Meet the 2026 Distinguished Teaching Award winners
April 2, 2026
Photo: Jeff Miller/UW–Madison
“In his three-plus decades at UW–Madison, Jonathan Martin has shaped generations of students by modeling the curiosity and discipline that drive scientific discovery. Wisconsin residents may know him as one of the ‘Weather Guys,’ a testament to his dedication to bringing science to the public, but his students know him as a professor who can transform clouds, fronts and pressure systems into a source of natural wonder.
In his Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences 100/101 classes, one of the most popular introductory physical science classes on campus, Martin urges students to “minimize what they memorize,” guiding them instead toward reasoning, storytelling and the synthesis of theory and observation. In his advanced courses, students lead real-time weather presentations followed by whole-group feedback sessions that teach them how to communicate complex scientific ideas with precision and clarity.
Students who have weathered storms of their own — whether academic or personal — credit Martin for his steady encouragement, joy and kindness that help them feel connected not only to the course material, but also to campus and their peers.”
Read the full UW–Madison News article by Erin Celello, featuring AOS professor Jon Martin, March 19, 2026