia hub and new AST projects. After introducing the breadth of knowledge brought together by consortium members and AST investigators, the event focused on breakout sessions, open plenaries and conversations targeting geospatial and technical infrastructure needs and challenges, Gender Equity and Social Inclusion considerations, and lessons learned from previous services and AST projects. The final day was dedicated to developing action items between the Amazonia hub, ASTs, and local Brazilian stakeholders. Specifically, Brazilian stakeholder institutions at the event included representatives from the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), Secretary of State of Mato Grosso for the environment (SEMA-Mato Grosso), National Center for Natural Disaster Monitoring and Alerts (CEMADEN), the Federal University of Acre (UFAC-Acre), Imazon, and Mapbiomas.
