2005 DeSouza Award

Mary Des Jardins, National Centers for Environmental Prediction

The Russell L. DeSouza Award honors “individuals whose energy, expertise, and active involvement enable the Unidata Program to better serve the geosciences.”

Mary's significant leadership in architecture, development, and support of the General Meteorological PacKage (GEMPAK) over a period of two decades has been instrumental in facilitating meteorological research and education at some 200 academic institutions throughout the world.

Her sustained contribution led to GEMPAK's becoming one of the preeminent software packages for meterological data analysis and display.

Community members who nominated Mary for the award provided insight into GEMPAK's popularity. One said "it was one of the original ‘open source' software packages. The ability to understand and improve the software made it scientifically viable, robust, and useful for a wide range of applications." Another stated that, "the package meets the needs of the expert meteorologist and does not intimidate a beginner user." Users and developers alike have appreciated and respected Mary's clearly articulated visions for the functionality, design, and implementation of meteorological software. Additionally, her insights to the nature of data and package users provide a unique perspective for operational and research oriented applications alike.

Her efforts and selfless contributions truly reflect the goals and ideals of the Unidata program and are an embodiment of the excellence of the DeSouza Award.

Questions About the Desouza Award?

Questions or comments about the Desouza Award can be sent to: support@unidata.ucar.edu