My current research involves the evaluation and tuning of an analysis system called the Real Time Mesoscale Analysis (RTMA). This analysis will be used to give forecasters the best estimate of the current state of the atmosphere. The operational RTMA uses a downscaled Rapid Update Cycle (RUC) 1-hour forecast for its background guess, and modifies the first guess field with observations from METAR sites, various mesonets, radar data, and QUICKSCAT wind measurements. The RTMA currently serves the continnental US domain, but Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico will be added soon to the domain. The RTMA is a subset of the larger Analysis of Record (AOR) project, which will be eventually used from everything from forecast verification to climatology studies. The AOR consists of three parts, the first being the RTMA, the second being the Delayed Mesoscale Analysis (DMA), and the final part being the AOR.

My previosus research has been highly varied, and I've worked on projects from air pollution to lightning. My air pollution study involved determining the cause of declining concentrations of ozone pollution in Melbourne, Florida during the transition from spring to summer. My study showed with a high level of confidence that onshore flow was responsible for the decreased ozone concentrations in Melbourne.

My other research project during my undergraduate studies involved researching terrestrial gamma ray flashes (TGFs). TGFs are highly concentrated bursts of energy that have been observed in the upper troposphere by several different satellites. At the time, there wasn't a clear explanation for these bursts of energy, as it was believed that no atmospheric process was energetic enough to produce them. A physics professor at my undergraduate institution recently discovered that some lightning events produced energetic X-rays, so we began research if lightning was energetic enough to produce gamma rays. Unfortunately, we had just started researching TGFs as I was completing my undergraduate studies, and once I had moved on to a new university, I had to leave the project.

I'm interested in everything related to numerical weather prediction, the use of computers in the classroom, and finding ways in making computers more useful in research.