Basic Data: Dr. Keith Johnson

Keith W. Johnson, Ph.D., University of Maryland, 1977. Associate Professor.

Research Interests:

  • Boundary Layer Meteorology, Air Pollution, and Mesoscale Modeling.
  • Long term trends in stratospheric temperatures and the ozone layer.
  • Modeling of stratospheric circulation, including radiation and photochemistry. See Also the ARPA SDM Project.

Personal Bio: Keith Johnson

The Reverend Dr. Associate Professor Keith W. Johnson (to give him the full title by which he expects to be addressed by his students, rather than the "Hey, you" he usually hears) is well-known for his inability to finish any task in the appointed time. For instance, it took him five years to finish a four year high school. (He will offer an elaborate justification of this, as for all of his other procrastinative mishaps, if given the chance.) It took him six years to graduate from college from the time of his first entrance. Along the way, he spent thirty months in grade as a second lieutenant weather forecaster in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II; again a near record length to stay in such a humble position. After college he signed up for a three year teaching stint in Japan, which he took five years to complete.

Space does not permit further examples of his slowness, which has been compared, unfavorably, to the speed of fluid flow of molasses in the stratosphere during northern-hemisphere mid-latitude January. And so if you have requested information about the Meteorology Program, don't expect a quick reply. Or if you have handed in your homework on time, count yourself lucky if you get it back by the end of the term. However, despite -- or perhaps because of -- his habitual procrastication, he expects his students' homework to be handed in on time, tests to be taken, and term papers to be written on schedule. Truly a marvel of procrastination, we wonder how long it will take "Doc" to complete the transition from the Meteorology program to retirement on the Maryland shore; will he bog down on the way?

Incidentally, "Dopey" (his high school nickname) attributes his modesty and literary skill to his hero, Sir Harry Flashman, V.C., a mid-nineteenth century British military figure. His optimistic view of his life and work rises from his having taught Sunday School to his own sons and Dr. Edward Stanford, and seeing all of them survive more or less unscathed.

If you wish to know more about the Good Doctor, he suggests you contact him at kjohnson@rcmsman.jsums.edu