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OU AG&S Faculty, Researchers, and Student Leaders earn AMS Honors.

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July 30, 2020

OU AG&S Faculty, Researchers, and Student Leaders earn AMS Honors.

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NORMAN, OKLA. – Each year, the American Meteorological Society (AMS) recognizes outstanding individuals and organizations of the weather, water, and climate community through its Awards and Honors program. Last week, AMS announced that members of the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences were selected to receive four distinguished awards. 

Dr. Fred Carr, Professor Emeritus in the School of Meteorology, is being recognized with the Cleveland Abbe Award for Distinguished Service to the Atmospheric and Related Sciences. AMS stated this award recognizes Carr for his tireless, selfless, wide-ranging service to the community that has had an immeasurable impact on the nation’s weather, water, and climate efforts.

“This honor is especially rewarding to me since it is for leadership and service to all sectors of the weather enterprise, and I am grateful that the AMS found me deserving of this award,” said Carr. 

The Robert H. and Joanne Simpson Mentorship Award is being given to Dr. Daphne La Due in recognition of her “generous, thoughtful, and caring mentorship to students and their supervisors during more than 20 years of directing the Oklahoma Research Experience for Undergraduates program,” cited the AMS Council.

La Due, a Senior Research Scientist in the Center for the Analysis and Prediction of Storms, noted that “running our NSF-funded Research Experiences for Undergraduates program has been a calling and vocation for me for sure. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to help 215 undergraduate students explore career options and try to figure out their next steps after their undergraduate degree. My life has been so much richer because of them!”

Dr. Amy McGovern, a Professor in OU’s School of Computer Science and Adjunct Professor in the School of Meteorology, is joining a distinguished group of scientists from around the world by being selected as a Fellow of the AMS. Less than 1300 members have received this honor in the 101-year history of the organization.

McGovern says of the honor, “I am very grateful to become an AMS fellow as it recognizes my work in combining artificial intelligence and weather research.”

The OU Student Chapter of AMS is being recognized at the student chapter of the year for providing students with unique career, education, and service opportunities. Their efforts help expand the reach of the chapter to benefit members, alumni, and the local community and the chapter receives this award for their hard work.

OU Student Chapter President, Amanda Novak, said of the honor, “The Student Chapter award means so much to the organization and especially to the hard work that the previous year’s executive board completed with the addition of new events as well as a travel fund.  We are ecstatic to be recognized at a National level and we want to thank each and every one of our members for participating in the events and for making SCAN the organization that it is!”

When asked about these four awards, Dean Berrien Moore said, “I am almost speechless with pride to have the University of Oklahoma and the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences win, in one year, four of these major Awards of the American Meteorological Society. This is beyond extraordinary. We are honored to honor the OU Family with this recognition.”

All award recipients will be recognized at the 101st AMS Annual Meeting in January 2021.