WHITE, ROBERT MAYER

WHITE, ROBERT MAYER (1923– ), U.S. meteorologist. Born in Boston, Mass., White received a B.A. degree in geology from Harvard University and M.S. and Sc.D. degrees (1950) in meteorology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. White was president of the National Academy of Engineering from 1983 to 1995. Prior to that, he was president of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). He served in scientific leadership positions under five U.S. presidents. He was appointed chief of the U.S. Weather Bureau and the first administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. His years of government service include positions as U.S. Commissioner to the International Whaling Commission and U.S. Permanent Representative to   the World Meteorological Organization. He is credited with bringing about a revolution in the U.S. weather warning system with satellite and computer technology. Before joining the government, he founded one of the first corporations devoted to environmental science and services. White was the Karl T. Compton Lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1995–96. He was a senior fellow at UCAR and the H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment. His many awards include the Rockefeller Public Service Award for the Protection of Natural Resources and the International Meteorological Organization Prize. (Bracha Rager (2nd ed.)