Katharine Kanak
Katharine M. Kanak | |
|---|---|
| Alma mater | University of Oklahoma (B.S., 1987) University of Wisconsin–Madison (M.S., 1990) University of Oklahoma (Ph.D., 1999) |
| Known for | Turbulent boundary layer structures; Dust devils on Earth and Mars; Tornadoes and supercells; Mammatus clouds; Hailstorms |
| Awards | University of Wisconsin-Madison: Schwerdtfeger Award and Lettau Award. University of Oklahoma: Graduate Teaching Award |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Meteorology |
| Institutions | University of Oklahoma, School of Meteorology/ CIMMS (now CIWRO) |
| Thesis | On the Formation of Vertical Vortices in the Atmosphere (1999) |
| Doctoral advisor | Douglas K. Lilly John T. Snow |
| Other academic advisors | Gregory J. Tripoli |
Katharine M. Kanak is an American atmospheric scientist with noted publications on the dynamics and morphologies of atmospheric vortices, including tropical cyclones, supercell storms, tornadoes, and convective boundary layer vortices, such as dust devils, both terrestrialand Martian. She has also published papers on mammatus clouds, hailstorms, and hail processes and numerical techniques.
Kanak earned a B.S. from the University of Oklahoma in 1987, majoring in meteorology and minoring in mathematics. At the University of Wisconsin-Madison she completed an M.S. in meteorology in 1990 with the thesis, Three-Dimensional, Non-Hydrostatic Numerical Simulation of a Developing Tropical Cyclone. She returned to the University of Oklahoma and was awarded a Ph.D. in 1999 with the dissertation On the Formation of Vertical Vortices in the Atmosphere. Kanak has developed three-dimensional numerical models for atmospheric simulation for both Earth and Mars and collaborated in field research. She was assistant field coordinator for Project VORTEX in 1994-1995, participated in STEPS in 2000, and served as a co-PI for VORTEX2 in 2009-2010.