Kathy Barnstorff
757-864-9886/344-8511
Kathy.barnstorff@nasa.gov
A NASA Langley Research Center climate scientist has been named one of 102 recipients of the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the federal government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their research careers.
Patrick Taylor, a 31-year-old who is part of the Clouds and Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) science team that studies clouds and radiation, will receive his award along with other recipients in a Washington ceremony in the coming year. He is one of five NASA honorees.
“The impressive achievements of these early-stage scientists and engineers are promising indicators of even greater successes ahead,” said President Barack Obama. “We are grateful for their commitment to generating the scientific and technical advancements that will ensure America’s global leadership for many years to come.”
Taylor learned of the honor by email today. “I am very excited and honored to receive the Presidential Early Career Award,” said Taylor. “It means that others recognize the work I am doing is good and important.”
CERES is a satellite instrument that tracks the Earth’s energy budget. Taylor works with climate modelers to help them use the data the instrument provides.
“I help bridge the gap between the data and the computer models to figure out how Earth’s climate really works,” said Taylor. “To solve the really hard problems we have to bring the models and the data together.”
According to the White House, the Presidential Early Career Awards embody the high priority the Obama Administration places on producing outstanding scientists and engineers to advance the nation’s goals, tackle grand challenges, and contribute to the American economy.
The recipients are employed or funded by the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, the Interior, and Veterans Affairs, Environmental Protection Agency, NASA, National Science Foundation, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Intelligence Community, which join together annually to nominate the most meritorious scientists and engineers whose early accomplishments show the greatest promise for assuring America’s preeminence in science and engineering and contributing to the awarding agencies’ missions.
The awards, established by President Bill Clinton in 1996, are coordinated by the Office of Science and Technology Policy within the Executive Office of the President. Awardees are selected for their pursuit of innovative research at the frontiers of science and technology and their commitment to community service as demonstrated through scientific leadership, public education, or community outreach.
Taylor, a native of Liverpool, Pa., has worked at NASA Langley for four years after receiving his Ph.D. and master’s degrees from Florida State University and undergraduate degree from California University of Pennsylvania. He is married to another NASA Langley scientist, Jessica, and they have a 15-month old daughter, Claudia.
For a complete list of the award winners, visit:
For more information about NASA’s Langley Research Center, please go to:
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