NOAA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SCIENCE OFFICER
RECEIVES AWARD FROM AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY

The American Meteorological Society (AMS) has selected Matthew J. Bunkers, science and operations officer at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Service weather forecast office in Rapid City, S.D., to receive its 2004 Editor’s Award. NOAA is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Bunkers was honored for his “thorough, signed reviews that consistently assisted authors in improving their manuscripts” for the AMS’ Weather and Forecasting, one of nine scientific journals published by the society of professional meteorologists, according to AMS spokeswoman Stephanie Kenitzer. The award will be presented Jan. 14 at the AMS 84th Annual Meeting in Seattle, Wash.

A Dell Rapids, S.D., native, Bunkers joined the National Weather Service as a meteorological intern at the Rapid City forecast office in 1991. He worked his way through journeyman and lead forecaster positions to his current duties as science advisor for the forecast office staff and the link between science and operations functions. He trains office colleagues and participates in outreach activities. His research focus is on severe storms forecasting and he has helped develop a method to predict the motion of severe storms.

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