Endowments and Gift Funds
Donations to our endowment and gift funds allow us to enhance our educational and research mission by providing funds for scholarships, student research, seminars, and our annual awards banquet. These donations are particularly important today as we are challenged by declining state funding and the increasing costs of providing state-of-the-art instruction. Endowed funds are invested, held in perpetuity, and provide a portion of their value each year for use as directed by the benefactor. Gift funds are available immediately for scholarships, student activities, and other needs. Surplus gift funds may be moved into endowments where they provide a long-term source of support for the department.
If you would like to give a gift or an endowment please go here.
Endowments:
The Dell Vaughn and Harriett Rae McDonald Atmospheric Sciences Awards Banquet Endowment
Fund supports the Department's annual awards banquet, which recognizes the achievements
of our students, staff, and faculty.
The Mountain Meteorology Endowment and Gift Fund was created by David and Johanna Whiteman in memory of Johanna's mother Ada May Guard
and supports research and education in mountain weather and climate, including student
travel and scholarships.
The Edward J. Zipser Endowed Research Fund was established by Ed and Marelynn Zipser and provides an annual award for the Department's
outstanding graduate student and support for students to conduct research in mesoscale
meteorology that involved field-program participation, data analysis, and/or the validation
of numerical models and data assimilation systems.
The Department of Atmospheric Sciences QuasiEndowment and Gift Fund supports research and education across the department, including student activities,
scholarships, and our annual awards dinner, which celebrates the achievements of our
undergraduate and graduate students.
Memorial Funds:
The Dr. Norihiko Fukuta Endowed Memorial Fund was established to support outstanding students in the Department and to advance
research and education.
The Kyle Tietze Memorial Travel Fund was established to support travel expenses of the Department's graduate students.
This fund allows graduate students the opportunity to travel to an international conference.
Scholarships:
The George and Christine Wilkerson Endowed Scholarship was created by George Wilkerson, the founder of Meteorological Solutions, Inc., and provides scholarships to students based on academic achievement.
The Hazen H. Bedke Scholarshipwas created by Hazen H. Bedke, who contributed much to our profession during a distinguished military and civilian career that included service as Director of the Western Region of the National Weather Service. Hazen was a long-time supporter of our department, and friends and family have made generous contributions to the fund in his memory. Income derived from this quasi-endowment provides scholarships to students based on academic achievement.
The Shih-Kung Kao Scholarship was established by Mrs. Yasuko Kao in memory of her husband, Shih-Kung, a former chair of the Department. Income derived from this endowment is awarded in the form of scholarships to students who have excelled academically.
The Professor Kuo-Nan Liou Endowed Scholarship was estblished by Michael and Diana Yeh in honor of Professor Kuo-Nan Liou. This endowment is awarded as scholarships to students to help defray educational costs for those pursuing degrees in the department of atmospheric sciences.
The Whiteman Mountain Meteorology Scholarship was established by Johanna and David Whiteman to provide scholarships to outstanding students interested in pursuing careers in mountain meteorology.
Other Department Funds:
The Utah Weather Center Fund was established to help fund the student-run, student-led Utah Weather Center. Undergraduate students have the opportunity to learn how to forecast in real-time and also gain valuable team-work and computer programming skills by working in the Utah Weather Center. A newly established Broadcast Center also allows students to use departmental equipment and tools to produce broadcasts for the campus and surrounding areas.