Contact: Keli Tarp
(405) -366-0451
Cell (405) 203-4839
Keli.Tarp@nssl.noaa.gov

LOCAL STUDENT PARTICIPATES IN
SUMMER RESEARCH PROGRAM

Avon Central School graduate Diana M. Blahyj, a senior meteorology major at the State University of New York College at Brockport, was one of 10 students selected to participate in a summer research program at the Oklahoma Weather Center in Norman, Okla. that ends Aug. 4.

The program pairs undergraduate students with government and university weather researchers for 10 weeks to conduct research on a variety of topics including severe weather, tornadoes, numerical weather prediction models and climatology. In addition, students prepare and present papers reporting the results of their research. Their experience is supplemented by tours, field trips, and lectures, all designed to provide students the opportunity to judge whether or not they want to pursue a future career in research.

The students' mentors, who are leading researchers in the field of meteorology, are from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and University of Oklahoma (OU) organizations that make up the Oklahoma Weather Center, including NOAA's National Severe Storms Laboratory and Storm Prediction Center and OU's Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms.

Blahyj, who is the daughter of Myroslaw and Sharon Blahyj of Avon, is working with SPC Operational Guidance Chief David Imy on a severe weather case study. She is examining tornadoes, hail and wind damage associated with a line of thunderstorms that moved through Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama on March 12, 2001.

"The REU program has been a fantastic experience for me. It's been a great opportunity to see what research in meteorology is really like on a day to day basis," Blahyj said. "I've met a lot of wonderful people. Everyone here has been very kind and helpful, and I know that I've learned more than I could have ever hoped for. It has truly been an experience I will never forget."

Students apply for participation in the Research Experiences for Undergraduate (REU) program, which is funded by the National Science Foundation and the Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms. The 10 participants were chosen from almost 100 applicants in the fields of meteorology, atmospheric science, physics, engineering, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, physical geography and other disciplines.

The aim of the National Science Foundation is to promote and advance scientific and engineering progress in the United States. Projects supported by the national REU program provide opportunities annually for several thousand undergraduate students to participate in active mathematics, science and engineering research experiences.

Information about the following organizations can be found online:
Oklahoma Weather Center 2001 REU program: http://www.caps.ou.edu/CAPS/reu01
National Severe Storms Laboratory: http://www.nssl.noaa.gov
Storm Prediction Center: http://www.spc.noaa.gov
Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms: http://www.caps.ou.edu
Oklahoma Weather Center: http://owc.ou.edu
University of Oklahoma School of Meteorology: http://weather.ou.edu/~som
National Science Foundation: http://www.nsf.gov