Dao Wang '24 MS Meteorology wins Outstanding Thesis Award

Dao Wang '24 MS Meteorology and Climate Science is the recipient of SJSU's Outstanding Thesis Award in 2024. Dao has this to say about winning the award and his thesis:

"I am deeply honored to receive this award, which serves as a testament to the dedication and effort I invested during my master’s degree at SJSU. My research journey commenced under the mentorship of Dr. Diao, focusing on the categorization of satellite cloud phases. My fascination with the Earth's atmosphere and the evolving nature of clouds has been a driving force in my academic pursuits.

The significance of this research cannot be overstated, as our atmosphere is experiencing rapid and unprecedented changes. The cloud phase plays a pivotal role in modulating the Earth's radiation fluxes. Excessive entrapment of outgoing radiation by clouds disrupts the radiation balance, thereby impairing the Earth's capacity to regulate its climate, which contributes to global warming.Throughout our research on satellite cloud phase detection, we uncovered several limitations in existing algorithms. As we continue to refine these methodologies, we anticipate substantial advancements in our comprehension of meteorological phenomena. This enhanced understanding will be instrumental in improving weather models and achieving more precise weather predictions."

In addition, part of Dao’s thesis has been published in Earth and Space Sciences as a peer-reviewed article:

Wang, D., Yang, C. A., & Diao, M. (2024). Validation of satellite‐based cloud phase distributions using global‐scale in situ airborne observations. Earth and Space Science, 11, e2023EA003355. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023EA003355

Received 11 OCT 2023 Accepted 30 MAR 2024