UNC Charlotte
Dept. of Geography and Earth Sciences
Dr. Matthew D. Eastin
Assistant Professor of Meteorology
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UNC Charlotte Dept. of Geography and Earth Sciences Dr. Matthew D. Eastin Assistant Professor of Meteorology |
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| Research Group Members | ||
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Group Photo (coming Soon...) |
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| Dr. Matthew Eastin |
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I grew up in central Indiana
and became fascinated with the weather and
climate at an early age. My early
motivation in meteorology was to study the Antarctic ozone
hole, but a series of circumstances and
opportunities during my undergraduate days at
Purdue University pulled me toward hurricanes
and severe weather. Since then, I have
never looked back. During graduate school
at Colorado State University, I had the
opportunity to visit the NOAA Hurricane Research
Division on an annual basis and to participate in
their field program during which they fly
through tropical cyclones. An incredible
experience... As a scientist, I am interested in the physical processes that influence the formation and evolution of atmospheric convective systems. To this end, I work primarily with wide array of observations to diagnose such processes. I am also interested in the development and/or enhancement of forecasting techniques. My current research endeavors are focused on hurricane eyewall convection, hurricane intensification, and the miniature supercells in hurricane outer rainbands. In my spare time, I enjoy hiking, golfing, reading, travelling, watching sports and spending time with my wife. |
| Kelly Smith |
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I grew up in Mount Airy, NC and earned a
B.A. in Chemistry from UNC Chapel Hill.
After dabbling with careers in chemistry,
biology, mechanical engineering, and financial
planning, I decided to return to school and
pursue meteorology (which is by far the most
challenging subject I have ever studied).
This, in addition to fact that I love giving
presentations, helped me decided that teaching
meteorology at the collegiate level is the right
career path for me. As much as I love a good supercell thunderstorm or an approaching squall line, the shear power of a hurricane is my motivation for learning. Having been without power for 9 days and losing 130 of 148 trees in my parent yard during Hurricane Hugo (1989), the study of hurricanes and their potential wide-spread societal impacts has become personal for me. My research deals with understanding the processes responsible for the rapid intensification of hurricanes. Specifically, it focuses on strong rotating updrafts, called vortical hot towers (VHTs), and their potential contribution to rapid intensification on short temporal scales (less than 6 hours). My hobbies include spending time with my wife Amanda, playing with our four beautiful dogs, game nights with neighbors, and learning everything there is to know about Apple electronics (I hope to get more hobbies after I finish school!). |
| Chris Link | Coming soon... | Coming soon... |
| Betsy Grim | Coming soon... | I was born and
raised near Fayetteville, North Carolina and
recently earned a B.S. in Geographic Science
from James Madison University in Harrisonburg ,
Virginia. I have been interested in
meteorology to some degree for as long as I can
remember; experiencing numerous hurricanes while
living up in North Carolina sparked my interest.
I also installed weather station in my backyard.
Growing up, I used to track the hurricanes and
tropical storms on the Weather Channel as they
approached the area. To this day, when a
thunderstorm is approaching the area I will
track it as it moves. In addition to meteorology, I love following my favorite baseball team, the New York Yankees. I like travelling as well. Last summer, I travelled to the Philippines for a month, during which I experienced a typhoon. I also enjoy bowling, although I am not very good at it. |
| Brian Hays |
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I was born and
raised in central New Jersey (near Philly) and
have loved the weather ever since I was a kid.
Even on sunny days I would try to figure out
what clouds were in the sky. In high
school, I would be the one with the radar loop
up in study hall to see if it was going to rain
or snow. I recently earned a B.S. from
Cook College Rutgers University. I have
always had an interest in severe weather,
specifically tornadoes. Thus, I have
chosen to research tornadoes in graduate school
because much remains to be learned about
them - the mystery behind the science is what
motivates me. Outside of science, I enjoy sports, mostly golf, but soccer, softball, and bowling too; skiing, kayaking, going to the shore, computer and video games, chess, and hanging out with my friends. |
| Jennifer Edwards | Coming soon... | Coming soon... |
| Tiffany Gardner |
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I grew up in
Charlotte, NC and have been fascinated by the
weather since I was a little girl. I was
on cruise with my family when I was bout 10
years old and we got stuck in a hurricane.
I was probably the only person on the ship that
was excited about it! My dad and I sat by
the window and watched the storm. Every
now and then we would run on on deck, but would
have to grab the hand rail so the wind would not
blow us down. he joked that he knew what I
would be studying in college...he was right! My research involves studying hurricane outer rainbands. We are examining surface observations collected by a mesonet deployed near Wilmington NC during the passage Tropical Storm Hanna (2008). Outside of meteorology, I love playing tennis and exercising. Watching thunderstorms and scrapbooking are two of my favorite activities. More than anything, I enjoy spending time with my friends and family. |
| Kenny Griffin | Coming soon... | Coming soon... |
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Last Updated: Monday, August 03, 2009 |
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