For the group’s first official post, I am thrilled to welcome the first students of the group – Emily Luschen (left) and Theresa Lincheck (right) – who will begin graduate research this coming fall on cloud–radiation feedback in the tropics.

Emily completed her B.S. here in OU’s School of Meteorology, so is already right at home here. She conducted capstone and honors research projects related to midlatitude hailstorms and lightning, and is now completing an REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) sponsored by NSF at Colorado State University, where she’s gaining experience working with satellite remote sensing data.

Theresa is coming to OU from Cleveland State University, where she completed both a B.S. in physics and a B.M. (Music Performance), as a virtuoso with the clarinet. Although Theresa comes from physics, she has always had a passion for atmospheric science. She got to pursue this passion through an REU here at OU in the summer of 2020 using observational data to examine arctic boundary layer behavior.

Both Emily and Theresa are ambitious and excited for their next steps in research, which will involve examining the nature and role of cloud–radiation feedback in the context of tropical dynamics. I’m thrilled to have them as part of the team!

—James