Thomas H. Vonder Haar – University Distinguished Professor Emeritus

Phone: 970-222-1482
Email: Thomas.Vonderhaar@colostate.edu
Research website

Education

• Ph.D. in Meteorology – 1968 – University of Wisconsin – Madison, WI
• M.S. in Meteorology – 1964 – University of Wisconsin – Madison, WI
• B.S. in Aeronautics – 1963 – Parks College of St. Louis University – St. Louis, MO

Career Overview

Professor Vonder Haar joined the CSU Department of Atmospheric Science faculty in 1970 after a post-doctoral appointment at the Space Science and Engineering Center at the University of Wisconsin. He has served as a visiting scientist and lecturer at the Army Research Laboratory, the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. His consulting includes the World Meteorological Organization of the UN, European Space Agency, numerous U.S. aerospace companies and Science and Technology Corporation – METSAT division.

He has served as Department Head (1974-84) and Founding Director of CIRA (1980-2008). He has enjoyed advising approximately 30 Ph.D. and 100 M.S. graduates from the department. He co-authored the textbook Satellite Meteorology – An Introduction.

View the CSU SOURCE article, “Celebrate! 45 years at CSU: Thomas Vonder Haar,” highlighting Dr. Vonder Haar’s career accomplishments.

View the University Distinguished Professor Emeritus status letter written by Department Head Jeff Collett.

View the seminar, “History and Results from the Two-Decade Quest to Measure the Earth’s Radiation Budget,” presented by Dr. Vonder Haar on March 2, 2018.

Teaching Interests

• Satellite meteorology
• Atmospheric radiation
• Climate studies

Research Interests

• Satellite meteorology
• Atmospheric radiation
• Climate studies

Professor Vonder Haar’s research interests include the global energy and water budgets, remote sensing via satellite, and local area forecasting and geosciences. He also directs the DOD Center for Geosciences/Atmospheric Research at CSU – a multidisciplinary group of faculty, students and staff.

Research Sponsors

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
• U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) – Environmental Labs

Awards, Honors, and Positions

• American Meteorological Society (AMS) – Honorary Member
• University Distinguished Professor, CSU
• Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere – Director
• Head, Department of Atmospheric Science, CSU
• Acting Dean, College of Engineering, CSU
• Affiliate Professor, Department of Atmospheric Science, Texas A&M University
• International Radiation Commission of IAMAP, IUGG – Vice President
• American Geophysical Union (AGU) – Fellow
• American Meteorological Society (AMS) – Fellow, Council Member, and Executive Committee Member
• AMS Second Half Century (Charney) Award and AMS Honorary Member
• World Climate Research Programme – Working Group on Radiation Fluxes – Chairman
• World Climate Research Programme – Joint Scientific Advisory Committee – Member
• NASA Science Teams – NIMBUS-3, NIMBUS-7, Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE), and CloudSat – Member
• Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment – Science Steering Group – Member
• University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) – Board of Trustees Member
• Desert Research Institute, U. of Nevada, Board of Directors – Member
• CSU College of Engineering Dean’s Council Award
• Abell Faculty Research and Graduate Program Support Award
• National Academy of Engineering – Member, Section Chair, Peer Committee
• National Research Council Boards, Committees, Panels – Member, Chairman, Reviewer