The Central Iowa Chapter of the National Weather Association is sponsoring a scholarship in memory of tornado researcher Tim Samaras in the amount of $1500.  Application materials must be received by Friday, February 21, 2020. The recipient will be notified around March 1st.

Tim Samaras was a world-famous engineer, inventor, and tornado researcher who had very close ties to our NWA Chapter.  His presentations were always a highlight of the annual Severe Storm and Doppler Radar conferences since he first volunteered to speak in 2003.  After that time, he was frequently an invited speaker at the conferences, often revealing to our audiences jaw-dropping video of tornadoes and lightning that was being seen by the general public for the first time.  Of even greater impact to our chapter and the conference attendees than his ground-breaking scientific discoveries was his kind, approachable, and encouraging spirit.  Numerous stories have been told of young students attending the conference being stunned that Tim treated them as equals, willing to answer their questions.  Tim had a passion to create the next generation of scientists, which was evident in his use of student teams as a part of the TWISTEX project during the period 2006-2011.  Because of his passion for both the atmosphere and for students, we can think of no better way to honor his memory than to create this award to encourage students to pursue research and communicate it to the atmospheric science community.  

Eligibility: The $1,500 scholarship is available to all full-time students pursuing a career in research meteorology, having a sophomore or junior status at the time of the chapter’s annual Severe Storms and Doppler Radar Conference (March 26-March 28, 2020) in Ankeny, IA and a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater (on a 4.0-point scale). The award will be presented at the conference, and the winner must attend the conference to receive the scholarship. The selectee will receive up to $250 for travel and lodging and the conference registration fee will be waived.

Application Procedures: To apply for the scholarship, the following items are necessary:
-  Complete the following application.
-  Send a copy of transcripts (unofficial are acceptable) from all post-secondary schools attended. Only one transcript is required if it includes all post-secondary course work.
-  Provide the name, address, phone number, and email of a college reference (professor/instructor).
-  Complete the two essays on the application

Please send transcript copies to:
michael.fowle@noaa.gov

Evaluation and Selection: Evaluation of applicants will be performed by the Awards Committee.  University personnel on the committee will excuse themselves from evaluating applicants with ties to their own universities. The candidate selected will be contacted before the conference to ensure their attendance at the conference – a necessary requirement to receive the scholarship for the first place selectee.

Deadline: Application materials must be received by February 21, 2020. The recipient will be notified around March 1st.

For additional information, please contact Mike Fowle at michael.fowle@noaa.gov.