REALM

Student Bridge To A Career In Atmospheric Sciences

TWO SUMMERS AGO, WHILE CAMBRIA WHITE WAS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH FOR THE RESEARCH EXPERIENCE IN ALPINE METEOROLOGY (REALM) INTERNSHIP PROGRAM, SHE EXPERIENCED A DIRECT ATMOSPHERIC EVENT: WILDFIRE.

“Within a few hours, the picturesque skyline of the Salt Lake Valley was overcome by a thick layer of smoke and a warm orange glow,” she remembers. “I couldn’t help but wonder about the drastic changes in air quality and how the fire was affecting local residents.”

While White already had an interest in anthropogenic effects on climate and atmospheric conditions, that orange vision of the warming valley under smoke propelled her to pursue wildfire and air quality research. That’s when the REALM program helped turbo-charge her academic career, connecting her to faculty member Derek Mallia. “Participating in REALM … introduced me to the LandAtmosphere Interactions Research Group and provided a glimpse into day-to-day life as a graduate researcher in Atmos.”

First initiated in 2019 under the direction of faculty member Gannet Hallar, REALM relies on the natural scientific environment provided by the nearby Wasatch Mountains and adjacent urban areas designed to enhance student awareness of societal challenges, such as water availability and air quality. This awareness requires understanding the influence of alpine terrain on weather and climate processes.

Atmos is the leading program for weather and climate education and research in the Intermountain West and is recognized internationally for its expertise in atmospheric studies related to mountain environments, including measurement, analysis and prediction of orographic precipitation, fire weather, and air quality. The department has a rich history of involving undergraduates in research.

More than 100 students annually apply for the program’s eight slots. Applicants know what they’re angling for: an inclusive and supportive environment in which each participant interacts with a mentoring team. That team includes a trained faculty advisor, a student peer mentor from within the cohort, and STEM subject matter mentors that provide enhanced targeted training and feedback regarding writing, public speaking, computer programming, and field work and safety.

Recent REALM alumna Loren Brink was a happy recipient of what she calls a “transformative” experience, as “it introduced me to the vast possibilities within my fields of study.” Here she found the faculty’s “passion and commitment to advancing knowledge in atmospheric sciences … contagious, and it deeply inspired me."

This past summer the cohort visited Storm Peak Laboratory, the U’s high-elevation research facility near Steamboat Springs, Colorado, where they also attended a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) conference. They also visited an air quality site in the Uinta Basin, toured the nimble, low-altitude surveyor NOAA Twin Otter aircraft, and presented at the summer symposium.

It’s been the kind of experiential learning—REALM’s signature— designed to elaborate on atmospheric events similar to what Cambria White witnessed as she watched smoke from wildfires fill up the Salt Lake Valley.