Faculty Advisor:

Gary M. Lackmann

(Assistant Professor; Ph.D. SUNY Albany, May 1995)

    At first glance, my hometown of Seattle Washington is a meteorological bore. Upon closer inspection, the meteorology of the Pacific Northwest is characterized by a rich interaction between complex topography and active synoptic-scale flow. The weather extremes that captivated my interest as a child can result: 95-degree heat in the Seattle summer, rare but occasionally heavy winter snows, gusty winds during winter rainstorms, or thundery springtime occurrences of the Puget Sound Convergence Zone.
     Even modest snow over the hilly terrain of Seattle, coupled with a lack of snow removal equipment, can bring the city to a standstill. The ability of nature to halt human activity is a continuing source of my fascination with weather. Indeed, the massive Pacific Northwest snows of January 1969 stand out as one of my earliest memories. Growing up, I would despair when a forecasted snowstorm failed to materialize; other times, I would celebrate the unexpected snowstorm, marveling at the ability of nature to defy human attempts to predict it. I struggled to understand why forecasts that had sounded so confident could go awry. My interest in this topic continues to this day, and a primary focus of our research in this laboratory is to improve the understanding and forecasting of various meteorological phenomena, including winter weather.
     In August 1999 I joined the Department of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences at NCSU here in Raleigh. I teach graduate- and undergraduate-level synoptic-dynamic meteorology and am currently the primary advisor for six graduate students (see below). For biographical details including where and with whom I have worked, and where I have studied, click here.

For more information, see my Home Page. Email: gary@ncsu.edu

Graduate Students:

Wyat Appel

(M.S. Atmospheric Sciences; North Carolina State University, December 2001)

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 is currently working on research relating to the forecasting of extreme summertime heat.
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.
Email: wkappel@unity.ncsu.edu

Michael Brennan

(M.S. Atmospheric Sciences; North Carolina State University, December 2001)

    Mike was born and grew up in Roanoke, VA. He graduated from Cave Spring High School in 1995 and attended Virginia Western Community College before transferring to NC State in 1996. Mike graduated cum laude in May 1999 with a B.S. in Meteorology.
    Mike began graduate school at NC State in August 1999 under Dr. Steven Koch. When Dr. Koch left NCSU for FSL in 1999, Dr. Gary Lackmann became chair of Mike's graduate advisory committee, with Dr. Koch and Dr. Riordan rounding out the committee. Mike investigated the impact that rainbands associated with split fronts have on the evolution of Appalachian cold air damming as part of the CSTAR Project. Mike defended his thesis, The Impact of Split Front Rainbands on Appalachian Cold Air Damming, in October 2001. He graduated with an M.S. in Atmospheric Science in December 2001.
    Mike is currently working as a Ph.D. student under Dr. Gary Lackmann and Dr. Lian Xie continuing work on the CSTAR Project. Current activities include running the MM5 research model to assist with case studies of cold-air damming and coastal fronts.
    Mike is a coordinator for the NCSU severe weather operations team with the Raleigh NWSFO. Mike also is the secretary for the Central North Carolina Chapter of the AMS. Mike enjoys pulling for the Wolfpack and following the Carolina Hurricanes.
For more information, see my Home Page. Email: mike_brennan@ncsu.edu

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 is pursuing a M.S. in Atmospheric Science where his research concentrates 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).
Email: rjcaldwe@unity.ncsu.edu

Jason Cerjak

(B.S. Math Education, Miami (Ohio) University, May 2000)

    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 current project is helping 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). His involvement with the project is to collect and analyze 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 is being conducted as part of the South East Center for Mesoscale Environmental Prediction Project (SECMEP).
    Jason hopes that through hard work on the MM5 project, active correspondence with the WRAL-TV weather staff, and a Masters of Science degree in Atmospheric Sciences from NC State, he will find work as a broadcast meteorologist in the not too distant future.
Email: jrcerjak@unity.ncsu.edu

Keith Contre

(B.S. Meteorology, NC State University, May 1997)
(Primary advisor: Dr. Riordan)

Biography coming soon
Email: kkcontre@unity.ncsu.edu

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 is continuing his education at NCSU under the advisement of Dr. Gary Lackmann. He is studying extreme heat events in support of energy trading funded by Progress Energy. This research has been dubbed the METEOSET project.
    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

Heather Reeves

(B.S. Meteorology; Central Michigan University, May 1996)

My interest in meteorology didn't spawn from anything as exciting as being conceived during a disasterous storm or having been struck by lightning. Actually, I really couldn't decide between meteorology and theater set design. After much mental wrestling and the flip of a coin, the prospects of a career in meteorology ultimately won me over. So, I went to Central Michigan University and graduated.
I now find myself here, at N.C.State Univ, where I am researching how latent heating influences potential vorticity redistribution. Since I enjoy meeting new people and learning new things, my career dream is to teach and do research.
In my spare time, I enjoy gardening, redecorating my house, viewing photographic art, listening to music, and (this one's for you Jeff) reading plays all while enjoying refreshing frozen cokes.

For more information, see my Home Page. Email: Heather.Reeves@themorgue.org

Wendy Sellers

(B.S. Meteorology; North Carolina State University, May 2001)

    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 has worked at the State Climate Office of North Carolina with Dr. Sethu Raman as an undergraduate research assistant since 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 will begin her graduate work on the CSTAR Project this Fall.
    Outside of meteorology, Wendy is fascinated with food. She enjoys cooking and trying new and unusual cuisines, especially with her fiancé Brandon.
Email: wmseller@unity.ncsu.edu