This award is made as part of the FY 2012 Mathematical Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowships Program. These fellowships support a research and training plan at a host institution in the mathematical sciences, including applications to other disciplines. The title of the research and training plan for this fellowship to Susan E. Tolwinski-Ward is "Bayesian Hierarchical Models for Paleoclimatic Reconstruction of Large Spatial Modes of Climatic Variability." The host institution for the fellowship is the National Center for Atmospheric Research, and the sponsoring scientist is Dr. Douglas Nychka.