Atmospheric SciencesUndergraduate Program

2009

Atmospheric Sciences Major

• Provide a strong background in the key areas of atmospheric sciences.

• Lays the groundwork for a career in atmospheric or environmental sciences.

• Provide a strong foundation in physics, math, and the use of computers for solving scientific problems.

What Kind of Careers are Available in the Atmospheric

Sciences?

Life After UW Atmospheric Sciences

• National Weather Service• Private weather prediction and wind energy firms (e.g., 3-

Tier, Northwest Weathernet)• Research and Graduate school• Military (mainly Air Force)• Media (TV weathercasters and support staff)• Environmental consulting firms• Aviation• Others (e.g., Boeing, insurance industry)• New global change industry?

TV Weathercasting

• Positions at local TV stations• Positions at national outlets like the

Weather Channel and national networks (CNN, FOX, etc)

• Large salary range.

Some Department Graduates On The Air

Joe Witte

Jeff Renner

MJ McDermott

Weather Prediction Careers• There are opportunities in both the public

and private sectors.

National Weather Service Seattle

Weather Prediction Careers

• Many private sector weather forecasting firms throughout the country.

• Local firm: Northwest WeatherNet…founded by a department graduate (Tony Mouser)

Wind Energy Prediction

• Many firms across the country provide weather predictions for the wind and other energy industries.

• The leading wind energy prediction firm is in Seattle…3-Tier…formed by an ex-undergraduate in our department.

Ken WestrickDept. Undergrad

Research

• Wide range of research careers and venues– University faculty– Government labs– National Center for Atmospheric Research– and others.

• Generally requires at least a M.S. to participate as a support scientist and Ph.D. to direct research and teach.

National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)

Example of Research Areas• Evolution of earth’s climate.• Midlatitude storms • Weather Prediction• Influence of mountains on weather.• Structure and development of hurricanes• Global warming and the local implications of climate

change.• Atmospheric processes such as convection and cloud

physics.• Atmospheric chemistry (e.g., pollutant transport from China)

Dealing With Global Warming

• Increasing number of career possibilities in helping society deal with global warming– Research to clarify the implications of global

warming locally and globally– Positions in city, state, and local government to

deal with global warming’s effects

Military• A number of our grads have been in Air

Force or other ROTC programs, becoming meteorologists or pilots after graduation.

Matt Dogget, USAF

Many Other Careers

• Air quality prediction• Environmental consultant• Insurance companies--determination of

storm risks for actuarial calculations• Meteorological support for Boeing--needed

to design and test new aircraft.

Graduate School in Atmospheric Sciences

• A necessity if you want to go into research.• M.S. also advisable for other directions, such as

weather prediction.• Graduate school admission usually comes with

support for tuition and living expenses.• Three main criteria used for selection: grades,

GRE, recommendations.• Each school has its strengths and weaknesses.

Graduate SchoolsTier I

1. University of Washington2. Penn. State3. Colorado State4. Oklahoma5. Florida State6. UCLA7. Texas A&M

Tier II

1. U. Arizona2. Utah3. SUNY Albany4. Purdue5. U. Maryland6. Princeton7. Michigan8. U. Colorado9. U. North Carolina10. U. Hawaii11. MIT

http://www.atmos.washington.edu/academic/ug/

The Atmospheric Sciences Academic Program

Major Requirements

The Atmospheric Sciences major has been designed to provide students with considerable flexibility in designing a program consistent with their interests and needs.

Entrance Requirements

There are no entrance requirements. A student may declare Atmospheric Sciences as a major upon admission into the university.

But, a one-year series of math and physics classes are needed to start the major’s classes.

Required Core Courses

All students take a collection of core courses that provide essential material that all atmospheric scientists should master. A grade of at least 2.0 is required in the core courses, with an overall average in atmospheric sciences classes of at least 2.5.

Core CoursesThese courses are:

CSE 142 (4): Introduction to ProgrammingMATH 124, 125, 126 (5,5,5); (or equiv.); 324 (3) CalculusAMATH 301 (4): Introduction to MATLABAMATH 351, 353 (3,3) Differential EquationsPHYS 121,122, 123 (5,5,5): One year of calculus-based PhysicsATM S 301 (5): Introduction to Atmospheric SciencesATM S 321 (3): Physical ClimatologyATM S 340 (3): Thermodynamics and Cloud ProcessesATM S 341 (3): Atmospheric Radiative TransferATM S 358 (3): Fundamentals of Atmospheric ChemistryATM S 370 (5): Atmospheric Structure and AnalysisATM S 431 (3): Boundary-Layer MeteorologyATM S 441 (3): Atmospheric Motions I

Additional Classes• Once the core courses are completed, a

student will select additional upper-division courses for a minimum of 19 credits.

• These credits are chosen to provide a coherent, customized program that reflects the student's interests and career goals.

• The department has prepared groups of

additional courses…called tracks… that provide a coherent education in specific areas.

Track 1: Meteorology

This track provides students with a strong background in dynamics, synoptic meteorology and weather forecasting, and provides the coursework required for entry into the National Weather Service, military forecasting careers or graduate school.

Track 2: Climate

This track provides additional background in oceanography and glaciology so that a student has a widened perspective of the climate system.

Track 3: Atmospheric Chemistry and Air Quality

This track is aimed at students with interests in chemistry and/or environmental engineering who would like to apply their knowledge of atmospheric sciences to environmental issues such as evolving atmospheric composition and air quality.

Degree Tracks

Course Sequencing

Most Atmospheric Sciences majors take their major courses during the junior and senior years, although it is certainly possible, if not advisable, to begin the major course work as a sophomore if the prerequisites are met.

Example:Track 1: Meteorology

This track provides students with a strong background in dynamics, synoptic meteorology and weather forecasting, and provides the coursework required for entry into the National Weather Service, military forecasting careers and graduate school in the atmospheric sciences. The elective courses selected for this track are:

STAT 390: Probability and Statistics in Engineering and Science (5) ATM S 442: Atmospheric Motions II (5) ATM S 451W: Instruments and Observations (5) ATM S 452: Weather Forecasting and Advanced Synoptic Meteorology (5)

Two-Year SequenceMeteorology Track

Learning possibilities for Atmospheric Sciences majors don't end in the classroom!

Going beyond the classes can make a huge impact on your future.

Some Examples:

* Department Seminars and Colloquia. Each Friday afternoon there is a department colloquium, generally on a topic of general interest. Prior to the colloquium, refreshments are served and students and faculty gather in an informal setting. In addition, there are a number of weekly seminars with a more specialized focus.

* Weekly weather discussion. Every Tuesday at 12:30 PM a member of the department gives a weather discussion on current conditions or on a topic of individual choice.

* Northwest Weather Workshop. Each year the UW cosponsors a gathering of approximately 150 regional meteorologists on the latest advances in Northwest meteorology and weather forecasting. The first day of the meeting generally has a theme, such as aviation or hydrometeorology.

* Student AMS Chapter. Majors in the department regularly meet as a student chapter of the American Meteorological Society

* Puget Sound AMS Chapter. Monthly meetings, including a talk and refreshments, of the Puget Sound Chapter of the American Meteorological Society are popular with students.

Internships and ResearchInternships provide a valuable opportunity to explore interests in potential meteorological career paths and to extend knowledge through real-life experiences.

Internships with various National Weather Service Forecast Offices (such as Seattle and Portland) as well as with local TV stations, have proven to be very popular.

Students may earn academic credit for internships, which sometimes provide a stipend.

Several of our students have begun successful careers in TV weathercasting in this manner, and many successfully entered the National Weather Service by interning.

Internships and ResearchOther internships in the past few years have been at the U.S. Forest Service, the Northwest Avalanche Center, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency,and the Pacific Marine Environmental Lab, as well as environmentally oriented labs or businesses.

Many of our majors also participate in departmental research projects, learning while making important contributions to the research, sometimes with a stipend. A number of majors have participate in field research programs. Recently, a number of undergraduates flew on the NOAA P3 aircraft (the 'Hurricane Hunter') during a study of precipitation processes over the Oregon Cascades (IMPROVE-2).

NOAA P3 during IMPROVE Field Program

Summer Internships

• There are a number of summer internships available around the country.

• Many are organized under the NSF REU (Research Experience for Undergrads) program… you work on research and get paid!

• A number of other internships exist…example this year--Puget Sound Clean Air Agency.

Undergrad Facilities

Undergrad Lounge

Undergrad Computer Facility

Money

• Department Scholarships• American Meteorological Society

Scholarships• National Weather Association Scholarship• Employment in the department (research

projects, department jobs)• University scholarships and jobs.

Department Scholarships• Department scholarships to pay tuition

and/or other expenses are awarded each year from The Bruce Caldwell Memorial Scholarship as well as from The Richard J. and Joan M. Reed Endowed Scholarship Fund.

• These scholarships are available once a student has begun the Atmospheric Sciences course sequence and are based on both academic performance and financial need.

Where to Go For More Information?

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