Career Day 2008 a Huge Success!

On Friday, November 21st, the NIU Department of Geography held its annual "Career Day", an experience that connects the Department's current students with alumni. During this much-anticipated event, alumni make their way back to DeKalb in order to share their career development experiences with students, recruit candidates for positions or internships, and reconnect with friends and colleagues. The Career Day activities started with introductions by Dr. Harold Kafer (Deputy Provost), Dr. Chris McCord (Dean of LA&S), and Dr. Andrew Krmenec (Geography Chair), followed by Career Break-out Sessions where alumni were able to connect with students in specific subdisciplines, including meteorology.

NIU Staff Meteorologist, Gilbert Sebenste, discusses upcoming internship opportunities with NIU Weather during the Meteorology Break-out Session.

The following meteorology alumni provided valuable feedback and discussions (listed by graduating class):

Mr. Bill Wilson (1979) - National Weather Service (Romeoville, IL)
Mr. Mark Carroll (1984) - Murray & Trettel (forecasting firm)
Mr. Gilbert Sebenste (1994) - NIU Weather
Mr. Mike Ritsche (BS in 1997; MS in 2001) - Argonne National Lab
Mr. Mark Russo (1998) - Chesapeake Energy
Mr. Sam Shea (2005) - National Weather Service (Anchorage, AK)
Mrs. Cindy Dettmer-Shea (2005) - Meteorologist with State of Alaska
Ms. Joi Kwiatkowski (2006) - URS (international environmental firm)
Mr. Alan Black (BS in 2006; MS in 2008) - Midwestern Reg. Climate Cen.
Mr. Dustin Oltman (BS in 2006; MS in 2008) - AON Reinsurance
Mr. Dan Heidel (2007) - ENSCO (forecasting firm for United Airlines)

Thank you to all the Meteorology Program alumni who visited and shared their wealth of knowledge about classes, internships, jobs, and the state of our profession. We all look forward to Career Day 2009!

NIU Research: Nighttime Tornadoes are Worst Nightmare

The following is a reproduced AMS-NIU joint press release featuring research by the Meteorology Program's Dr. Walker Ashley, as well as the Department of Geography's Dr. Andrew Krmenec and Mr. Rick Schwantes.

NIU researchers say twisters occurring from midnight to dawn are 2.5 times more likely to kill

DeKalb, Ill. — A new study by Northern Illinois University scientists underscores the danger of nighttime tornadoes and suggests that warning systems that have led to overall declines in tornado death rates might not be adequate for overnight events, which occur most frequently in the nation’s mid-South region.

Over the past century, the tornado death rate has declined, in large part because of sophisticated forecasting technology and warning systems. But the researchers found that the nighttime tornado death rate over the past century has not shared the same pace of decline as the rate for daytime tornadoes.

“The proportion of nocturnal fatalities and killer tornado events has increased during the last half century,” said lead author Walker Ashley, an NIU meteorologist and professor of geography. “Unfortunately, this nocturnal fatality rate appears to be a major factor for the stalled decline in national tornado-fatality tallies during the past few decades.”

Ashley, NIU Geography Chair Andrew Krmenec and Research Associate Rick Schwantes published their study in the October issue of the American Meteorological Society’s journal, “Weather and Forecasting.”

The study found that from 1950 to 2005, 27 percent of tornadoes in the United States were nocturnal, yet 39 percent of tornado fatalities and 42 percent of killer tornado events occurred at night.

Ashley predicts that annual tornado fatalities might begin to rise. In 2007 alone, 80 tornado fatalities were recorded, with 59 of those fatalities occurring between sunset and sunrise. Nineteen of 26 killer tornadoes that year occurred at night. So far this year, 123 tornado fatalities already have been recorded—nearly double the annual average.

“The tornado death rate has bottomed out and is probably going to increase due to several factors,” Ashley said. “Because of population growth and development patterns, including urban sprawl, tornado risk to the populace has increased in recent decades. Tornadoes are impacting larger populations that are more spread out, resulting in higher tornado death tallies.”

The most dangerous window of time for a tornado, according to the study findings, is the period from midnight to sunrise. Tornadoes during this time period are 2.5 times as likely to kill as those occurring during the daytime hours.

People are more vulnerable during nighttime events because:

• Tornadoes are difficult for the public and trained spotters to see.
• People are more likely to be asleep.
• People are more likely to be in structures that are more susceptible to damage, such as single-family homes and mobile or manufactured homes as opposed to schools and large office or workplace buildings. (Nearly 61 percent of tornado fatalities in mobile homes take place at night.)
• Warning sirens are designed to mitigate hazards for people outdoors and are less effective at reaching those indoors.

“Because most people go to bed after the late evening news, they are sleeping and unaware of televised weather alerts,” Ashley said. “And warning sirens give us a false sense of security. They’re not designed for warning people who are already indoors. We're not seeing a forecasting problem but rather a communication breakdown.

“Scientists, along with emergency managers and people living in tornado-prone areas, must work together to solve this problem,” he added. “Right now, the best alert option during this overnight period is a weather radio.”

A relatively small proportion of American households own weather radios, though they are widely available, cost as little as $25 and come equipped with alarms.

As Ashley noted in previous studies, the nation's mid-South region is most vulnerable to nighttime tornadoes. In fact, while the “tornado alley” region of the Great Plains boasts the most frequent occurrence of tornadoes, most tornado fatalities occur in the mid-South region, which includes parts of Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi.

Percentage of nocturnal tornadoes by state.

Among the reasons for higher vulnerability: The southeast United States has the highest percentage of mobile-home stock compared with any other region east of the Continental Divide. The NIU meteorologist said 45 percent of all fatalities during tornadoes occur in mobile homes, compared to 26 percent in permanent houses.

The new study also finds that seasonal factors also come into play. The cool and spring-transition seasons from November to April have the highest nocturnal fatality rates, despite having relatively few tornado events. Daylight hours are at a minimum during these months. Also, storms that occur before the national peak in the severe storm season, which spans May and June, are more likely to catch people off guard.

“Nocturnal tornadoes are dangerous anywhere, but the danger is enhanced in the South,” Ashley said. “There are more nocturnal events in the South than in the Great Plains. And the mobile-home density is much greater in the South as well. It’s a combination of factors.”

The American Meteorological Society is the nation’s premier scientific organization for those involved in the atmospheric and related sciences. For a copy of the paper, contact Tom Parisi (tparisi@niu.edu) or Stephanie Kenitzer (kenitzer@ametsoc.org).

Sun, Surf, and Studying ... in Hawaii!

Bethany Norris, a senior NIU meteorology major, had the incredible opportunity to spend nine weeks this past summer in Honolulu, Hawaii performing research through the prestigious NOAA Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship Program. As part of her internship, she contributed to a project entitled PRICIP, which stands for Pacific Region Integrated Climatology Information Products. The goal of this project is to understand the trends in the frequency and intensity of Pacific storms in order to predict the impacts of future storms, as well as convey this information in a format that is clear and accessible to the public.

Bethany spent the summer developing historical event anatomies, or case studies of past storms, for the project. These historical event anatomies had three main components: event overview, climatology, and impacts. Four events were chosen to research, two high tide events and two high surf events, all impacting the island of O’ahu.

Her research project included obtaining tide station and wave buoy data from the Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services and the National Data Buoy Center, along with information concerning the impacts of events from local television and newspaper web sites. In addition, since high surf in Hawaii is generated by extratropical storms traversing both hemispheres of the Pacific, surface weather charts covering the entire ocean basin were examined to determine when and where the waves were generated by these storms. She also assisted in developing a high surf event impacts chart, which is used to describe the types of hazards (e.g. washed out roads, risk of injury to surfers, lifeguard rescues) that can occur in various surf/tide scenarios.

As the only meteorologist on her research team, Bethany was able to evaluate, discuss, and write about topics such as development of extratropical cyclones and interpretation of surface and upper-air weather maps. Further, she was able to learn about ancillary, but valuable, topics such as surf forecasting, ocean wave characteristics, and coastal processes.

Bethany next to the vent on Kilauea.

This is the second summer in a row that has featured NOAA-sponsored travel for Bethany. In May 2007, she spent a week at NOAA headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland attending the Hollings Scholarship program’s orientation. The purpose of the orientation was to familiarize the scholars with NOAA and highlight the many opportunities available for the required internship. During her visit, Bethany attended presentations from a multitude of NOAA offices and divisions, toured a variety of NOAA facilities, and attended career fairs held specifically for the Hollings Scholars.

The NOAA Hollings Scholarship is just one of the amazing funding and pre-professional research opportunities for undergraduate atmospheric science students. We recommend that all of our undergraduate students who fit the eligibility requirements submit an application to this truly remarkable program.

Graduate Student Participates in Coop at Argonne

This summer, NIU Department of Geography graduate student Jenni Prell worked among scientists in the Environmental Science Division at Argonne National Laboratory, a Department of Energy research center, under a Graduate Cooperative Education Appointment. Her main project was to assist in adjusting a climate model for biofuel research through the guidance of her supervisor Dr. V. Rao Kotamarthi. The goal of the ongoing project is to show what changes might occur in our environment if current land use practices were switched to grow crops used for different forms of biofuels. The Community Land Model (CLM) is being used to model these changes, but the version did not originally include crops as a plant-functional type (pft). Corn, wheat, and soybean were added into the model as crops that would be likely used for biofuel production, and Jenni's task was to develop a carbon allocation scheme that would distribute carbon, beginning from seed to harvest, to different parts of each plant. She was able to build on her computer programming skills to implement these changes into the model, while expanding her knowledge of crop dynamics. Jenni drew upon other models and scientific literature to help solidify the allocation scheme.

Aside from working on biofuels research, Jenni was also able to take part in various other responsibilities at Argonne. She assisted in measuring, collecting, and downloading Multispectral Radiometer (MSR) and Leaf Area Index (LAI) data at outdoor sites at Fermilab, which allowed her to get up close and personal with field instruments. Jenni also assisted meteorologist and instrument mentor Michael Ritsche in preparing new instruments for deployment to the Barrow, Alaska field site of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program. The replacement of these instruments will be the focus of Jenni's thesis work, researching data quality issues of meteorological instrument change-outs.

Jenni earned her B.S. in Meteorology from NIU in Dec. 2007 and is currently working towards her M.S. in Geography/Meteorology at NIU.

Student Participates in "Research Experiences for Undergraduates"

This past summer, NIU meteorology student Becky Belobraydich (pictured right) participated in a prestigious internship at the National Weather Center (NWC) on the University of Oklahoma campus in Norman, Oklahoma. This “active research” internship was part of the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, which is sponsored by the National Science Foundation. The primary purpose of these internships is to provide talented undergraduates with the opportunity to experience life as a research scientist. Becky worked with her mentor, Dr. Matthew Biddle, to develop and carry out a social science-related project that examined how people, specifically university students, perceive and understand severe weather watches issued by NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center and, in turn, how they use (or neglect to use) the watch information for mitigation activities. Her research involved writing a survey, arranging for permission from various academic departments at both the University of Oklahoma and Northern Illinois University to survey their students, filling out and filing the required paperwork necessary to have her study approved, administering the surveys to students, and analyzing the resulting data.

Along with the research, Becky’s summer was filled with other opportunities to learn about the different aspects of meteorology. During the early summer, she had the chance to go storm chasing several times in the Great Plains with both her mentor and fellow interns, fulfilling a lifelong dream of hers. Throughout the summer, she and her fellow interns were also able to attend seminar talks by various weather professionals, tour the National Weather Radar Testbed, and visit both government weather offices and privately owned weather companies to discover the variety of job opportunities that exist within the field of meteorology. The work performed by the interns culminated at the end of the summer with final presentations and papers on their research and findings. Becky plans to present her work at a professional conference in the near future.

One of the beautiful storms Becky was able to chase during her REU experience.

Since 1999, NIU has placed seven undergraduates in the REU program. In 2007, NIU meteorology student Victor Gensini (currently working on a M.S. at NIU) collaborated with Dr. Harold Brooks (NOAA’s National Severe Storms Laboratory) to examine the regional variability of thunderstorm parameters over a 42-year period. Other past NIU meteorology participants include: Heather Flachs (2004), Becca Mazur (2003), Kadi Carroll (2002), Jesse Sparks (2000), and Peggy Concannon (1999). NIU students interested in future REU opportunities are asked to contact Dr. Ashley or Dr. Changnon.

Fall 2008 Colloquium Series Announced

The fall 2008 Geography Colloquium schedule was recently released and it includes a number of talks related to the atmospheric sciences. All talks take place in Davis Hall's Room 121 on Friday's at 3-4 pm. Please feel free to join us for this exciting semester of speakers!

• September 5: "Tornadogenesis and the Nature of Tornadoes" by Dr. Paul Sirvatka (College of DuPage)
• September 12: "The Feedback between Deforestation and Climate in Amazonia" by Dr. Somnath Roy (University of Illinois- Urbana/Champaign)
• September 26: “The Microphysical and Radiative Properties of Tropical Cirrus Observed During TWP-ICE: Implications for Climate Studies" by Dr. Greg McFarquhar (University of Illinois- Urbana/Champaign)
• October 10: "Rescaling the ‘Alien’, Rescaling Personhood: Neoliberalism, Immigration, and the State" by Dr. Monica Varsanyi (City University of New York)
• October 24: "The Carbon Cycle and Climate Change" by Dr. Atul Jain (University of Illinois- Urbana/Champaign)
• November 7: "Emerging Water Quality Challenges Facing the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago: An Overview of the Issues and Associated Research" by Dr. Thomas Granato (Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago)
• November 14: "Climate/Vegetation Interactions Simulated in Global Models" by Dr. Samuel Levis (National Center for Atmospheric Research)

Graduate Student Travels to Nicaragua for Hurricane Research

NIU Department of Geography graduate student, Monica Zappa, spent a majority of her summer break in Bluefields, Nicaragua, where she researched the area’s vulnerability to hurricanes. Bluefields is located on the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, where many of the cultures, customs, and languages of the city are a unique infusion from the Caribbean islands and the western part of Nicaragua. During Monica’s six week visit, she gathered information from local officials and residents about local hurricane experiences and concerns, evacuation procedures, and perceptions regarding tropical cyclones.

Children enjoy a beautiful day in Bluefields.

While most Nicaraguans immediately associate tropical cyclones with the infamous Hurricane Mitch (a storm that caused many fatal mudslides in the north central portion of the country), Bluefieldians have been scarred by the horrific memory of Hurricane Joan, 20 years prior. Hurricane Joan made landfall in 1988 as a strong Category 3 near Bluefields, which severely damaged or destroyed 80%-90% of the buildings in the city. During Monica’s interviews and conversations with the local people, she heard many firsthand accounts of Joan (pronounced Jo-wan in the local Creole English dialect). People told their stories of how they hid in bathrooms and covered themselves with mattresses and, when the storm became so strong that the walls begin to fall, they used chairs as shields from flying debris to run to find more secure shelter. Because Bluefields is not accessible by road, evacuations out of the city are not common in the event of a hurricane. Local refuge places such as churches and schools are the best protection that the people have in the event of a major storm.

Monica’s research incorporates how past experiences, such as Hurricane Joan, have influenced or altered perceptions or behaviors toward future hurricanes. Through her research surveys, she found that despite the frightening and horrific experiences that most people had with Hurricane Joan, many would still choose to stay in their homes if another hurricane were to threaten the city. Monica found that there were two main reasons that people sited for not taking refuge in the event of a future storm: 1) many believed that their homes would be able to withstand any future events because most homes are now built of cement and masonry; 2) many are reluctant to evacuate because they are not willing to leave their belongings unattended for fear that looters would steal their hard-earned possessions during or after a storm.

While she was in Nicaragua, Monica also traveled to the Corn Islands, a six hour boat ride from Bluefields, where she found even less access to refuge shelters and resources. Although the Red Cross and Defense of Civil have attempted to formulate disaster preparation along the Atlantic coast, money and resources are in such short supply due to the struggling Nicaraguan economy that very little progress has been made since Hurricane Joan in 1988. Monica will use the information she collected over the summer for the completion of her Master’s thesis, and she plans to continue disaster research in impoverished countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. Monica’s research in Nicaragua was partially sponsored by a research grant from the NIU Center for Latino and Latin American Studies. For a more detailed account of Monica’s trip, visit her blog.

Professor Surveys Tsunami Aftermath

During his recent sabbatical leave, NIU Meteorology Professor Mace Bentley had the opportunity to continue research into the aftermath of the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami. This tsunami occurred on December 26th, 2004 and killed over 300,000 people making it one of the worst natural disasters of the past century. One of the most devastated areas was the Phi Phi Islands about 25 miles off the coast of Thailand. Ton Sai Beach on Phi Phi Don (the main island) was destroyed by the tsunami as it entered the bay from two directions.

Thankfully, a more responsible rebuilding has commenced at Ton Sai Beach and four years after its destruction, it has once again become a popular tourist destination. Dr. Bentley provides this vodcast, which was recorded on Ton Sai Beach directly where the giant wave swept ashore.

Large wrecked wooden boats laying about 200 meters inland on the Hong Islands where they were carried and deposited by the tsunami.

Dr. Bentley's work illustrates the diversity of hazard studies ongoing at NIU. All disasters, whether geologic or atmospheric, have the same central component at their core -- human vulnerabilty. Examining and learning from one disaster, no matter the type, can help prevent future disasters from occurring.

Research Tracks Extreme Midwest Dew Points

Research into the weather patterns in place during periods of extreme dew point temperatures in the Midwestern U.S. was recently published in the Royal Meteorological Society’s International Journal of Climatology. The research was conducted by Drs. Mace Bentley (NIU meteorology professor) and Tony Stallins. This is the first study to examine and composite multiple extreme dew point events and chronicle their evolution. Heat stress, especially in large metropolitan Midwest cities, is a serious hazard during the dog days of summer. Anticipating weather conditions leading to the development of periods of high heat and humidity are important in warning and mitigating these events. For a PDF copy of the article, please contact Dr. Bentley.


A summary of major findings follows.

1) In nearly all cases, the evolution of the synoptic environment associated with extreme dew point events includes the development and movement of low pressure from the High Plains through the upper Great Lakes. The low pressure increases and backs the surface winds that transport low-level moisture from eastern Kansas, Iowa, and Missouri eastward into Illinois and Indiana. The surface wind field acts to advect and also focus the low-level moisture already trapped within the boundary layer in the Midwest, likely enhancing the apparent temperatures throughout the region. The progression of the low pressure also acts to modulate the length of the event as thunderstorms often propagate through the Midwest as the system moves through the Great Lakes. In some cases, this low pressure development and evolution took place in several days, while in other events it took over one week. In a few events, it took the development and propagation of several low pressure centers before the ridge was suppressed southward far enough to end the extreme dew point event in the Midwest.

2) Examination of soil moisture over the region for extreme dew point events illustrates that evapotranspiration from crops over eastern Kansas, Iowa, and Missouri provides a rich source of boundary layer moisture. The surface analyses indicate that low-level flow transports moisture from this region into the Midwest.

Crops, such as corn (left) and soybeans (right), are major contributors to Midwestern extreme dew point events.

3) The vertical thermal profile of the atmosphere during extreme dew point events along with analysis of turbulent kinetic energy within the boundary layer further highlight the importance of restricted low-level mixing as instrumental in allowing near-surface moisture to increase.

The major mechanisms listed above act in concert to create dangerous combinations of low-level warm air and moisture. If one of these ingredients is missing, it is likely that extreme amounts of low-level moisture will not develop and focus over the region. Meteorologists and climatologists should monitor soil moisture and vegetative health in the region as well as ridge amplification, the development of shallow mixing layers, and increasing winds on the backside of high pressure (in response to developing lee-side low pressure) as indicators of the initiation of an extreme dew point event.

Dr. Bentley’s manuscript is another example of the exciting research ongoing at NIU – research that bridges meteorology, climatology, and hazards.

2008 AMS Awards Banquet held at Hopkins Park

On Friday, May 2nd, about 45 students, faculty, and friends gathered at the City of DeKalb’s Hopkins Park to celebrate the end of NIU's 2007-08 academic year. Hamburgers and hot dogs were grilled by Dr. Ashley and a massive game of Frisbee ensued despite the threat of chaseable storms nearby. Thanks to all who attended – it was fun to gather one last time before graduation!

Hopkins Park shelter (background) and a small part of the large Frisbee circle (foreground).

Dr. Song deriving vorticity using a Frisbee instead of a dry-erase marker.

Annual Awards:
During the cookout, several of our AMS members were awarded with honors. Congratulations to all who were honored, including:

Victor Gensini for the Liberals Arts and Sciences Dean’s Award in Meteorology and Nancy Wick Award for Outstanding Achievement as a Senior in Meteorology;

Monika Bec for the Liberals Arts and Sciences Dean’s Award in Geography;

Cara Schultz for the Illinois Geographical Society’s Outstanding Senior Award;

Rachel Dearing and Becky Belobraydich for the Jack Villmow Award for Outstanding Achievement as Juniors in Meteorology; and

Alan Black, who won the Department of Geography’s Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award.

This year’s awardees, including (L-to-R): Victor Gensini, Monika Bec, Cara Schultz, and Becky Belobraydich [not pictured, Rachel Dearing and Alan Black]. Congratulations!

Finally, the NIU Meteorology faculty would like to thank the NIU-NWS Cooperative Observers who diligently took weather observations every morning at 7 am for the past 365 days. Their efforts are not only appreciated by the faculty, but by all of those who utilize these important records in their climate analyses -- from Gilbert Sebenste at NIU to the climate modelers examining global warming at NCAR. First, and foremost, we thank Simona Olson who performed admirably as the Coop's Weather Director this year. She was assisted by the following students: Becky Belobraydich, David Keith, Bethany Norris, Jenni Prell, Erik Janzon, Mackenzie Petrik, Chuck Richie, and Hiro Ito. Again, thank you.

New Publication Catalogs U.S. Flood Fatalities

A recently published manuscript in the American Meteorological Society's Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology illustrates the history of deadly floods in the U.S. The research, which was performed by Dr. Sharon Ashley (NIU Geography Adjunct Faculty) and NIU Meteorology's own Dr. Walker Ashley, is the first study to construct a comprehensive, countrywide analysis of flood-related fatalities and injuries as reported by the NOAA publication Storm Data. The study covers a 47 period, from 1959-2005. For a PDF copy of the article, please click the manuscript image below.


According to the results, flood deaths in the U.S. are spatially distributed across all states with unique, high-frequency fatality “hot spots” found in various regions including south-central Texas, the Ohio River Valley, and along the I-95 corridor in the Northeast. Of the three types of floods examined in the study -- flash floods, river floods, and tropical system floods -- flash floods were responsible for the majority of the flood deaths from 1959-2005. This is likely due to the rapid-onset nature and the inability, at times, to issue a timely warning.

The report illustrates that the number one killer activity, or victim circumstance, surrounding flood related deaths were vehicular related. In many instances, these vehicle-related deaths occurred because the victim drove willingly into flood waters by ignoring either barricades or law officers. This lack of judgment is highly associated with a person’s perception of the dangers associated with flood waters and further investigation into these perceptions is imperative.

An NIU student willingly walking into Kishwaukee River flood waters flowing through the east campus lagoons during August 2007's flood.

The study reveals unique age-specific vulnerability patterns as well, with results suggesting that people between the ages of 10-29 and over 60 years of age are more vulnerable to floods. An interesting finding related to these demographic data is that many children, especially those younger than six years old, perish in flood events when they are driven into the flood waters by either a parent or guardian. Moreover, young children are likely to drown in a flood when playing in flooded creeks and streams. Additionally, males are more likely to perish in flooding events than females.

Results from this study contribute an important step in understanding the circumstances surrounding floods casualties in the U.S. The research findings indicate the need for more intensive flood safety education program in order to reduce the hazards related to flood events in the U.S. Finally, this work illustrates how NIU Meteorology is not only focusing on the forecasting aspects of weather perils, but is – through faculty teaching and research efforts – concentrating on understanding the integration of physical risk and social vulnerabilities that culminate in producing weather disasters. Through these efforts, our students have the opportunity to 1) understand the physical and dynamical mechanisms leading to weather perils such as floods and 2) comprehend and appreciate how human vulnerability plays an important role in creating disasters associated with these perils. Ultimately, our students (and future alumni!) are armed with the information required to mitigate these complex hazards in the future.

NIU Honors Dr. Changnon for Teaching Excellence

NIU Meteorology's own Dr. Changnon was awarded the prestigious Presidential Teaching Professorship for 2008. Congrats Dr. C!

The Presidential Teaching Professorships "recognize and support faculty who excel in the practice of teaching. Recipients of this award have demonstrated over time their commitment to and success in the many activities associated with outstanding teaching. After four years as a Presidential Teaching Professor, each of these eminent faculty members is designated a Distinguished Teaching Professor."

The Northern Today has a nice piece on Dr. C and the other two professors who were awarded this professorship in 2008. We've reproduced Dr. C's portion of the article below for our blog audience. As you will see, Dr. C is well deserving of this high honor!

Excerpt below from Northern Today, 7 April 2008, by Joe King and Tom Parisi

Captivating climatologist

Students who know him best might describe Meteorology Professor David Changnon in a word: wooshkie.

It’s a term used often among NIU meteorology students and one Changnon coined himself to express his excitement over something wonderful, such as an “aha moment” that a student experiences when a difficult concept suddenly makes sense.

Enthusiastic, challenging, helpful, knowledgeable – that’s how students describe their mentor. Animated and funny, too.

“He definitely uses his comedic skills to make the class laid back,” says graduate student Jenni Prell, who took several of Changnon’s undergraduate courses. She has seen the demonstrative professor spin around, sit on the floor and kiss the blackboard in order to get a learning point across.

“You can’t help but be upbeat around him,” she says. “But he’s also a structured grader, and his courses are very challenging. What sets Dr. Changnon apart is that he really cares about students and goes above and beyond to make sure they understand the material.”

Changnon earned his a Ph.D. in climatology from Colorado State University in 1991 and came to NIU a year later. Even as a rookie professor he knew that he wanted to give students something that was absent from his undergraduate experience at another university.

“I didn’t feel that connectedness with my professors. In a sense, I felt like a number,” he says.

“At NIU, I want to help students succeed, not only by helping them to finish their degrees but also by identifying ways they can challenge themselves – by getting into the honors program, conducting research or publishing a research paper.”

By all accounts, Changnon has been successful. His teaching reputation is such that he was appointed earlier this year to lead an NIU task force exploring ways to improve teaching across the university.

Students credit him with connecting textbooks to their life experiences and inspiring their meteorology careers. An accomplished scholar, Changnon has published dozens of research articles that demonstrate how the science of climatology can be applied to real life, from developing insect migration forecasts for farmers to predicting how El Niño weather patterns will impact businesses and agriculture.

More than a third of his research papers have been co-authored with NIU students.

“I have never met anyone as successful as Dave in integrating scholarship with teaching,” says Andrew Krmenec, chair in NIU’s Department of Geography, which oversees the meteorology program. “Not only are students actively involved in his research projects, but many become lead authors on scientific publications with Dave.”

Changnon also connects students with top professionals in the field. For years, he has provided a stream of interns to one of the nation’s top meteorologists – WGN’s Tom Skilling.

In the mid-1990s, Changnon won a prestigious grant to develop an applied climatology course that also has resulted in students working alongside professionals, winning internships and landing jobs. Students in the course conduct research that helps businesses such as Allstate Insurance, Del Monte Foods and United Airlines make better-informed, weather-sensitive decisions.

Mike Ritsche first met Changnon on a visit to the geography department in 1994. Changnon’s enthusiasm convinced Ritsche to attend NIU, a decision he never regretted.

Ritsche took numerous Changnon courses, published a paper with his professor and now works for Argonne National Laboratory’s Environmental Science Division, traveling the world collecting weather data for climate-change research.

“He’s so positive about everything,” Ritsche says. “Dr. Changnon has encouraged me and others to meet challenges we would have never before thought possible.”

Published Manuscript Highlights Student-Faculty Collaboration

The NIU Meteorology Faculty participate annually in the College of Liberal Arts and Science’s Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program (URAP). This program “provides opportunities for selected undergraduates to develop research skills by offering them monetary and scholarly support and significant apprenticeships with senior faculty.” Previous meteorology-oriented URAP projects have focused on a wide variety of topics, from examining the impacts of weather on agriculture, to illustrating lightning distributions in the State of Georgia. It is expected that through these collaborative activities, the student-researchers will 1) gain valuable knowledge of research methodological procedures (i.e.., the "creation" of knowledge) and 2) be afforded a more thorough understanding of the peer-review process (i.e., the "communication" of that knowledge).

During the spring of 2006, Dr. Ashley and undergraduate student Alan Black collaborated on a research project examining the deadly impacts of non-thunderstorm winds. That semester’s work culminated in a research brief that was submitted to the American Meteorological Society’s Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology. Just this past week, the manuscript was published in the journal, illustrating the success of student-faculty collaborative efforts at NIU. You can read the manuscript abstract at the AMS website. For a PDF copy of the note, please click the manuscript image below.

Mr. Alan Black continues his studies at NIU after receiving his B.S. in Meteorology in 2006. Currently, he is pursuing a M.S. in Geography where he is examining the relationship between NWS warning activities and killer thunderstorm events.

Update [4/10/2008]: Results from the manuscript were the focus of recent piece at Discovery.com.

NIU "Met" attends the Severe Storms and Doppler Radar Conference

Nine undergraduate students, three graduate students, and Dr. Ashley attended the 12th Annual Severe Storms and Doppler Radar Conference in West Des Moines, IA on March 27th-29th. This year's conference was held at the West Des Moines Sheraton Hotel and Convention Center and provided three days of exciting talks on all aspects of severe weather.

NIU's contingent at the conference!

NIU students and faculty highlighted their own research by presenting four separate posters, including:

• "Hail Climatology and Predictability by ENSO Phase in the North Central U.S." by Simona Olson (NIU) and Barbara Mayes (NWS Omaha, NE); this work highlighted Simona's collaborative research with the National Weather Service in the Quad Cities.
• "Regional Variability of CAPE and Deep Shear from the NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis" by Victor Gensini (NIU) and Dr. Harold Brooks (National Severe Storms Laboratory); this work highlighted Victor's research from summer 2007's National Weather Center Research Experiences for Undergraduates, where he had the distinct honor to collaborate with Dr. Brooks at NSSL
  
• "Vulnerability due to Nocturnal Tornadoes" by Walker S. Ashley, Andrew J. Krmenec, Rick Schwantes (NIU); research by Drs. Ashley and Krmenec and Mr. Schwantes illustrates the extreme vulnerability produced by nighttime tornado events.
  
• "A Reassessment of Lightning Fatalities in the United States" by Walker S. Ashley and Christopher Gilson (NIU); This collaborative work between Dr. Ashley and Geography graduate student Chris Gilson is uncovering unique lightning risk and vulnerability patterns in the U.S.

Welcome to NIU Meteorology's Blog

History:
Our Program evolved from an informal meteorological focus within the "Earth Sciences Department" (currently the Department of Geography) in the 1960s to a formal B.S. in Meteorology in 1980. We were the first meteorology or atmospheric science degree program offered by a public university in the State of Illinois and we are also among the largest in North America. Class sizes in required courses are small and personable -- averaging between 15 and 30, while enrollments in electives courses are typically smaller. In addition to regular coursework, students develop valuable preprofessional experiences through internships, undergraduate research experiences, media exposure (e.g., student run Northern Television Center and Northern Star), and cooperative weather directorships. Our close proximity to Chicago, Rockford, and the Quad-Cities afford our students a wealth of internship opportunities. Such experiences help our students open doors to the atmospheric science job market upon graduation. We hope to highlight these experiences through this blog in the future.

Curriculum:
Meteorology is a highly structured curriculum, building on two years of mathematics and one year of calculus-based physics. The core curriculum consists of a foundation course in physical meteorology, a two-course sequence in synoptic meteorology, a two-course sequence in atmospheric dynamics, remote sensing, and additional coursework outside the department in statistics and a computer programming language. Elective courses in the weather analysis and forecasting specialization examine topics ranging from how plants, buildings and the landscape affect atmospheric processes to the mechanisms underlying large-scale severe storms, how clouds and precipitation form, and the extrapolation of weather model forecasts to local settings. Courses in the applied climatology specialization focus more on the impacts of weather and climate on human activities and the environment, understanding the geographic and temporal variability of climate, and how we can use weather and climate information to adapt our behaviors to the inherent risk and uncertainty of climate change.

NIU's B.S. degree in Meteorology meets or exceeds federal civil service requirements for employment as a meteorologist and the American Meteorological Society's recommended curriculum.

Related Degrees:
In addition to the B.S. in Meteorology, the Department of Geography offers B.S., B.A., and minor degrees in Geography, as well as Certificates in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Homeland Security. A number of our meteorology students are receiving certificates in GIS alongside their B.S. degrees. Experience and knowledge in GIS improves their marketability during the job search. For those interested in graduate work, the Department offers an M.S. in Geography with research foci in a number of geography subdisciplines, including meteorology, climatology, and hazards.

Local AMS-NWA Student Chapter:
Our students have organized a local chapter of the American Meteorological Society and National Weather Association, where they participate in volunteer efforts as well as exciting activities such as attending conferences and visiting nearby National Weather Service offices and TV studios.

NIU Meteorology Faculty:
The Meteorology Program has four full-time faculty. Those faculty include:

Dr. David Changnon

Ph.D. Colorado State University

Board of Trustees and Presidential Teaching Professor

Research and teaching emphasis in meteorology, applied climatology, hydroclimatic variability, and synoptic climatology.

Dr. Jie Song

Ph.D. University of Delaware

Professor

Research and teaching emphasis in dynamic meteorology, physical meteorology, surface climatology, and modeling.

Dr. Mace Bentley

Ph.D. University of Georgia

Associate Professor
Met Undergraduate Coordinator

Research and teaching emphasis in synoptic and mesoscale meteorology, climatology, and atmospheric hazards.

Dr. Walker Ashley

Ph.D. University of Georgia

Associate Professor

Research and teaching emphasis in mesoscale meteorology, atmospheric hazards, and GIS.

The Department of Geography has nine additional faculty with specializations that blend with the atmospheric sciences, including: hydrology, societal aspects of hazards, statistics, GIS, and biogeography. You can read more about the faculty at the Department of Geography web site.

We hope you enjoy the blog! We look forward to hearing from you.