NCSU MEAS Convective Storms Group Personnel

Who's who in the Convective Storms Group

Group photo 22 August 2008: (from left to right) Adam French, Casey Letkewicz, Kate Rajowsky, Ben Baranowski, Matt Morin, Mike Kiefer, and Matt Parker

Faculty Advisor
Dr. Matthew Parker	I grew up in northern Ohio, and had decided that I wanted to be a meteorologist by 7th grade. I fell in love with the original Nova special on tornadoes (you know, the one with TOTO), created a legacy of meteorological science fair projects, and consider it a badge of honor that I committed to the field during the pre-Weather Channel, pre-Twister era. I am a scientist because I love to figure out how things work. I do what I do to try to understand atmospheric processes. I believe that a meteorologist isn't properly trained unless he/she grasps the physical concepts that govern the atmosphere: cookbook meteorology (memorizing a big bunch of forecasting rules) is a dead end in my mind. I also believe that observations, models, and theory all help us get to that understanding, and I strive to attain a balance among methods and techniques. For more on my research and teaching, visit my professional home page. I am a storm chaser (currently semi-retired), and also enjoy playing sports, chess, and music, skiing, traveling, and going out for shows, fine meals, and hockey games (Let's Go 'Canes!).
Ph.D. Students
Ben Baranowski	Ben grew up in Waukesha, Wisconsin (halfway between Madison and Milwaukee). Ben has always been facinated by the weather. Many summer afternoons were spent watching thunderstorms. It wasn't until High School that he realized careers in meteorology exist outside of tv. With the goal of becoming a research meteorologist, Ben enrolled as an atmospheric science student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. His stay in Milwaukee was short. A visit to the University of Oklahoma in 2001 convinced Ben that OU was the place to get a meteorology degree. He transfered to OU in the fall of 2001 and graduated with his B.S. in 2004. Ben began his masters studies in the fall of 2004 also at OU. Working under Dr. Chuck Doswell and Dr. Dan Weber, he completed his masters degree in the summer of 2006. His masters topic dealt with numerical simulations of multicell convection. After being presented with the opportunity to continue to study convection, Ben joined the Convective Stroms Group in the fall of 2006. Ben still considers himself a storm chaser, even though trees hinder the view in NC. Outside of meteorology, Ben enjoys playing tennis, music, hiking and spending time with his wife and new baby.
Adam French	Adam French was born and raised in Manchester, CT. He has had a fascination with the weather from an early age, inspired by the wide variety of weather experienced in the northeast, from Hurricanes to Noreasters to severe thunderstorms. After writing about severe weather in Connecticut for his high school honors English thesis, Adam decided to make a career out of his interest in the weather and become a meteorologist. He received a BS in meteorology from Valparaiso University in Indiana in May 2005. During his time at Valpo, Adam developed an interest in storm chasing through experiences chasing storms with the Valparaiso University Storm Intercept Team (VUSIT) and also served as the Treasurer, and later President, of the Northwest Indiana Chapter of the National Weather Association, helping to plan the groups annual Great Lakes Meteorology Conference. In the summer of 2004 he participated in the National Weather Center Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Norman, OK, analyzing data gathered during the 2004 NSSL/SPC Spring Program. He received his M.S. from NC State in 2007 and continues in the Ph.D. program. In his spare time Adam enjoys hiking, camping, playing guitar, and cheering for the Boston Red Sox.
Mike Kiefer	Mike grew up in Stratford, CT where he became interested in weather at an early age. His first memories are of Hurricane Gloria in September '85 but it was the winter storms such as the '93 Superstorm and the Blizzard of '96 that really got him interested in meteorology (despite the countless snow changing to rain events experienced growing up along the CT shore). In fall 1999 Mike enrolled at the University at Albany where he graduated with a BS in meteorology in May 2003. A few months after graduating he arrived at NC State working in the Mesoscale Dynamics and Modeling Laboratory (Mesolab) under Drs. Lin and Kaplan on an aviation turbulence project geared towards better prediction of wake vortices. Quickly realizing that aviation turbulence wasn't his cup of tea he began working on a case study of the 2003 Presidents' Day Storm. The multi-scale study of the event focused on the mechanisms that produced upwards of 50 inches of snow in Garrett County, MD. Mike received his MS in August 2005. After his masters was finished he continued to work in the Mesolab, though radically shifting gears and working on the problem of atmospheric convection generated by forest fires. During the summer of 2007 Mike moved to the Convective Storms Group and continues to work on the problem of dry convection above forest fires. In his spare time Mike enjoys spending time with friends and family, reading, traveling, and music.
M.S. Students
Casey Letkewicz	Casey was born and raised in Naperville, IL. She always knew she wanted to be a meteorologist due to her obsessively watching the Weather Channel and tracking thunderstorms every time they came to her area. Even before the movie Twister made thunderstorms and tornadoes cool, Casey couldn't get enough of watching the thunder and lightning outside of her window. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Meteorology from Valparaiso University in May 2007. There, she was able to storm chase for the first time with the Valparaiso University Storm Intercept Team, and eventually became the club's Secretary and later Director. Casey was also blessed to have participated in a Research Experience for Undergraduates with the Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere project at the University of Oklahoma. There she was able to get a taste of real research and decided she would like to pursue her Master's degree. Casey was thrilled to join the Convective Storms Group in fall 2007 and continue studying weather phenomena which endlessly fascinates her. In her free time, Casey loves to read, listen to music, play floor hockey, hang out with her friends, and have a good time doing just about anything.
Matthew Morin	Matthew grew up in Westminster, MA where he became fascinated with the weather at the young age of five. Watching thunderstorms from his bedroom window sparked his interest in severe weather. His meteorological experiences as a child included acquiring many books on the subject, building a lightning rod (which got him in trouble with his mother), designing a weather station, drawing weather maps as well as watching countless hours of the Weather Channel. The road to becoming a Meteorologist was not direct for Matthew. He joined the Army National Guard and was shipped off to Basic Training after graduating from high school in May 2000. After six months of active duty and two years of courses at a community college, Matthew entered the meteorology program at Plymouth State University. Matthew undertook his first real-life research project during an independent study in the 2006 fall semester. His research involved determining methods to better forecast strong northeasterly winds in western Gulf of Maine. His research skills were further honed during an internship at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL in summer 2007 where he studied convective winds. After receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in Meteorology from Plymouth State in December 2007, Matthew interned at the Mount Washington Observatory where he was able to shadow the observers and work on various research projects. Matthew was excited to join the Convective Storms Group in fall 2008 while pursing his M.S. degree in Atmospheric Sciences. Besides meteorology, Matthew has many interests which include hiking, tennis, golf, bowling and someday traveling the world.
Katherine Rojowsky	Katherine Rojowsky grew up in Brooklyn , NY. Her fascination with the weather was spurred by a chance encounter with lightning when she was young. From then on, Katherine knew she wanted a career in the atmospheric sciences. Katherine's interests led her to enroll at Stony Brook University, where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences in the spring of 2008. During her senior year, Ms. Rojowsky began an ongoing project under the direction of Dr. Brian A. Colle surveying the meteorological conditions associated with New York City storm surge events. Outside the classroom, she has enjoyed internship opportunities at companies such as Weather2000 Inc., Metro Weather Service Inc. and WCBS-TV New York . During her spare moments, Katherine enjoys playing volleyball, fishing and billiards.

last updated 19 August 2008