AOML scientists, staff, and team members were recognized this year for their outstanding contributions and dedication to NOAA’s mission. The following individuals and teams are recipients of prestigious awards that acknowledge their dedication to sharing our mission and initiatives with the community, fostering deeper connections and leaving a lasting, positive impact on the lives of those we serve.
Department of Commerce Awards:
- Joe Cione, Jason Dunion (CIMAS), and Jun Zhang (CIMAS) have received the Department of Commerce Gold Medal (2023) for deploying a small uncrewed aircraft system into the eyewall of Hurricane Ian (2022) after a multi-year collaborative effort overcoming many obstacles.
- Sang-Ki Lee and Fabian Gomez (CIMAS) have received the Department of Commerce Silver Medal (2023) for developing the first United States river chemistry dataset for regional ocean biogeochemical modeling and carbon chemistry studies in the US.
- Jason Dunion has received the Department of Commerce Bronze Medal (2023) for deploying 4,000 nmi on a ground-breaking mission to demonstrate the Gulfstream-IV capacity to extend scientific data collection across the Atlantic.
- NOAA Ambassadors received the Department of Commerce Bronze Medal (2023) for significantly enhancing NOAA’s ability to increase awareness of its mission through impactful outreach, education, and service.
- Jasmin John and partners at NOAA’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory have received the Department of Commerce Bronze Medal (2024) for quantifying the climate and human drivers of US wildfire trends and impacts through Earth Systems modeling of climate-vegetation-fire interactions.
NOAA Office of Ocean and Atmospheric Research (OAR) Awards:
- Ulises Rivero has received OAR’s 2024 Employee of the Year award in the Employee Development category for excellence in leading AOML’s instrumentation group, orchestrating a successful field season with limited staff, and recruiting and retaining the next generation to ensure continued success.
- Nicole Besemer has received OAR’s 2024 Employee of the Year award in the Personal and Professional Excellence category in leading the successful renovation of AOML’s coral laboratory, enhancing NOAA’s capacity for cutting-edge marine research and conservation.
- Poinsettia Byrd (Integrated Systems Solutions) has received OAR’s 2024 Team Member of the Year award in the Personal and Professional Excellence category for professional excellence in leading the successful renovation of AOML’s coral laboratory, enhancing NOAA’s capacity for cutting-edge marine research and conservation.
- Thia Griffin-Elliott (Groundswell) has received the OAR’s 2024 Team Member of the Year award in the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility category for exemplary efforts to inspire change by identifying and strategizing ways for NOAA to create a safer and more encouraging environment for people of diverse backgrounds.
NOAA awards:
- Jay Harris and Russell St. Fleur have received the 2023 NOAA Administrator Award for exceptional service overseeing the implementation of AOML’s $6M Data Center, while also providing exemplary computer support during the pandemic.
- Sundararaman Gopalakrishnan, Hyun-Sook Kim, and Xuejin Zhang and partners at NOAA’s Environmental Modeling Center have received the 2024 NOAA Administrator Award for creating the first Unified Forecast System based hurricane model, a major advancement in operational hurricane track and intensity predictions.
- Molly Baringer has received the 2024 Distinguished Career Award for her sustained leadership, innovation, and commitment to excellence through 30 years of service to NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory.
National Tropical Weather Conference:
- Jason Dunion has received the Robert and Joanne Simpson Award for exceptional contributions that have improved our understanding of complex atmospheric phenomenon in the field of tropical meteorology.
National Oceanographic Partnership Program:
- Luke Thompson has received the 2024 Excellence in Partnering Awarding for his leading contributions piloting the emerging Bio-GO-SHIP program.
Join us in congratulating and thanking our award winners for your continued hard work and commitment to NOAA’s mission, making an important impact on the nation.