As the summer wraps up and preparations for another fall semester begin, I am thrilled to share some exciting news! My proposal for the Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology (NASA FINNEST) has been selected for funding, which take me through the remainder of my PhD program at UConn. The proposal, entitled “Refinement of Snow Microphysics and Density Forecasting Using GPM Ground Validation Observations and NU-WRF,” focuses on enhancing NASA’s regional modeling capabilities using the Weather Research Forceasting Model (WRF) for mid-latitude snow storms. The project will combine high resolution WRF simulations with NASA’s wide array of ground validation instruments, including their deployment at UConn, to evaluate how snow and its microphysical properties are resolved and forecasted in WRF. The final research component looks at improve our forecasting of the density of falling snow through physical processes that come directly from WRF output.

Thank you to both my advisors, Diego Cerrai and Marina Astitha, for their continued support and guidance of this proposal. I am looking forward to continue my work on this project and being a part of the NASA Earth Early Career Research team!

You can view the full abstract on NASA’s website, along with all the other selected proposals.