Employee spotlight:

Matt Wandishin

A bin of Pixy Stix had been knocked over at the candy factory one night during the third shift. Matt Wandishin, as he was picking them up, decided to count them. He counted up to a few hundred, then decided to continue to 10,000, seeing how long it took to get there. Once he made it to 10,000, he calculated how long it would take him to get to 1,000,000. At the time Matt was a math major at Rice University. But it was the summer after his sophomore year at Rice, while sitting on an overturned paint can during some down time at his job at a paint factory, that he contemplated his future career. Matt had a wide range of interests, and his struggle was choosing which one would be his focus. He had been interested in weather for a long time. While he was growing up, he would often watch The Weather Channel during breakfast before school. Under the influence of paint fumes, Matt decided to pursue his math degree at Rice (which didn't offer a meteorology program) and attend graduate school at Texas A&M for his M.S. in meteorology.

Matt joined NSSL in 1998 under a three year National Science Foundation (NSF) grant sponsored by the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the University of Arizona. He works with Steve Mullen from Arizona, and Dave Stensrud and Harold Brooks of NSSL on short-range ensemble forecasting. Matt likes problem solving and the challenge and discovery of research. He especially enjoys his work at the lab because the practical applications are apparent. He hopes his work will make forecasting more informative, allowing users to make decisions based on their own potential costs of preparing or not preparing for a possible weather event. Matt also appreciates the collaboration between scientists at NSSL. "I'm working with some pretty bright people--and you can pick up a lot from normal interaction," he says.

His most interesting experience since joining NSSL occurred on a bumpy flight last year. The P-3 and its passengers, including Matt, were bounced around enough that after they had landed, one of the pilots walked back into the cabin area with a handful of knobs that had fallen off during the flight. The plane was grounded until it could be visually inspected.

Matt has a passion for knowing things. He is generally optimistic and sees no advantage to worrying about things. He is an avid reader--especially of Irish history, but is currently reading a book called Einstein's Dreams and another about 17th century mathematician Fermat. He also likes old movies, particularly those that showcase the talents of Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant and Kathryn Hepburn.

Matt describes his favorite places as: Colorado, the bottom of the Grand Canyon at night, any place away from cars and lawn mowers, or coming home on a cold grey winter day, with the aroma of roast beef cooking. He says this list may change after he and his wife of two years, Ann, take a trip to Europe this fall. They also plan to do some more hiking in Colorado, eventually taking on the 10 mile trail above the treeline from Breckenridge to Copper Mountain. Matt loves team sports too, and plays in softball and basketball leagues through church. Outdoor soccer is next, he says.

By the way, if you were wondering how long it might take to count to 1,000,000, Matt figures if you counted for 8 hours a day, 7 days a week, it would take just under three weeks. Unless you wanted to rest on the weekends, then it would take an extra week and a day.