Erik N. Rasmussen
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Erik Rasmussen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | January 27, 1957 |
| Alma mater | University of Oklahoma(B.S., 1980) Texas Tech University(M.S., 1982) Colorado State University(Ph.D., 1992)[2] |
| Known for | Supercellandtornadogenesisresearch, field project leadership |
| Awards | Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers[1] |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Meteorology |
| Institutions | NSSL,CIMMS,Rasmussen Systems |
| Thesis | Observational and Theoretical Study of Squall Line Evolution(1992) |
| Doctoral advisor | Steve Rutledge[2] |
Erik Nels Rasmussen(born January 27, 1957) is an Americanmeteorologistand leading expert onmesoscale meteorology,severe convective storms,forecastingof storms, andtornadogenesis.He was the field coordinator of the first of theVORTEX projectsin 1994-1995 and a leadprincipal investigatorfor VORTEX2 from 2009-2010[3]and VORTEX-SE from 2016-2017,[4]as well as involved in other smaller VORTEX offshoots and many field projects.
Biography
[edit]Education
[edit]Rasmussen was born inHutchinson, Kansasto James and Ilse Rasmussen in 1957. His younger brother Neal, a software engineer, is also astorm chaserand is an accomplished videographer and photographer.
Rasmussen's undergraduatemeteorologystudy was at theUniversity of Oklahoma(OU) in Norman where he received a B.Sc. in 1980. Here he was introduced to field research underHoward Bluestein,chasing supercells and tornadoes, and learning about thunderstorm structure and processes. He went on to graduate school atTexas Tech University(TTU) in Lubbock where he earned a M.Sc. inatmospheric sciencesin 1982. In grad school he developed a reputation as a particularly adept forecaster and interceptor of severe storms and tornadoes and was nicknamed "The Dryline Kid" in reference to thedry linewhich initiates isolated storms and attendant tornadoes.[5]His thesis wasThe Tulia Outbreak Storm: Mesoscale Evolution and Photogrammetric Analysis.
From 1982-1984, Rasmussen pursued further postgraduate work at theUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign(UIUC). He worked at W.A.R.N. Inc., Now Weather Inc., WeatherData Inc., and PROFS (which became theForecast Systems Laboratoryor FSL before that unit was merged into theEarth System Research Laboratoriesor ESRL). He finished his Ph.D. atColorado State University(CSU) in Ft. Collins in 1992. At CSU he participated in more field work, including researchingsquall linesin Australia and his dissertation was titledObservational and Theoretical Study of Squall Line Evolution[permanent dead link].[2]
Career
[edit]Rasmussen became a research meteorologist at theNational Severe Storms Laboratory(NSSL) and then theCooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies(CIMMS). After the study ofsquall lineshis interest returned tosupercellsfrom the microphysical aspects of cloud particles to mesoscale environments modulating storm behavior. He was the field commander (FC) ofProject VORTEXin 1994-1995 where he worked with lead forecasterCharles A. Doswell III,participated in SUB-VORTEX and VORTEX-99,STEPS,IHOP,and served on the steering committee and was a lead principal investigator (PI) forVORTEX2in 2009-2010[6]as well as project manager forVORTEX-SEin 2016-2017.[4]
Since his college days Rasmussen was a major contributor toStorm Trackmagazine although by the mid-1990s his previously intense interest in storm chasing was waning. For years he did research and computer programming through his company Rasmussen Systems located nearGrand Junction, Colorado.This work remains supported by theNational Science Foundation(NSF) and he consults for NSSL and CIMMS, private meteorological companies, and other entities.[7]In 2015 Rasmussen moved back toNorman,where he continues this aforementioned work and serves as Program Manager for theVORTEX-SEproject.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Erik Rasmussen Named Outstanding Young Scientist"(Press release). NOAA Public Affairs. 1997-10-29. Archived fromthe originalon 2015-09-24.Retrieved2014-02-19.
- ^abcRasmussen, Erik (2002)."Erik Rasmussen, Research Meteorologist".National Severe Storms Laboratory. Archived fromthe originalon 2001-04-24.
- ^"NSSL VORTEX2 Quick Facts".Archived fromthe originalon 2014-02-28.Retrieved2014-02-20.
- ^ab"VORTEX Southeast".Field Projects.NCAR Earth Observing Laboratory.Retrieved2017-05-15.
- ^Williams, Jack (1997).The Weather Book(2nd ed.). New York: Vintage. pp.132–4.ISBN978-0679776659.
- ^"VORTEX2".Archived fromthe originalon 2019-02-12.Retrieved2014-05-19.
- ^Rasmussen, Erik."About Rasmussen Systems LLC".Rasmussen Systems. Archived fromthe originalon 2013-11-26.
- Rasmussen, Erik (2007)."Severe Storms Research: Erik Rasmussen and Collaborators".CIMMS. Archived fromthe originalon 2007-08-04.Retrieved2014-02-19.
- Mathis, Nancy (2007).Storm Warning: The Story of a Killer Tornado.New York: Simon & Schuster.ISBN978-0743280532.
- Davidson, Keay (1996).Twister: The Science of Tornadoes and the Making of an Adventure Movie.New York: Pocket Books.ISBN978-0671000295.
External links
[edit]- Rasmussen Systems
- NSSL awards
- Erik N. RasmussenatIMDb
- J. Vesilind, Priit(Apr 2004)."Chasing Tornadoes".National Geographic.Archived fromthe originalon January 12, 2010.
- American meteorologists
- Storm chasers
- University of Oklahoma alumni
- Texas Tech University alumni
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni
- Colorado State University alumni
- University of Oklahoma faculty
- Living people
- 1957 births
- National Weather Service people
- Recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers