Eddie Wolff

I joined the Department of Atmospheric Sciences in Fall 2021 as an M.S. student. Prior to attending the University of Illinois, I earned my undergraduate degree in atmospheric sciences from The Ohio State University where I also minored in mathematics and theatre. While there, I participated in research projects with both the Department of Geography and the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, the latter of which involved installing and maintaining a network of weather sensors across campus to monitor the university's contribution to the urban heat island. I also completed an honors research thesis focusing on the use of GOES satellite data to estimate tornado strength from the size and temperature of overshooting cloud tops. This thesis was a continuation of work that I began through the REU program at the University of Alabama in Huntsville in Summer 2020.

My current research also relies heavily on satellite observations, using this data to analyze processes associated with the formation of quasi-linear convective system (QLCS) tornadoes. This work will continue to expand as part of the PERiLS field campaign taking place in the southeastern US in Spring 2022 and 2023. As part of this campaign, our research group is deploying mobile radars, mobile mesonets, instrumentation pods, and radiosondes to collect data on developing QLCS tornadoes. During the Spring 2022 season, my role involved helping assemble and operate our quickly-deployable C-band radar (COW). This data, along with satellite observations, will be used to develop a more robust understanding of how these storms form and how they can be forecasted more accurately. 

In addition to my research, I'm also involved in several committees both here at UIUC and within the American Meteorological Society including the department's new graduate ambassador program, the Midwest Student Conference on Atmospheric Research (MSCAR) Committee, and the AMS Student Conference Planning Committee.