NOAA interns study real-world weather
Althea Peterson
The Norman Transcript
Students interested in weather come to Oklahoma from across the country for college -- and for summer internships.
Eight undergraduate students are spending their summer working alongside National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration researchers and forecasters in Norman as part of the Hollings Scholarship Program and the Educational Partnership Program. Six students are working at the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory and two are at the NOAA Storm Prediction Center. During their internships, the students are guided by mentors on projects related to hydrology, severe weather climatology, weather forecasting and radar.
Owen Shieh, a meteorology senior originally from Florida who is currently attending Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., said his project relates to a case study in North Carolina on precipitation. He said it involves reviewing actual rainfall with models for predicting rainfall.
"I've evaluated the precipitation algorithms with how they're doing," Shieh said. "Our project is the Tar River Basin in North Carolina. So far, it's been a good experience."
Shieh is part of the Hollings Scholarship Program, which allows students to participate in workshops as well as gain real-world experience in the field while earning academic assistance funds. Markeitta Benjamin, a meteorology senior from Mississippi attending Jackson State University in Jackson, Miss., is part of the Educational Partnership Program.
"I'm doing more of a historical project," Benjamin said. "I collect data from 2003-2005 to see how much precipitation fell and tracking the heavy rain events during the past three years."
Both Shieh and Benjamin, being from the East Coast, said their usual studies at their respective schools involved hurricane research. However, researching in Norman gave them an added perspective to the profession.
"This is crazy because what I've normally done at my university is hurricane modules," Benjamin said. "Doing climatology here only adds onto that. We know hurricanes produce precipitation, so I can take what I've learned back with me."
"Norman is considered the national headquarters for weather," Shieh said. "We were supposed to list our preferences, and I thought it would be great to be at the place where they first applied Doppler (radar) technology."
From sitting in on conference calls to going on their own storm chase for the first time, Shieh and Benjamin's internship experience will soon be over. The next step for them will be to present their work at a Washington, D.C., conference. However, after experiencing research in Oklahoma, they said they would not mind returning.
"I've visited OU several times and I would like to apply here in terms of grad school," Shieh said. "Now that the National Weather Center is filled, it'll be a great opportunity to live and learn here."
Benjamin said the experience has benefited her both academically and professionally.
"I feel I've been blessed to have the opportunity," Benjamin said. "The connections that come out of it -- the mentors and also the students -- it's a great experience."
The Norman Transcript
Students interested in weather come to Oklahoma from across the country for college -- and for summer internships.
Eight undergraduate students are spending their summer working alongside National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration researchers and forecasters in Norman as part of the Hollings Scholarship Program and the Educational Partnership Program. Six students are working at the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory and two are at the NOAA Storm Prediction Center. During their internships, the students are guided by mentors on projects related to hydrology, severe weather climatology, weather forecasting and radar.
Owen Shieh, a meteorology senior originally from Florida who is currently attending Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., said his project relates to a case study in North Carolina on precipitation. He said it involves reviewing actual rainfall with models for predicting rainfall.
"I've evaluated the precipitation algorithms with how they're doing," Shieh said. "Our project is the Tar River Basin in North Carolina. So far, it's been a good experience."
Shieh is part of the Hollings Scholarship Program, which allows students to participate in workshops as well as gain real-world experience in the field while earning academic assistance funds. Markeitta Benjamin, a meteorology senior from Mississippi attending Jackson State University in Jackson, Miss., is part of the Educational Partnership Program.
"I'm doing more of a historical project," Benjamin said. "I collect data from 2003-2005 to see how much precipitation fell and tracking the heavy rain events during the past three years."
Both Shieh and Benjamin, being from the East Coast, said their usual studies at their respective schools involved hurricane research. However, researching in Norman gave them an added perspective to the profession.
"This is crazy because what I've normally done at my university is hurricane modules," Benjamin said. "Doing climatology here only adds onto that. We know hurricanes produce precipitation, so I can take what I've learned back with me."
"Norman is considered the national headquarters for weather," Shieh said. "We were supposed to list our preferences, and I thought it would be great to be at the place where they first applied Doppler (radar) technology."
From sitting in on conference calls to going on their own storm chase for the first time, Shieh and Benjamin's internship experience will soon be over. The next step for them will be to present their work at a Washington, D.C., conference. However, after experiencing research in Oklahoma, they said they would not mind returning.
"I've visited OU several times and I would like to apply here in terms of grad school," Shieh said. "Now that the National Weather Center is filled, it'll be a great opportunity to live and learn here."
Benjamin said the experience has benefited her both academically and professionally.
"I feel I've been blessed to have the opportunity," Benjamin said. "The connections that come out of it -- the mentors and also the students -- it's a great experience."
