Passion drives tornado research for distinguished professor of meteorology
Paul Markowski, distinguished professor of meteorology and atmospheric science, spots a tornado in 2019 while doing field work in Stockville, Nebraska. IMAGE: PHOTO PROVIDED
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Paul Markowski has dedicated his 20-year career at Penn State to understanding tornadoes, particularly bettering predictors for when they’ll occur.
But the mesoscale meteorologist admits he never saw this coming: He was recently named distinguished professor, one of three within the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences and 13 at Penn State.
“This is a tremendous honor,” Markowski said. “It’s very humbling, as well, given all of the outstanding faculty in my department, in the college and at Penn State. This is something I never expected in my career. It wasn’t on my radar.”
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