OU SCAN

August 2019

• August 19: First Day of Classes
• August 29: OWL/SCAN Joint Meeting (NWC 1313 @ 6:30 pm)
  • Freshman and Graduate Representative elections

September 2019

• September 10: General Meeting
• September 14: OU@UCLA Watch Party at O’Connell’s

October 2019

• October 8: General Meeting
• October 15 or 17: October Social
• October 26: National Weather Festival

November 2019

• November 19: General Meeting
• November 21: Social Event
• Date TBD: Senior Graduate School Applications Workshop

December 2019

• December Social Event

WHAT IS OU SCAN?

OU SCAN is an independent student-run organization at the University of Oklahoma. The purpose of this organization is to provide educational, professional, social, and service opportunities for University of Oklahoma students interested in meteorology. It is also meant to provide community awareness regarding weather. Monthly meetings will be held during the semester on the second Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. At these meetings students will hear from a speaker from the meteorological community, as well as go over details for upcoming events, whether they be social or service events.

LEADERSHIP

Tyler Stanfield is a senior meteorology student at the University of Oklahoma. Originally from Austin, Texas, he knew that he wanted to pursue meteorology by the time he was 10 years old when he became deeply interested in hurricanes. This interest brought him to OU where he intends on receiving his bachelor’s degree as well as minors in Mathematics and GIS. In addition to his OU SCAN duties, Tyler also enjoys participating in the collegiate weather forecasting competition, also known as WxChallenge, every year to help refine his forecasting skills. In his free time, Tyler enjoys tracking storms, watching sports, working out, and hanging out with friends.

Emily is a third-year student at the University of Oklahoma majoring in Meteorology and Computer Science with minors in Mathematics and Electrical and Computer Engineering. A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she grew up always asking the question “why?” She was fascinated by how processes as benign as a gentle breeze or fog come together to form lightning and severe thunderstorms. She also enjoyed working on robotics projects using the Arduino platform, which led to a strong interest in computer science and electrical engineering. Since coming to OU she has been heavily involved with radar research at the Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies and became a NOAA Hollings Scholar. Emily plans to graduate in 2021 with a B.S. in Meteorology and another in Computer Science. After graduation, she will attend graduate school and continue on to a career utilizing her cross-disciplinary education to better understand high-impact weather. In her free time, Emily enjoys cooking vegan food, playing cello and guitar, as well as caring for her cat, Rossby.

Max Ungar is a senior in the School of Meteorology at the University of Oklahoma. Originally from Zionsville, IN, Max’s fascination with weather began on May 4^th, 2007 when a devastating EF-5 tornado impacted the town of Greensburg, KS. While Max didn’t have any personal connection to the town, the powerful images of the devastation on news reports gripped his imagination. This imagination and interest in the power of weather and its effect on people’s lives has led Max to OU, where he intends on receiving a BS in Meteorology. During the 2017-2018 academic term, Max was a shift leader for the Oklahoma Weather Lab. Outside of the classroom Max enjoys playing intramural sports with friends, exploring Oklahoma, and going to OU sporting events.

Jenna is a Junior meteorology major, and this is her fourth year serving on the SCAN board. As the Secretary, her duties include checking members in at meetings, taking meeting minutes at both general and board meetings, and logging everything in the Master Spreadsheet. This past January she was lucky enough to experience presenting the SCAN poster at AMS 99 in Phoenix, and got to meet members of chapters at other colleges. Outside of her SCAN duties, Jenna serves as the Vice President of the Oklahoma Weather Lab, and her career goals surround emergency management/preparedness. When she’s not deep in her academics and extracurricular activities, she loves to bake. She hopes to open a bakery when she retires from meteorology.

Tyler Pardun is a junior meteorology student in the School of Meteorology here at the University of Oklahoma. Originally from the northwest suburbs of Chicago, Tyler’s interest in meteorology started at a young age when his fourth grade class started their weather unit and he just fell in love with the material. Since then, Tyler has been striving to learn something new about the field as often as he can. He has been a shift leader for the Oklahoma Weather Lab and has appeared on OU Nightly giving the forecast as well as making graphics behind the scenes. In his free time, Tyler enjoys to play the piano to relieve the stresses from his academics. He plans to pursue a career in broadcasting after graduation and would like to make it back to Chicago sometime during his career.

Elizabeth Leslie is a junior in the school of meteorology with a minor in communication and mathematics. From an early age, Elizabeth always wanted to grow up and become a meteorologist. From forcing her girl scout troop to participate in the “weather badge” to shadowing her neighbor at the climate prediction center, she has always had a fascination with weather! Her senior year she had the chance to intern in NOAA’s communication office for five weeks where she was able to run the social media accounts and work on the five-year anniversary project for the 2011 severe weather season. This is where she discovered her passion for communication  In addition to serving as outreach coordinator for SCAN, she also serves is Director of Outreach and is a student shift leader for the Oklahoma Weather Lab. Outside of the School of Meteorology, she is a member of Alpha Sigma Kappa: Women in Technical Studies which is a unique social sorority for women perusing technical majors.

Bekah is a third year Computer Engineering and Mathematics major with minors in Meteorology and Chinese. Growing up in Weatherford, Oklahoma gave her firsthand experience with the devastation of tornadoes, which sparked an interest in helping prevent and mitigate the loss caused by them. While she finds the science interesting, she finds more satisfaction supporting the mission through great computing resources. She is fascinated by the operation and connection between different components of the computer and seeks ways to make them run faster and more efficiently. When she’s not studying, programming, or making memes, Bekah enjoys creating works of art and helping people understand mathematics.

Hannah is a sophomore meteorology major. She has been interested in weather since she watched storms from her garage with her father as a young girl. At OU, she is involved in Habitat for Humanity, OU Nightly, and the University of Oklahoma Weather Lab. In her free time, she enjoys singing, hiking, and cooking.

Lauren Pounds is a first year graduate student in School of Meteorology. Lauren received her bachelor’s degree in Geoscience with a concentration in professional meteorology from Mississippi State University in May of 2019. While at Mississippi State she was involved in the local AMS/NWA Chapter, the East Mississippi Chapter, where she served as Secretary during the 2017-2018 academic year and as President during the 2018-2019 academic year. Growing up in southeast Louisiana, Lauren had many experiences with hurricanes, including Hurricane Katrina in 2005. She was fascinated with weather since before she can remember, but the weather from her childhood helped to grow that interest.

I am a senior Meteorology major with Mathematics and Religious Studies minors. Having grown up in Oklahoma, I have seen severe weather around me from a very early age. I always enjoyed watching what nature could produce in terms of severe weather, and it drew me to Meteorology. I am currently a student meteorologist intern at the Applications Branch of the Radar Operations Center (ROC). I am a member of the Henderson Scholars program which promotes diversity and community service at OU. I am also a member of Brothers Under Christ (BYX) which is a Christian organization that brings guys together to fellowship and help each other through life. 

Amanda Novak is a junior in the School of Meteorology at the University of Oklahoma, with minors in Computer Science and Mathematics.  She is from North Andover, MA and was inspired to become a meteorologist by watching “Wake Up With Al” before Elementary School. Amanda originally wanted to take over that show, but she has become more interested in the operational and research sectors of meteorology. Her love for the weather never wavered.  She is also the Deputy Director of Development and a Shift Leader for the Oklahoma Weather Lab, student meteorologist at the Radar Operations Center, and a Student Ambassador for the School of Meteorology.  When she’s not studying, Amanda enjoys hanging out with her friends, running, and exploring new hiking trails.  

Katie Gant is a sophomore in the School of Meteorology at the University of Oklahoma. She is from Doylestown, PA and has had her heart set to become a meteorologist for as long as she could remember. Throughout middle and high school, her teachers and classmates always came to her for the weather report. Her dream is to receive her M.S. in Meteorology from OU and become a meteorologist for NASA. She is also minoring in Astronomy, Physics and Math. One of her most fascinating weather experiences was when she sat on her porch as Hurricane Sandy hit her state in 2012. When not looking at the radar, she enjoys being with her sorority sisters in Alpha Gamma Delta, marching with the Pride of Oklahoma Color Guard, drawing, and cheering on the Sooners. 

Joshua Spear is a Freshman in the School of Meteorology at the University of Oklahoma. While he has lived in several different cities in the US Southeast, he calls Atlanta, Georgia home. Josh has been fascinated by weather for as long as he can remember.  He lived in Southern Tennessee during the 2011 Super Outbreak witnessing several tornadoes which increase his interest leading him to pursue a career in the field. Josh is unsure exactly what he intends to do in the field and looks forward to the large number of opportunities at the School of Meteorology. Outside of tracking storms, Josh is an avid photographer, enjoys the outdoors, and has a goal to visit every National Park.