Outstanding contribution or service to the society or the society’s journal Weather banner

Awards and Prizes for outstanding contribution or service to the Society or the Society’s journal 'Weather'

 

The Society's Outstanding Service Award is awarded annually to a member of the Society who has exceeded the normal bounds of their role to the great benefit of the Society.

The Gordon Manley Weather Prize is awarded annually for any outstanding contribution to Weather through a paper or papers, or other outstanding service to Weather, in the preceding five years that has furthered the public understanding of meteorology and oceanography.

2020 Awards & Prizes

The Society's Outstanding Service Award

Graham Denyer

graham denyer

Graham Denyer has written book reviews for Weather since June 2013. Since then he has provided many reviews and all have been of high quality. Typically, he opens with a biographical background of the author and their qualifications and motivation for writing the book. Then he provides a brief review of the science of the subject and how the book positions itself with regard to the topic and previous literature. The review of the book itself, as well as being comprehensive, is illuminating. He describes the particular passions and stance of the author, the style of writing, how easy it was to understand and how much he enjoyed reading it. He provides all the information the reader needs to know as to whether they wish to purchase the book. Graham Denyer is a worthy recipient of the Royal Meteorological Society’s Outstanding Service Award.

Acceptance message

I am overwhelmed with gratitude to have been selected to receive the Society’s Outstanding Service Award for 2020. I am honoured to have my book reviews for Weather recognized in this way by the Royal Meteorological Society.

I began writing reviews in 2013 following a request for more reviewers in Weather. Many hours go into producing book reviews, and it means so much to me that the work I am so passionate about also resonates with others. This accomplishment is not something that I have done alone. I would like to thank all the book review editors I have worked with over the past eight years; Helen Roberts, David Bowker, Andrew Sibley, and most recently, Rebecca Venton. I would also like to thank my wife, Mandy Macdonald, for the editing work she does before I submit the reviews. Last, but not least, thank you to the Royal Meteorological Society for offering recognition to book reviewers like me. I hope that this recognition of my work can serve as an inspiration to other reviewers and contributors to Weather and the Society in general.

I welcome the introduction of the Society Book Endorsement Programme in 2019, which has been a positive step forward since I began writing reviews, allowing members to receive any book endorsed by the Society at a discounted rate when purchased through the Society shop.

I look forward to writing book reviews for Weather for many years to come. I am humbled and appreciative of this award. Thank you.

 

Gordon Manley Weather Prize

Gavin Huggett

gavin huggett

As a mark of his outstanding assistance to the Royal Meteorological Society over many years, in recognition of his significant efforts in the advancement of meteorology, and also in recognition of his service to Weather, Mr Gavin Huggett has been awarded the Gordon Manley Weather Prize 2020.

Gavin Huggett is an experienced meteorologist having worked as a forecaster and trainer at the Met Office. He also gained wider experience managing the Sustainable Intensification Platform (SIP) project and ECoWeB, an Horizon2020 project, at the University of Exeter. After many years of voluntary service to the Royal Meteorological Society, he became co-Editor-in-Chief of Weather in 2019. Gavin approached this new role with complete dedication, loyalty and commitment. During his tenure (with co-Editor Eddy Graham), he displayed an extraordinary attention to detail, being a veritable master of strategic planning and logistics, and approached all problems with solution-focussed objectives. He oversaw successful major changes, such as the complete overhaul of the submission to production process of the journal, and the successful processing of all articles through Scholar One, helping to clear a backlog of 12 months’ worth of papers, as well as introducing new features such as the new and popular feature Insights, doubling the contents of Weather News, and overseeing at least three Special Issues of Weather. He also designed and planned, more or less single-handedly, the Special Student Issue of Weather in 2020.

The Gordon Manley Weather Prize 2020 recognises Gavin Huggett’s outstanding efforts towards the promotion of meteorology.

Acceptance message

Thank you very much for this award. It was a complete surprise and something I would not have expected. I was honoured to work on, and to be part of the proud history of Weather in my short time as co-editor-in-chief, and I will treasure the time I got to be part of the production of this fantastic magazine. I made some great friends and learnt a lot about what it takes each month to put a journal like this into production. It was an exciting time to work on the journal due to the feedback from the reader survey in 2018, and with Eddy Graham and Alison, I hope we managed to make some positive changes in response to the feedback and enhance the reader experience.

My career took an unexpected turn, and it was with regret not to have the opportunity to complete my full term. I do hope to contribute the Society’s publications in the future, perhaps in connection with my new path in land surveying. In the meantime, I will continue to read Weather avidly every month and I know I have left the journal in great hands with Eddy and Simon at the helm. Lastly, I would like to thank Alison, Eddy, and the previous editor Jim Galvin for their support, and of course the production team at Wiley, all of the Editorial Board and all the contributors, without whom Weather would not be the success that it is.