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OVERVIEW

Dr. Kikuro Miyakoda was a Japanese-American atmospheric scientist whose groundbreaking research was at the forefront of developing the first long-range numerical weather prediction systems. An esteemed academic, professor, researcher, and scientist, he won multiple awards throughout his career. He is known as a true pioneer and expert whose work helped to define weather forecasting today.

EARLY LIFE

Kikuro Miyakoda was born on November 7, 1927, in Yonago, Japan, to Kanae and Kimiyo Miyakoda. Kikuro’s father, Kanae, was considered a national treasure as a Haiku Poet and, at a young age, found himself a widower with 2 sons. His first wife had died of Tuberculosis. He remarried quickly through a matchmaker to Kikuro’s mother (who had also been previously married). The marriage was arranged so that the second wife, Kimiyo, could raise his sons from his first marriage. She had been rejected from her first marriage due to not being considered a beautiful woman. She was college-educated because her father was concerned that his 3 daughters would never find suitors.

At the age of 15, Kikuro forged his father’s signature and enlisted in the Japanese military as a Kamikaze pilot. He was the smartest boy in his class and was bullied daily to enter the military. He assumed he would die. Therefore, to do it with honors, he figured as a Kamikaze pilot he would die quickly and heroically. Since his father was a well-known poet, he was able to get his son out of the military. Therefore, Kikuro was able to enter Tokyo University as a student.

He worked hard and tutored other students to support himself through college. One of his pupils was Hiroku Fukuda (one year younger), who introduced him to his sister Toyoko, who later became his wife.

EDUCATION & CAREER

Kikuro was consistently an outstanding student, excelling in various fields, from acting to science. While his initial passion was for the theater, he eventually dedicated himself to science, earning a Bachelor's, Master's, and Ph.D. from Tokyo University in meteorology and geophysical fluid dynamics. Despite his academic pursuits, he maintained a sharp wit and a flair for performance, which colleagues and students fondly remember, evident even in his conference lectures.

Dr. Miyakoda obtained three degrees from Tokyo University:

1953: BS Degree, Tokyo University

1957: MS Degree, Tokyo University

1961: Ph.D. Degree, Tokyo University

During his studies in Tokyo, he took on increasing responsibilities and won the Meteorological Society of Japan, SOCIETY AWARD in 1956. Following World War II, he joined a group of 11 scientists, including himself, who migrated to the United States, forming a distinctive cohort within the intellectual elite. This uniqueness stemmed from various factors, including a rigorous screening process in the Japanese educational system, a scientific education grounded in traditional physics and a wide range of geophysical sciences, shared experiences of austere post-war living conditions with limited job opportunities in Japan, and strong scientific connections with U.S. researchers, particularly in numerical experimentation and weather prediction.

Dr. Miyakoda was grateful to have had the opportunity to work with some of the greats in meteorology.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, he played a pivotal role within the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) at Princeton, contributing to the construction of a groundbreaking and comprehensive world ocean circulation model for climate studies. The development of a numerical model capable of simulating the intricacies of the World Ocean was a massive undertaking. In this collaborative effort, notable figures such as George Philander focused on tropical ocean dynamics, while Suki Manabe led the climate group, integrating the ocean model into coupled climate models for in-depth analyses of climate dynamics and change. Dr. Miyakoda, headed the prediction group, utilizing the ocean model for coupled climate system predictions, emphasizing seasonal to interannual phenomena. His contributions reached beyond the laboratory. He participated in high-impact appointments with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), concentrating on Long-Range Forecasting Research. He also collaborated with the American Meteorological Society on the Committee on Climate Variability and Change, dedicated to numerical weather experimentation and prediction models. Now known as the European Model. Dr. Miyakoda continued his pioneering work in weather forecasting and earned accolades throughout the rest of his life.

MEMBERSHIPS ON COMMITTEES AND PANELS


 * Lecturer with rank of Professor in Civil Engineering and Geological and Geophysical Sciences, Princeton University, 1968. Princeton University Geosciences
 * Joint GARP Organizing Committee's Working Group on Numerical Experimentation, 1970-1973 GARP Organizing Committee's Working Group
 * National Research Council, USC-GARP GATE Advisory Panel, 1971-1974 National Research Council, USC-GARP GATE Advisory Panel
 * Joint GARP Organizing Committee, GATE Panel, 1973-1974 Joint GARP Organizing Committee, GATE Panel
 * National Research Council, US-GARP Joint FGGE Advisory Panel, 1974-1982 US-GARP Joint FGGE Advisory Panel
 * Member, WMO/CAS WG on Long-Range Forecasting Research, 1982-1985 WMO/CAS WG on Long-Range Forecasting Research
 * American Meteorological Society Committee on Climate Variation, 1983-1985 AMS Committee on Climate Variation
 * Chairman, WMO/CAS Working Group on Air-Sea Interaction Related to Long-Range Forecasts, 1984-1985 WMO/CAS Working Group on Air-Sea Interaction
 * Member, WMO/CAS Coordinating Group on Experimentation in Numerical Weather Prediction, 1984-1985 WMO/CAS Coordinating Group
 * Member, WMO/IUGG, CAS/JSC Working Group on Numerical Experimentation, 1985-1990
 * Chairman, ICTP/WMO International Technical Conference on Long-Range Weather Forecasting Research, 1990-1991 ICTP/WMO International Technical Conference

AWARDS AND HONORS


 * Meteorological Society of Japan, SOCIETY AWARD, 1956 "Research on the Prediction of Typhoon Track" Meteorological Society of Japan
 * ESSA Environmental Research Laboratories, Outstanding Scientific Paper Award, 1970 "Experimental Extended Prediction with a Nine-Level Hemisphere Model" Outstanding Scientific Paper Award
 * U.S. Department of Commerce, GOLD MEDAL, 1972 "For pioneering research on extended-range atmospheric prediction with deterministic numerical models" GOLD MEDAL
 * Meteorological Society of Japan, FUJIWARA AWARD, 1983 "Contribution to the Development of Extended-Range Weather Forecast.
 * ERL Distinguished Authorship Award, 1988 "One-month forecast experiments - without anomaly boundary forcings"
 * U.S. Department of Commerce, GOLD MEDAL, 1988 "For research to improve components of atmospheric models and for cooperative efforts to implement these components in operational weather forecasts" GOLD MEDAL
 * American Meteorological Society, Carl-Gustaf Rossby Medal, 1991 "Outstanding contributions toward extending the time range of numerical weather prediction to weeks, months, and seasons" Carl-Gustaf Rossby Medal

PERSONAL LIFE

Dr. Kikuro Miyakoda, affectionately known as "Kiku," married Toyoko Fukuda in the late 1940s right after WWII. Toyoko, formerly a child concert pianist performing on the radio, hailed from a Japanese aristocratic family in Hiroshima with a long lineage of Samurai warriors who had lost everything in the war. She worked as a fashion hair model in Tokyo while Kiku finished his studies. In the mid-1960s, they moved to the United States with their baby daughter, Noriko, eventually settling in Yardley, PA, near Princeton University, where Dr. Miyakoda spent decades as a researcher and honored professor. In her later years, Toyoko became an accomplished painter. They shared a love for art, theater, delightful meals, the joy of companionship with friends, neighbors, colleagues, and students, and traveled the world. Dr. Miyakoda was fondly remembered for taking students out to enjoyable dinners, engaging in discussions about both science and life—a cherished memory for many and he loved to dance.

The Miyakodas' daughter, Noriko Miyakoda, is renowned today as one of New England's premier estimators and cost consultants. She has earned accolades such as the Boston Business Journal's 40 Under 40 Award, Greater Boston Chamber's Pinnacle Award for Emerging Executive, and the Women's Leadership Award from YWCA.

Dr. Miyakoda passed away peacefully on February 19, 2019, at the age of 91, leaving a lasting legacy as a lifelong learner. His wife, Toyoko, died only two months later on April 22, 2019. Princeton University, in their commemorative presentation following his death, noted simply and emotionally that "he made the world a better place."