Where are you from?

I’m originally from a small town in north Georgia, USA called Jasper.

What do you do?

I work for NOAA and serve as the GOES-R Program Scientist. My job is to help lead and manage science projects where scientists seek new and innovative ways to take data from GOES-R satellites and use it to help better society in some way. An example is using satellite data to improve the forecasts for hurricanes.

How do you use GLOBE Observer?

I recently learned about GLOBE Observer and hope to utilize its potential to improve the understanding of satellite cloud observations.

How do you plan on using GLOBE Observer in the future?

I would use ground-based observations collected by GLOBE Observer to understand certain cloud features as observed by geostationary satellites. For example, it would be interesting to compare GLOBE Observer Observations of cloud streets feeding into the inflow portion of a supercell thunderstorm to the view from GOES-16.

What advice do you have for people just getting into citizen science?

Participating in programs like GLOBE Observer can be lots of fun. Not only is it enjoyable to take observations and report them via the app, but knowing the observations you’re making are contributing to science should definitely encourage you!

What do you like to do for fun?

I enjoy playing volleyball and downhill skiing.

What inspires you?

I love being involved in science. I’m particularly inspired by young scientists (or future scientists) who have great innovative new ideas and skill sets that can be used to explore and solve problems, both new and old.