National Severe Storms Laboratory and emeritus professor of meteorology at The University of Oklahoma has been elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences . Election results were announced today during the organization's annual meeting. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Members and foreign associates are elected in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.
Election is considered one of the highest honors that can be accorded a scientist or engineer.
In addition, he is the intellectual leader partially responsible for the phenomenal growth and accomplishments of Oklahoma's weather center programs. New members and foreign associates are elected annually. These sections consider a large number of candidates and, from this group, select a few for nomination and possible election. At OU, he served as the director of the Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms, Science and Technology Center from 1989 to 1994 and director of the Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies from 1987 to 1991. D.C. Lilly's major areas of research have focused on small scale atmospheric phenomena, including convective storms, mountain waves, turbulence and oceanic clouds.