Dr. WARREN M. WASHINGTON

Warren M. Washington was born in Portland, Oregon, and earned a bachelor’s degree in physics and a master’s degree in meteorology from Oregon State University. After completing his doctorate in meteorology at Pennsylvania State University, he joined the National Center for Atmospheric Research in 1963 as a research scientist. In 1975, he was named senior scientist, and he currently is head of the Climate Change Research Section in the Climate and Global Dynamics Division. His areas of expertise are atmospheric science and climate research, and he specializes in computer modeling of the Earth’s climate.

Since 1990, Washington has served on the Secretary of Energy’s Biological and Environmental Research Advisory Committee (BERAC). Since 1996, he has been the chair of the Subcommittee on Global Change for BERAC. He served on the Modernization Transition Committee and the National Centers for Environment Prediction Advisory Committee of the U. S. National Weather Service. From 1978 to 1984, he served on the President’s National Advisory Committee on Oceans and Atmosphere. From 1998-2002, he served on to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency Science Advisory Board. From 2000-2002 he was a member of Advanced Scientific Computing Advisory Committee.

Washington is a fellow of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), a Distinguished Alumnus and an Alumni Fellow of Pennsylvania State University and Oregon State University, a fellow of the African Scientific Institute, and a member of the American Geophysical Union. From 1991 to 1995, he was a member of the AAAS Board of Directors, and he served as president of AMS in 1994.

Washington received the Le Verrier Medal of the Societe Meteorologique de France in 1995. The U.S. Department of Energy awarded him the Biological and Environmental Research Program Exceptional Service Award for Atmospheric Science in 1997, for the development and application of advanced coupled atmospheric-ocean general circulation models to study the impacts of human activities on future climate. Also in 1997, he was inducted into the National Academy of Sciences Portrait Collection of African Americans in Science, Engineering, and Medicine. In 1999, Washington received the National Weather Service Modernization Award. In January 2000 Washington was awarded the Dr. Charles Anderson Award from the American Meteorological Society for pioneering efforts as a mentor and passionate supporter of individuals, educational programs, and outreach initiatives designed to foster a diverse population of atmospheric scientists. In March 2000, Washington received the Celebrating 20th Century Pioneers in Atmospheric Sciences Award at Howard University and in April 2000 the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Award in recognition of significant and unique contributions in the field of science. In February 2002, he was elected to membership in the National Academy of Engineering and in April 2004 he was inducted into the American Philosophical Society.

Washington was appointed to the National Science Board in 1994 and reappointed to the Board in 2000. He was elected Chair in 2002 and re-elected Chair in 2004.

July 2004