Colorado State University Professor Receives Prestigious Award for Atmospheric Research

A Colorado State University atmospheric science professor has been named the 2002 recipient of the Meisinger Award from the American Meteorological Society. Michael T. Montgomery will be presented with the honor for his outstanding leadership in atmospheric science research at AMS’s 83rd annual meeting in February in Long Beach, Calif.

"It is an honor to be acknowledged with such a prestigious award by the AMS," Montgomery said. "I believe this award is a reflection not only of my research but also the outstanding graduate students I have been privileged to work with and the excellent atmospheric science department at Colorado State."

The Clarence Leroy Meisinger Award, one of AMS’s top honors, is presented annually to a scientist who has made outstanding achievements in atmospheric research. The honor is awarded to young, promising scientists who are 40 years old or younger when nominated.

Montgomery’s work centers on understanding the fundamental fluid dynamics of geophysical vortices such as the circumpolar vortex, hurricanes and tornadoes. His research in tropical meteorology and hurricane intensity change is making great strides in improving the accuracy of forecasting tropical hurricanes.

Montgomery joined the Colorado State atmospheric science faculty in 1992, focusing his efforts on the fluid dynamics of atmospheric fronts, hurricanes, polar lows and the circumpolar vortex. Prior to joining Colorado State, Montgomery served as a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University and worked at the Hurricane Research Division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Miami, Fla.

The AMS is a professional organization that promotes the development and distribution of atmospheric information and currently publishes nine scientific journals including the Monthly Weather Review, the Journal of Atmospheric Sciences and the Journal of Applied Meteorology. Since its origin in 1919, the organization has grown to a membership of more than 11,000 professionals, students and weather enthusiasts.