Q: What got you interested in meteorology?
What sparked my interest in meteorology was a mix of the excitement and anxiety I felt as a kid with impending weather events. And that morphed into a fascination with the impacts that weather can have on people’s lives.
I remember growing up in New Jersey, Hurricane Floyd and Hurricane Isabel were both events that I remember.
Q: What are you currently working on at NSSL?
The project I’m currently working on is using some of the latest radar technology to better understand how we can predict severe weather before it happens. I build models and I simulate what the radar data would look like, and then I compare that to real world observations to understand the processes at play and what radar signatures might exist. That would give us some warning time.
Q: What impact will this work have on the general public?
I hope the ultimate impact of this would be an increased warning lead times and better predictability of severe weather events.
Q: What is the most rewarding part of your job?
The most rewarding part of working at NSSL is knowing that fundamentally what we do is to serve the public and better protect people.
Q: What is something about your job that people might find surprising?
Something that might surprise people about my job is how much time I spend writing. We do a lot of science and math, but I think a lot of what being a scientist is, is, how to effectively communicate that science.
Q: What is your favorite weather phenomenon?
I’ve only experienced it once, but my favorite severe weather phenomenon is a heat burst.
Heat bursts form from decaying thunderstorms and result in a really extremely rapid rise in temperature at the surface. I think what’s cool about them is how localized they are. And it’s something that I think centuries ago, people might not have believed you if you explained what you witnessed.
And the heat burst I experienced, the temperature rose over 100 degrees at about 8 a.m.. So it’s a really short, short lived, but extreme, experience.
Q: What advice would you give to someone interested in meteorology?
If I could give a piece of advice to somebody starting out in this field, it would be to network widely and keep an open mind about the various interdisciplinary career paths out there.
Q: Have you ever seen a tornado in person?
I have seen two tornadoes. One of them, in Tipton, Oklahoma in 2015 was so hazy, I didn’t realize I had seen it until I looked at my photos later. And the other tornado was the EF4 tornado in Shawnee, Oklahoma in 2013.
RAPID FIRE
Q: Breakfast this morning?
My breakfast this morning was Greek yogurt with fruit and granola and a green tea with honey.
Q: Pets?
Yes, I have two dogs. I have a ten year old, blue heeler Dalmatian mix named Denver and a one year old blue heeler husky mix named Bolt.
Q: Hobbies outside work?
Outside of work, I enjoy finding new recipes to cook, going on walks, and playing the piano.
Q: Any hidden talents?
A special talent that I have from when I was younger is knowing how to twist balloon animals.
My father is a professional clown and so I learned alongside him a little bit.
Q: Dream travel destination?
If I could go anywhere in the world, I would want to go hiking in Patagonia.
Q: Favorite movie?
My favorite movie of all time is Black Swan by Darren Aronofsky.
