What have you been up to since your time at DAS?

After finishing my master’s I moved to Norman, Oklahoma, and began working for the Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies (CIMMS) and the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) as a member of the Warn on Forecast (WoF) team. I work with the WoF prototype, the NSSL Experimental Warn-on-Forecast System for ensembles (NEWS-e). My job allows me to explore many aspects of this ensemble system but the majority of my work includes post-processing, verification, web development, and working within the Hazardous Weather Testbed. In my free time I am usually with my two Australian cattle dogs, baking cakes, or doing home DIY projects.

How have you benefitted from your degree in atmospheric sciences from the University of Illinois?

Getting both my BS and MS from U of I allowed me to be extremely well-rounded in the different aspects of atmospheric sciences. While many schools focus their courses on one subject, Illinois’s diversity in course topics and the quality of professors teaching those subjects allowed me to get bits of knowledge in a variety of areas which I have found extremely useful in the research environment. Also, during my time at U of I, I was allowed to work at the television station part-time. The people skills and communication skills I obtained during that time has been extremely valuable.

What’s next for you?

I am currently working within the Hazardous Weather Testbed for the Spring Forecasting Experiment and I hope to take the data I collect and get deeper insights into how operational forecasters view different probability graphics and use a web interface during severe weather in hopes of applying this knowledge to NEWS-e. I am also halfway through my master’s of business administration from the University of Oklahoma, where I take several courses a week at night. I am getting a specialization in the energy industry and hope to continue to apply my meteorological knowledge across different platforms.