|
(You
may use your Back button at any time to get back to the top of the page.)
Faculty
Professor and Interim
Dept. Head, Dr. Andrew Detwiler; Associate Professors Dr. William Capehart, Dr.
Donna Kliche, and Dr. PV. Sundareshwar; Assistant Professor Dr. Adam French;
Instructor Mr. Darren Clabo.
The Department of Atmospheric Sciences offers advanced
undergraduate and graduate courses leading to the Master of Science degree in
Atmospheric Sciences with specializations in Meteorology or Earth Systems
Science, and Doctor of Philosophy degree in Atmospheric and Environmental
Sciences (AES). Faculty in the
Department of Atmospheric Sciences are members of the Institute of
Atmospheric Sciences (IAS), an active research group that conducts research with
sponsorship from the State of South Dakota
and various federal agencies.
The primary objective of the atmospheric sciences graduate
program is to give students a basic understanding of the factors influencing
atmospheric phenomena, including solar and terrestrial radiation, the laws of
fluid motion and thermodynamics, microphysical and electrical processes in
clouds, ecology, atmospheric chemistry, and biogeochemistry.
Instruction is offered in the interpretation of conventional weather data,
satellite data, and radar data; observations collected by specially instrumented
aircraft, trace-gas flux towers, tethered balloon systems, and laboratory gas
analysis instrumentation; and output from numerical models of atmospheric
processes. The graduate student is
expected to carry out original research in the atmospheric sciences using some
of these tools and resources. In
addition, the student must successfully complete the coursework and program
requirements enumerated below.
A student applying for admission to the Master's degree
program in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences should have a baccalaureate
degree in meteorology or atmospheric sciences, one of the biological or physical
sciences, earth system sciences, mathematics, or engineering.
It is desirable for applicants to have received undergraduate credit for
mathematics through Calculus 2 (for the earth systems science specialization -
see below) or ordinary differential equations (for the meteorology
specialization). For the meteorology specialization,
undergraduate physics is required, and for the earth systems specialization
undergraduate physics and chemistry are desirable. Experience with computer programming is
recommended. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores from the General Test are
optional. TOEFL scores are required
of all applicants from colleges outside the U.S.
Course requirements for the M.S. degree
1. Fifteen (15)
credit hours of course work in atmospheric sciences at the 500 level or above.
2.
Nine (9) additional credit hours of non-atmospheric sciences electives at the
400 level or above (300 level non-atmospheric
sciences courses can be accepted if approved by the Graduate Education and
Research Council), or atmospheric sciences electives at the 500 level.
3.
Thesis research - six (6) credit hours.
(Please note undergraduate credit limitations given in the current catalog under
“M.S. Degree Requirements” for Master of Science degrees.)
Other program
requirements
The following program requirements apply to all
students in Atmospheric Sciences:
-
At least one course at the 500/600 levels must be taken
in each of the following core areas: Meteorology, Earth System
Science, and Techniques. Course descriptions in the catalog describe
the area to which each ATM course belongs.
-
Satisfactory performance on a general coursework exam
covering each of the core courses as well as selected elective course work.
-
Registration in ATM 700 Graduate Research (thesis) each semester the
student is receiving an assistantship, and in ATM 690 Graduate Seminar each
spring semester.
-
Completion of a master's thesis.
The thesis must adhere to the format and content guidelines as set forth by
the Graduate School, and be approved by the student's graduate committee and
the Dean of Graduate Education.
In addition, there are requirements specific to the two (2)
ATM MS specializations. Each student
will choose one of these specializations. The requirements are:
Meteorology Specialization
Students entering the program with a Bachelor's degree in
physics, mathematics, computer science, chemistry, or engineering must take the
following courses: ATM 450 - Synoptic Meteorology I (not for graduate credit),
ATM 550 - Synoptic Meteorology II, ATM 501 - Atmospheric Physics, and ATM 560 -
Atmospheric Dynamics I.
Students entering the program with a Bachelor's degree in
Atmospheric Sciences or Meteorology from another institution are required only
to take ATM 501 (Atmospheric Physics), presuming that they have completed
undergraduate work in the other areas listed in the preceding paragraph.
Earth System Science
Specialization
All students will be required to take the following course:
ATM 603 - Atmosphere-Biosphere Interactions. They also must complete at least one
remote sensing course.
A specific plan of study will be determined on an individual basis with
concurrence from the student's advisor and graduate advisory committee members.
In either specialization, exceptions to these departmental requirements may be
granted by the student's committee for good cause.
Elective courses offered by other departments are encouraged
as long as the fifteen (15) hours of course work in Atmospheric Sciences at the
500-level or above are completed as outlined in “Course requirements for M.S.
degree.” Graduate students may take electives in
the fields of physics, mathematics, computer science, chemistry, engineering,
technology management, social sciences, or the humanities to further integrate
their coursework in the atmospheric sciences with knowledge in other technical
fields and with the general concerns of society.
A student may choose the meteorology specialization with the
intent to qualify for employment in the federal civil service as a
meteorologist. Specific course distribution requirements
to do so are listed in the current catalog within the general description of the
Department of Atmospheric Sciences. Students in either specialization may pursue
an M.S. degree in Atmospheric Sciences without satisfying these requirements and
be qualified for careers in many non-federal and/or non-meteorological careers.
Examples of such career options include research in and applications of remote
sensing techniques; work in air quality either for non-federal government
agencies, or for industry or the consulting firms industries often employ;
research and applications in the environmental sciences with an emphasis on
atmospheric issues, and further graduate work in atmospheric or environmental
sciences.
Undergraduate students at the School of Mines may decrease
the time required to obtain a Master of Science degree in Atmospheric Sciences
by taking as electives the preparatory undergraduate and entry-level graduate
courses available to them or by completing the Bachelor of Science in
Interdisciplinary Sciences program with an emphasis on atmospheric sciences.
They may then enter the graduate program with the necessary background
for graduate study in atmospheric sciences as above.
Facilities
and Resources
Students typically work directly with faculty on
externally-funded research projects.
Graduate research assistantships associated with these projects are available
that provide part-time employment for students during the academic months and
possible full-time employment during the summer.
Facilities and resources of the IAS are utilized in these research
efforts. These facilities comprise
various meteorological instrument platforms and packages including several
automated surface weather stations, a tethered-balloon sampling system, an
instrumented flux measurement tower in the Black Hills National Forest, portable equipment for land surface and
plant canopy ecosystem studies, and atmospheric analytical chemistry field and
laboratory instrumentation.
Sophisticated computer facilities are available on campus, including a
state-of-the-art 3-D computer visualization facility and a high-speed
multiple-node computer cluster, with additional access to the larger computer
complexes elsewhere.
Faculty
Research
Current research projects include field
investigations of thunderstorms; applications of weather radar data to rainfall
measurements and remote inference of cloud microphysical characteristics;
numerical modeling of clouds ranging in size from small cumulus to severe storms
including storm electrification, lightning, and lightning-influenced atmospheric
chemistry; analysis of field observations and numerical simulations of lake
effect snow storms; satellite remote sensing; land-surface/atmosphere exchange
processes; fire weather prediction and modeling; biogeochemical cycling;
trace-gas flux measurements; and carbon sequestration and ecological modeling.
In addition, IAS scientists are currently involved in activities to
disseminate scientific knowledge to wider audiences and improve and enhance
scientific literacy and educational opportunities for the people of
South Dakota.
|
