1. Ryan Lueck

2. I grew up in Norwood Young America, MN and fell in love with weather after experiencing several severe events in the late 1990's. Seeking a good college for meteorology, I found and attended Iowa State University from 2008 until graduation in May, 2012. The great faculty and involved AMS student chapter played a large role in broadening my horizons as to what avenues I could pursue in the field. I have since been accepted as a graduate student at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City, SD.

3. Thus far I've been met with great people and plenty of support. I'm working with several other incoming graduate students and we've all gotten to know our advisers/professors pretty well. We're required to take at least 9 credits per semester, with which some (2 or 3 typically) must go towards research. You're allotted plenty of time to work on your research, so with less structure you have to make sure to stay on task and avoid the temptation of procrastination!

4. Upward lightning. There are a series of radio towers on top of the ridge that runs through the city. During thunderstorms, most often under the trailing stratiform region, lightning originates from the tip of these towers and travels upward towards the cloud base which of course is contrary to typical lightning. I'm looking further into the favorable atmospheric conditions for successful and null cases and using photogrammetry to study the lightning's characteristics.

5. First of all, keep all options open. Make sure to take advantage of Cy's Eyes and other opportunities like traveling to the NWS office in Des Moines and broadcast station. I wasn't sure graduate school was the path for me until senior year. If you're interested in grad school, make sure to apply to multiple programs and get to know your adviser beforehand as much as possible. Keep yourselves in their minds - it will increase your chances. Good luck!