Alumni

Current Members

John Boyer - Undergraduate Research Assistant

Current Research:
Processing archived radar data for winter storms in Pacific Northwest, will participate in data processing and analysis for VOCALS 2008. Also maintains a weather blog with Kevin Smith.

Personal Interests: John adds to his weather studies by actively participating in the AMS, as well as forecasting for the Technician, WolfBytes, and WKNC-FM. He also co-hosts a public affairs show on WKNC, Failure to Refrain. Other interests include nature, travel, football, and radio and television history.

Hometown: Roanoke, VA

Favorite Quote: "Nothing ever happens in contradiction to nature, only in contradiction to what we know of it." - Dana Scully (The X-Files)

Favorite Website:

  • http://ncweathercenter.blogspot.com
  • http://www.slatev.com/blog.html
  • http://www.youtube.com/roanoketv
  • http://www.tv-ark.org.uk

    • Michael Tai Bryant - Undergraduate Research Assistant

    Current Research:
    Organizing storm data collected from Poga Mountain, creating graphs from the data to check any correllations, and placing the data and graphs on a web page. Analyzing the virticle profile of storms.

    Personal Interests: Protecting the environment, stocks, making money, baseball, basketball, football, Star Trek

    Current Hometown: Apex, North Carolina

    Attended: Apex High School

    Extra Comment: AV malformation rupture at the age of six

    Favorite Movies: Top Gun, Waterboy, Zoolander

    Favorite Quote: "All that is needed for the triumph of evil is for a good man to do nothing." - Edmund Burke Tears of the Sun

    Favorite Website:

  • National Weather Service homepage
  • WRAL
  • AIRNow - Air Quality
  • yahoo finance
  • MSN money
  • Boston Red Soxs

    • Jake Crouch - Graduate Research Assistant

    Current Research:
    Comparing radar observations to model output for winter storms in the US Pacific Northwest.

    Personal Interests:
    Being outdoors, hiking, Scrubs, music, pleasure reading, seeing movies on the big-screen, winter-time precipitation, mountains and mountain weather.

    Hometown: Beckley, West Virginia

    Undergraduate Career:
    University of North Carolina - Asheville
    B.S. Atmospheric Sciences - Weather Forecasting

    Jake's Comments :
    Growing up in West Virginia I fell in love with the mountains and the weather associated with them. Orograpic snowfall events in the region were often under-forecast, and my curiosity of why this happened spawned my interest in the weather. Getting my undergraduate degree in Asheville, my affinity for the mountains and their weather grew. Having the opportunity to work at the National Climatic Data Center for two years gave me a unique expereince as an undergraduate to see how a career in a weather related field will be and encouraged me to pursue a graduate degree. Now that I live in Raleigh and research orographic precipitation, I look for every reason to make a trip back to the mountains.

    I am excited about living in the different climate of the Triangle area, although the summer heat and humidity will take some getting used to.

    Favorite Websites :

    Matthew Miller - Graduate Research Assistant

    Current Research: Error characterization with the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite.

    Personal Interests:
    World of Warcraft, Harry Potter, Computer Graphics, Photography

    Hometown: Moyock, NC

    Favorite Quote:
    "Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!" -Percy Shelly "Ozymandias"

    Favorite Websites:
    Slickdeals
    Slashdot
    The Sugar Quill
    Phoenix Song
    Fanficauthors.net
    Brentroad.com (The Wolf Web)
    Mugglenet
    The Leaky Cauldron
    WoW Break
    Digital Blasphemy
    NCAR RAP

    Lara Pagano - Undergraduate Research Assistant

    Current Research: Investigating the accuracy of freezing level heights within winter storms in the Portland, Oregon region.

    Personal Interests:
    Besides starring at the radar, I enjoy outdoor water sports such as swimming, sailing, and kayaking. Other sports such as skiing, hiking and biking are high on the list. I am a big supporter of the Yankees, Canes and the Carolina Panthers.

    Hometown: Charlotte, NC

    Favorite Quote:
    "Never look down on anybody unless you're helping him up." --Jesse Jackson

    Kevin Smith - Undergraduate Research Assistant

    Current Research:
    Collecting and organizing precipitation and storm data from a vertically-pointing radar and weather station in Stony Brook, NY, creating a storm events database integrating this data with field reports, weather computer model output, and other information, analyzing the vertical profile of storms, and monitoring data quality control.

    Personal Interests: Weather forecasting, storm chasing, lake effect snow, severe convection, writing poetry, camping, hiking, abandoned railroads, The X-Files, youth ministry, traveling, Star Trek, M*A*S*H, Harry Potter, community service, reading.

    Hometown: Syracuse, NY

    Favorite Movies: A Few Good Men, Crimson Tide, My Cousin Vinny, Backdraft, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, It's A Wonderful Life, Patton, Groundhog Day, My Fair Lady, Apollo 13, Miracle on 34th Street, the Untouchables, The Hunt For Red October, 300, and Pirates of the Caribbean.

    About Kevin: Kevin Smith is currently a freshman and Park Scholar at North Carolina State University majoring in Meteorology with a minor in Statistics. He also participates in various weather forecasting activities and is a spotter for the National Weather Service as well as several TV news stations in central New York. Following graduation, Kevin plans to pursue a masters degree in Meteorology, as well as forecast, continue research, and engage in storm chasing.

    Favorite Website:

  • http://ncweathercenter.blogspot.com
  • NOAA's National Weather Service
  • PSU Electronic Map Wall
  • Abandoned Rails.com
  • Wegmans.com

    • David Stark - Undergraduate Research Assistant

    Current Research:
    Investigating winter storms in the southern Appalachians using a vertically pointing radar located at Poga Mountain, NC.

    Personal Interests:
    Forecasting, Storms, Baseball, Hockey, Roller Skating

    Hometown: Cary, NC

    Favorite Quote:
    "There is no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather" -John Ruskin

    Favorite Websites:
    The Weather Underground
    WRAL
    NWS Raleigh Office
    Eastern US Weather Forum
    Plymouth State Weather Center
    New York Yankees
    Yankees Blog
    Carolina Hurricanes

    Dr. Sandra Yuter - Imperious Leader


    Selected Publications:
    www4.ncsu.edu/~seyuter/pubs.html

    Personal Interests:
    science fiction, cat watching, Lego Ultimate Collector

    Favorites:
    The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report, Eureka, Battlestar Galactica, Good Eats

    Hometown: Holly Springs, NC

    Tim - The Enchanter

    Current Research:

    • Optimization of the mithril inscribing technique for Dwarven master runes using the Felbeard Dreadhammer method.
    • Arithmagical modeling of the lost Flamel alchemical transmutations.

    Education:
    B.S. Wizardry - Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry - 1897
    M.S. Thaumaturgy - Salem Institute for Magic - 1899
    Ph.D. Arcane Runic Studies - Massachusetts Institute of Technomancy - 2002

    Selected Publications:
    Cleese, J., T. Jones, T. Enchanter, 2003: Computational fluid dynamic modeling of the air speed of an unladen European Swallow. J. Pract. Aerodyn., 87, 1456-1471.

    Enchanter, T., J. Cleese, D. Adams, 2004: The meaning of life, the universe, and everything: a quantitative study. Eur. J. Metaphy., 42, 10266-10284.

    Enchanter, T., 2004: Rune words and their uses in daemon slaying and beer pong. Daemonology and Drinking Games, 245, 486-497.

    Personal Interests:
    Archery, Raising the Dead, Ten Pen Bowling, Blacksmithing, Grail Questing, Debauchery, and Darts

    Hometown: Little Whinging, Surrey, UK