JEFFERSON CITY STUDENT PARTICIPATES IN SUMMER RESEARCH PROGRAM

Webster Groves High School graduate Allen L. Logan, a junior physics major at Lincoln University at Jefferson City, Mo., was selected to participate in a summer research program at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla.

The summer internship program pairs undergraduate students with government weather researchers and forecasters 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 from groups who are under-represented in NOAA’s mission-related scientific occupations the opportunity to judge whether or not they want to pursue a career in the National Weather Service.

Students apply for participation in the program through the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE). Funding is provided by NOAA through an interagency agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy.

Logan, who is the son of Ava H. Logan and Allen L. Logan Sr. of St. Louis, Mo., worked with David Imy and Steve Corfidi on a project which involves researching ways to better forecast the development of derechoes, widespread and usually fast-moving windstorms associated with convection.

“I am having a great time and learning plenty of new things everyday,” Logan said.

NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center provides timely and accurate forecasts and watches for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes over the contiguous United States. The SPC also monitors heavy rain, heavy snow, and fire weather events across the U.S. and issues specific products for those hazards, using the most advanced technology and scientific methods available.

The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education is a Department of Energy facility managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities. With a diverse array of complementary, and often unique, programs, ORISE is a resource for science education programs; research and training in workforce health, safety, and security; emergency preparedness and response; radiological site characterization and cleanup verification; technical training systems; and integrated scientific and technical expertise.

On the Web:

Storm Prediction Center: http://www.spc.noaa.gov

ORISE program: http://www.orau.gov/orise.htm