Dr. Judith Lean was announced as the recipient of the esteemed 2024 George Ellery Hale Prize by the American Astronomical Society’s Solar Physics Division (AAS SPD). Following a 30 year-career at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) she now works part-time at the Laboratory for Atmosphere and Space Physics (LASP). This honorary award is presented annually to a scientist who has made outstanding contributions to the field of solar astronomy over an extended period.

Dr. Lean is recognized for her foundational studies in solar irradiance variability and its impact on the Earth’s atmosphere and climate, on time scales from days to centuries. Her groundbreaking work has led to the development of the NRL suite of solar irradiance variability models, which are based extensively on solar observations. These models have gained wide acceptance across various communities and have been adopted by NOAA’s National Center for Environmental Information (NCEI) to produce the operational Solar Irradiance Climate Data Record, for use by the Earth science and climate communities, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). You can more from https://solarnews.nso.edu/solar-physics-division-announces-2024-hale-prize-judith-lean/