Hot Items 2002Students participate in summer research program
Ten students recently completed a summer research program with the NOAA organizations in Norman, including the National Severe Storms Laboratory.
The Research Experiences for Undergraduates program paired students with government and university weather researchers for 10 weeks to conduct research on a variety of topics including severe weather, tornadoes, numerical weather prediction models and climatology. In addition, students prepared and presented papers reporting the results of their research. Their experience was supplemented by tours, field trips, and lectures, all designed to provide students the opportunity to judge whether or not they want to pursue a future career in research.
The students' mentors, who are leading scientists in the field of meteorology, are from several of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) organizations in Norman, including the National Severe Storms Laboratory, Storm Prediction Center and Warning Decision Training Branch.
Some of the projects included:
- a study to determine if non-meteorological factors such as population density and distance to the nearest radar affect the accuracy of warning verification;
- computer models of rainfall patterns in central Oklahoma to better predict wet and dry spells and improve weather forecasting;
- a study to determine the utility of using a cloud model ensemble as a new tool to forecast the weather;
- a test of the trustworthiness of radar wind estimates to improve forecasts;
- and a study to improve severe weather forecasts in Florida during the summer wet season.
In addition, the REU students participated in IHOP2002, the International H20 Project, studying convective initiation, especially when and where storms occur. They drove vehicles with weather instruments mounted on the roof throughout western Oklahoma, the Texas panhandle and Kansas to gather data in areas where storms were predicted to form.
Students had positive comments about the program.
"Being able to work at NSSL and be a part of the REU project is one of the most rewarding experiences I have had," said Erik Crosman, a senior meteorology major at the University of Northern Colorado. "It is wonderful to be able to apply meteorological skills to real-life problems and it gets me more excited about possible research experiences in the future."
Added another student, Karly Klein, a senior mathematics major at Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minn.: "I've had an amazing experience. Every day has been a learning experience. After spending the summer with weather people, I may decide to put my math degree to work by getting my master's degree in meteorology."
Students apply for participation in the Research Experiences for Undergraduate (REU) program, which is funded by the National Science Foundation and the Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms. The 10 participants were chosen from almost 100 applicants in the fields of meteorology, atmospheric science, physics, engineering, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, physical geography and other disciplines.
The aim of the National Science Foundation is to promote and advance scientific and engineering progress in the United States. Projects supported by the national REU program provide opportunities annually for several thousand undergraduate students to participate in active mathematics, science and engineering research experiences.
7/29/2002