Graduate Students 2012-2013 (draft)
Contact Information:
Barbara Day
Phone: (907) 474-7368
Email: atmos@gi.alaska.edu
Photo of Barbara by T. Paris
Banner Photo by David Newman
August 22, 2011 | © 2011 Dept. of Atmos. Sciences UAF
I graduated in Chemistry (Honors) in 2006 from University of Calcutta, India. I completed my M.Sc. in Atmospheric science in 2008 from University of Calcutta. I have done research in University of Calcutta on the dependence of onset of Indian Summer Monsoon on the amount of rainfall associated with pre monsoon Thunderstorms in Kolkata and on the dependence of intensity and frequency of tropical storms in North Indian Ocean on the onset of Indian Summer Monsoon. I joined UAF in summer 2009 for my PhD in Atmospheric Science. My current research is related to Climatic Variability in Arctic region. I was born and grew up in Kolkata, India. My hobbies are reading fictions, watching movies and playing cricket.
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Gregory Deemer
Atmospheric Sciences: Bering Sea Ice Forecasts (M.S.) (U. Bhatt & H. Eicken)
I was born and brought up in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. I completed my B.S. degree in Meteorology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 2011. During that term, I interned through the Student Career Experience Program (SCEP) at the Southeast River Forecast Center in Peachtree City, Georgia where I functioned as hydrometeorological analysis and support. My responsibilities included quantitative precipitation forecasting and quality controlling multi-sensor precipitation estimates across the southeast U.S. for use in ensemble stream flow predictions as well as many public html products. I began the M.S. program at UAF in August 2011 under Dr. Uma Bhatt and Dr. Hajo Eicken with a research focus on high resolution sea-ice modeling in the Bering and Chukchi seas. This research aims to both decrease the error in sea-ice forecasts and better disseminate products to local populations along the western Alaskan coastline. Outside of my studies I enjoy a variety of activities such as kayaking, mountain biking, tennis, racquetball, basketball, golf, guitar, and bass guitar.
Ted will be updating his bio soon.
Matthew Gruber
Atmospheric Sciences:
Arctic Evapotranspiration
(M.S.) (J. Fochesatto)
I joined UAF in Summer 2011 after graduating from McGill University in atmospheric science with a minor in physics. I work in the group of Prof. Javier Fochesatto to assist with on site multi-instrument observations of near surface fluxes of heat, momentum, radiation and water vapor in Arctic basins North of the Brooks range. We mainly use atmospheric boundary layer theory such as the Monin-Obhukov similarity theory in order to translate data from our instruments into information about fluxes. These detailed on site measurements should help us to parameterize large scale satellite measurements in terrain with similar characteristics for use in weather and climate models. In my free time I enjoy backcountry snowboarding, learning to write music, reading science fiction and riding my bike around town.
I was born and raised in Hyderabad (India) where I received BS in Civil Engineering. I had my MS in Engineering Geosciences from Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (2007). Later I worked as research associate in IIT Kanpur for few months during which I worked on remote sensing data analysis to study the effect on dust storms on atmospheric and oceanic parameters over the Arabian Sea. I entered Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Hyderabad in 2008, where I worked as lecturer teaching Image Processing and ArcGIS. My research work includes satellite and ground-based data analysis studying cloud parameters. I enjoy reading books, music in my leisure time.
I was born and raised in Ithaca, New York, where I earned my first B.S. at Cornell University in Communication. I subsequently received a second B.S. at the State University of New York at Oswego in Meteorology. At Oswego, my research centered on the creation of a Z-R relationship for major lake-effect snowstorms, which was generated, in part, by using melted liquid equivalent data. Here at UAF, I am working with Dr. Uma Bhatt and my research is currently focused on the evaluation of reanalysis data sets that are available for Alaska. Other interests of mine almost inevitably include the outdoors and endurance activities. I am a state champion two miler from New York and ran track and field for Division 1 Cornell.
Ketsiri Leelasakultum, Ph.D. graduate student, since fall 2010. Email: ketsiri "at" gi.alaska.edu Ketsiri studied environmental sciences in Thailand and graduated with a MS from the Asian Institute of Technology. At UAF, she examines the impact of the use of fuel with reduced sulfur content on the PM2.5 concentrations in Fairbanks and Alaska.
Born and raised in the rural farmlands east of Cincinnati, Ohio, I earned my Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from the University of Cincinnati, graduating summa cum laude in spring 2011. During my undergraduate career I did solar physics research in REU programs at the University of Colorado at Boulder and at Montana State University, studying active regions and their flare activity. At UAF, I will be working for Richard Collins developing a distance learning course on introductory atmospheric science for undergraduates during my first year, and will also be involved in lidar research. I enjoy playing music on the guitar, piano, and violin, singing, hiking, hunting, traveling, photography, cooking, reading in many different disciplines, simple frontier living, and good old-fashioned preaching and singing at church.
I joined UAF in fall 2011 after graduating from Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU), Russia majoring in meteorology and climatology. While studying at MSU, I had four summer internships both in field doing meteorological measurements and in laboratory. For my third and fourth year course work I was doing research at Hydrometeological Centre of Russia on verification of ensemble modeling. In my last year at MSU in collaboration with researchers of Institute of Geography Russian Academy of Sciences I was working within the scientific project regarding climate change in Antarctic: the interdependence between sea ice in Antarctic and snow accumulation based on ice core data. At UAF under the supervision of Dr. Xiangdong Zhang, I’ll be researching the sea ice – atmosphere –ocean interactions in Arctic, different aspects of climate change that have become reasons for the decrease of sea ice in the Arctic ocean.My hobbies are swimming, downhill skiing, travelling, listening to music, kayaking and watching basketball.
Jean K. Talbot
Atmospheric Sciences: Characterization of Climate Variability in Observations and GCMs using methods from nonlinear dynamics
(M.S.) (U.Bhatt)
I was born and raised in Fairbanks Alaska. For my undergraduate degree, I attended Lewis and Clark College in Portland Oregon, and in 2007 received my bachelor's in physics. I completed an internship for undergraduate research in mathematics, investigating spectral geometry with Dr Liz Stanhope. I have returned to Fairbanks to pursue my M.S. in Atmospheric Sciences at UAF under Dr. Uma Bhatt, and my research investigates the nonlinear dynamics of climate systems. I enjoy playing music, board games, and outdoor sports.
I was born and grew up in Ho Chi Minh City, Southern part of Vietnam. I graduated with a B.E. in Environmental Engineering from HCMC University of Technology in 2004, and then finished my M.E. in Environmental Engineering and Management at Asian Institute of Technology (Thailand) in 2008. I?m currently doing my PhD in Atmospheric Sciences at UAF working with Prof. Nicole Mölders. My research focuses on simulating air quality, particularly is PM2.5, in the Fairbanks and adjacent areas (Alaska).
Joshua Walston
Atmospheric Sciences: Arctic Climate Variability (M.S.) (G. Gibson & J. Walsh)
I am originally from San Diego, California. I attended the University of Nevada Reno where I received my bachelors degree in Atmospheric Science. While attending UNR I was the president of the American Meteorological Society Student Chapter and lead forecaster for the University's newspaper "The Sagebrush". I enjoy being outdoors: snowboarding, fishing, camping, hiking and climbing. I came to Fairbanks to pursue my M.S in Atmospheric Science. I am researching under Dr. Georgina Gibson and Dr. John Walsh of IARC on a new project entitled “Ecosystem Impacts of variability and extreme events in the Arctic”
Derek Starkenburg
Atmospheric Sciences
(Ph.D) ( J. Fochessato/A. Prakash)
derek.starkenburg@gi.alaska.edu
My original degree is a Masters of Architecture from North Carolina State University (1999). I praticed architecture at Fentress Architects in Denver, CO, for about ten years, where I had many wonderful experiences and learned from many great talents. My passion for earth sciences and meteorology has promted a shift in my career. After earning my MA in Earth Sciences at the University of Northern Colorado (2011), with a specialty interest in the Arctic, I now seek to use the spatial, three-dimensional training from architecture to analyze and understand our earth-atmosphere-ocean system from a multi-scaled climatic, dynamic, and micro-scale viewpoint.
I'm originally from Portage Michigan which is outside of Kalamazoo. I went to the University of Michigan, College of Engineering where I earned a BSE in Earth System Science in Engineering. While there I did a REU at the CU Boulder working at HAO doing model comparison with their Ionospheric/Magnetospheric model. After undergraduate, I went to the Florida Institute of Technology where I earned my MS in Space Science. I came to UAF for my PhD in 2011 and work with Dr. Sassen.
This ‘Don’t Bug Me’ bull moose photo was taken at Denali National Park by D. Wetzel.
Clouds over Brooks Range photo by D. Wetzel.
Bithi De (PhD)
BS from University of Calcutta -- Physics
MS from University of Calcutta -- Atmospheric Sciences
Work with Xiangdong Zhang
Abraham Endalamaw (PhD)
BS from Arba Minch University Ethiopia Meteorology
MPS from Cornell University -- Hydrology
Work with William Bolton/Jessica Cable
Amy Hendricks (MS)
BS from University of Oklahoma -- Meteorology
Work with John Walsh/Kazuyuki Saito
James M. Madden (Mike) (MS)
BS from University of Missouri Columbia -- Atmospheric Sciences
Work with Nicole Mölders
Michael Pirhalla (MS)
(mapirhalla@mail.plymouth.edu)
BS from Plymouth State University – Meteorology
Work with Nicole Mölders