NSSL inspires future workforce

Undergraduate students from around the U.S. visited NSSL this summer, working on research projects as part of the NOAA Hollings Scholars program and the National Weather Center Research Experience for Undergraduates (NWC REU). These programs are designed to help encourage students to pursue a future career in atmospheric science research and supports NOAA Education goals to develop a future workforce skilled in disciplines critical to NOAA’s mission.

Hollings Students research:

Environmental Conditions Associated with Severe Thunderstorms and Tornadoes in the United States – Jace Bauer, Purdue University, mentored by Harold Brooks.

Investigating Severe Storms Attributes in NWS Tornado Warnings Using WDSS-II Radar-Derived Products – John Cintineo, Cornell University, mentored by Travis Smith.

Climatological Analysis of the Water Budget and Soil Infiltration Characteristics Throughout the State of Oklahoma – David Cook, SUNY Albany, mentored by J.J. Gourley.

Composite RUC Analyses of Weakly-Forced Mesoscale Convective Systems – Jason Hwang, Miami University, mentored by Dave Stensrud and Mike Coniglio.

An Analysis of the Accuracy of Wind Measurements Taken on a Mobile Mesonet Vehicle – Sean Waugh, University of Oklahoma, mentored by Dave Rust and Don MacGorman.

Evolution of a Tornadic Supercell Thunderstorm. Part I: Preparation of One-Minute Phased Array Radar Measurements for Analysis – James Kurdzo, Millersville University, mentored by Rodger Brown and Pam Heinselman.

NWC REU research:

Evaluating Multi-Radar, Multi-Sensor Hail Diagnosis with High Resolution Hail Reports – Christopher Wilson, Valparaiso University, mentored by Kiel Ortega and Valliappa Lakshmanan

Microphysics Complexity Effects on Storm Evolution and Electrification – Blake Allen, Pittsburg State University, mentored by Ted Mansell.

Evaluation of NWS Watch and Warning Performance Related to Tornadic Events – Kelly Keene, University of Georgia at Athens, mentored by Harold Brooks and Jack Hales (SPC) and Paul Schlatter (WDTB).

Identifying Critical Strengths and Limitations of Current Radar Systems – Jennifer Newman, Cornell University, mentored by Pam Heinselman (CIMMS) and Daphne LaDue, (OU CAPS).