PAOC Spotlights

PAOC weather forecasting team wins third place in the 2010-2011 WxChallenge

Thu May 19th, 2011
Jeff Scott & Lodovica Illari

This year PAOC's weather forecasting team placed third in the national collegiate weather forecasting competition, WxChallenge, run by the University of Oklahoma. The 2010/2011 Forecast Team - image: Ryan Abernathey

It was a very tough competition, as we were edged out by the reigning champion Mississippi State University and the upstart Pennsylvania State University squad. Congratulations to MSU and PSU! WxChallenge runs for twenty weeks, covering five, two-week forecast periods each semester, with a team prize awarded at the end of the year. More than 50 US colleges compete during the year long contest.

All members of our team performed well, with 8 of our forecasters ranked in the top 100, out of over 1000 participants, and all of our forecasters placed in the top 250! See final scores.

5 forecasters received trophies for forecasting honors at individual cities in their respective categories:

Brownsville, TX (Undergrad/Fresh-Soph, second): Shaena Berlin
Muskegon, MI (Grad, top forecaster): Dan Chavas
Seattle, WA (Postdoc-Staff, runner-up): Angela Zalucha
Sioux City, IA (Postdoc-Staff, runner-up): Jeffery Scott
Elko, NV IA (Postdoc-Staff, runner-up): Lodovica Illari

This year's team included 11 undergraduates, 4 graduate students and 4 post-docs/staff members:

2010-2011 TEAM

Staff:

Lodovica Illari - PAOC, Jeff Scott - PAOC, Eric Jacobsen - Course 15

Postdocs:

Angela Zalucha,

Grad students:

Dan Chavas - PAOC,Tim Cronin - PAOC, Daniela Domeisen - PAOC, Allison Wing - PAOC

Undergrads:

J.Vincent Agard - senior, Course 12, Shaena Berlin, sophomore, Course 12, Kristen Berry - junior, Course 12, Malik Coleman - junior, Course 15, Stefan Gimmillaro - senior, Course 6, Roman Kowch - junior, Course 12, Anastasia Maheras - senior, Course 12, Grace Prazniak - freshman

Other:

Fall semester only:

Reena Joubert - sophomore, Course 12, Jessica Fujimori - freshman

Spring semester only:

Austin DiOrio - graduate student, course 16, Zeke Willett - junior, course 16

Alumni:

Garrett Marino, ex-PAOC

The PAOC Weather Forecasting Club  is open to undergraduate, graduate and PhD students, as well as faculty, staff and alumni, . To find out more or enquire about membership email illari@mit.edu.