YOUNG ALUMNI
MAPPING OUT THE FUTURE
PETER FORISTER DARK CLOUDS GATHER ACROSS A dusk sky. The wind picks up, and the temperature drops perceptibly. Thunder rolls in the distance, and then a first bolt of lightning illuminates a nearby mountaintop. For most people, these are signs to take cover. For Peter Forister ’19, it’s time to grab the camera and get on Twitter. “I grew up in Colorado Springs, with Pikes Peak out one window and the Great Plains out the other, and I’d watch
62 | HOKIE NATION | YOUNG ALUMNI
to show the scars in forest vegetation that tornadoes leave behind. An April Washington Post article on a devastating storm that hit in Mississippi showed maps of tornado damage that Forister generated and outlined his research.
Forister majored in geography and minored in meteorology—a combination that offered the opportunity to learn about utilizing geographic information systems (GIS) technology to provide a perspective for meteorological science. Along the way, he realized that social media was a way to connect with other weather watchers. In 2015 he began building a social media presence that has now garnered him national attention: He has had several mentions in the Washington Post and local weather broadcasts and has a following that runs the gamut from passionate storm chasers to those who just like to watch from the safety of their smartphones or computers. Currently a master’s student, Forister is using GIS technology to create maps
MALLORY NOE-PAYNE MALLORY NOE-PAYNE ’13, RICHMOND bureau chief of WVTF/Radio IQ, was awarded a Fulbright Young Professional Journalist Grant, which will allow her to travel to Germany to research and examine the history of that nation and the U.S.
COURTESY OF PETER FORISTER, BOB BROWN/RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH)
the storms come down from the Rockies,” explained Forister. “I knew when I was 5 years old that I wanted to pursue a career in meteorology. As Virginia Tech is the only school in the state with a meteorology degree program, it was always my first choice.”
