Warner Internship for Scientific Enrichment (WISE)

Contents

About

WISE Graduate Student Internship: Science in Service to Society

In memory of Professor Tom Warner, the Research Applications Laboratory and Advanced Study Program of NCAR have created a new graduate student visitor opportunity. Combining research and service to society, in the spirit of the Professor's approach to science, the Warner Internship for Scientific Enrichment (WISE) offers graduate students opportunities to engage in direct exposure to a broad range of atmospheric research applications and impacts enhancing the student's appreciation for the role of science in service to society.

WISE honors Dr. Warner's personal commitment to the education and mentoring of students and professionals in the atmospheric sciences by providing support to graduate student education and outreach. WISE internships are funded through donations and the first WISE internships were awarded in 2012.

The NCAR Graduate Student Visitor Program (GVP) brings graduate students to the various labs within NCAR for 3-12 month collaborative visits and provides students with travel support and a monthly living per diem. Applicants to the GVP develop a research plan with the assistance of their advisors and NCAR hosts that will contribute to and enhance the student's Ph.D. Thesis.

Who is eligible?
Any GVP student visitor (visiting any of NCAR’s labs).

What does this internship provide?
Selected WISE candidates receive a stipend of $2500 to support their visit and/or achieve their defined plan. This financial support is in addition to the financial support provided by the GVP.

How to apply?
WISE candidates are selected on the applicant's ability to define a two-week plan that promotes service mindfulness through education and outreach, diversity and inclusion, and/or technology transfer activities. This plan is in addition to any of the GVP application requirements.
Visit the ASP Graduate Student Visitor Program webpage to complete an application and the additional information needed for the WISE internship.

What are selected WISE candidates expected to do?
WISE candidates will be expected to:

  • Visit with leaders in RAL to learn about research applications in atmospheric science
  • Perform activities from the proposed two-week plan
  • At the end of the internship, give an informal presentation to RAL leaders summarizing completed activities

Dr. Thomas T. Warner

 

Internship Honors Tom Warner through Service to Others

Dr. Thomas T. Warner, August 3, 1943 - May 30, 2011

Tom Warner held a Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University in meteorology and began working at NCAR in 1995. He specialized in numerical modeling of mesoscale atmospheric phenomena, regional climate modeling, mesoscale dynamics, data assimilation, marine meteorology, and desert meteorology. He served as science manager for RAL’s National Security Applications Program and was the author of two textbooks used by universities around the world: Numerical Weather and Climate Prediction and Desert Meteorology. He was also a professor in CU-Boulder’s Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the selection criteria for the WISE candidate?

WISE candidates will be selected based on the applicant's strength to clearly define a two-week plan that promotes service mindfulness through education and outreach, diversity and inclusion, and/or technology transfer activities. Examples of these activities are:

  • Guest lectures at HBCU, Hispanic, or Native American schools
  • Volunteer work with local high schools with high percentages of underrepresented populations
  • Mentor a minority status undergraduate student through the application process into a graduate school program
  • Participate in or lead an outreach activity in the local community, at a university, or at a conference
  • Shadow a RAL scientist working on an applied science project with technology transfer and develop a technology transfer plan for their graduate research

What are the expectations of the selected WISE candidate?

WISE candidates will be expected to:

  • Visit with leaders in RAL to learn about research applications in atmospheric science
  • Perform activities from the proposed two-week plan
  • At the end of the internship, give an informal presentation to RAL leaders summarizing completed activities

How many WISE visitors are selected each year?

At least one qualified applicant per year will be selected for the WISE internship.

What does the $2,500 include and how are we allowed to spend it?

The WISE internship funds are your budget to be used to support your visit and achieve your goals.  For example, these funds could be used to support your attendance at a relevant conference, build an exhibit for an outreach event, and/or supplement your temporary living per diem to support your visit.

Is the WISE internship considered the Graduate student's project for the GVP?

No.  The WISE internship is in addition to the requirements of the Graduate Student Visitor Program for WISE candidates that apply through the GVP at NCAR.

Is the WISE internship restricted to RAL Graduate student visitors only?

No. The WISE internship is open to all Graduate Student Visitor Program applicants.

How do I apply?

Visit the ASP Graduate Student Visitor Program webpage to complete an application and the additional information needed for the WISE internship.

Do the two weeks of planned activities have to take place at NCAR?

The two weeks of activities should partly take place at NCAR, especially if the internship funding is to be spent to extend the visit at NCAR, but some of the activities can take place off site (i.e. at a relevant conference, at your home institution, at a local school in the Boulder area or in your home institution's local area, etc). If the internship funding is going to support travel to a conference, then some of the activities could take place at the conference.

Either way, using time while at NCAR to develop (materials for) activities and/or to utilize expertise at NCAR to guide the activities would be good and then some culmination of the activities can take place off site.

When should the two weeks of activities take place?

Timing for the two-week plan is flexible. Some applicants propose the two weeks all at once appended to the GVP visit, but the two weeks of activities can also be spread out across the full duration of the visit too (for 10 total days). Propose what makes the most sense for the proposed activities and the duration of the visit.

Current and Past Interns

Current Intern

Shima Bahramvash Shams

Washington State University 

May 1, 2019 – April 30, 2020

Host: Jim Hannigan – ACOM

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shima-shams/

WISE project topic: Improving Climate Change Communication, social science study of a sensitive topic.

Past Interns

Arianna Valmassoi, University College Dublin

Arianna Valmassoi

University College Dublin

May 4, 2018 – November 11, 2018

Host:Jimy Dudhia – MMM

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Arianna_Valmassoi

WISE project topic: Exploring education, outreach, advocacy, and applications for climate science

Elena Tomasi, University of Trento - Italy

Elena Tomasi

University of Trento - Italy

March 3, 2017 – September 1, 2017

Host: Branko Kosovic – RAL/WSAP

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Elena_Tomasi

WISE project topic: Science workshops for K-12 girls

WISE Presentation

Dimitris Herrera

Dimitris Herrera Hernandez

Cornell University

June 1, 2017 – August 9, 2017

Host: Dr. John Fasullo – CGD

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Dimitris_Herrera

WISE project topic: Making drought information available 

to farmers in the Caribbean

WISE Presentation

Laura Clemente-Harding

Laura Clemente-Harding

Pennsylvania State University

February 21, 2017 - July 27, 2017

Host: SueEllen Haupt – RAL/WSAP

http://geoinf.psu.edu/people.shtml

WISE project topic: Educational material on the

Analog Ensemble technique for University-level students

WISE Presentation

Seminar

Printed material

 

Annareli Morales

University of Michigan

May 8, 2016 – August 21, 2016 

Host:  Hugh Morrison – MMM 

http://clasp.engin.umich.edu/people/annareli/GSTUDENT

WISE Presentation

Jennifer Henderson

Virginia Tech

October 1, 2014 – August 1, 2015 

Host:  Rebecca Moors – NESL 

http://www.sts.vt.edu/students/jenhenderson/

WISE Presentation

Christopher Nunalee

North Carolina State University

September 2 – December 20, 2013 

Host:  Branko Kosovic – NSAP/RAL 

Nunalee WISE Seminar, December 2013

"The Offshore Wind Energy Environment in the USA," NCAR Fellows News, December 2013.

Samantha Tushaus

University of Michigan

June 2 – August 31, 2013

Hosts:  Rich Rotunno - MMM/NESL, Luca Delle Monache – NSAP/RAL

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~ssanteiu/

Internship Overview

Contact

Please direct questions/comments about this page to:

ASP Coordinator

Paula Fisher

email

Sarah Tessendorf