Krista Romita Grocholski

Physical Scientist; Professor of Policy Analysis, Pardee RAND Graduate School

Washington Office

Education

PhD in astronomy, University of Florida; M.S. in astronomy, University of Florida; B.A. in astronomy & physics, Vassar College

One Page Bio

Overview

Krista Romita Grocholski (she/her) is a physical scientist at RAND, a professor of policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School, and lead principal investigator of the NOAA Mid-Atlantic Climate Adaptation Partnership (formerly RISA) program. Romita Grocholski's work at RAND has been focused on climate adaptation and resilience, non-lethal weapons and intermediate force capabilities, emerging technologies, commercial space, military readiness, and building data tools/visualizations. Prior to joining RAND, she completed her Ph.D. in observational astronomy at the University of Florida. Romita Grocholski received her M.S. in astronomy from the University of Florida and her B.A. in astronomy and physics from Vassar College.

Research Focus

Recent Projects

Mid-Atlantic Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (MARISA) 2.0
Assessing the Impact of Intermediate Force Capabilities and Integrating them into Wargames for NATO and U.S. Department of Defense
Assessing the Impact of Non-Lethal Weapons
A Robust Strategy for Leveraging Commercial Space Capabilities
Partnering with Commercial Space: Balancing Risks and Benefits

Selected Publications

Romita Grocholski, Krista, Scott Savitz, Jonathan P. Wong, Sydney Litterer, Raza Khan, and Monika Cooper, Evaluating the Use of Non-Lethal Weapons in Operational Environments, RAND Corporation (RB-A654-1), 2022

Romita Grocholski, Krista, Scott Savitz, Jonathan P. Wong, Sydney Litterer, Raza Khan, and Monika Cooper, How to Effectively Assess the Impact of Non-Lethal Weapons as Intermediate Force Capabilities, RAND Corporation (RR-A654-1), 2022

Romita Grocholski, Krista, Michelle E. Miro, Jessica Spaccio, Samantha Borisoff, Lena Easton-Calabria, and Arthur T. DeGaetano, Mid-Atlantic Regional Climate Impacts Summary and Outlook: Spring 2022, RAND Corporation (TL-A386-10), 2022

Yonekura, Emmi, Brian Dolan, Moon Kim, Krista Romita Grocholski, Raza Khan, and Yool Kim, Commercial Space Capabilities and Market Overview: The Relationship Between Commercial Space Developments and the U.S. Department of Defense, RAND Corporation (RR-A578-2), 2022

Miro, Michelle E., Krista Romita Grocholski, Jessica Spaccio, Samantha Borisoff, Lena Easton-Calabria, and Arthur T. DeGaetano, Mid-Atlantic Regional Climate Impacts Summary and Outlook: Summer 2022, RAND Corporation (TL-A386-11), 2022

Commentary

Military Strategy

Why DoD Needs Greater Focus on Nonlethal Weapons, Intermediate Force Capabilities
Nonlethal weapons do not entail the firing of projectiles, the detonation of explosives, or even the use of edged weapons with blades. Their effects are more subtle, though no less powerful for that. But the effects of these systems, and their impact on overall military capabilities, are often underestimated or misunderstood.
Aug 8, 2023
Defense Opinion
Military Equipment

Revealing the Impact of Non-Lethal Weapons
Non-lethal weapons can be useful to U.S. military forces in a variety of contexts, but the Pentagon faces a challenge in ensuring their appropriate use and evaluating the potential effects of their deployment.
Jun 15, 2022
RealClearDefense
Military Strategy

Effective Use of Nonlethal Weapons Could Require Combating Disinformation
The temporary and reversible effects of nonlethal weapons reduce the potential for collateral damage while mitigating the risk of inadvertent escalation in peacetime and gray-zone situations. But public perceptions can have powerful effects on how these systems are employed and the impact of their use.
Apr 22, 2022
RealClearDefense

Publications

Visualization
Logic Model for Non-Lethal Weapons in the U.S. Department of Defense
This logic model is intended to help characterize the impact of Non-Lethal Weapons (NLWs) within the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), and is based on a RAND project that assessed the impact of diverse Intermediate Force Capabilities (IFCs).
Nov 20, 2023
Journal Article
How to Assess the Impact of Non-Lethal Weapons
A RAND team used a structure called a "logic model" to assess the tactical, operational, and strategic impact of non-lethal weapons. This article characterizes what these systems and operations are intended to achieve and how they do so.
Oct 30, 2023
Tool
Mid-Atlantic Regional Climate Impacts Summary and Outlook: Summer 2023
This climate summary aims to inform Mid-Atlantic policymakers and practitioners about weather patterns for summer 2023, regional climate trends, and the upcoming fall season.
Oct 3, 2023
Report
Leveraging Commercial Space Services: Opportunities and Risks for the Department of the Air Force
RAND researchers evaluated two commercial space markets to understand opportunities, challenges, and risks that the Department of the Air Force could encounter when making decisions to invest in commercial space capabilities.
Sep 6, 2023
Commentary
Existing and Emerging Topics and Potential Priorities for the Safety and Security of the Maritime Environment
This Perspective summarizes key existing and emerging maritime safety and security topics for policymakers and highlights some important considerations for technological modernization to support homeland security missions in this space.
Sep 6, 2023
Commentary
Turning Climate Information into Action for Stormwater Management in the Mid-Atlantic Region
This Perspective presents key information needs for stormwater practitioners in the Mid-Atlantic region and provides recommendations that would support more effective stormwater planning, design, and management in the face of climate change.
Aug 30, 2023
Report
Accounting for Climate Resilience in Infrastructure Investment Decisionmaking: A Data-Driven Approach for Department of the Air Force Project Prioritization
A new approach allows comparison of infrastructure projects based on their ability to improve installation resilience to climate-related hazards, supporting the Department of the Air Force’s climate resilience investment decisionmaking.
Aug 22, 2023
Tool
Mid-Atlantic Regional Climate Impacts Summary and Outlook: Spring 2023
This climate summary aims to inform Mid-Atlantic policymakers and practitioners about weather patterns for spring 2023, regional climate trends, and the upcoming summer season.
Jun 29, 2023
Report
Assessing the Impact of Diverse Intermediate Force Capabilities and Integrating Them into Wargames for the U.S. Department of Defense and NATO
The authors of this report describe how to measure the impact of intermediate force capabilities (IFCs), which cause less-than-lethal effects, and how to better integrate them into wargaming, modeling, and simulation for U.S. and NATO-wide forces.
Jun 27, 2023
Tool
Mid-Atlantic Regional Climate Impacts Summary and Outlook: Winter 2022–2023
This climate summary aims to inform Mid-Atlantic policymakers and practitioners about winter 2022–2023, regional climate trends, and the upcoming spring season. A tool shows an analysis of how the average number of days per year with cold low temperatures is projected to change in the future.
Mar 29, 2023
Tool
Chesapeake Bay Model Inventory and Selection Tool (MIST)
The Model Inventory and Selection Tool (MIST) is an interactive, searchable database of empirical, statistical, and conceptual models relevant to water- and climate-related planning and decisionmaking in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and beyond.
Jan 19, 2023
Tool
Mid-Atlantic Regional Climate Impacts Summary and Outlook: Fall 2022
This climate summary aims to inform Mid-Atlantic policymakers and practitioners about fall 2022, regional climate trends, and the upcoming winter season. An interactive tool shows an analysis of the longest stretches of dry days and how they are expected to change in the future.
Dec 23, 2022
Tool
Climate Hazard and Mitigation Planning (CHaMP) Tool: Background and Guidance for Users
The Climate Hazard and Mitigation Planning online tool is an interactive website designed to provide users with a single point of access to county-, state- and region-specific historical climate and hazard data and projected climate information.
Nov 2, 2022
Tool
Mid-Atlantic Regional Climate Impacts Summary and Outlook: Summer 2022
This climate summary aims to inform Mid-Atlantic policymakers and practitioners about summer 2022, regional climate trends, and the upcoming summer season. An interactive tool shows an analysis of the longest stretches of high heat days and how they are expected to change in the future.
Sep 22, 2022
Research Brief
Evaluating the Use of Non-Lethal Weapons in Operational Environments
This brief summarizes a RAND-developed methodology to evaluate the impact of non-lethal weapons in a way that better informs Department of Defense decisions about their development, integration into military forces, and use in diverse contexts.
Aug 5, 2022
Tool
Mid-Atlantic Regional Climate Impacts Summary and Outlook: Spring 2022
This climate summary aims to inform Mid-Atlantic policymakers and practitioners about spring 2022, regional climate trends, and the upcoming summer season. A tool shows an analysis of future projected changes in total monthly precipitation, compared to two baseline periods.
Jun 27, 2022
Report
Commercial Space Capabilities and Market Overview: The Relationship Between Commercial Space Developments and the U.S. Department of Defense
In this broad review of commercial space capabilities that could support the U.S. Space Force's future space architecture and innovation ecosystem, the authors characterize capabilities and trends through mid-2020 in seven commercial space sectors.
Apr 14, 2022
Tool
Mid-Atlantic Regional Climate Impacts Summary and Outlook: Winter 2021–2022
This climate summary aims to inform Mid-Atlantic policymakers and practitioners about winter 2021–2022, regional climate trends, and the upcoming winter season. A tool shows an analysis of future projected changes in precipitation, compared to climate normals.
Mar 18, 2022
Report
How to Effectively Assess the Impact of Non-Lethal Weapons as Intermediate Force Capabilities
This report describes how to evaluate the impact of non-lethal weapons (NLWs). Characterizing the contribution of NLWs to strategic goals provides insights into their effective integration throughout U.S. Department of Defense operations.
Jan 18, 2022
Tool
Mid-Atlantic Regional Climate Impacts Summary and Outlook: Fall 2021
This climate summary aims to inform Mid-Atlantic policymakers and practitioners about fall 2021, regional climate trends, and the upcoming winter season. A tool shows an analysis of future projected changes in temperature, compared to climate normals.
Dec 21, 2021
Tool
Mid-Atlantic Regional Climate Impacts Summary and Outlook: Summer 2021
This climate summary aims to inform Mid-Atlantic policymakers and practitioners about summer 2021, regional climate trends, and the upcoming fall season. A tool shows an analysis of historic and future projected growing degree days across the Mid-Atlantic.
Sep 20, 2021
Tool
Developing Future Projected Intensity-Duration-Frequency (IDF) Curves: A Technical Report on Data, Methods, and IDF Curves for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and Virginia
To support entities in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and Virginia in adapting to climate change, this study updated intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) curves, a common tool used for stormwater infrastructure design, to reflect future climate changes.
Jul 9, 2021
Tool
Mid-Atlantic Regional Climate Impacts Summary and Outlook: Spring 2021
This climate summary aims to inform Mid-Atlantic policymakers and practitioners about spring 2021, regional climate trends, and the upcoming summer season. A tool shows flooding in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania under historic and future climate.
Jun 21, 2021
Report
Measuring Strategic Readiness: Identifying Metrics for Core Dimensions
The authors explore a more expansive approach to readiness assessments that goes beyond the narrow lens of operational readiness and considers a broader set of dimensions that could affect readiness outcomes.
Jun 14, 2021
Tool
Mid-Atlantic Regional Climate Impacts Summary and Outlook: Winter 2020–2021
This climate summary aims to inform Mid-Atlantic policymakers and practitioners about winter 2020–2021 weather, regional climate trends, and the upcoming spring season. A tool shows historic snowfall in the Mid-Atlantic from 1981 to 2019.
Mar 17, 2021
Report
Proposed Analytical Products for the Air Force Warfighting Integration Capability: Developing and Presenting Options for Future Force Design and Capability Development
RAND Project Air Force assisted the Air Force Warfighting Integration Capability (AFWIC) in conceptualizing analytical and other products to support concept development, options for future force design, and capability development planning.
Dec 16, 2020
Tool
Mid-Atlantic Regional Climate Impacts Summary and Outlook: Fall 2020
This climate summary aims to inform Mid-Atlantic policymakers and practitioners about fall 2020 weather, regional climate trends, and the upcoming winter season. A tool shows historic tropical cyclone tracks in the Mid-Atlantic from 1980 to 2020.
Dec 16, 2020
Tool
Mid-Atlantic Regional Climate Impacts Summary and Outlook: Summer 2020
This climate summary aims to inform Mid-Atlantic policymakers and practitioners about summer 2020 weather, regional climate trends, and the upcoming fall season. A tool shows historic and projected changes in warm daily minimum temperatures.
Sep 17, 2020
Tool
Mid-Atlantic Regional Climate Impacts Summary and Outlook: Spring 2020
This climate summary aims to inform Mid-Atlantic policymakers and practitioners about spring 2020 weather, regional climate trends, and the upcoming summer season. A tool shows historic and projected changes in the timing of spring temperatures.
Jun 19, 2020
Tool
Chesapeake Bay Watershed Climate Impacts Summary and Outlook: Winter 2019-2020
This web-based tool aims to inform Chesapeake Bay Watershed policymakers, practitioners, and community leaders on Winter 2019-2020 climate, as well as projected future climate trends. An interactive tool shows percentage change in freeze-thaw days.
Mar 23, 2020
Journal Article
Climate-Resilient Planning for Urban Stormwater and Wastewater Utilities: Workshop Proceedings
This document summarizes the Climate-Resilient Planning for Urban Stormwater and Wastewater Utilities Workshop, held July 16–17, 2019 at the Newtown Creek Wastewater Resource Recovery Facility in Brooklyn, NY.
Mar 5, 2020
Tool
Chesapeake Bay Watershed Climate Impacts Summary and Outlook: Fall 2019
This climate summary informs Chesapeake Bay stakeholders on Fall 2019's climate and weather as well as projected climate trends. Hurricane damage in the Mid-Atlantic and changes in hurricane frequency and intensity are shown in interactive figures.
Dec 17, 2019
Report
Assessing Force Sufficiency and Risk Using RAND's Multi-Period Assessment of Force Flow (MPAFF) Tool
This report describes RAND's Multi-Purpose Assessment of Force Flow tool for conducting time-phased analysis of Army force sufficiency under a variety of assumptions on force generation policies, readiness policies, and force employment policies.
Oct 28, 2019
Tool
Chesapeake Bay Watershed Climate Impacts Summary and Outlook: Summer 2019
This web-based tool aims to inform Chesapeake Bay Watershed policymakers, practitioners, and community leaders on Summer 2019 climate, as well as projected future climate trends. Analysis of extreme heat data are shown on interactive figures.
Sep 18, 2019
Tool
Chesapeake Bay Climate Impacts Summary and Outlook: Spring 2019: Seasonal Precipitation Analysis
This web-based tool aims to inform Chesapeake Bay Watershed policymakers, practitioners, and community leaders on Spring 2019 climate, as well as historical and projected future climate trends. Analysis of seasonal precipitation data are shown.
Jun 12, 2019
Tool
Chesapeake Bay Climate Impacts Summary and Outlook: Winter 2018-2019: Seasonal Precipitation Analysis
This web-based tool aims to inform Chesapeake Bay Watershed policymakers, practitioners, and community leaders on historical and projected future climate trends. Analysis of seasonal precipitation data are displayed via interactive maps.
Mar 25, 2019