Post-Graduation Opportunities in Meteorology

1. Post-Graduation Opportunities in Meteorology Dr. Steven M. Lazarus Florida Institute of Technology August 23, 2006 see: http://www.ametsoc.org/atmoscareers/index.html Dust Devil Link

2. Applied Meteorology… • Forecasting - Government • Military • flight/airborne operations • ground actions (army, support is supplied by air force meteorologists) • naval meteorology/oceanography (underwater, naval and marine aviation) • special operations (highly classified!) e.g., see 45th Weather Squadron @ KSC/Patrick AFB

3. Forecasting - Government Cont’d • National Weather Service (NWS) • various positions including: Lead/Senior Forecaster, Science and Operations (SOO), Meteorologist in-Charge (MIC), Warning Coordination Meteorologist (WCM) Science and Operations Officer (SOO), Data Acquisition Program Manager (DAPM), Electronic Systems Analyst (ESA), Information Technology Officer (ITO), Service Hydrologist, Meteorological Intern, Journeyman Forecaster, Electronics Technician, Hydrometeorological Technician, and Student Intern. For a description see: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lzk/html/litstaff.htm

4. Forecasting – Private Sector • electric and gas utilities (load management and dispatching, fuel allocation and distribution, line maintenance, and severe weather preparation). WC • farmers and ranchers (consulting - planting, harvesting, irrigation, fertilizing, spraying and dusting, frost protection, and yield prediction, severe weather/livestock protection) AWIS • ocean shipping firms/port operators (minimum-time/safest routes, predictions of ocean conditions and sea ice, work scheduling and cancellation) UKMET • highway departments (snow removal, flooding, and cleanup in the wake of severe weather) Intellicast

5. Forecasting – Private Sector cont’d • aviation meteorology (passenger/cargo airlines - terminal and en route forecasts, computer-generated flight plans, a few air force bases also use commercial companies) NWS • consulting (specialized environmental services, e.g., air quality, development/support for meteorological software and weather information systems; and forensic meteorology) JWA • Media weathercasting (television, radio, and newspapers, "behind-the-scenes" support of television weathercasting - generating forecasts and develop on-air graphics for client stations) CNN

6. Forecasting/Observations – Private Sector cont’d • Air quality meteorology (environmental assessments/permitting, dispersion modeling, risk assessments, ambient monitoring, photochemical modeling, acid rain, and global warming) -Environmental assessments, permitting, dispersion modeling, and ambient monitoring are often conducted for industries, i.e., potential polluters that wish to build new plants, expand existing ones, or address citizen concerns about pollutant impacts. • -Ambient monitoring networks typically maintained by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state environmental agencies. Specialized air quality work is often conducted by government agencies and research laboratories, universities, & private-sector consulting firms. AccuWeather, Dispersion Modeling

7. Development/Research – Private Sector cont’d • software and information systems (development of meteorological software applications and the systems that use the applications, e.g., maintaining PC software, developing an entire automated weather data processing system and its associated network) STI, IPS • Forensic meteorology (legal matters/police investigations, e.g., slipping on ice, homicides chain-reaction vehicle) FMA

8. Measurements/Instruments – Private Sector cont’d • Atmospheric measurements and instrumentation • Basic monitoring of: temperature, wind velocity, humidity vs. atmospheric chemistry/sampling of carbon dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, remote-sensing using radar and satellite imagery. • Design, manufacture, and market instrumentation (rain gauges, thermometers, computerized/self-contained automated weather observing stations, weather satellites, Doppler radars) Campbell Scientific, RMYoung, Davis…

9. Applied research • Involves weather and climate observation, analysis, and forecasting (i.e., research relating to everyday activities and operations: • development of forecast techniques (creation of algorithms for remote-sensing applications used with weather satellites and radars, lightning detectors, and atmospheric profilers and sounders • forecast verification methods • performance of diagnostic and case studies

10. Basic research • Fundamental atmospheric processes • cloud/precipitation formation CSUPurdueSHARE • air-sea interactions NOAA-ESRLU Miami/Rosenstiel • terrestrial/solar radiation budgets ARM • Aerosols ORNLNOAA-ESRLTAMU • Thermodynamics (e.g., hurricane intensity) • global general circulation GFDLLLNL • END RESULT: support advances in numerical weather prediction models. • HOT issue: global warming/climate Overview

11. Where are our students now? • 5 years: 36 Students (Aviation Meteorology/Meteorology) • National Weather Service (2) • Graduate School (12*) FIT, FSU, U. Utah, Texas Tech, Purdue • 2nd Degree BA (1) Loyola • NOAA Corp (Research Vessel, 2) • Science Education (2) • TV/Broadcasting (2) • Private Sector (1) Weather Services International *One of two FIT met grad students are working at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center/SPoRT and the other at the National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Services.

12. SALARY??? US Department of Labor • Median annual earnings of atmospheric scientists in May 2004 were $70,100. • The middle 50 percent earned between $48,880 and $86,610 • The lowest 10 percent earned less than $34,590 • The highest 10 percent earned more than $106,020 • The average salary for meteorologists in nonsupervisory, supervisory, and managerial positions employed by the Federal Government was about $80,499 in 2005. • Meteorologists in the Federal Government with a bachelor’s degree and no experience received a starting salary of $27,955 -$34,544 • master’s degree could start at $42,090-$54,393 • Ph.D. could begin at $70,280.

13. Always in contact with our students… Hi!  Sorry I haven't sent you any life updates... I have been at Army training for the past month.  I finally am commissioned as an officer, I am still looking for a job, but it is difficult because I have Army training beginning in Jan that will not be over until May.  I have been applying for jobs, I received a call back for job in Salisbury, Maryland (broadcast met), but they wanted me to start before I was able.  I also received a call from Weatherdata, but every time I tried to get in touch with the guy who called me they would only take messages and he never called back.  This was odd because I didn't apply for the job, he received my resume from a different job I applied to.  There is an on-air opening in Topeka, and another non-broadcast job in Shawnee, KS which I am sending my resume to.  My backup plan right now is just to get an internship near Richmond, VA, where I will be for my training, since I get paid by the Army for training, but then I will also be getting experience and staying current in met to hopefully get a good meteorology job once I am finished in May….