Hot tower cloud, courtesy NOAA Photo Library
This month, IBSS celebrates Women’s History Month by showcasing women from different areas of meteorology, computer science and oceanography and the impact their work has on IBSS and society as a whole.
This week’s focus is on meteorology and the contributions of a few important women in the history of meteorology. Working closely with NOAA National Weather Service (NWS), IBSS is no stranger to the significance of meteorology on our society and the importance of scientists like Dr. Johanne Simpson.
Dr. Johanne Simpson started her journey with meteorology working as a teacher to Aviation Cadets during World War II. Despite pressure to return to her expected duties as a women to become a housewife, Dr. Simpson continued her pursuit of knowledge. Armed with a curiosity and interest in the importance of clouds in weather, she went on to get a master’s degree and Ph.D. in meteorology, specifically focusing on tropical cumulous cloud, becoming the first ever woman to do so.
Dr. Simpson started her career of impressive achievements with her contribution to the “hot tower” hypothesis. Along with her Ph.D advisor Herbert Riehl, she explained how the atmosphere moved heat away from the tropics to higher altitudes which explained how hurricanes kept the heat that powered them. In 1951, she also constructed some of the first mathematical models of clouds, which inspired a new field of study in meteorology. Her most important contribution was her work as a lead scientist with NASA on the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission in 1986.
Dr. Simpson went on to be recognized with various awards, including the Carl-Gustaf Rossby award, the highest honor bestowed by the American Meteorological Society, and the International Meteorological Organization prize, becoming the first woman to receive it.
In March of 2010 Dr. Simpson passed away in Washington, DC. She left a lifetime of important achievements and contributions not only to the field of meteorology, but for women who aspire to work in the field of meteorology.
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Since 1992, IBSS, a women-owned small business and Certified B Corporation, has provided transformational consulting services to the Federal defense, civilian, and commercial sectors. Our services include cybersecurity and enterprise information technology, environmental science and engineering (including oceans, coasts, climate, and weather), and professional management services.
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