Prologue: The Beginning

As we all go our separate ways this upcoming summer, I thought it would be a great idea to share our internship/job experiences. The idea came from Matt Rydzik who is currently patrolling the the Midwest in search of tornadoes with the VORTEX2 team. Matt is also keeping a blog that details his exciting five week adventure in the heart of tornado alley, which can be found here. In order to share our exciting/educational experiences with each other and the rest of the world, we decided that modern technology and the blogging revolution was the route to take.

In addition to myself and Matt, Marc Chenard, an intern forecaster for the National Weather Service in State College, PA has also decided to join the party. Marc has an interest in severe weather, and will be providing forecast discussions and helpful forecasting tips at his very own blog. If you have a desire to learn the ins and outs of severe weather forecasting, this will be a great tool.

If anyone else is interested in this summer experience blog party, I urge you to join in!

Finally, after providing a sufficient explanation for this project, the time has come to explain the reason for this blog. In 2008, I was awarded the Hollings Scholarship by NOAA, which includes a summer internship during the summer after Junior year. After taking a look at available internship oppurtunities within NOAA, I chose to intern at the Atmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion Division (ATDD) in Oak Ridge, TN.

For nine weeks, I will be studing the concentration of atmospheric particles (2.5 microns and smaller) along Interstate 40 in Knoxville, TN. Interstate 40 is notorious for its high truck population, reaching almost 10,000 trucks per day. The emissions from these big rigs, in addition to other pollution sources, make Tennessee a high risk area in terms of air quality (Ever hear of the Smoky Mountains?)

2.5 micron particles are important in this study because these are the particles that can enter the lungs and contribute to a number of respiratory illnesses. Don't worry, all of this will be discussed in future discussions.

So, from May 24th to July 24th, I will become a resident of Oak Ridge, TN and study the particulates that may pose a significant threat to our respiratory system.

Not only will this blog detail my experiences, but will also serve as a source of information. There will be many future posts describing the science/physics/fun facts surrounding my experiences.

I hope you enjoy the blog and I look forward to hearing from you.

With a little under two weeks remaining until the start of my internship, what better song to listen to than this famous Tennessee anthem.