Vernon R. Morris facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Vernon R. Morris
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Morris at his Colour of Weather reception in 2016
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| Born | January 23, 1963 |
| Alma mater | Morehouse College (BA) Georgia Institute of Technology (PhD) |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory University of California, Davis Howard University Arizona State University |
| Thesis | An investigation of transient atmospheric inorganic peroxides : a theoretical & experimental study (1991) |
Vernon R. Morris was born on January 23, 1963. He is an American scientist who studies the atmosphere. He is a professor and associate dean at Arizona State University. He is also an Emeritus Professor at Howard University, where he used to lead the Atmospheric Sciences Program.
Dr. Morris has received important awards for his work. These include the 2018 Charles E. Anderson award from the American Meteorological Society. He also received the 2020 Presidential Citation for Science and Society from the American Geophysical Union.
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Early Life and Education
Vernon Morris was born in San Antonio. His parents worked for the United States Air Force. Because of their jobs, he lived in 14 different places as a child. He finished high school in Spokane, Washington.
At first, Morris thought he would join the Air Force like his parents. No one else in his family was a scientist. However, a friend of his mother, Carolyn Clay, helped him. She was an engineering professor. She helped him get into a summer camp for engineering at the University of Washington.
He later applied to Morehouse College. There, he was guided by a mentor named Henry Cecil McBay. Morris earned his college degree from Morehouse. He focused on chemistry and mathematics. While at Morehouse, he met John H. Hall, who would later be his graduate advisor.
Graduate Studies in Atmospheric Science
Morris joined John H. Hall's research group at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). He began studying atmospheric science there. During his studies, he also taught at Spelman College.
His research for his doctorate looked at how chlorine oxides affect the atmosphere. These are a type of peroxide. He received a fellowship from NASA to support his work. His studies combined experiments and theories. He wanted to understand how chlorine oxides caused the thinning of the stratospheric ozone layer.
In 1991, Morris made history. He became the first African-American to earn a doctorate in atmospheric science from Georgia Tech. After finishing his degree, he moved to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. There, he became a fellow with the Ford Foundation.
Research and Career
Morris joined the University of California, Davis. He received a special fellowship there. At UC Davis, he studied how free radical systems behave. In 1996, Morris moved to Howard University. He became the deputy director of a center that studied Earth's atmosphere and space.
His research focuses on how tiny particles in the air, called atmospheric particulates, affect the atmosphere and climate. He looks at these effects over different times and areas. He also directed the Howard University part of the Goddard Space Flight Center Earth Science and Technology Center. For two years, Morris worked at Goddard. He studied how aerosols and dust moved from Asia across the Pacific Ocean.
Leading Atmospheric Research
At Howard University, Morris was the first director of a science center. This was the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Cooperative Science Center in Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology. His research looked at tiny amounts of gases and aerosols in cities.
To understand their global impact, Morris led several research trips. These trips were on the NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown. One of these missions was called AERosols and Oceanographic Science Expeditions (AEROSE). During these trips, they studied air coming out of Africa. This air contained particles from the Sahara desert. It also had aerosols from burning plants, often from slash-and-burn farming.
These aerosols can move tiny living things, like microbes, across oceans. This movement can affect how clouds form and how much rain falls. Through his research, Morris created a huge collection of data. This data included measurements of the atmosphere and ocean. These studies help scientists understand how Saharan dust aerosols affect the environment as they travel across the Atlantic Ocean.
In July 2020, Dr. Morris joined Arizona State University. He became the Director of the School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences.
Helping Future Scientists
In 2017, very few geoscience students in the United States were African American or Native American. Morris explained that if young people rarely see African American professors, they might not imagine themselves becoming one.
Dr. Morris has spent his career helping students and new researchers. He especially supports those from groups that are often overlooked. In 2001, he started the Howard University (HU) Graduate Program in Atmospheric Sciences (HUPAS). This was the first program of its kind at a school that mainly serves minority students.
Under his leadership, HUPAS became a national leader. It helped many minority atmospheric science researchers earn their doctorates. Between 2006 and 2016, half of all African-American doctoral graduates in this field in the United States came from HUPAS.
Inspiring Young People
Besides helping new researchers, Morris has created educational programs for young people. He designed weather camps for students in the United States and Puerto Rico. These camps taught about weather, climate, and the environment. Almost 70% of the students in these camps are African-American or Latinx.
While at Howard University, Morris encouraged his research team to visit schools. They went to schools in the District of Columbia Public School system. They led fun, hands-on science programs. These were called 'travelling science shows' or Community Science Fests. These events also took place in Brazil, Barbados, Uruguay, the Philippines, Ethiopia, and Sudan.
He has worked with Talitha Washington on programs that encourage diversity in STEMM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Medicine). He is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences Board on Atmospheric Science and the Climate.
Awards and Honors
- Class of 1997 Project Kaleidoscope Faculty for the 21st Century
- American Meteorological Society Charles E. Anderson award
- Elected a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society
- Fulbright Specialist Award
- National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers Henry Cecil McBay Outstanding Teacher Award
Personal Life
Vernon Morris has three daughters and one son.
