Shaping the future of weather science: inside Ball State’s meteorology program

Weather is a universal conversation starter, effortlessly breaking the ice or filling silences. Whether discussing a heatwave, a snowstorm, or a sunny break after days of rain, it’s a topic that puts everyone on common ground.

For some, however, a fascination with the weather evolves beyond casual discussion into a lifelong passion—and even a fulfilling career.

“A lot of people in meteorology have had this passion ever since they were young,” said Izzy Collins, a student in Ball State University’s Department of Geography and Meteorology.

Ms. Collins’ fascination with weather began when she watched the Academy Award-winning film Twister. Her interest deepened through her grandfather, who worked at NASA.

“My grandfather would talk about all the cool projects he worked on, especially those related to atmospheric science, which truly sparked my curiosity and fascination for meteorology,” she said.

This early exposure to atmospheric science inspired her to major in meteorology and climatology at Ball State, where she is now preparing for a promising career in the field.

‘A Win-Win for the Community’

The opportunities provided by the Cardinal Weather Service played a key role in Ms. Collins’ decision—and that of many other students—to study at Ball State.

Operating out of the Department of Geography and Meteorology, the Cardinal Weather Service is a group of meteorology and climatology students who provide tailored forecasts for clients and residents across East Central Indiana, including Ball State, Muncie, and the surrounding areas of Delaware County.

What started as an Immersive Learning project in 2016 has grown into a variable credit class, allowing students to earn between one and three credits. That initial project was spearheaded by Dr. Petra Zimmermann, chair of the Department of Geography and Meteorology, and Dr. Nathan Hitchens, ’04 MS ’06, associate professor of geography and meteorology.

Few academic programs offer college credits for forecasting for external clients. This positions Ball State’s program as uniquely hands-on, providing students with valuable experience in the operational side of meteorology and climatology.

“The more often you forecast, the better you get at it,” said Dr. Zimmermann. “It’s not just computer models. You have to bring in your understanding of the area. And this gave our students, and continues to give our students, a chance to practice.”

Perhaps what is even more unique about the Cardinal Weather Service is its commitment to the Muncie community.

Each day, students from the Cardinal Weather Service deliver tailored weather reports to meet the specific needs of their clients, including campus partners such as Ball State Athletics and the Cardinal Greenway, a 62-mile trail stretching from Marion through Muncie to Richmond in East Central Indiana.

“There are a lot of aspects of our campus and our local community that benefit from what we do because we can provide them with forecasts that are more tailored to what they’re looking for,” Dr. Hitchens said. “Sure, you can pull up AccuWeather or something similar on your phone, but those forecasts are broadly focused.”

This experience offers students real-world applications, allowing them to serve the community rather than submitting a sample forecast to a professor for a grade.

“From this experience, students can directly gain some practice in forecasting,” said Dr. Hitchens. “Forecasting isn’t something you get better at just by reading a book, hearing a lecture, or watching a video. You have to do it, and you have to get repetitions in doing it. Only through experience are you going to get better. And this gives an authentic experience.”

“The Cardinal Weather Service is a win-win for the community as well as for the Ball State students, and that’s what we wanted,” Dr. Zimmermann added. “We wanted to give them not just practice in forecasting but also a way of really learning what it’s going to be like when they are actually out in the workforce. You’re getting your real-life experience here.”

This type of experience has helped transform Ms. Collins and other students in the department.

“The welcoming environment within the department really helped me start to grow as an individual. I cannot be grateful enough for this opportunity,” she said. “With the Cardinal Weather Service as a great resume builder, in addition to other opportunities here, such as the storm-chasing trip, Ball State has helped me set myself apart from others.”

Commitment to Growth

As part of the nearly $60 million renovation to the Cooper Science Building, the Department of Geography and Meteorology underwent significant upgrades to enrich the educational experience for meteorology students.

The department added a lightning detector and a Davis Weather Station, both installed as part of planned improvements to the program. A Davis Weather Station critically evaluates the sky to provide scientific-grade precision and accuracy for forecasts. Additionally, a new camera, suggested by 2018 Ball State graduate and broadcast meteorologist Ethan Rosuck, is being integrated into FOX59’s network of cameras, with assistance from the University’s IT team.

Students in the Cardinal Weather Service were also given a significant gathering space on the first floor of the upgraded building, nearly four times larger than their previous location on the fourth floor. The enhanced space includes state-of-the-art monitors and a large recording studio for students to practice their broadcasting skills.

The new space has already been put to good use.

“We use this space to create fun and engaging videos for the kids at the local preschool we forecast for, offering a more unique experience than a standard email,” Ms. Collins said.

The space also helps students improve their soft skills, such as effective communication, critical thinking, and teamwork.

“With the National Weather Service, one of their tenets is to protect life and property,” said Dr. Zimmermann. “Professionals in this field must be able to convey critical information, whether working in emergency management, homeland security, or for a private firm. They will be working with others and can learn how to do that here.”

Impacting Lives Across the Country

Graduates who have studied meteorology and climatology at Ball State have found jobs in commercial and government sectors. Many alumni from the Department of Geography and Meteorology have landed jobs with radio and television stations, state emergency management agencies, and private forecasting companies in the United States and Canada.

If you’ve seen a weather alert come across your television or computer screens, there’s a good chance it originated from the desk of a Ball State alum. These alerts have a wide-ranging impact, from helping us decide whether we need a jacket or an umbrella to notifying people of potentially severe weather.

Bryan Smith, ’05 MS ’07, is a lead forecaster at the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., under the umbrella of the National Weather Service (NWS). There, he specializes in forecasting tornadoes and severe thunderstorms, and is one of five people in the NWS that routinely issues tornado watches and severe thunderstorm watches for the contiguous United States.

A two-time graduate of Ball State’s Department of Geography and Meteorology, Mr. Smith holds a unique role with significant impact across the country. He develops daily severe weather outlooks by combining short-term weather model data with his expertise in real-time radar, satellite imagery, and surface and upper-air observations. These outlooks are regularly featured during weather segments on both national and local TV news broadcasts.

“When I click the ‘send’ button at my computer workstation, the tornado watch that I created is issued and is disseminated publicly for media outlets to pick that information up, and then you’ll often see a scroll of a list of counties affected or a map of the area included in the watch on local television outlets, like FOX59 or WISH-TV, for example,” he said.

“We aren’t perfect,” Mr. Smith added. “We don’t have complete knowledge of how the atmosphere behaves, but we have a pretty good idea in most cases. It’s remarkable how severe weather forecasting and understanding have improved over the last 75 years. That’s pretty neat, as big tornado outbreaks are forecast fairly well in advance in almost all instances.”

Mr. Smith started with NWS after being selected as one of 12 students for the University of Oklahoma’s prestigious Research Experience for Undergraduates program in 2005. He attributes this achievement to his completion of a unique, tornado-focused project during his time at Ball State.

During his internship, he built strong professional relationships and refined his skills, which helped him secure a position after earning his master’s degree in meteorology. In 2018, he was a co-recipient of the National Weather Service’s highest honor, the Isaac Cline National Award, for developing a database that supports real-time tornado intensity forecasts. In 2021, he received the American Meteorological Society’s Exceptional Specific Prediction Award for accurately predicting an EF4 tornadic thunderstorm with a long lead time, an achievement credited with saving lives.

Mr. Smith shares the pride of many Ball State alumni from the Department of Geography and Meteorology who have achieved their dream jobs in a field that sparks conversations across the country.

“My Ball State experience was pretty instrumental in terms of providing that launchpad to getting to where I’m at now,” he said.