Travis Ashby, a climatology programmer with the Midwestern Regional Climate Center at the Illinois State Water Survey, recently answered a few questions about his career.
Tell us a little bit about yourself, what you do, and your research!
I grew up in Tucson, Arizona and after high school, I attended the University of California at Los Angeles and the University of Arizona as a mathematics and physics double major. I earned my graduate degree in atmospheric science at Colorado State University. My M.S. degree investigated the effects of soil moisture on the preconditioning of the convective environment – specifically for the 1997 flash flood-producing storm in Fort Collins, Colorado. In this, I found that the partitioning of solar energy into latent and sensible heat fluxes had a physical link to the dynamical behavior of a thunderstorm cold pool and influenced the propagation speed of the convective storm. Beyond my M.S. I also investigated the role of boundary layer thermodynamics properties on supercell cold pool dynamics, the influence of aerosols on tropical cyclone microphysics and dynamics, and the use of numerical weather prediction models on Probable Maximum Precipitation estimation.
What drew you to your particular area of study?
I had never been much of an applied physics person but instead gravitated to theory; however, it always bothered me that despite my everyday life being governed by weather and other atmospheric processes, I could not even begin to explain how or why the atmosphere behaved the way it did. It was at this point that I took a serious interest in the physics of the atmosphere and pursued a graduate degree in atmospheric science at Colorado State University. My M.S. degree investigated the effects of soil moisture on the preconditioning of the convective environment – specifically for the 1997 flash flood-producing storm in Fort Collins, Colorado. In this, I found that the partitioning of solar energy into latent and sensible heat fluxes had a physical link to the dynamical behavior of a thunderstorm cold pool and influenced the propagation speed of the convective storm. Beyond my M.S. I also investigated the role of boundary layer thermodynamics properties on supercell cold pool dynamics, the influence of aerosols on tropical cyclone microphysics and dynamics, and the use of numerical weather prediction models on Probable Maximum Precipitation estimation.
What do you love about being a Climatology Programmer?
One of the things I like about the Climatology Programmer position is the variety of languages and tools used to accomplish a scientific goal. In my previous experience in numerical modeling, there was typically only one primary language used along with one or two visualization programs. Here at MRCC I see and work with a wider range of both programming and visualization tools, all of which are valuable components in a modeler’s arsenal.
What has been one of your most exciting moments at work – especially during a pandemic?
Hands down, the most ‘exciting’ aspect of this experience thus far was relocating to Champaign in the middle of a pandemic. My wife and I arrived here to a state and workplace that was shut down and the travel was one episode of sanitizing after another. It was nice to arrive and know that we would not have to be traveling again anytime soon.
What advice would you give to those just starting out in your field?
As far as advice for those entering the field of atmospheric science (to which I can speak directly), never neglect or take shortcuts when it comes to understanding and mastering the fields of mathematics and physics. Those two fields by themselves can take you very far, and in atmospheric science, not being fluent in math and physics can be a serious handicap. Lastly, a natural interest in computing and programming is a must. These days one would be challenged to find any activity in this field that doesn’t involve computing, and if one does find such an activity it won’t be long before you’ll be asked to automate it through code development.
