COD Meteorology Support Analyst Receives Prestigious Award

College of DuPage Meteorology Support Analyst Mike Zuranski recently was honored with the Russell L. DeSouza Award for his dedication to Unidata, a diverse program of more than 160 institutions vested in the common goal of better serving the geosciences.

Zuranski was recognized for his persistent efforts to engage Unidata's user communities to improve data dissemination processes. In addition, he was honored for his ongoing involvement in developing, maintaining and improving COD’s NEXLAB website, which has become a reliable weather resource for thousands of daily users, including the U.S Navy and university meteorology programs across the nation.

“I’m blown away by the support of the Unidata community and my Meteorology program colleagues at COD,” Zuranski said. “The award serves to honor those who often do not receive recognition of their substantive services to the community. I’m a behind the scenes kind of guy, but it’s always nice to be recognized. For this introvert with a non-traditional background, this truly means the world to me.”

COD Meteorology Professor Paul Sirvatka praised Zuranski for this national recognition.

“I could not be prouder of the work Mike has done,” he said. “His service to COD’s Meteorology program and Information Technologies Department is invaluable. Through his hard work and dedication, COD continues to impact the geoscience community nationwide.”

Zuranski began working at the College as a Meteorology Lab Assistant in 2011. He earned his Associate in Science degree in 2012 and the Weather Hazards and Preparedness certificate in 2013, both at COD. In 2016, he began working as COD’s Meteorology Support Analyst.

Listen to Zuranski’s acceptance speech at Unidata’s virtual conference.

Learn more about COD’s Meteorology program.