U.S. Navy Commander Dominic DiMaggio, Ph.D., will be the featured speaker in the inaugural Association for Alumni and Friends of ASMSA (AAFA) Alumni Presentation Series at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 13.
The Alumni Presentation Series will feature alumni of the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts speaking about their experience at ASMSA as well as their post-ASMSA academic and professional careers. The event will be broadcast live on ASMSA’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/armathsciarts.
DiMaggio is an alumnus of the Class of 2000. He currently serves as a meteorology and oceanography officer in the U.S. Navy, where he is responsible for collecting and interpreting environmental data, writing oceanographic and atmospheric forecasts, and incorporating the data into military operations.
He has served tours aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt, at the Naval Oceanography Anti-Submarine Warfare Center, the Fleet Weather Center Strike Detachment and the Naval Nuclear Power Training Command. He currently serves as the Senior Meteorology and Oceanography Officer at the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
The AAFA is comprised of all graduates, attendees, past faculty and staff of ASMSA. Its mission is to serve as a resource for current ASMSA students, providing mentorship and support as they develop academically and professionally; to grow and strengthen the alumni network to provide the same guidance and support to alumni from all classes; and to collaborate with ASMSA administration to further the ongoing development of the school itself.
“Connecting alumni to current students is part of the core mission of the Association for Alumni and Friends of ASMSA,” said Amy Stvartak, an alumna of the Class of 2011 and an AAFA executive team member. “The Alumni Presentation Series is a great way for students to learn about ‘life after ASMSA’ and the broad spectrum of opportunities that await them. The committee is pleased to kick off this year’s series with Commander Dominic DiMaggio (’00).”
After graduating from ASMSA, DiMaggio attended the University of Arkansas, majoring in physics with minors in math and music. He developed a love for international travel during a semester abroad in Rome, Italy. His combined passion for science and travel led him to join the Navy in 2003. His first assignment was teaching math, physics and nuclear engineering to sailors training to operate nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines.
In 2008, DiMaggio transferred to the Naval Oceanography community and served as an oceanography and acoustics adviser to naval forces searching for and engaging with enemy submarines. He then attended the Naval Postgraduate School where he earned a Master of Science degree in meteorology and physical oceanography and a doctorate in physical oceanography.
During graduate school, he participated in a number of field experiments in the Pacific and Artic Oceans. His research included computational modeling and observations to characterize the effects of climate change on the temperature, salinity and acoustic properties of the Arctic Ocean.
As the Senior Meteorology and Oceanography Officer in the Indo-Pacific Command, he is responsible for meteorology and oceanography support for all military operations in the Indo-Pacific region. He has been selected to take command of a to-be-determined Naval Oceanography facility in 2022.
DiMaggio’s military career has offered him the opportunity to work in four oceans; eight countries; nine U.S. states and territories; on floating sea-ice in the Arctic; aboard Navy frigates, destroyers, cruisers, aircraft carriers and ice breakers; civilian research ships; and military aircraft, including the F/A-18 Super Hornet and MH-60 Seahawk.
DiMaggio grew up in Lake Village alongside his four siblings, three of whom also graduated from ASMSA.