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| Of the students who have graduated from the ranks of the Forecasting Lab,
the vast majority have gone on to obtain jobs in the field of meteorology.
In fact, there is only one exception, and that person is working in a field
that they enjoy equally! We are proud that
our graduates have gone on to pursue the careers in which they are most
interested; examples include working at the Hydrological Prediction
Center, Tropical Prediction Center, Environmental Protection Agency,
River Forecast Centers, and National Weather Service Forecast Offices.
Other students have gone on to work as meteorologists for state and
private sector entities, and one student persued a career in the military
services. The type of research conducted in this lab helps to prepare students for a variety of research or operational forecasting environments. With emphasis on problem solving and computing skills, data analysis and theoretical principles, we feel that our students have the ability to contribute to a variety of work forces upon graduation, and the track record of our graduates supports this claim. |
Wyat Appel(M.S. Atmospheric Sciences; North Carolina State University, December 2001)
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| Wyat was born in Poughkeepsie, NY and grew up in Clintondale, NY. After graduating
from Highland High School in 1995, he attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute studying engineering. Wyat transferred to NC State
in the fall of 1997 to major in meteorology. After earning his undergraduate degree in 1999, he remained at NC State to pursue a
M.S. in Atmospheric Science, which he completed in December 2001.
Wyat's interests include soccer and volleyball. He won a silver medal at the 1998 U.S. Open Volleyball
Championships in Tuscon, AZ. Juggling is also one of his hobbies.
After an initial position at the North Carolina Division of Air Quality as part of the ozone forecasting team, Wyat is currently working at the U.S. EPA. |
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Email: wkappel@unity.ncsu.edu
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Chris Bailey(M.S. Atmospheric Sciences; North Carolina State University, December 2001) | |
| Chris was born November 3rd, 1976 in Smithtown, NY and at the age of 8 moved to Simsbury, CT
where he graduated from Simsbury High School in 1995. Chris graduated cum laude from Western Conneticut State University in 1999
with a bachelors in Meteorology. Chris finished his thesis in December 2001 and is now working for the National Weather Service at the Hydrological Prediction Center (HPC). His thesis work focussed on Cold-Air Damming (CAD), which was one of the foci related to the CSTAR Project. The results of his thesis work have been published in the October 2003 edition of the AMS journal Weather and Forecasting. |
| Email: cmbailey@ncsu.edu
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Michael Brennan(M.S. Atmospheric Sciences; North Carolina State University, December 2001)(Ph.D. Atmospheric Sciences; North Carolina State University, August 2005) | |
| Mike was born and grew up in Roanoke, VA. and graduated cum laude in May
1999 with a B.S. in Meteorology. Mike entered graduate school at NC State in August 1999 and investigated
the impact that rainbands associated with split fronts have on the
evolution of Appalachian cold air damming under the CSTAR Project.
Mike defended his thesis, The Impact of Split Front Rainbands on Appalachian
Cold Air Damming, in October 2001 and graduated in December 2001.
Mike defended his Ph.D. dissertation during the summer
of 2005, and has since taken a job as a postdoc at the Tropical Prediction Center (TPC). His dissertation work
involved the study of precipitation processes on extratropical
cyclogenesis. Other activities include running the WRF MM5 models to assist with
case studies of cold-air damming and coastal fronts and weather forecasting. Mike has served as a coordinator for the NCSU severe weather operations team with the Raleigh NWSFO, and also as the secretary for the Central North Carolina Chapter of the AMS. |
| For more information, see my Home Page.
Email: mike_brennan@ncsu.edu
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Jason Cerjak(M.S. Atmospheric Sciences; North Carolina State University, December 2002) | |
| Jason was born in the aftermath of the famous Cleveland superbomb snowstorm of 1978 and, since
he can remember, has always known that weather would be a large part of his life. Jason grew up in Mentor, Ohio (a suburb of Cleveland)
and attended Miami (Ohio) University for Math Education. He again found his calling and for meteorology and decided to enroll in the
graduate program at NC State. Jason's research project helped to improve the configuration of an MM5 model run by the Microcomputing Center of North Carolina (MCNC) for use by the WRAL-TV weather staff (and as input into air quality models). He collected and analyzed data relating to warm-season rainfall with the purposes of evaluating the model relative to others, and eventually suggesting ways in which to optimize the model configuration. Jason's research was conducted as part of the South East Center for Mesoscale Environmental Prediction Project (SECMEP). Jason is currently serving as a Weather Officer in the United States Air Force. |
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Email: jrcerjak@unity.ncsu.edu
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Jason Caldwell(B.S. Atmospheric Science; Northeast Louisiana University, May 1997) | |
| Jason Caldwell hails from South Carolina where he attended Broome High School as a member
of the Mathematics and Science Team. In 1993, he traveled to Northeast Louisiana University to pursue a B.S. in Atmospheric Science,
graduating magna cum laude in 1997. A brief respite until 1999 provided Jason the opportunityto work for IBEX Weather Group at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport. In January 2000, NC State became home. Jason began pursuing a M.S. in Atmospheric Science where his research concentrated on MM5 model development and severe winter weather in the Carolinas (Cold Air Damming, snowstorms, etc.) as part of the South East Center for Mesoscale Environmental Prediction Project (SECMEP). He is currently working at the State Climate Office in South Carolina. |
| Email: rjcaldwe@unity.ncsu.edu | |
Tom Green(B.S. Meteorology; North Carolina State University, May 2003, M.S. Atmospheric Sciences, December 2005) | |
| Tom was born and raised in Hyde Park,
New York. In 1993 he and his family
moved to Raleigh, NC. After graduating from Enloe High School in 1999, he
decided to go into meteorology. In elementary school he was required to do
a science project every year, and decided to do various weather topics for 3
of the projects. Since he was interested in meteorology from a young age,
he decided that it was only natural that he make it into his career. Since coming to NC State, Tom has been involved with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and the student chapter of the AMS. He participated in WKNC radio forecasting and the National Collegiate Weather Forecasting Contest. He is also a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Gamma Beta Phi, and the Phi Eta Sigma honor societies. Tom has recently graduated, and has accepted a position with the NWS in Marquette, Michigan. His M.S. research dealt with the coastal front, research undertaken with Dr. Allen Riordan. In his spare time Tom enjoys listening to the radio, reading, watching sports, and spending time with his friends. |
| Email:
tagreen@unity.ncsu.edu
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Nicole Haglund(B.S. Meteorology; University of Oklahoma, December 2005) | |
| Nicole was born and raised in the Kansas City, Missouri area, where she experienced several tornadoes throughout her childhood. Severe storms terrified her until a local television meteorologist came to her elementary school and explained that he had been afraid of storms and that when he learned more about them, he was no longer afraid. Following his advice, she learned more about storms, lost her fear, and became obsessed with weather. The first tornado that she recalls seeing was during her one year in Livermore, California, during the 1997-1998 El Nino season. During undergraduate school breaks, Nicole was a SCEP intern at the Aviation Weather Center in Kansas City. She received her BS in Meteorology from the University of Oklahoma in fall 2004 and began her MS work at NC State spring 2005 as part of the C-STAR program. |
| Email:
nicole_haglund@unity.ncsu.edu
| |
Andrea Hampton(B.S. Meteorology; North Carolina State University, expected May 2005) | |
| Andrea was born in suburban Chicago. She lived in Wisconsin for several years. During that time, she lived through a lot of severe weather and saw the devestation of an F5 tornado on a small farm town. Her family is convinced that this event is why she became a meteorologist. She graduated NC State in 2000 with a B.S. in meteorology. She is on track to finish graduate school in December. She is currently working on the implications of melting induced cooling and freezing induced warming on precipitation forecast. |
| Email:
wxgeek@earthlink.net
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Blair Holloway(B.S. Meteorology; North Carolina State University, May 2004) | |
| I was born and raised in Durham, NC just a few miles down the road from the NC State campus. My earliest recollection of a significant weather event was Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Since then other events including Hurricane Fran in 1996, the January 2000 snowstorm, and the December 2002 ice storm have continued to spark my interest in meteorology. After receiving my BS in Meteorology from NC State in the spring of 2004, I spent the summer working as a SCEP intern at the Greenville-Spartanburg, SC National Weather Service office, where I still currently work periodically. I began graduate school at NC State in the fall of 2004 and am currently doing research investigating the impact of the Great Lakes on northwest flow snowfall in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. In my spare time I enjoy playing golf, being a passionate Duke basketball and football fan, hanging out with my friends, and spending time with my fiance. |
| Email:
bshollow@unity.ncsu.edu
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Allan Huffman(M.S. Atmospheric Sciences; North Carolina State University, December 2001) | |
| I was born and grew up in Hickory, NC,
(in the land of Cold-Air Damming) and married my wife Jennifer on
August 25, 2001. I attended NC State beginning in August 1995 and
graduated cum laude in 1999 with a B.S degree in meteorology. I then
entered graduate school at NC State in the summer of 1999 and studied
how to better predict atmospheric turbulence using operational model
output, under the funding of NASA. I completed my thesis in July 2001
and graduated in December 2001. Following the completion of the Masters Program, I began working for Computer Sciences Corporation in August 2001 in Research Triangle Park. For this position, I run the MM5 model for selected EPA case studies and have also ran emissions processing programs. My wife and I took one year, from August 2002 to September 2003, and served as missionaries with Campus Crusade for Christ in Slovakia. We returned in the Fall of 2003, and I returned to my position with CSC in February 2004. I enrolled in the PHD program at NC State in January 2005, and am currently working under Dr. Gary Lackmann, pursuing research topics related to precipitation type forecasting and cold-air damming. |
| For more information, see my Home Page.
Email: awhuffma@ncsu.edu
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Scott Kennedy(B.S. Meteorology & B.S. Marine Science; North Carolina State University, May 2002) | |
| Scott grew up in a small Sierra Nevada town
called Murphys. Immediately out of high school, Scott joined
the Navy Nuclear Power Program. He spent six years in the Navy, four of
which involved operating the engine room of a nuclear powered aircraft
carrier, the U.S.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower. After the Navy, Scott returned to college attending Thomas Nelson Community College in Hampton, Virginia. He transferred to North Carolina State University in August of 1999 to pursue a degree in meteorology and marine science. In addition to his studies, Scott has been the Vice President of the Student Chapter of the AMS, the President of the College of PAMS Council, the forecast coordinator for WKNC weather, and a participant in the Joint NCSU-NWS Severe Weather program. He also worked in the Forecasting Lab as a research assistant during the summer of 2001 working on projects being conducted under a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Scott graduated Summa Cum Laude in the Spring of 2002 with a B.S. in Meteorology and Marine Science. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, and Golden Key International Honour Societies. Scott continued his education at NCSU under the advisement of Dr. Gary Lackmann, studying extreme heat events in support of energy trading funded by Progress Energy. This research has been dubbed the METEOSET project. Currently, Scott is employed with the National Weather Service office in Monterey and is still persuing his Master's Degree. Scott's hobbies include skiing, photography, spending time at the beach and taking care of his dog Red. |
| For more information, see my Home
Page.
Email: sekenne2@unity.ncsu.edu
| |
Rick Palmieri(B.S. Meteorology; North Carolina State University, May 2003)
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| Rick was born in Honolulu, HI, and has lived in Massachusetts,
Virginia, New York, and Germany. When he was 10 he moved to North
Carolina, and has lived here ever since, graduating from 71st High
School in Fayetteville. Rick received his BS in Meteorology from NC
State in the spring of 2003, and began working toward a MS in the fall. In
the mean time, he will spend this summer working on the turf project with
Dr. Lackmann, and a number of others with Dr. Niyogi. Outside of meteorology, Rick's primary interest is officiating, which he pursued during his entire undergraduate career at NC State as an intramural sports official. Recently, he has officiated football at the high school level. |
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Email: rdpalmie@unity.ncsu.edu
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Heather Reeves(M.S. Atmospheric Sciences; North Carolina State University, May 2003) | |
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Heather's interest in meteorology didn't spawn from anything as exciting as
being conceived during a disasterous storm or having been struck by
lightning. She actually really couldn't decide between meteorology
and theater set design. The prospects of a career in meteorology ultimately won
her over, and so she went to Central Michigan University and graduated with a degree in meteorology.
Because she enjoys meeting new people and learning new things, her
career dream is to teach and do research. Heather received her Master's degree in May, 2003 and is now working toward her Ph.D. at N.C. State with Dr. Yuh-Lang Lin.
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| For more information, see my Home Page.
Email: Heather.Reeves@themorgue.org
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Wendy Sellers(B.S. Meteorology; North Carolina State University, May 2001)(M.S. Atmospheric Sciences; North Carolina State University, August 2003) | |
| Wendy was born in Seattle, Washington, but spent most of her life growing up in the small town of Poquoson
on the Chesapeake Bay of Virginia. She has been interested in meteorology since the 6th grade when she began reporting local
weather observations to the broadcast meteorologist at the NBC affiliate. Since there were no colleges in Virginia that offered
a meteorology degree, Wendy came to NC State after high school in 1997. Wendy began working at the State Climate Office of North Carolina with Dr. Sethu Raman as an undergraduate research assistant in May 1998. This job provided her with an opportunity to present two research projects related to climatology at the Undergraduate Research Symposium. During the summer of 2000, Wendy participated in the Langley Aerospace Research Summer Scholars (LARSS) program at NASA Langley Research Center. Her research with this internship concerned analysis of a tropopause alorithm scheme for the SAGE 2 satellite. Wendy began her graduate work on the CSTAR Project in the Fall of 2001 and earned her Master's Degree during the summer of 2003. She currently works for the National Weather Service in Monterey, Califorina. |
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Email: wmseller@unity.ncsu.edu
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Brandon Vincent(B.S. Meteorology & B.S. Marine Science; North Carolina State University, May 2002) | |
| Brandon was born in Harrisonburg, VA in October of 1980. He has also lived in Charleston, WV, Pittsburgh, PA, and
Charlotte, NC. For the past 4 years he has lived in Raleigh, NC. Ever since he was a kid he was fascinated by the weather, especially thunderstorms.
Brandon came to NC State University in August of 1998. He graduated Cum Laude in
May of 2002 with B.S. degrees in Meteorology and Marine Science. Brandon is
currently working with the National Weather Service in Morehead City, NC, while still
persuing his Master's Degree. Brandon's research interests include: radar meteorology, observational and numerical studies of severe thunderstorms, lightning, and all severe weather phenomena. Other Meteorological interests include: explosive cyclogenesis, cold air damming, and coastal fronts. |
| Email: brvincen@unity.ncsu.edu | |
Richard Yablonsky(B.S. Meteorology & B.A. Chemistry; North Carolina State University, May 2002)(M.S. Atmospheric Sciences North Carolina State University, December 2004) | |
| Richard completed his MS degree during the summer of 2004, and then moved to Rhode Island to pursue a Ph.D. at the University of Rhode Island in Oceanography.
Richard's thesis research involved the study of an overlooked mechanism dubbed the precipitation mass sink, and was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). He
defended his thesis on July 21, 2004. This research is also published in the Journal of the Atmoshperic Sciences, 61 (2004) [pp. 1674-1692]. Richard is currently working towards his Ph.D. in Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island, to which he received a Distinguished Graduate Student Fellowship for 2004-2005 and 2005-2006. He and his fiancée Tracy McCormick , who also received her M.S. in Atmospheric Science from NC State in 2003 and now works at the NWS in Taunton, MA, love storm chasing and finally saw their first tornado near Ralls, Texas on May 27, 2002. Richard also loves to play ultimate frisbee, disc golf, and table tennis. |
| Email: rmyablon@unity.ncsu.edu | |