Colorado State Scientist Named Chairman of Section at National Academy of Engineering

Tom Vonder Haar, University Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University, has been elected chairman of the Interdisciplinary Section of the National Academy of Engineering.

Vonder Haar joined Colorado State in 1970 and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2003 for his work on fundamental analysis of the Earth’s radiation balance and its impact on climate. He used early earth satellites to make and publish the first observations of Earth’s Thermal Engine, a phenomenon that which drives all the winds and the ocean currents – a breakthrough measurement for understanding Earth’s climate. His numerous awards include the American Meteorological Society Second Half Century (Charney) Award.

The Academies of Engineering and Science and the Institute of Medicine were founded by President Abraham Lincoln to serve as advisers to the nation. The Interdisciplinary Section of the National Academy of Engineering includes 140 academicians from industry, research laboratories and the university community.

Other Colorado State faculty who are members of the Academies are Larry Roesner, Department of Civil Engineering; George Seidel Jr., Department of Biomedical Sciences; and Barry Beaty, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology. Also active are Colorado State emeritus professors Jack Cermak and A. Ray Chamberlain, Department of Civil Engineering; and Albert Meyers and Marshall Fixman, Department of Chemistry.

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