NSSL’s Kurt Hondl has been awarded the 2010 OAR Employee of the Year. The citation reads, “In recognition of professional excellence while performing an OAR special project and as Acting Deputy Director for the National Severe Storms Laboratory.”

Hondl is a specialist in transitioning important research to critical operations.

Hondl was instrumental in the effort to analyze and align OAR and NWS programs leading to the creation of the OAR Projects Database. He also assisted the SNOW-V10 field project that supported the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada by helping provide real-time weather information to the Olympic outdoor venue decision makers via the Internet. Hondl’s guidance helped his group continue development and refinement of the Warning Decision Support System – Integrated Information, and received the NOAA Technology Transfer Award for the transfer of the WDSS-II to commercial users.

Hondl has made significant contributions to the National Weather Radar Testbed (Phased Array radar) program and assisted with the delivery of a system that improves the NWS forecaster’s ability to manipulate radar information to determine the severity of various storm cells. He coordinated many other efforts that have moved NSSL research to operations and advanced NSSL science.

In addition to his deputy director duties, Hondl currently continues to be Manager of the Real-time Applications and Display Development Group. His other awards include the Department of Commerce Silver Medal, 1999 presented to his division, a 2003 Department of Commerce Bronze Medal, the NOAA Tech 2004 Best Presentation-Technology Transfer to Operations, and the 2008 NOAA Technology Transfer Award.