Faculty Retirements: Dr. Brian Fiedler and Dr. Alan Shapiro
As of January 1, 2019, beloved
After earning his bachelors of science degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.), Dr. Fiedler pursued a Ph.D. in astrophysics at the University of Colorado.
Dr. Shapiro attended Cornell University and graduated with his bachelors of science in atmospheric sciences. He continued his education at Johns Hopkins University and earned a masters degree and Ph.D. in geophysical fluid dynamics.
Fiedler started working for the school back on August 16, 1989. Exactly seven years later, Shapiro followed, and a new era of meteorological excellence at OU began.
Many students will remember Dr. Shapiro for his courses in Dynamics and Dr. Fiedler for his courses in programming. Both men put great effort into their work with students and prioritized their roles as educators and researchers.
Shapiro’s research was primarily focused in the areas of geophysical fluid dynamics, engineering fluid dynamics, mesoscale meteorology, boundary-layer meteorology, and radar meteorology. His refereed publications can be viewed here.
Dr. Fiedler’s research interests have traditionally been in numerical modeling of tornadoes, boundary layer convection, and numerical weather prediction. His more recent interests include climate modeling and energy resources. Recent publications of his work can be viewed here. Fiedler served as a faculty member for exactly 30 years.
The School of Meteorology appreciates and lauds the many contributions of Professors Fiedler and Shapiro. True to their humble personalities, both Dr. Fiedler and Dr. Shapiro requested that no official celebrations be held and no fuss be made, so we will simply wish them well on the next stage of their journeys.