In a White House ceremony this morning (April 15, 2014), NSSL/CIMMS scientist Adam Clark received the prestigious Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). Clark joins four other PECASE award winners from NSSL.
Clark is recognized as a pioneer in the development of the next generation of weather models that will predict individual thunderstorms over large parts of the globe. Clark and his team are finding innovative ways to extract useful information from these detailed models, including a method that helps forecasters better predict the severity of tornado outbreaks. Clark also studies the quality of the weather models, and looks for ways to make them more accurate. His work is part of the NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research project to increase tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warning lead-times, ultimately saving lives and protecting property. These significant contributions help NOAA work toward its goal of creating a Weather Ready Nation. Clark is also being honored for his role as a mentor for students working in the field of research meteorology. He earned his doctorate, master’s and bachelor of science degrees in meteorology from Iowa State University.