On April 23, 2026, the Vermont General Assembly read into public record a Resolution recognizing University of Vermont (UVM) Distinguished Professor and Vermont State Climatologist Dr. Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux for her many years of service to the State of Vermont and her recent receipt of the Mani L. Bhaumik Award for Public Engagement in Science, awarded earlier this year by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
The Resolution celebrates Dr. Dupigny-Giroux’s distinguished career as a scientist, educator, and public servant, as well as her nationally recognized leadership in climate science and public engagement. The Mani L. Bhaumik Award, one of the AAAS’s most prestigious honors, recognizes scientists, engineers, innovators, and public servants who have significantly advanced science and society.
"Professor Dupigny-Giroux’s decades of research and service as Vermont State Climatologist have helped shape state and national approaches to climate change adaptation,” said Bill Falls, dean of UVM’s College of Arts and Sciences. “Her impact on our state is truly remarkable.”
Dr. Dupigny-Giroux is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Geography and Geosciences in UVM’s College of Arts and Sciences and has served as Vermont State Climatologist since 1997. A graduate of the University of Toronto with advanced degrees from McGill University, including a doctorate in climatology and geographic information systems, she serves on three National Academy of Sciences panels and is past president of the American Association of State Climatologists. Dr. Dupigny-Giroux has also contributed to all five National Climate Assessments, serving as lead author for the Northeast Chapter and co-author of the National Water Chapter, respectively, during the two most recent Assessments.
A leading expert in floods, droughts, and severe weather in Vermont and the northeastern United States, Dr. Dupigny-Giroux has played a key role in helping communities, policymakers, and residents understand and prepare for climate change. She has also worked extensively with K-12 educators and students, helping integrate satellite data and climate science into their curricula.
“It has been my absolute joy and privilege to have been able to provide federally credentialled research, education, outreach, and climate services to the peoples of Vermont, the Northeast and the nation over these last three decades,” said Dupigny-Giroux. “Today, I stand upon the shoulders of climatologists and science communications leaders who have blazed the trail ahead. I dedicate this Concurrent Resolution to all my students and local, regional, and national colleagues who have walked alongside me, supporting me and helping me to become the natural scientist that I am today.”
In honoring Dr. Dupigny-Giroux, the Resolution formally congratulates her on winning the Mani L. Bhaumik Award for Public Engagement with Science and directs the Vermont Secretary of State to transmit a copy of the Resolution to her in recognition of her extraordinary contributions. The reading of the Resolution underscores the Legislature’s appreciation for Dr. Dupigny-Giroux’s long-standing commitment to Vermont and her role in advancing climate science in service of the public good.
