Student Accomplishments in the Department of Meteorology

GR = Graduate Student Accomplishment UG = Undergraduate Student Accomplishment
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GR	Congratulations to the following graduate students who have been granted fellowships by the AMS Mitchell McCue - AMS 21st Century Campaign Amber Ortega - National Science Foundation
GR UG	Marcus Walter and Alex Gonzalez have been accepted to the SOARS program for this upcoming summer. Congratulations!
GR	Congratulations to Maria Cazorla who has won 2nd place in the Graduate Research Exhibition. Maria's winning poster was titled "MO₃P (Measurement of Ozone Production): A Highly Sensitive Instrument to Assess Ozone Pollution at Ground Level." .................................................................................................................................................................................
GR UG	Three members of the Department of Meteorology were recognized at the annual Ronald McNair Scholars dinner held on April 16th at Cafe Laura on campus. Graduating senior Joshua Walker (left) was honored for completing research on air quality last summer with Prof. Anne Thompson (center). Walker will attend graduate school at the University of California--Davis. Amber Ortega (right), a joint Bachelors-Masters candidate in the Department, and due to graduate next year, has been conducting research in Prof. Brune's lab. Both Walker and Ortega are Ronald McNair Scholars, selected from a nationwide program that is named after Commander R. T. McNair, who perished in the 1986 Challenger spacecraft accident. [View Photo] .................................................................................................................................................................................
UG	College of EMS THON dancers were Jenna Kolling and Armand Silva, both meteorology students! Other Meteorology dancers included Jackie Noto who danced for Kappa Delta and Kevin Bowley who danced for the Sailing Club. For more info on the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences goal, please visit: http://ext.think.psu.edu/org/index.php?id=68 .................................................................................................................................................................................
GR UG	Luna Marie Rodriguez Manzanet and Armand Silva are both protégés in the SOARS program. You may view their abstracts as published in the 2006 version of "Earth, Wind, Sea, and Sky" Protégés. [Luna Marie Rodriguez Abstract] [Armand Silva Abstract] .................................................................................................................................................................................
UG	Katie LaBelle, a senior, presented two aviation climatology posters at the meeting. [Read about Audra Henneke's and Katie's accomplishments in the Fall 2006 edition of the Sterling Reporter, a newsletter of NOAA's National Weather Service in the Baltimore/Washington Forecast Office.] .................................................................................................................................................................................
UG	Congratulations to Ben Root, who won "Best Graduate Oral Presentation" at the NWA 31st Annual Conference in Cleveland OH. The title of his presentation was "A Fingerprinting Technique for Major Weather Events." .................................................................................................................................................................................
UG	PSUBAMS has been recognized by AMS as one of the 2006 Honor Roll Chapters! Congratulations to all the officers and members of PSUBAMS who made the 2005-2006 academic year such a success! [View Letter from AMS] .................................................................................................................................................................................
UG	The 2006 National Weather Association (NWA) David Sankey Minority Scholarship in Meteorology has been awarded to Cho Hin (Richard) Lam of Wilmington, Delaware. This $1,000 scholarship will assist Richard with expenses throughout his junior year at Penn State in the Department of Meteorology. Richard was selected to receive this scholarship from a pool of outstanding applicants at seven different colleges/universities. Congratulations Richard! [Posted October 2006] .................................................................................................................................................................................
UG	Congratulations to Marcus Walter who has recently been accepted into the Schreyer Honors College for the Fall 2006 semester. Marcus is a junior majoring in Meteorology with an option in Weather Forecasting and Communications. [Posted October 2006] .................................................................................................................................................................................
UG	Congratulations to 2006/2007 AMS Scholarship winners from Penn State! Zack Lebo: Mark J. Schroeder Endowed Scholarship Steven Greybush: The Howard T. Orville Endowed Scholarship in Meteorology Matthew Porcelli: The AMS 75th Anniversary Endowed Scholarship Neil C. Myer: Freshman Undergraduate Scholarship sponsored by Enterprise Electronics Corporation Zachary Byko (Graduate Fellowship): NASA's Earth Science Enterprise [Posted November 2006] .................................................................................................................................................................................
GR UG	Congratulations to Ben Root and Audra Henneke who both won awards at the NWA 31st Annual Meeting held in Cleveland, OH in October. Ben brought home "Best Graduate Oral Presentation" for his talk titled "A Fingerprinting Technique for Major Weather Events" and Audra won the "Best Undergraduate Poster Presentation Award" for her poster titled "Enhancements to Area-Specific Flash Flood Warnings." [Posted November 2006] .................................................................................................................................................................................
UG	Two Penn State Meteorology undergraduate students, Jackie Noto and Brett Williams, prepare a segment about weather in State College *that airs on Abrams & Bettes: Beyond the Forecast* on The Weather Channel. The segment is part of the "Be a Weather Warrior" series and can be seen on The Weather Channel's website at http://www.weather.com/aboutus/television/abramsandbettes/index.html .................................................................................................................................................................................**
UG	Penn State Meteorology student and Schreyer Honors scholar, Zachary Lebo, has garnered a prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship for 2006-2007. Zachary is one of three students (one an honorable mention) to be recognized with this scholarship from Penn State and among only 323 recipients nationwide for the 2006-2007academic year. The scholarship was created by Congress to honor Sen. Barry M. Goldwater and to promote the study of the sciences, mathematics and engineering. Congratulations Zack! For more information visit: [Barry M. Goldwater Scholar Press Release] and [Penn State Live Press Release] .................................................................................................................................................................................
GR	Meteorology graduate student, Jonathan Petters, has been selected as a 2006-2008 NASA Space Grant Fellow by the Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium Advisory Board and a group of selected reviewers. NASA Space Grant Fellowships are awarded to outstanding students in fields of study that promote the understanding, assessment and utilization of Space or the NASA Strategic Enterprises: Aero-Space Technology, Earth Science, HEDS, Space Science, Biological and Physical Research. NASA Space Grant Fellowships are given at The Pennsylvania State University, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pittsburgh, and Temple University. [More about the NASA Space Grant Fellowship Program] [Posted June 2006] .................................................................................................................................................................................
UG	Two Meteorology undergraduate students receive NOAA Ernest Hollings Scholarships. Congratulations to Gregory Seroka and Thomas Sabbatelli (pictured), who will receive up to $8000 in academic assistance per year. As a part of the scholarship, Gregory and Thomas will also participate in a 10-week, paid summer internship at NOAA or a NOAA approved facility. [More about the NOAA Ernest Hollings Scholarship] [Posted June 2006] .................................................................................................................................................................................
UG	Two meteorology undergraduate students, Joshua Walker and Amber Ortega, have been accepted into the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program (also known as the McNair Scholars Program). This program is designed to prepare minority students in all disciplines for a Ph.D. program and was established in memory of Ronald E. McNair, the African-American astronaut who died in the Challenger space shuttle accident. This internationally-renowned program is available to students at nearly 200 universities and consists of GRE preparation, summer research, and a chance to network with thousands of other Ph.D.-bound students. Congratulations to Joshua and Amber on their acceptance into the McNair Scholars program. [More about the McNair Scholars Program.] [Posted May 2006] .................................................................................................................................................................................
UG	Student team in Weather Comm II class develops skew-T Log-P diagram learning module. A team of students in the 2006 Weather Comm II class develops a web-based online teaching module to help incoming freshmen understand the Skew-T Log-P diagram. [Visit website] .................................................................................................................................................................................
UG	Junior Meteorology student, Steven Greybush, has been accepted into NCAR's Undergraduate Leadership Workshop to be held in Boulder, Colorado from June 19-23, 2006. The purpose of the workshop is to inform students about exciting research and career opportunities in the atmospheric and related sciences. The five-day program will establish informal dialogue between students and research scientists as the students explore the laboratories, instrumentation, and computing facilities that support studies on weather, climate change, solar dynamics, the Sun-Earth system, and impacts of severe weather and climate change on societies around the world. .................................................................................................................................................................................
GR	Zachary Byko has recently learned that he is the recipient of a 2006/2007 AMS/Industry/Government Graduate Fellowship. This prestigious award comes with a stipend of $22,000 for the 2006/2007 academic year. Congratulations Zack! .................................................................................................................................................................................
GR	Ankur Desai has been offered and has accepted an NCAR Advanced Study Program (ASP) Postdoctoral Fellowship beginning mid-August 2006. Congratulations Ankur! .................................................................................................................................................................................
UG	Congratulations to Stephen Nicholls who won the "Best Undergraduate Paper" award at the AMS 14th Conference on Interaction of the Sea and Atmosphere at the AMS Annual Meeting in Atlanta, GA in January 2006.. The talk was titled "Tropical Dendritic Cumulus: An Observational Analysis," by Nicholls and Young. [Posted February 2006] .................................................................................................................................................................................
GR	Congratulations to Brian Reen who is the recipient of Arnulf I. Muan Graduate Fellowship in Earth and Mineral Sciences! This fellowship is given to select students who exhibit academic excellence and who are currently enrolled full-time within the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. .................................................................................................................................................................................
UG	"Taking it to the Extreme" -- PSU meteorology student, Brian Clark, climbs to new heights with internship at the Mt. Washington Weather Observatory [Read Article] [Posted March 2006] .................................................................................................................................................................................
UG GR	A graduate and undergraduate student from meteorology has won an award in the inaugural EMS Museum Photo Contest. Ankur Desai and Julie Malingowski both take fourth place in the competition, which was themed "My Summer Vacation." [View their award winning photos.] [Posted December 2005] .................................................................................................................................................................................
UG	Congratulations to Zack Lebo who has been accepted to Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic for studies abroad for the spring 2006 semester. [Posted November 2005] .................................................................................................................................................................................
GR	Congratulations to Meteorology graduate student, Stephanie Zick, who has been awarded an AMS Industry Scholarship for 2005/2006 through sponsorship from NOAA's Office of Global Programs. [More about AMS Scholarships]. [Posted Novemberr 2005] .................................................................................................................................................................................
UG	Congratulations to Meteorology Graduate Students who were recognized at the Graduate Student Welcoming Reception and Awards Presentation on September 7, 2005. [View the list of Meteorology Award Winners] [Posted September 2005] .................................................................................................................................................................................
UG	Two meteorology undergraduates receive AMS Industry Scholarships. Zachary Lebo (left) and Richard (Cho Hin) Lam (right) will each receive $4000 of scholarship support from the AMS over their next two years of study. Funding for Zachary and Richard's scholarships is via sponsorship from Weathernews Americas, Inc. and Ratheon Information Services, respectively. [More about AMS Scholarships] [Posted September 2005] .................................................................................................................................................................................
UG	Three meteorology undergraduates receive NOAA's Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship. Elizabeth Russell (left), Craig Schwartz, and Leigh Patterson (right) were awarded this scholarship in its inaugural year. All three will receive up to $8000 for each of their junior and senior years of study and participate in a summer internship at a NOAA facility. [More about the Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship]. [Posted August 2005] .................................................................................................................................................................................
UG	Zack Byko wins National Weather Association Scholarship. Zachary Byko has recently learned that he is the winner of the National Weather Association's prestigious Arthur C. Pike Scholarship in Meteorology. [More] [Posted June 2005] .................................................................................................................................................................................
UG	Zachary M. Byko has been selected as the recipient of a 2005/2006 American Meteorological Society Undergraduate Scholarship--The Richard and Helen Hagemeyer Scholarship. More information about this scholarship can be found by visiting the AMS Website. [More] [Posted May 2005] .................................................................................................................................................................................
GR	Ankur Desai has been selected as a 2005-2007 NASA Space Grant Fellow by the Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium Advisory Board and a group of selected reviewers. NASA Space Grant Fellowships are awarded to outstanding students in fields of study that promote the understanding, assessment and utilization of Space or the NASA Strategic Enterprises: Aero-Space Technology, Earth Science, HEDS, Space Science, Biological and Physical Research. NASA Space Grant Fellowships are given at The Pennsylvania State University, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pittsburgh, and Temple University. [Posted May 2005] .................................................................................................................................................................................
GR	On April 14, 2005 at the Hintz Family Alumni Center, the following Meteorology graduate students were recognized at the inaugural EMS Graduate Student Awards Reception. Congratulations to all! For more details on the awards listed, you may view the [reception program.] or view the Meteorology announcement of these awards. [View Announcement] [Posted May 2005] .................................................................................................................................................................................
GR	Congratulations to Matt Coleman who won first place for the Physical Sciences category at the 2005 Annual Graduate Exhibition. The exhibition is in its 20th year and took place Friday, March 18 and Sunday, March 20, 2005. [View the winning poster (Requires Microsoft PowerPoint to view.)] [Posted April 2005] .................................................................................................................................................................................
UG	Ulrich twins experience live TV on CN8. Penn State Meteorology juniors, Aaron and Andrew Ulrich, get their first experience on live TV from CN8. [Posted January 2005] Watch video clip .................................................................................................................................................................................
UG	Meteorology undergraduate Ben Root attended the AMS Artificial Intelligence Conference, part of the 2005 AMS Annual Meeting. Ben gave an oral presentation on a new statistical weather forecast technique he has developed in collaboration with the State Climatologist Office and the Central Pennsylvania Office of the National Weather Service. [Posted January 2005] .................................................................................................................................................................................
UG	Meteorology undergraduate Jon Zawislak spent three weeks at sea as part of the NOAA Environmental Technology Laboratory team aboard the Research Vessel Seward Johnson where he participated in the Rain in Cumulus over the Ocean Experiment. During his time at sea, Jon supervised the rawinsonde launch teams, analyzed soundings, learned radar meteorology, and lent his meteorological expertise in everything ranging from day-to-day shipboard forecasting to cloud thermodynamics. Jon's participation in RICO was sponsored by Dr. Jeff Hare (PSU Meteo 1995) of NOAA ETL, whose research program in cloud physics and remote sensing his efforts supported. [Posted January 2005] .................................................................................................................................................................................
UG	EMS married couple to serve as co-student marshals at Fall 2004 graduation. Husband and wife, Heidi and Paul Smidansky, will both graduate with highest distinction from the University's Schreyer Honors College. More .................................................................................................................................................................................
GR	Ph.D. meteorology student, Sam Perugini was recently selected by the Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium Advisory Board and a group of selected reviewers as the NASA Space Grant Fellow for 2004-2006. Congratulations! .................................................................................................................................................................................
GR	Ph.D. meteorology student, Ankur Desai, has been selected by the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences as the 2004 recipient of the Centennial Research Award. This award was established to recognize outstanding research of junior faculty members and exceptional graduate students. Congratulations! .................................................................................................................................................................................
UG GR	The following students were honored with University awards in Spring 2004. Congratulations! More information about these awards can be found by visiting: http://www.psu.edu/ur/events/awards/ William A. Burnette, Bradley J. Farster, Dustan R. Karschner, Armand D. Silva, 2004 President's Freshman Award Kevin Grise, 2004 Evan Pugh Scholar Award (Junior) Paul M. Smidansky, 2004 Evan Pugh Scholar Award (Senior) Jessica C. Whitehead (2003 MS Meteorology; Currently a Ph.D. candidate in Geography), Graduate Assistant Outstanding Teaching Award .........................................................................................................................................................................
UG GR	The following students were presented with College of EMS and Department of Meteorology awards in Spring 2004. Congratulations! More information on each of these awards can be found by clicking on the name of the award next to the award winner's names. Jessica Proud, William Grundy Haven Memorial Award (Third Place) Mark D. Zelinka, William Grundy Haven Memorial Award (Honorable Mention) Victoria L. Sankovich, Ellen Steidle Achievement Award for Juniors Mark D. Zelinka, Jerome N. Behrmann Award in Meteorology Joseph A. Hoch and Brian P. Monahan, John A. Dutton Award Christopher J. Shabbott and Michael A. Schreiber, Hans A. Neuberger Award Andrea L. Rich and Jason J. Niemiec, Physical Meteorology Award Jonathan C. Porter, Matthew D. Greenstein, and Matthew R. Steinbugl, ZedX Information Technology Award Samuel M. Perugini, Special Teaching Award .........................................................................................................................................................................
UG GR	Andrew Metcalf has been awarded the 2004 Dr. Pedro Grau Undergraduate Scholarship by the American Meteorological Society. Andrew is currently pursuing his B.S. in Meteorology with a minor in Mathematics and his M.S. in Meteorology through the Integrated Undergraduate/Graduate program. Congratulations! [Press Release]. .........................................................................................................................................................................
UG	John Stonitsch was College of EMS Student Marshall for Fall 2003. John was the College of EMS' top graduate when he received his B.S. in Meteorology with high distinction in December. He will pursue his M.S. in Meteorology at Penn State in the Spring (2004), working with Dr. Paul Markowski. Congratulations John! .........................................................................................................................................................................
UG	Undergraduates, Joel Gratz, Ryan Kuhn, and Jeff Porter were awarded certificates of appreciation from C-Net on Friday, April 25, 2003 for their work on "Weather or Not." Campus Weather Service Video also received a certificate. Congratulations! .........................................................................................................................................................................
UG	Erik U. Noble and Seagayle C. Walford Erik and Segayle were selected to participate in the 2001 UCAR-sponsored SOARS (Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research and Science) program. Use the links on each of their names above to read their protege abstracts.