UCAR and NSF NCAR researchers receive awards from AMS and AGU

Eleven individuals recognized for contributions to Earth system science

Oct 24, 2024 - by Audrey Merket

Nine researchers at the U.S. National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR) and the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), as well as a UCAR trustee, and an NSF NCAR distinguished scholar have been recognized with fellowships and awards from two prestigious Earth and space science organizations. 

The eleven awardees — Guy Brasseur, Shuyi Chen, William Cheng, Ethan Davis, Alice DuVivier, Brian Eaton, Neil Jacobs, Nathan Lenssen, Seth McGinnis, Elizabeth Mulvihill (Page), and Peter Sullivan — are being honored by the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and the American Meteorological Society (AMS) for their contributions to the field through innovative research, invaluable mentoring, and thorough evaluations of scientific literature. 

“I want to commend this year's honorees for their dedication to advancing Earth system science,” said UCAR President Antonio Busalacchi. “We are proud to see our staff, one of our trustees, and a distinguished scholar be recognized for their passion for and commitment to their work. Congratulations to each of them.” 

The honorees will be recognized at the annual AGU and AMS meetings, respectively. The AGU meeting will be held December 9-13, 2024, and the AMS meeting will take place January 12-16, 2025.

UCAR manages NSF NCAR on behalf of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF).

Headshot of Guy Brasseur.

Guy Brasseur: Yoram J. Kaufman Outstanding and Unselfish Cooperation in Research Award, American Geophysical Union

Guy Brasseur is a distinguished scholar at NSF NCAR. Brasseur is a former director of NSF NCAR’s Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling lab and the first distinguished scholar to be appointed by NSF NCAR. The Yoram J. Kaufman Outstanding Research and Unselfish Cooperation Award is presented annually and recognizes a senior scientist’s broad influence in atmospheric science. Notable contributions can include the awardee’s exceptional creativity, inspiration of younger scientists, mentoring, international collaborations, and unselfish cooperation in research.

Headshot of Shuyi Chen.Shuyi Chen: Jacob Bjerknes Lecture, American Geophysical Union 

Shuyi Chen serves as chair of the UCAR Board of Trustees. Chen is a professor of Atmospheric and Climate Sciences at the University of Washington. Her research involves observations and mathematical modeling of how the atmosphere and ocean interact in hurricanes, the Madden-Julian Oscillation, and its impact on El Niño as well as climate extremes including coastal flooding. Chen has been awarded the Jacob Bjerknes Lecture, which is presented annually to a scientist who has made a major scientific impact in advancing the basic understanding of the atmosphere-ocean interaction and Earth’s climate.

Headshot of Will Cheng.William Cheng: Editor’s Award for Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, American Meteorological Society

Will Cheng is a project scientist at NSF NCAR. His interests encompass a wide range of topics, including numerical modeling, numerical weather prediction, and machine learning. Cheng is the lead modeler in the US Army Test and Evaluation Command project. Recently, he has applied machine learning in a number of projects, including forecasting the human thermal comfort index. Cheng is receiving the 2025 AMS’s Editor’s Award for the Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology. This award recognizes his commitment to providing timely and rigorous evaluations across various subjects as well as his insightful recommendations that have significantly enhanced the quality of published papers in the journal. 

Ethan Davis headshot.Ethan Davis: Open Science Recognition Prize, American Geophysical Union

Ethan Davis is a software engineer and technical manager at NSF Unidata, a UCAR Community Program. Davis’s career has focused on enhancing the accessibility and usability of Earth system sciences data with a focus on data standards, software tools in support of those standards, and the fostering of broader scientific collaboration and innovation. Davis is part of a team being awarded AGU’s Open Science Recognition Prize for their contributions to the creation and evolution of the Climate and Forecast (CF) Metadata Conventions for NetCDF, a foundational standard in climate modeling data. 

Alice DuVivier headshot.Alice DuVivier: The Charles Franklin Brooks Award for Outstanding Service to Society, American Meteorological Society

Alice DuVivier is a project scientist at NSF NCAR. DuVivier is interested in the high-latitude connections and exchanges among the atmosphere, ocean, and sea ice components of the Earth system. She uses climate models along with observations to investigate physical processes and their representation in models to better understand the resulting impacts on the climate system. In particular, DuVivier studies the possible shifts in the polar regions due to the changing climate and how this will impact people living and working in these regions. DuVivier is being honored with the Charles Franklin Brooks Award for Outstanding Service to the Society for her important contributions to AMS. 

Headshot of Brian Eaton.Brian Eaton: Open Science Recognition Prize, American Geophysical Union

Brian Eaton officially retired from NSF NCAR in 2021 after a 32-year career as a software engineer working primarily in the development of the Community Atmosphere Model (CAM). After retiring, Eaton transitioned to part-time work and continues to contribute to CAM7 development. He also collaborated in the effort to establish the CF Conventions for climate and forecast metadata, which are widely used to facilitate the processing and sharing of model data. Eaton is part of a team being awarded AGU’s Open Science Recognition Prize for their contributions to the creation and evolution of the Climate and Forecast (CF) Metadata Conventions for NetCDF, a foundational standard in climate modeling data. 

Neil Jacobs headshot.Neil Jacobs: Fellow, American Meteorological Society

Neil Jacobs is a scientist in the Cooperative Programs for the Advancement of Earth Science (CPAESS) in UCAR Community Programs (UCP) and serves as chief science advisor for the Unified Forecast System. Jacobs is a former acting NOAA administrator and a long-time proponent for the necessity of a unified modeling system to improve U.S. weather and climate forecasting skills. Jacobs has been elected an AMS fellow, a distinction recognizing scientists who have made outstanding contributions to the atmospheric or related oceanic or hydrologic sciences or their applications during a substantial period of years. 

Headshot of Nathan Lenssen.Nathan Lenssen: Editor’s Award for Journal of Climate, American Meteorological Society

Nathan Lenssen is a project scientist at NSF NCAR and a teaching assistant professor at Colorado School of Mines. Lenssen's research focuses on using observational and model-simulated climate data to better quantify climate variability, predictability, and change. Lenssen is the co-director of the NSF NCAR Climate Data Guide, a resource that provides expert user guidance on climate datasets. He is being honored with AMS’s Editor's Award to recognize exceptional service to the Journal of Climate

Headshot of Seth McGinnis.Seth McGinnis: Open Science Recognition Prize, American Geophysical Union

Seth McGinnis is an associate scientist at NSF NCAR. McGinnis has a strong background in computer programming and works on a variety of projects related to making atmospheric science data accessible and usable to end users of all types. McGinnis is part of a team being awarded AGU’s Open Science Recognition Prize for their contributions to the creation and evolution of the Climate and Forecast (CF) Metadata Conventions for NetCDF, a foundational standard in climate modeling data. 

Headshot of Liz Mulvhill.Elizabeth Mulvihill (Page): Fellow, American Meteorological Society

Elizabeth Mulvihill (Page) is the director of the UCAR Community Programs (UCP) Education and Training Center and the COMET Program. Mulvihill has a passion for increasing the capacity of weather services around the world to provide timely and actionable forecasts and warnings. Mulvihill has been elected an AMS fellow, a distinction recognizing scientists who have made outstanding contributions to the atmospheric or related oceanic or hydrologic sciences or their applications during a substantial period of years. 

Headshot of Peter Sullivan.Peter Sullivan: Award for Outstanding Contributions to Boundary-Layer Meteorology, American Meteorological Society

Peter Sullivan is a senior scientist at NSF NCAR. Sullivan uses large-eddy and direct numerical simulations to investigate turbulent processes in both the atmospheric boundary layer and the ocean mixed layer. He has also participated in and planned numerous field campaigns. Sullivan is being given the Award for Outstanding Contributions to Boundary-Layer Meteorology for his pioneering work in developing highly reliable large eddy simulations for innovative applications to the atmospheric and oceanic boundary layers and air-sea interactions.

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