Clear Skies Ahead: Conversations about Careers in Meteorology and Beyond

We talk to Brett Edwards about his work as a Meteorologist at AccuWeather. We discuss the unrivaled importance of networking, the need for coding skills in the industry, his personal forecasting “wins,” avoiding burnout, and the collaborative science behind a forecast.

Note: Brett is now a Meteorologist at Pacific Gas and Electric Company.

We talk to Bernadette Woods Placky, Chief Meteorologist and Climate Matters Program Director at Climate Central, about transitioning out of broadcast television, how a minor in French eventually coincided with international work around the Paris Climate Change Agreement, mentors that built her climate IQ, and environmental takeaways from Dr. Seuss.

We talk to Randy Bass, a Manager of the Federal Aviation Administration's Weather Research Branch and an AMS Certified Consulting Meteorologist, about serving as an officer in the Air Force, close calls with tornadoes, transitioning a research capability into operations, and making your next flight as smooth and safe as possible.

We talk to Colleen Iversen, a Senior Staff Scientist in the Environmental Sciences Division and in the Climate Change Science Institute at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, about communicating science, devoting time to her family, having a natural curiosity for the world, asking new questions, finding answers through teamwork, and shaping a story.

We talk to Tim Heller, a talent coach and media weather consultant at HellerWeather in Houston, Texas, about how broadcast meteorology has evolved during his 35 years in the studio, unusual college classes worth taking, navigating station contracts, and communicating the weather in the digital age.

We talk to previous guests Elizabeth Austin, Albert Betancourt, Tony Praino, Max Vido, and Jeff Yuhas about working in weather during the pandemic.

We talk to Max Vido, a Meteorologist at ACES Power, about finding a niche in the energy and long range product line at Accuweather (his previous job), his beneficial mentoring experience with the Board of Private Sector Meteorologists at the AMS, and using climate studies and statistics while working with utility clients.

We talk to Jeff Yuhas, a K-12 science teacher at the Morristown-Beard School, about a blizzard interrupting his childhood paper route, watching the clock tick backwards during his consulting career, and the advantages of teaching in either public or private schools.

In our first full episode, we talk to Jen Henderson, an interdisciplinary social scientist at CIRES, about her early training as a creative writer, her interest in the life of Dr. Tetsuya Fujita, and conducting focus groups with forecasters.