Department of Atmospheric Sciences Undergraduate Research Projects

The Department of Atmospheric Sciences offers undergraduate research for credit (ATM488). If you are interested in undergraduate research talk to any of the departmental faculty about your atmospheric sciences research interests and we will try to find an adviser for you. Currently we offer undergraduate research themes in climate, lidar, remote sensing, aeronomy, micrometeorology and air quality research.

Typically undergraduates in DAS do their research within the framework of a faculty's research group, i.e. you will be a member of a research team consisting of graduate students, the faculty and you and also learn teamwork.

PUBLICATIONS co-authored by undergraduates (BOLD)

Beres, J., Prakash, A., Gens, R., Mölders, N., 2009. Comparison of WRF model outputs and MODIS image products for cloud presence: a case study. ARSC REU summer intern report, 22pp.

Bhatt U.S., J. Zhang, W. V. Tangborn, C. S. Lingle, and L. Phillips, 2007.  Examining Glacier Mass Balances with Hierarchical Modeling Approach, Computing in Science and Engineering, 9 (2), 61-67

Cherry, A., Molders, N., 2003. Evaluation of the inclusion of soil frost in MM5. REU report for NSF-REU program at GI, http://www.gi.alaska.edu/~molders/Progress4.pdf

Collins, R.L., M.C. Kelley, M.J. Nicolis, C. Ramos, T. Bou, T.E. Stern, K. Mizutani and T. 2003. Itabe, Simultaneous Lidar Observations of a Noctilucent Cloud and an Internal Wave in the Polar Mesosphere, J Geophys. Res., l08D8, 8435.

Fortun, T., Mölders, N., 2009. Investigations on the sensitivity of predicted air quality to the uncertainty in anthropogenic emissions. ARSC REU summer intern report, 18pp.

Hou, T., T.E. Stern, J. Breese, M.A. Peshave, and R.L. Collins, 2002. Experimental analysis of iron Boltzmann technique for lidar studies of the middle atmosphere, Lidar Remote Sensing in Atmospheric and Earth Sciences, Reviewed and revised papers presented at the twenty-first International Laser Radar Conference (ILRC), Quebec, Canada, 8-12 July, 477-479.

Mölders, N., Luijting, H., Sassen, K., 2008. Use of Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program data from Barrow, Alaska, for evaluation and development of snow albedo parameterizations. Meteor. Atmos. Phys. 99: 199-219.

Molders, N., Olson, M., 2002. Investigations on the impacts of urban aerosol release and heat island effect on downwind precipitation in high latitudes. ASARI breweries environment report 2001,143-149.

Molders, N., Olson, M.A., 2004. Impact of urban effects on precipitation in high-latitudes.   J. Hydrometeor. 5,409-429.

PaiMazumder, D., Henderson, D., Mölders, N., 2010: Comparison of Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model simulations with NCEP/NCAR-reanalysis, ISCCP, GPCC and CMC data over Siberia. Meteorol. Atmos. Phys. (submitted)

Prochaska, L.,  Molders, N., 2002. Uncertainty analysis of quantities predicted by OSU land surface model. REU-report for NSF-REU program at GI in summer 2002, http://www.gi.alaska.edu/~molders/leslie.pdf.

Rulo, A., Molders, N., 2002. Uncertainty analysis on quantities predicted by the hydro thermodynamic soil vegetation scheme (HTSVS). REU-report for NSF-REU program at GI in summer 2002, http://www.gi.alaska.edu/~molders/rulopaper.pdf

Spier, P., Molders, N., 2003. Evaluation of HTSVS using ATLAS data. REU-report for NSF-REU program at GI, http://www.gi.alaska.edu/~molders/Progress5.pdf.

Yanchilina, A.G., Mölders, N., 2006. Snow Parameter Caused Uncertainty of Predicted Snow Metamorphism Processes. REU-report for NSF-REU program at GI, 35 pp.


Past Undergraduate research Projects

Undergraduate student

Subject of research, student’s major, & home institute

Year

Mentor
Kelcy Brunner
Air pollution in the Fairbanks nonattainment area
Applied Physics
Fall 2010
N.Mölders
Irene Holak
Greening of the Arctic
Physics
Fall 2010
U.Bhatt
Kelcy Brunner
WRF/Chem Simulations Over Fairbanks, AK:  Stability and PM2.5 Concentration Correlation Analysis
Applied Physics
Summer 2010
N.Mölders
Stanley Edwin
Mixing Length Functions for Diabatic Stratification
Mathematics
Summer 2010
G.Kramm
Arseniy Sheydvasser
Theoretical Considerations on the Wind Profile for Strongly Stable Stratification
Atmospheric Sciences
Summer 2010
G.Kramm
Joseph Woznicki
Optical, Microphysical, and Chemical Properties of Aerosols during VOCALS-REx
Atmospheric Sciences, Purdue University
Summer 2010
J.Fochesatto
Jilmarie Stephens
Transitions in the Boundary Layer, Looking at Sensible Heat Flux
Atmospheric Science, University of California at Davis
Summer 2010
J.Fochesatto
Kyle Imhoff
Lidar Analysis of Stratocumulus Cloud Dynamics – VOCALS-Rex Campaign
Atmospheric Sciences
Summer 2010
J.Fochesatto
Kelcy Brunner
Assessment of potential sites for wind energy generation in the Fairbanks North Star Borough
Applied physics
Spring 2010
N.Mölders
Brys Sepulveda
Arctic vegetation greening explored with Google Earth
Computer Science, College of Charleston
Summer 2009
U.Bhatt
Todd Fortun
Sensitivity studies on the impact of uncertainty in anthropogenic emissions on simulated atmospheric concentrations
Atmospheric Sciences, St. Cloud University
Summer 2009
N.Mölders
Trevor Thomas
Radiative forcing of Smoke plumes in the Arctic Boundary Layer
University of Southern California
2009
J.Fochesatto
Jessica Beres
Compare WRF simulated cloudiness to cloudiness derived from MODIS data
Geography , Marshall University
Summer 2009
N. Mölders,
A. Prakash
Todd Fortun
Investigations on the uncertainty in emission allocation functions on simulated concentrations
St. Cloud University, Atmospheric Sciences
Summer 2009
N. Mölders
Matthew Itomlenskis
Instrumentation design analysis using CFD
Cleveland State University
2009
D. Atkinson,
J. Cherry
Brita Irving
Lidar studies of the atmosphere
UAF, Physics
2009
R. Collins
Katherine Horst
Social Vulnerability to Climate Change in Alaskan Coastal Communities
University of Wisconsin
Summer 2008
D. Atkinson
Brita Irving
Lidar studies of the atmosphere
UAF, Physics
2008
R.Collins
Marice Uy
Mesoscale Modeling of Smoke Events in the Arctic Summer
Smith College,
Environmental Engineering
Summer 2007
J.Fochesatto
Brian Marsh
The Polarization Signature of Arctic Fog During the Polar Sunrise
CUNY at Buffalo, Physics
Summer 2008
J. Fochesatto
David Henderson
Comparison of Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model Simulations with NCEP/NCAS reanalysis
Penn State, Meteorology
Summer 2007
N.Mölders
Heather Quantz
Analyzing Differential Polarization Lidar Measurements
Austin College, Physics
Summer 2007
J.Fochesatto
Anastasia Gennady Yanchilina
Uncertainty in snow parameters and their impact of simulated snow conditions
University of Nebraska, Atmospheric Sciences
Summer 2006
N. Mölders
Stacy Schmidt
Design of an Aerodynamics Lens Using Fluent CFD
University of Wisconsin Madison
Summer 2006
J.Fochesatto
 
Lisa Phillips
Dynamical Downscaling of Temperature and Precipitation over Alaska
St. Cloud University
2005
U.Bhatt
Yulchiro Umekawa
Does El Niño Impact Arctic Sea Ice?
Tohoku University
2005
U. Bhatt
Emily Rehmeyer
Worked on producing a 3-D graphics and a movie of climate model output
Computer Science
2004
U.Bhatt
Tim Morgan
Worked on producing a 3-D graphics and a movie of climate model output and wrote a GUI interface to convert the model data to a  format that was easily ingestible by the graphics package
Computer Science
2004
U.Bhatt
Matthew Titus
 
UAF, Electrical and Computer Engineering
2004
R.Collins
Jason McDonald
Lidar studies of aerosols
UAF,  Physics
2005
R.Collins
Jason McDonald
Eye-Safe Lidar Measurements
UAF, Physics
2005
J. Fochesatto
Timothy Stern
Noctilucent Clouds
UAF, Physics
2001-2005
R. Collins
Pamela Spier
Arctic Region Evaluation of the Hydro-Thermodynamic Soil Vegetation Scheme (HTSVS)
Cornell University, Atmospheric Science
2003
N. Mölders
Anne Cherry
Evaluation of MM5 Simulations with HTSVS with and Without Inclusion of Soil-Frost Parameterization
University of Iowa, Physics
2003
N.Mölders
Amy Rulo
Uncertainty Analysis on the Soil Physical and Plant Physiological Parameters Used in HTSVS
University of Colorado at Denver, Mathematics
2002
N.Mölders
Leslie Prochaska
Uncertainty Analysis on the Soil Physical and Plant Physiological Parameters Used in OSULSM
University of North Texas, Physics
2002
N. Mölders
Mark Olson
Performed 16 simulations with a mesoscale meteorological model and analyzed them by ANOVA techniques
UAF
2001-2002
N.Mölders