Goddard Scientist Honored by the World Meteorological Organization

Photo by Chris Gunn/293

Dr. Joanne Simpson giving acceptance speech

Goddard research scientist Dr. Joanne Simpson has been awarded the prestigious International Meteorological Organization Prize by the Executive Council of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the first woman ever to win this prize.

Simpson, internationally acclaimed for her 54 years of pioneering work on cloud modeling, observational experiments on convective cloud systems and hurricane research, is being honored for her role as a leading participant in the aircraft aspects of several WMO Global Atmospheric Research Programme (GARP) experiments and for helping to establish a basic understanding of tropical circulation and heat balance.

The IMO Prize originates from WMO's predecessor body, the International Meteorological Organization (IMO), founded in 1873. The award is presented annually and consists of a gold medal, a sum of money and an official citation.

Throughout her professional life Simpson has served as a mentor and role model for young scientists, particularly women. In 2001, the American Meteorological Society honored Simpson with the Charles F. Anderson Award in recognition of her outstanding and extraordinary contributions to the promotion of educational outreach, educational service, and diversity in the AMS and broader communities.

Through her original ideas and efforts, Simpson shepherded NASA's development of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite from its inception through its launch as the first rain radar instrument in space. This mission ranks among her greatest achievements and will speed progress in modeling and predicting weather and climate resulting in improved forecasting of short-term climate variability.

Simpson is currently chief scientist for Meteorology at Goddard. Previously, she served as the project scientist for the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Observatory.

For more on Simpson, go to: http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/news-release/releases/2002/02-162.htm