The Naval Weather Service Association (NWSA) is an association
of naval officers, enlisted men and women, and civilians who have
provided meteorological, oceanographic, and numerical predictions services to the United States Navy as well as all other
military services. The membership consists predominately of
current and former meteorological specialists (aerographers
mates), meteorologists and oceanographers, computer
scientists, and academics.
The NWSA was formed in
August 1976 in order to preserve friendships beyond
active service and sustain an ongoing relationship
with active-duty members of the Naval Meteorological
and Oceanography Command.
In 1978 the Association established a scholarship fund to
support those seeking degrees in meteorology, oceanography,
and atmospheric sciences and has provided annual awards for
more than 30 years.
In 2011 the membership approved the transfer of management
responsibilities of the “Naval Weather Service Association
Scholarship” to the AMS. The AMS will safeguard and manage the funds gifted by the NWSA for the specific purpose
of sustaining two annual awards based on selections of
the AMS Scholarship committee. The fund provided by
the generous contributions of the NWSA membership
will allow the “Naval Weather Service Association
Scholarship” to be awarded for at least the next 10–15
years. The scholarship carries a $5,000 stipend.
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NWSA SCHOLARSHIP FUND
I want to thank all who have continued to support our scholarship fund. The Association can be very proud of our two annual awards. We are supporting the education and development of real meteorologist and atmospheric scientists. The program that the AMS is administrating is exceptional.
The best and brightest apply to the AMS and the Society’s reviewers are well versed in the current academic needs and accomplishments that will result in success for the students. Hopefully you have seen the short articles and pictures of the students who have been selected for our awards and take pleasure knowing that we are making a difference. Below is an accounting of the fund:
April 2023
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Roy
Patrick Galang
Senior
Undergraduate Scholarship
Recipient
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Joselyn Bilker Freshman Recipient
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Note: If anyone would like to congratulate our 2023
recipients, their contact information follows.
Kelly Neighbour J. William Thiesing III
4320 Cardiff Way
1691 Asp Ave Rm. 440A
Cumming, GA 30041 Norman, OK 73072
Kelly’s email:
klneighbour0118@gmail.com
William’s email: jwilliamthiesing@gmail.com
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Kelly Neighbour Senior Recipient
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J. William Thiesing, III
Freshman Recipient
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Gabrielle Brown Senior Recipient
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Jacob Widanski
Freshman Recipient
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AMS-NWSA 2021 Scholarship Recipients
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Alvin Cheung Senior Recipient
Mr. Cheung
is majoring in meteorology and atmospheric science at Pennsylvania State
University where his focus is on extratropical transition and eyewall
replacement cycles of tropical cyclones and radar applications to snow squalls.
Mr. Cheung plans to attend graduate school to continue developing an improved
detection algorithm for eyewall replacement cycles in tropical cyclones. His
career aspiration is to be an educator, which will give him the opportunity to
teach and perform research in the area he is passionate about, tropical
meteorology.
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Preston Grooms Freshman Recipient
Preston Grooms is a graduate of North Adams High School in Seaman, Ohio. He will major in
meteorology at Florida State University and is interested in operational
forecasting, par- ticularly convective storms.
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AMS-NWSA 2020 Scholarship Recipients
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Senior NAMED Scholarship RecipientOlivia KeefeUniversity of Miami-RSMAS
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Freshman Undergraduate Scholarship RecipientVada KirschPurdue University
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Jessica
Wiedemeier (Attending Univ. of Oklahoma), Cap Casperson, and Alexandra Mazurek
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NWSA Scholarship Awardees 2018-19
Bethany Deitch Incoming Freshman, Texas A & M
Alexandra Mazurek Incoming Senior, University of Georgia
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(L to R) Mike Gilroy, NWSA; Sean Ernst and Daniel Hueholt at 2018 AMS Meeting in Austin
I had the opportunity to spend some time with these two great guys in Austin TX at the AMS Conference. I was really impressed with both student and can say with great confidence that our scholarships are being awarded to students that will great things in Meteorology and the Atmospheric Sciences.
Daniel, a student at North Carolina State University and has already be doing research studying the variances in snowfall when compared to different inversions. Great Stuff! He is also double majoring in Mathematics.
Sean, a senior at Oklahoma State has been studying emergency communication as it related to tornados and other severe weather events and how to improve both the forecast so that people respond appropriately. In our conversations I could tell that he got it completely, the need to convey serious life threatening forecast in a manner that would get results.
Both students mentioned to me how important our scholarships were to them personally. Sean in particular said that our award was allowing him to pay his own tuition this year taking pressure off his family and that he would be able to graduate nearly debt free. He was so grateful.
Each year when I get to interact with The Naval Weather Service Association Scholarship winners I walk away with a wonderful feeling that our Association is making a difference in help grow future Meteorologists. I hope our members will continue to support the program by sending in donations that we will add to our fund at the American Meteorological Society
Best to all,
Mike Gilroy
Chair, NWSA Scholarship Committee
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Robert Prestley, on left, (2016 NWSA Named scholarship recipient), and Alexander Tomoff (2014 freshman scholarship) with Fred Carr, AMS President, at 2017 AMS Meeting in Seattle.
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Click Image to Enlarge
Robert Prestley (2016 NWSA Named scholarship), Mike
Gilroy, and Alexander Tomoff (2014 freshman scholarship) at 2017 AMS Meeting in
Seattle.
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2016 AMS-NWSA Scholarship
Jessica Wiedemeier – Freshman Recipient
Jessica, who is a graduate
of Westlake High School in Austin TX, is attending the Department of
Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences at the University of Oklahoma, in Norman.
Jessica plans to specialize in severe weather prediction.
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Robert Prestley – Undergraduate Recipient
Robert, who hails from Sheboygan WI, is attending the Meteorology Department at Pennsylvania State University. Robert’s undergraduate interests are tropical and synoptic meteorology, as well as weather forecasting. His plan is to go to graduate school in a meteorology or social science field, focusing on how to improve communication of weather hazards, balancing the needs of the general public with the realities and uncertainties of the science.
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Kelton
Harbert, 2013 AMS-NWSA Freshman Scholar, (left); Brett Borchard, 2015 AMS-NWSA Scholar, (c); and Chris Moren, NWSA member, (r) at January 2016 AMS Meeting
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| Submitted by LCDR Mike Gilroy, USN RET |
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Scholarship Committee News
November 2014
Details
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2015 SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS LETTER
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| Click Awards Letter to Enlarge |
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2015 NWSA Scholarship Recipient
Brett Borchardt
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Click Image to Enlarge
Tyler Bell, 2013 NWSA Scholarship Recipient, (center); NWSA member Chris Moren (l) and Mike Wooster (r) at January 2015 AMS Meeting, Phoenix.
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2014 NWSA Scholarship Recipient
Madison May
Name: Madison May
Hometown: Colwich, Kansas
Parents: Steve and Ruth May
High School: Andale H.S., graduated 2010
Undergraduate School: University of Kansas
Major: hydrometeorology
Awards/Acknowledgements: Dodge & Cox Sponsorship (Fall 2013 – Spring 2014)
Presidential Scholarship at Hutchinson CC (fall 2010 to Dec 2011)
Interests: Concentration is in hydrometeorology and microclimatology; specifically how water and carbon interact in the lower atmosphere and surface.
Future goals: Madison ultimately would like to aid in agricultural drought monitoring and/or research on water use efficiencies of crops. She is also interested in pursuing a career that is more linked to hydrology.
Madison’s detailed press releases will become available sometime in October and will appear in the November Aerograph…Editor.
Madison May Thank You Letter to NWSA
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2014 NWSA Freshman Undergraduate Scholarship Recipient
Alex Tomhoff
Name: Alex Tomhoff
Hometown: Strongsville, Ohio
Parents: Don and Beth Tomoff
High School: St. Edward H.S., Lakewood, OH
Year Graduated: 2014
Undergraduate School: Pennsylvania State University
Major: atmospheric sciences
Interests: I am mainly interested in studying synoptic meteorology, forecasting and weather risk management.
Alex’s detailed press releases will become available sometime in October and will appear in the November Aerograph…Editor.
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2014 Scholarship Recipient
(Awarded by AMS)
Austin "Addison" Alford
I was born and raised in the small town of Somerville, TN to my loving parents, David and Cindy Alford. After attending high school at Fayette Academy in Somerville, I journeyed to Norman, OK to attend the University of Oklahoma to major in meteorology. At OU I have had the pleasure of being involved in multiple student organizations including the Student Chapter of the American Meteorological Society of which I am currently the president, the Oklahoma Weather Lab, and the School of Meteorology Peer Mentoring Program of which I am the coordinator.
In my academic career, I am a member of the OU Honors College, hold a minor in mathematics, and attended a study abroad semester at the University of Reading in Reading, England during the spring of 2013. I have also been awarded the NOAA Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship, the Award of Excellence from OU, Honorable Mention to the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences Outstanding Senior Award, the Outstanding Service Award from the School of Meteorology, and John T. Snow Study Abroad Scholarship.
Currently, I am an undergraduate teaching assistant in the School of Meteorology and an undergraduate research assistant for Dr. Michael Biggerstaff, director of the Shared Mobile Atmospheric Research and Teaching Radar program. My plan is to attend graduate school where I will pursue a Ph.D. in meteorology. After completing my Ph.D., I hope to begin in a research laboratory or a university. Although it is not my immediate goal after my Ph.D., I hope to eventually become a professor at a university.
Editor’s note: The award will be presented at the 94th AMS Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia on February 5th, 2014. Lloyd Corbett, NWSA CMAA, will represent the NWSA at the awards.
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Inaugural NWSA Scholarships Awarded
by American Meteorological Society
In our first year with the AMS administering our Scholarships we are proud to announce our 2013 awardees. We were pleased that AMS allowed NWSA to influence the final association of their selections to our scholarships making sure they fit our stated goals. Please congratulate:
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2013 AMS-NWSA Freshman Scholarship Recipient
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Joshua Alland from Apple Valley, MN he will be attending Iowa State University as a freshman and plans to major in Meteorology. His Undergraduate interests include: Tropical meteorology, especially researching how hurricanes intensify. “I will be conducting research on this topic at the Hurricane Research Division in Miami, FL this summer”.
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Our “Named” award goes to:
Tyler Bell of Bartlesville, OK. Tyler is currently a junior undergraduate at the University of Oklahoma majoring in Meteorology.
His academic interests include: “my goal when I finish college is to work on bettering radar and all the technology involved in predicting weather.”
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Good Choices!!
Please send in your Donations to NWSA and keep our program going for a long time!
Mike Gilroy, Committee Chair
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From: Morgan Gorris
Subject: Update 2010 Recipient
Date: Fri 4/12/2013
Hello NWSA,
My name is Morgan Gorris and I was a recipient of the NWSA Scholarship in 2010. I would like to follow up with the NWSA to thank you again for your generous contribution and inform you that I am still pursuing, and highly enjoying, my meteorology career! I am now a junior at The University of Michigan obtaining a degree in Earth System Science and Engineering with a concentration in Meteorology. I have acquired a keen interest in applying my skills to aviation meteorology. I have also been learning a lot outside of the classroom. Last summer I completed an internship at NASA Ames working to develop an Android application to aid Alaskan general aviation pilots. This summer, I will help test radar equipment as I go storm chasing in TX/OK throughout the month of May through Texas Tech, and then I will complete a summer internship at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratories helping to analyze FAA system of rerouting air traffic due to convective weather. I am looking forward to another grea! t summer of learning and am proud to be able to share my accomplishments with you. I thank you again for your support.
Regards,
Morgan Gorris
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From: Travis Sanders
Subject: Update 2010 Recipient
Date: Sat 11/03/12 01:28 PM
It's been a while since I updated you on the progress of my career. As you'll recall, I received the Naval Weather Service Association Scholarship in 2010. This award lightened the financial burden of completing my degree, which I was able to accomplish in May 2011.
I decided to pursue graduate school and applied to Stanford, Cal Tech, and UT. I was accepted into Stanford and UT, and decided to continue studying here at my alma mater. I will be completely my Master's degree this spring in Aerospace engineering and will begin a PhD program in Computational Engineering the following fall. I am very excited about what the future has in store for me!
Regards,
Travis
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AMS Scholarship/Fellowship Program Sponsors
Details
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AMS Scholarship Fund Agreement
Details
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