STAC-Level Awards for 2020

The Scientific and Technological Activities Commission (STAC) is composed of Committees and Boards, which in the aggregate are made up of hundreds of volunteers primarily from the membership of the Society. STAC helps to advance science and technology by promoting the open exchange of ideas, strengthening our disciplinary communities, enhancing collaboration and dialog among these communities, embracing diversity, celebrating and fostering excellence, and cultivating the next generation of scientists and leaders. As such, STAC plays a critical role in the AMS as it works to build our science community, and part of this building process involves recognizing and celebrating excellence.

STAC Award Winners

STAC OUTSTANDING EARLY CAREER AWARD on behalf of the AMS Board on Environment and Health

Dr. Jennifer Vanos

For scientific contributions to furthering understanding of thermal comfort and heat strain, with a focus on protecting children, athletes, and outdoor workers, in the context of a changing climate

STAC OUTSTANDING EARLY CAREER AWARD on behalf of the Board on Societal Impacts

Stephen M. Strader

For an outstanding early career scholar whose research has the potential to reduce the societal impacts of extreme weather events

STAC DISTINGUISHED SCIENTIFIC/TECHNOLOGICAL ACCOMPLISHMENT AWARD on behalf of the Committee on Artificial Intelligence Applications to Environmental Science

Caren Marzban

For contributions to advancing applications of machine learning to environmental science, including extreme events, and strengthening the statistical framework and assessment

STAC OUTSTANDING EARLY CAREER AWARD on behalf of the Committee on Atmospheric Chemistry

Emily V. Fischer

For outstanding scholarship and leadership in the field of atmospheric chemistry and exceptional work to diversify the geosciences

STAC DISTINGUISHED SCIENTIFIC/TECHNOLOGICAL ACCOMPLISHMENT AWARD on behalf of the Committee on Climate Variability and Change 

Dr. Suzana J. Camargo  

In recognition of her profound and extensive contributions to problems in tropical climate variability and climate change

STAC OUTSTANDING SERVICE AWARD on behalf of the Committee on Hydrology

Dr. Joshua K. Roundy

For dauntless service to Committee on Hydrology, including improving annual meeting scope and Program Chair leadership during 2019 government shutdown

STAC DISTINGUISHED SCIENTIFIC/TECHNOLOGICAL ACCOMPLISHMENT AWARD on behalf of the Committee on Probability and Statistics

David E. Rudack

For outstanding teamwork, mentoring, and contributions to the statistical forecasting program of the Meteorological Development Laboratory, National Weather Service

STAC OUTSTANDING SERVICE AWARD on behalf of the Committee on Space Weather

Dr. W. Kent Tobiska

For sustained service to the space weather community and successful advocacy for inclusion of the commercial sector in the enterprise

STAC DISTINGUISHED SCIENTIFIC/TECHNOLOGICAL ACCOMPLISHMENT AWARD on behalf of the Committee on Weather Analysis and Forecasting

Dr. Vijay Tallapragada

In recognition of his exceptional leadership of the HWRF and FV3 model implementations and noteworthy scientific achievements in numerical weather prediction over a twenty-year period

STAC DISTINGUISHED SCIENTIFIC/TECHNOLOGICAL ACCOMPLISHMENT AWARD on behalf of the Committee on Middle Atmosphere

Dr. Gloria Manney

For her extraordinary contributions to furthering understanding of stratospheric dynamics, polar processing, and tracer transport in the UTLS

STAC OUTSTANDING EARLY CAREER AWARD on behalf of the Committee on Mountain Meteorology (to be announced and presented at July 13-18, 2020 Mountain Meteorology Conference)

Dr. Ivana Stiperski

For advancing fundamental understanding of boundary layers and turbulence in complex terrain and of mesoscale orographic airflow dynamics

STAC OUTSTANDING EARLY CAREER AWARD on behalf of the Committee on Mesoscale Processes (to be announced and presented at late July/early August 2021 Conference on Mesoscale Processes)

Prof. Kelly Lombardo

For contributions to the fundamental understanding of mesoscale convective systems in heterogeneous environments near coastal zones and complex orography

STAC DISTINGUISHED SCIENTIFIC/TECHNOLOGICAL ACCOMPLISHMENT AWARD on behalf of the Committee on Tropical Meteorology and Tropical Cyclones 

(Will be announced at their conference in May 2021)