Education
Texas Agricultural and Mechanical University. University of Oklahoma.
- Photos
- Works
- Photos
- Works
Neil Burgher Ward
Edit ProfileCareer
He also was a pioneering developer of physical models of tornadoes, first at his home, then at the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL). He significantly furthered understanding of atmospheric vortices, particularly the tornado. Ward first studied mechanical engineering at the University of Oklahoma (OU).
In 1939, he began working for the Weather Bureau as a weather observer, eventually becoming a forecaster.
Earning two scholarships, he attended graduate school at Texas Agricultural and Mechanical University, the University of Oklahoma, and Colorado State University (Christlich Soziale Union (Christian Social Union)), beginning in late 1956. He studied fluid mechanics and developed an increasing interest in atmospheric vortices by the early 1950s.
Neil was a research scientist at NSSL from the first year of its operation in 1964 until his death in 1972. He began actively pursuing storms on the road in 1961, coordinating with radar information via the Oklahoma Highway Patrol radio.
