UAlbany’s State Weather Risk Communication Center Celebrates First Graduates of New Microcredential

Graduates of the State Weather Risk Communication Center microcredential pose for a class photo.

More than a dozen New York emergency managers are the first graduates of a new SWRCC microcredential.

ALBANY, N.Y. (Sept. 11, 2025) — A group of more than a dozen New York emergency managers are now the first graduates of a new microcredential offered by the State Weather Risk Communication Center at the University at Albany.

The microcredential course ran on Wednesday mornings in August, bringing together 16 emergency managers from state agencies and county emergency management offices across New York. It was designed to teach participants the basics of interpreting weather information to support their emergency planning and response.

Michael Michaud, a risk communication scientist at the State Weather Risk Communication Center (SWRCC), led the course, with contributions from all 10 of the SWRCC’s staff members.

Launched in late 2023, the SWRCC, part of the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center, is a first-of-its-kind partnership with the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services that leverages UAlbany’s expertise in atmospheric sciences to help state and local emergency managers prepare for and respond to severe weather.

Through an annual $1.5 million investment by New York State, the SWRCC provides rapid, tailored, real-time weather briefings to help state agencies, emergency managers, and other critical stakeholders, prepare for and respond to severe weather events.

“Emergency managers and other public servants often need to quickly gather weather data for their own reporting and action plans,” said SWRCC Director Nick Bassill. “The idea with this microcredential is to teach them how to better understand the information currently shared across numerous weather sources, such as the National Weather Service and New York State Mesonet, alongside with the information we share with them and the various other websites and tools produced by the private sector.”

“The goal of our class is not to teach New York’s emergency managers how to forecast, but to give them extra ability to understand the forecasts and how to act on them," added Michaud. "If they're a little bit more weather aware and knowledgeable, that takes away some of the guesswork and helps them better interpret the weather information available to them including our briefings."

Along with contributions from the SWRCC staff, the course was taught in partnership with representatives from the National Weather Service, who led the third day of training, and the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services.

Graduates received digital course badges that they can add to their resumes and LinkedIn profiles.

“Our partnership with the SWRCC and NWS on this specialized training ultimately benefits all New Yorkers when extreme weather creates an emergency,” said Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Jackie Bray. “It makes our emergency managers better prepared to understand the risks their communities face and what to do when those risks become reality. We are looking forward to continuing our work together.”

“This course is a shining example of how federal, state and academia have worked together in Albany to improve weather readiness for the nearly 20 million citizens who call New York State home,” said Christopher Gitro, meteorologist-in-charge at the National Weather Service Albany office. “We are so thankful to have worked with the SWRCC and the University at Albany to make this course a success.”

Bassill said the SWRCC plans to continue offering the microcredential to emergency managers across the state, with the next session scheduled to take place in New York City during the winter months.

"We want to keep building these partnerships," said Bassill. "By supporting the state officials and county emergency managers who are responsible for making critical decisions during severe weather events, we can create a stronger, more resilient New York.”

Microcredentials at UAlbany are a collection of both for-credit and not-for-credit professional courses and experiences that teach industry-aligned skills and competencies. The courses allow for lifelong learning, with a focus on up-skilling and re-skilling.