In Memoriam

It is with great sadness and regret that we learned that Professor Abdourahamane Konaré of the University "Félix Houphouët-Boigny" in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, has passed away.

Professor Konaré has long had a close working relationship with ICTP, from the early years of the inception of the Physics of Weather and Climate group, later to become the Earth System Physics section (ESP). He was an Associate of ICTP in the early 2000s, and many of his scientific studies into the weather and climate of West Africa were co-authored with members of ESP. Professor Konaré collaborated with ICTP to organize a number of workshops and training events in the region, and a number of his students also visited ICTP and participated in its activities.

Never faltering in his drive to improve climate sciences in West Africa, Professor Konaré recently established a new PhD school in Abidjan within WASCAL (West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use), for which he was the governing board 1st deputy chairman, and he was also instrumental in bringing new supercomputing services to Cote D'Ivoire which will soon be operational and will considerably enhance the capability of cutting-edge climate science in West Africa. Professor Konaré will be remembered for his contributions to climate science and capacity building in the region, but also for his enthusiasm, energy and optimistic and encouraging attitude. He will be missed by his colleagues and friends at ICTP and our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time.