Undergraduate Research
The Department of Atmospheric Sciences offers undergraduate research for credit (ATM488). If you are interested in undergraduate research talk to any of the departmental faculty about your atmospheric sciences research interests and we will try to find an adviser for you. Currently we offer undergraduate research themes in climate, lidar, remote sensing, aeronomy, micrometeorology and air quality research.
Typically undergraduates in DAS do their research within the framework of a faculty's research group, i.e. you will be a member of a research team consisting of graduate students, the faculty and you and also learn teamwork.
Publications co-authored by undergraduates (underlined)
Beres, J., Prakash, A., Gens, R., Mölders, N., 2009. Comparison of WRF model outputs and MODIS image products for cloud presence: a case study. ARSC REU summer intern report, 22pp.
Bhatt U.S., J. Zhang, W. V. Tangborn, C. S. Lingle, and L. Phillips, 2007. Examining Glacier Mass Balances with Hierarchical Modeling Approach, Computing in Science and Engineering, 9 (2), 61-67
Cherry, A., Molders, N., 2003. Evaluation of the inclusion of soil frost in MM5. REU report for NSF-REU program at GI, http://www.gi.alaska.edu/~molders/Progress4.pdf
Collins, R.L., M.C. Kelley, M.J. Nicolis, C. Ramos, T. Hou, T.E. Stern, K. Mizutani and T. Itabe, 2003. Simultaneous Lidar Observations of a Noctilucent Cloud and an Internal Wave in the Polar Mesosphere, J Geophys. Res., l08D8, 8435.
Fortun, T., Mölders, N., 2009. Investigations on the sensitivity of predicted air quality to the uncertainty in anthropogenic emissions. ARSC REU summer intern report, 18pp.
Hou, T., T.E. Stern, J. Breese, M.A. Peshave, and R.L. Collins, 2002. Experimental analysis of iron Boltzmann technique for lidar studies of the middle atmosphere, Lidar Remote Sensing in Atmospheric and Earth Sciences, Reviewed and revised papers presented at the twenty-first International Laser Radar Conference (ILRC), Quebec, Canada, 8-12 July, 477-479.
Mölders, N., Luijting, H., Sassen, K., 2008. Use of Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program data from Barrow, Alaska, for evaluation and development of snow albedo parameterizations. Meteor. Atmos. Phys. 99: 199-219.
Molders, N., Olson, M., 2002. Investigations on the impacts of urban aerosol release and heat island effect on downwind precipitation in high latitudes. ASARI breweries environment report 2001,143-149.
Molders, N., Olson, M.A., 2004. Impact of urban effects on precipitation in high-latitudes. J. Hydrometeor. 5,409-429.
PaiMazumder, D., Henderson, D., Mölders, N., 2010: Comparison of Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model simulations with NCEP/NCAR-reanalysis, ISCCP, GPCC and CMC data over Siberia. Meteorol. Atmos. Phys. (submitted)
Prochaska, L., Molders, N., 2002. Uncertainty analysis of quantities predicted by OSU land surface model. REU-report for NSF-REU program at GI in summer 2002, http://www.gi.alaska.edu/~molders/leslie.pdf.
Rulo, A., Molders, N., 2002. Uncertainty analysis on quantities predicted by the hydro thermodynamic soil vegetation scheme (HTSVS). REU-report for NSF-REU program at GI in summer 2002, http://www.gi.alaska.edu/~molders/rulopaper.pdf
Spier, P., Molders, N., 2003. Evaluation of HTSVS using ATLAS data. REU-report for NSF-REU program at GI, http://www.gi.alaska.edu/~molders/Progress5.pdf.
Yanchilina, A.G., Mölders, N., 2006. Snow Parameter Caused Uncertainty of Predicted Snow Metamorphism Processes. REU-report for NSF-REU program at GI, 35 pp.
Past Undergraduate Projects, Major, Mentor
- Kelcy Brunner, Air pollution in the Fairbanks nonattainment area, Applied Physics, Fall 2010, N. Mölders.
- Irene Holak, Greening of the Arctic, Physics, Fall 2010, U. Bhatt.
- Kelcy Brunner, WRF/Chem Simulations Over Fairbanks, AK: Stability and PM2.5 Concentration Correlation Analysis, Applied Physics, Summer 2010, N. Mölders.
- Stanley Edwin, Mixing Length Functions for Diabatic Stratification, Mathematics, Summer 2010, G. Kramm.
- Arseniy Sheydvasser, Theoretical Considerations on the Wind Profile for Strongly Stable Stratification, Atmospheric Sciences, Summer 2010, G. Kramm.
- Joseph Woznicki, Optical, Microphysical, and Chemical Properties of Aerosols during VOCALS-REx, Atmospheric Sciences, Purdue University, Summer 2010, J. Fochesatto.
- Jilmarie Stephens, Transitions in the Boundary Layer, Looking at Sensible Heat FluxAtmospheric Science, University of California at Davis, Summer 2010, J. Fochesatto.
- Kyle Imhoff, Lidar Analysis of Stratocumulus Cloud Dynamics – VOCALS-Rex Campaign, Atmospheric Sciences, Summer 2010, J. Fochesatto.
- Kelcy Brunner, Assessment of potential sites for wind energy generation in the Fairbanks North Star Borough, Applied physics, Spring 2010, N. Mölders.
- Brys Sepulveda, Arctic vegetation greening explored with Google Earth, Computer Science, College of Charleston, Summer 2009, U. Bhatt.
- Todd Fortun, Sensitivity studies on the impact of uncertainty in anthropogenic emissions on simulated atmospheric concentrations, Atmospheric Sciences, St. Cloud University, Summer 2009, N. Mölders.
- Trevor Thomas, Radiative forcing of Smoke plumes in the Arctic Boundary Layer, University of Southern California, 2009, J. Fochesatto.
- Jessica Beres, Compare WRF simulated cloudiness to cloudiness derived from MODIS data, Geography, Marshall University, Summer 2009, N. Mölders and A. Prakash.
- Todd Fortun, Investigations on the uncertainty in emission allocation functions on simulated concentrationsSt. Cloud University, Atmospheric SciencesSummer 2009N. Mölders.
- Matthew Itomlenskis, Instrumentation design analysis using CFD, Cleveland State University, 2009, D. Atkinson and J. Cherry.
- Brita Irving, Lidar studies of the atmosphere, UAF, Physics, 2009, R. Collins.
- Katherine Horst, Social Vulnerability to Climate Change in Alaskan Coastal Communities, University of Wisconsin, Summer 2008, D. Atkinson.
- Brita Irving, Lidar studies of the atmosphere, UAF, Physics, 2008, R.Collins.
- Marice Uy, Mesoscale Modeling of Smoke Events in the Arctic Summer, Smith College,Environmental Engineering Summer 2007, J. Fochesatto.
- Brian Marsh, The Polarization Signature of Arctic Fog During the Polar Sunrise, CUNY at Buffalo, Physics, Summer 2008, J. Fochesatto.
- David Henderson, Comparison of Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model Simulations with NCEP/NCAS reanalysis, Penn State, Meteorology, Summer 2007, N.Mölders
- Heather Quantz, Analyzing Differential Polarization Lidar Measurements, Austin College, Physics,Summer 2007, J.Fochesatto.
- Anastasia Gennady Yanchilina, Uncertainty in snow parameters and their impact of simulated snow conditions, University of Nebraska, Atmospheric Sciences, Summer 2006, N. Mölders.
- Stacy Schmidt, Design of an Aerodynamics Lens Using Fluent CFD, University of Wisconsin Madison, Summer 2006, J. Fochesatto.
- Lisa Phillips, Dynamical Downscaling of Temperature and Precipitation over Alaska, Meteorology, St. Cloud University, Summer 2005, U. Bhatt.
- Yulchiro Umekawa, Does El Niño Impact Arctic Sea Ice?, Tohoku University, 2005, U. Bhatt.
- Emily Rehmeyer, Worked on producing a 3-D graphics and a movie of climate model output, Computer Science, Summer 2004, U.Bhatt.
- Tim Morgan, Worked on producing a 3-D graphics and a movie of climate model output and wrote a GUI interface to convert the model data to a format that was easily ingestible by the graphics package, Computer Science Beloit College, 2004, U. Bhatt.
- Matthew Titus, UAF, Electrical and Computer Engineering, 2004, R.Collins.
- Jason McDonald, Lidar studies of aerosols, UAF, Physics, 2005, R.Collins.
- Jason McDonald, Eye-Safe Lidar Measurements, UAF, Physics, 2005, J. Fochesatto.
- Timothy Stern, Noctilucent Clouds, UAF, Physics, 2001-2005, R. Collins.
- Pamela Spier, Arctic Region Evaluation of the Hydro-Thermodynamic Soil Vegetation Scheme (HTSVS), Cornell University, Atmospheric Science, 2003, N. Mölders.
- Anne Cherry, Evaluation of MM5 Simulations with HTSVS with and Without Inclusion of Soil-Frost Parameterization, University of Iowa, Physics, 2003, N. Mölders.
- Amy Rulo, Uncertainty Analysis on the Soil Physical and Plant Physiological Parameters Used in HTSVS, University of Colorado at Denver, Mathematics, 2002, N.Mölders.
- Leslie Prochaska, Uncertainty Analysis on the Soil Physical and Plant Physiological Parameters Used in OSULSM, University of North Texas, Physics, 2002, N. Mölders.
- Mark Olson, Performed 16 simulations with a mesoscale meteorological model and analyzed them by ANOVA techniques, UAF, 2001-2002, N. Mölders.
