Dr. John Hallett, a senior researcher who has been with the Desert Research Institute for more than 30 years, received the University and Community College System of Nevada's 1998 Board of Regents' Researcher Award. Hallett is the first DRI faculty member to win the award.

An atmospheric physicist with a broad range of scientific interests, Hallett's research has earned him an international reputation. He was also instrumental in the development of the highly acclaimed atmospheric sciences graduate program at the University of Nevada, Reno, which he directed for 10 years until 1995. Hallett's prolific scientific record has generated millions of dollars in research funding over the years and resulted in an impressive list of nearly 100 peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals.

Dr. Jill Derby, chair of the Board of Regents, commended Hallett for his "outstanding contributions to the field of atmospheric science and to the Desert Research Institute;" and she called his accomplishments "a source of pride to the board and the state of Nevada."

Hallett, who holds the Edgar J. Marston Professorship of Atmospheric Physics in DRI's Atmospheric Sciences Center (ASC), is a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society and received the Dandini Medal of Science--DRI's annual award for its top researcher--in 1995.

Dr. Peter Barber, executive director of ASC, described Hallett's groundbreaking work on the role of ice crystals in the atmosphere as his most significant research. The high-level cirrus clouds that are formed by these ice crystals cover much of the planet and play an important role in determining the Earth's energy balance by absorbing visible light from the Sun as well as infrared radiation from the Earth.

"This increased understanding of the factors affecting the Earth's energy balance is critical to improving scientific knowledge of global climate change processes," Barber said.

Hallett's first investigation of atmospheric ice crystals took place as part of his graduate research at Imperial College, University of London, with his graduate advisor, Sir John Mason. Later, Hallett and Australian colleague, S.C. Mossop, developed a concept of secondary ice production in the atmosphere, now called the Hallett-Mossop Process. This work was published in both Nature and Science.

More recently, Hallett has investigated the electrification that occurs in cumulus clouds associated with thunderstorms and hurricanes, a further unlocking of the role of ice in the atmosphere. One by-product has been the development of a new understanding of hurricane cloud physics and dynamics, developed in cooperation with the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Hallett's basic philosophy has been to use laboratory studies to discover specific atmospheric processes that require investigation via field experiments. He has conceived and developed a wide variety of specialized instruments for field investigations. These custom instruments are now being used by researchers in Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom as well as by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Center for Atmospheric Research, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.