Meet the Scholars
Chandler Pruett he/him
Hometown: Waxhaw, NCMajor: Meteorology & Statistics
Minor: Physics
Career Goals: My goal is to earn a PhD, join NOAA as a hurricane hunter, and then spend my late career years as a professor.
Research_interests: Severe Weather, Tropical Meteorology and Hazard Communication, Tropical cyclones and data assimilation. Through UROP, Chandler researched fractional dimensions relating to meteorology equations. In the Summer of 2023, he studied how sea level rise is impacting the amount of rain necessary for coastal flooding. Research was done externally and not under the supervision of a particular person. Chandler also completed an Honor's Thesis titled Climatology of Tropical Cyclone Reconnaissance Missions and Implications: When forecasting changes in Atlantic tropical cyclones, data availability is often a limiting factor due to the lack of observing systems in the Atlantic Ocean. Consequently, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Air Force Reserves conduct flight missions to collect crucial information, such as wind speeds, to capture characteristics of tropical systems and aid models in forecast initialization. This study presented a comprehensive analysis of six years of reconnaissance flight missions to understand the observed structure of tropical cyclones. Utilizing a dataset of stepped frequency microwave radiometer observations, the analysis first cataloged the average frequencies of observations in specific windspeed intervals, as determined by the intensity of the tropical cyclones. Subsequently, the study chronologically evaluated the success rates of potential intersections of the gale-force wind threshold (GF-PIs), demonstrating that earlier GF-PIs are the most successful. The study also analyzed the statistical relationship between the number of successful GF-PIs and the peak wind speeds of the tropical cyclones. Although weak, the statistically significant inverse relationship indicates that reconnaissance missions more frequently fail to detect the gale-force wind extent in stronger hurricanes.
Community Involvement: RMS Meteorological Analyst, FSU Weather, FSU Navigators, FSU Hiking Club, FSU Climbing Club, North Florida Chapter of American Meteorological Society / National Weather Association, Cajun Navy, Unconquered by Debt, Second Harvest Food Bank.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Red Rising Saga
Favorite Meal: Teriyaki Salmon