Education and Outreach Award

For his outstanding work teaching students, scientists, and weather forecasters how to utilize software he developed to better forecast precipitation events - the Thunderstorm Identification, Tracking, Analysis and Nowcasting (TITAN) system. This system is used in both research and operational communities in the U.S. and 25 other countries. Michael has created and refined a website that allows users to download and implement TITAN; he provides hands-on support to guide them in their use of the system; and he conducts workshops tailored to their specific weather forecasting needs. He also created a simple, step-by-step manual for TITAN users. He has established an International TITAN Users' Group as well. He travels frequently to provide hands-on consulting, training, and technical support for users around the world and hosts foreign visitors here at NCAR. Mike works closely with users to help them overcome issues of reformatting their own data to be used in TITAN to address weather conditions in their area. In 2009 he also helped organize and lead a TITAN training workshop in Belem, Brazil, which was attended by 80 people from South America, the U.S., Australia, South Africa, China, and Senegal. Mike's efforts have clearly had a major impact internationally in transferring nowcasting capabilities into operations.