Overall, my research looks at applications of climate information in a variety of sectors and natural, managed, and built environments. In my dissertation work, I am looking at the interactions between heavy precipitation events in the Midwestern United States and nitrogen movement in managed agricultural ecosystems. I am looking at this in three primary steps: 1) Statistical characterization of historical trends/variability in precipitation, particularly heavy events, 2) Statistical downscaling/modeling of heavy precipitation, and 3) Implementation of process-based agricultural systems models to evaluate nutrient movement associated with these events. In addition to my dissertation research, I am participating in projects on agricultural applications of weather data in Michigan for fruit growers, human-health impacts associated with climate change/variability, and worked with a variety of federal, tribal, state, and local partners to incorporate climate information into planning processes.
Prior to my return to graduate study in Fall 2016, I worked as a climatologist with NOAA’s Great Lakes Integrated Sciences + Assessments (GLISA) and the University of Michigan Climate Center. My role here focused on the project management of GLISA-funded projects, the incorporation of climate information in GLISA-engagements, climate product generation, and outreach/science communication activities throughout the Great Lakes region in the USA and Canada. I have also worked with NOAA’s High Plains Regional Climate Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where I received my Master’s (Climate Assessments and Impacts) and Bachelor’s (Meteorology-Climatology) degrees.