Personal Information


    I grew up in Smithsburg, MD, a small town near the Appalachians, with my parents and two amazing sisters. As a child, I was always fascinated by thunderstorms, especially those that would wake me at night. I also recall many instances of sitting on my back porch with my Dad watching a storm move towards our house. Throughout grade school, math and science were my best subjects, and in high school, I began to consider Meteorology as a career. I participated in an internship as a senior in high school at the local television station, but found myself wanting to learn more about the pressure gradient force than stand in front of the green screen. This ultimately lead to my decision to go to Millersville University in Millersville, PA to major in Meteorology.


My backyard in MD                                                                                                                    My family (during a visit to CO)
MD backyard                                      family


    Throughout my time at Millersville, I took a wide range of meteorology courses, forecasted for our campus weather service, actively participated in our local AMS, and tried out field work during a winter aerosol project in Lancaster, PA. I enjoyed aspects of both research and forecasting, although I tended to ask why something happened more often then what was going to happen. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to try research as part of the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program in Norman, OK during the summer of 2004. During this time I not only decided I wanted to go to graduate school, but I developed a passion for radar. I also had my first, second, and third storm chasing experiences where I saw my first tornado, followed by many more, and gained a better understanding and appreciation for severe weather. Below are several pictures from these chases.

mammatus          tornado1           tornado2


tornado3    tornado7     tornado8



Following graduation from Millersville, I moved to Fort Collins, CO in August 2005 to pursue my Masters degree in Atmospheric Science, which I earned in October 2007. I enjoyed my research in the radar group, working with radar data from the North American Monsoon Experiment, leading to my decision to stay for a PhD. Aside from school, I enjoy the many activities that beautiful Colorado has to offer, including hiking, snowboarding, and of course, storm chasing. I find that the best way to learn about the weather is to observe it!


supercell1   supercell2  atmos storm
Storm E of Fort Collins                                                                        Supercell in NE CO                                Beautiful storm S of the CSU Atmos building



shelf    rainbows   hail
Shelf cloud near McCook, NE                                                      Double rainbow from the atmos building                                        Hail in NE CO



lochvale    grays    snowboard
Snowshoeing in Rocky Mountain National Park                            Hiking 14ers                                                 Trying to learn how to snowboard



trailridge   backpacking   hanginglake
Hiking in the Rockies                                                                       Camping in WY                                            Enjoying the many lakes and waterfalls in the mountains


    I enjoy storm chasing and hiking not only for the beauty and excitement both offer, but because both allow me to use my forecasting abilities. After I finished my Masters, I realized how much I missed looking at the day-to-day weather and decided to become a student volunteer at the National Weather Service in Cheyenne from January through June 2008. This experience not only allowed me to refresh my knowledge of synoptic-scale features, nowcasting, and radar interpretation, but also to learn about career opportunities in the weather service. This was a valuable way to help decide what I want to do when I eventually graduate. I'm finding that my passion and interest lies somewhere between solely operational and strictly research. I know that I would love to continue working with radar, especially in a research environment that is directly linked to operational forecasting. I also enjoyed my few experiences of teaching, and hope to someday be able to train others, whether in an academic environment or training forecasters to use the latest radar technology. What I know for sure is that weather is my passion in life, and I feel very fortunate that I am able to turn my main hobby and interest into a lifelong career.

    I also greatly enjoy traveling; I love seeing experiencing different cultures, meeting new people, and most of all, learning about various types of regional weather. I recently participated in my first field project, TiMREX, conducted in Taiwan in May and June 2008. This allowed me to experience a completely different culture, meet incredible atmospheric scientists from all over the world, and gain a greater appreciation for monsoon rainfall. I hope to have other field opportunities in the future, especially involving radar.



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