Braving the storm

“See the person next to you? Odds are they won’t be with you when you graduate.”
These words might not be encouraging, but that’s what meteorology graduate student, Renee Curry, heard on her first day of her introductory class. Now, Curry realizes that her professor was just preparing her for the hard work to come.
“You are warned that it’s going to be really tough,” Curry said.
Curry is just one of the meteorology students who works at the National Weather Center. She completed her undergraduate degree at OU, and she said she knows what it’s like to go through one of the hardest programs on campus.
“If you want [to succeed] you just have to work through it,” she said.
Meteorology professor William Beasley said that too often students come in to the program unaware of how difficult the coursework is.
“They think meteorology is a bad forecast at 6 and 10,” he said. “They don’t realize you have to take four semesters of calculus, differential equations, statistics, physics and chemistry.”
Beasley said that professors try to make it clear early on that the road to a degree in meteorology is not an easy one.
“We do everything we can in Meteorology 1111 to let these kids know what they’re getting into,” he said. “You can tell them all you want, but it just doesn’t register for some.”
David Gagne, meteorology sophomore, said he knew he would face an intensive workload, and he has already seen several of his classmates drop from the program.
“It has proved to be incredibly intense,” he said. “And I’m not even in to the main part of the meteorology stuff yet. I’ve already had a fair number of friends who have gone to other majors or have just transferred schools. They realized it just wasn’t their cup of tea, and they would rather do something [else].”
Gagne said that it is just a matter of time management and that the people who want to be meteorologists will deal with the difficulty.
Despite the intimidating coursework, the school of meteorology remains enticing for many students because it offers a wide variety of opportunities.
Meteorology professor Mike Biggerstaff said that although many other colleges only focus on graduate level education, the school likes to involve the undergraduate students, too. Members of the faculty hire those students to assist with various research projects and give them extra hands on experience.
“Getting [undergraduates] involved in the process early on is good because they can apply what they learn in class,” he said. “It’s a chance to get out of the classroom and learn what’s behind the equation and the textbook.”
In addition to hands on experience in the field, the students get to utilize the state-of-the-art technology in the National Weather Center. David Moran, meteorology senior, said part of the appeal for students coming to OU is the facilities.
“The technology here is really beneficial because it helps students really understand how things work,” Moran said. “The tools at the weather center are things that every meteorologist will use throughout their career.”
Biggerstaff said that the students he works with ultimately look past the challenging workload, because of their passion for meteorology.
“These people just get so excited about the atmosphere,” he said.
Curry agreed that it is important to not focus on the difficulty of the program.
“The work is tough, but it really helps you understand why you’re doing [meteorology],” Curry said. “And you’re here struggling along with the best. That’s how I look at it. I knew coming in I would have to sacrifice some things, but my passion is meteorology so in the end it’s all worth it.”

The Flying Cow

More on the National Weather Center

Did you know the school of meteorology …
Is ranked No. 1 in mesoscale and severe storms research.
Has 320 undergraduate and 95 graduate students, making it the largest meteorology program in the nation.
Awards an average of 40 bachelor’s degrees, 18 master’s degrees and five doctoral degrees each year.

Did you know the National Weather Center …
Is 250,000 square feet
Has five stories with an outdoor classroom and an enclosed observation deck
1st Floor – Administration, Visitor Center, Food Court, Research Vehicle/ Equipment Bay, Auditorium
2nd Floor – Forecast Operations, Administration
3rd Floor – Computing, Research, Training, Administration
4th Floor – Research, academics, Training
5th Floor – Academics
Rooftop Outdoor Classroom
Enclosed Weather Observation Deck
Cost OU and NOAA approximately $69 million to construct.