Paul M. Markowski, Assistant Professor of Meteorology, recently received a 5-year NSF Career Award. The title of his proposal was "A Study of the Radiative Effects of Cloud Shadows on the Dynamics of Long-Lived Convective Storm." The project will study how thunderstorms, and the likelihood of them producing tornadoes, are affected by large regions of cool ground temperatures that arise from the blocking of the sun by the thunderstorm clouds themselves. This "cloud-shading" effect has largely been ignored in the past by scientists who study thunderstorms.

An NSF Career Award is a highly selective grant given to new faculty members believed to be the next generation of academic leaders. Awardees are selected on the basis of creative development plans that effectively integrate research and education within the context of the mission of their institution and build the foundation for a lifetime of contributions to their discipline.