National Weather Association

NWA Scholarships Awarded

NWA SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED

2009

Elizabeth J. Thompson Awarded the Arthur C. Pike Scholarship in Meteorology

Elizabeth Thompson of Norman, Oklahoma, and a senior at Valparaiso University in Indiana, is awarded the Arthur C. Pike Scholarship in Meteorology.

Elizabeth is an outstanding student who excels both inside and outside of the classroom. Her GPA is a powerful 3.986 and she has been recognized for academic excellence on numerous occasions. This included being the First Place winner of the NWA Annual Meeting Undergraduate Student Poster Presentation Contest held at the 2008 meeting in Louisville, KY. Of special note is that she was awarded a NOAA Hollings Scholarship in 2008.

Her professors speak very highly of her, noting her strong work ethic, great attitude and maturity. Elizabeth seeks out additional responsibilities and professional experiences.

She has served as a volunteer at the Baltimore-Washington NWS Forecast office and participated as an undergraduate in an inter-disciplinary air-quality research project. She is an active member of several organizations including excelling on the university swim team.

Perhaps the best observation of her abilities and performance is summed up in a letter of recommendation received from a Valparaiso meteorology professor. He states, "Elizabeth is one of the most talented students we have ever had in our program."

The NWA Education Committee received 14 applications from outstanding students from across the country for this annual scholarship award. Best Wishes to all individuals who applied! Congratulations again to Elizabeth Thompson!

Vanessa M. Vincente Awarded the David Sankey Minority Scholarship in Meteorology

Vanessa Vincente of Chicago, Illinois, and a junior at Valparaiso University in Indiana is awarded the David Sankey Minority Scholarship in Meteorology. Vanessa has excelled in a wide variety of endeavors including academics, leadership and initiative. Not satisfied to just excel in the classroom, she has actively searched for activities which not only helped her education but also helped others, both in and out of the classroom. Vanessa has been awarded numerous awards and scholarships including nomination to serve as an observer and future undergraduate student representative for the AMS Board on Outreach and Pre-College Education.

She strives to attend additional university lectures and conferences. She is a volunteer for an environmental organization teaching grade-school students about snow. She is a CoCoRaHS observer and actively involved in the student chapter of the AMS and NWA.

She values leadership and teamwork which has been recognized by her professors. Her well rounded approach to college life is preparing her well for a very successful career in the science after graduation.

The NWA Education Committee received four applications from outstanding students from across the country for this annual scholarship award. Best Wishes to all individuals who applied! Congratulations again to Vanessa Vincente!

Lindsey R. Day Awarded the Dr. Roderick A. Scofield Scholarship in Meteorology

Lindsey R. Day of Sanford, Florida, and a junior at Florida State University is awarded the Dr. Roderick A. Scofield Scholarship in Meteorology.

Lindsey is an outstanding student who was acknowledged by the faculty as the best student in her sophomore meteorology class. A 4.0 student, she strives to excel in her studies. She also has been awarded numerous FSU honors for outstanding student performance.

She is focused in her interest in the science of meteorology wishing to concentrate on improving tropical cyclone forecasting, especially in the realm of storm intensity forecasting.

Lindsey is far from being a one-faceted student. She has served as a resident assistant in a university dormitory where she has excelled as a leader. The position required attention to detail, a compassionate and caring personality and the ability to juggle multiple projects while supervising 38 students in the residence hall. Additionally, she has sought out additional professional experiences in the meteorology department by volunteering to produce a university television weather show, participating in forecasting competitions, and accepting an invitation from one of her professors to participate as an undergraduate in a meteorological research project.

The NWA Education Committee received 21 applications from outstanding students from across the country for this annual scholarship award. Best Wishes to all individuals who applied! Congratulations again to Lindsey Day!

Richard L. Scott Awarded the First Annual NWA Broadcast Meteorology Scholarship

Richard Scott of Linden, Alabama, was awarded the first annual NWA Broadcast Meteorology Scholarship. Richard is a senior at Mississippi State University and has aspired to become a broadcast meteorologist from a very early age. While in high school, he realized that he could become an on-air meteorologist through a college degree in meteorology. He reached out to experienced on-air meteorologists for advice including James Spann of ABC 33/40 in Birmingham, Alabama.

After graduating from high school, Richard approached Chief Meteorologist Wes Wyatt at WVUA-TV in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and was rewarded with an opportunity to learn the behind the scenes aspects of broadcasting at the station. Based on his talents, he then was offered the opportunity to become the weekend weather anchor. While attending Mississippi State University, Richard drives the 80 miles to Tuscaloosa each weekend to anchor the weather broadcasts.

The NWA Education Committee received five applications from outstanding students from across the country for this first annual broadcast meteorology scholarship award. Best Wishes to all individuals who applied! Congratulations again to Richard Scott!

Joseph M. Battalio Awarded the AccuWeather, Inc., Undergraduate Scholarship in Meteorology

Joseph Battalio of Vicksburg, Mississippi, and a senior at Mississippi State University is awarded the AccuWeather Inc., Undergraduate Scholarship in Meteorology.

Joseph is a talented, double major student at Mississippi State. He entered college with a great fascination for physics in which he decided to major. However, he also had a great interest in meteorology so he decided to major in both! He has earned a remarkable GPA of 3.98 in his college studies. His academic talents have earned him numerous awards, honors and scholarships. He has received high recommendations from the faculty. One described Joseph in the following way: "In my ten-years at MSU, there has not been a better student in the classroom."

Joseph was selected as one of the few undergraduates involved in a normally graduate-only seminar in Advanced Computer Applications in Meteorology. This as a result of his striving to conduct research in computer modeling, concentrating on ways to improve the visualization of model output using three-dimensional surfaces instead of the standard two-dimensions.

The NWA Education Committee received 28 applications from outstanding students from across the country for this annual scholarship award. Best Wishes to all individuals who applied! Congratulations again to Joseph Battalio!