Senior Spotlight: Ty Dickinson
The School of Meteorology is extremely proud of the graduates produced each year, knowing that OU Meteorology alumni go on to do amazing things. For the next few weeks, we’re publishing stories of our students who are excited about upcoming jobs, graduate school placements, or overcoming hardships to reach where they are today. Up next is Ty Dickinson!
Ty Dickinson is a senior Meteorology major from Port Huron, Michigan. Ty told us that for as long as he can remember, he’s wanted to study the weather and that his Grandma Ruth even used to joke that the only reason she kept cable was so that Ty could watch The Weather Channel when he was over! After graduating high school in 2014, Ty attended Oakland University as a mathematics major after some plans to begin meteorology right away did not work out. However, he was determined to study the weather and decided to transfer to OU the following academic year. Ty had this to say about the transfer process: “transitioning from Oakland to OU, in terms of classes, was seamless due to the extraordinary efforts by the SoM staff. They welcomed me from the beginning, before even meeting any of them in person. My experiences before even arriving in Norman made the move easier. Making new friends was also easier than I thought coming in due to various student organizations and the close nature of students. Transferring to OU was the best decision I could have made for my education.”
Since 2015, Ty has participated in and helped to lead student organizations such as the Oklahoma Weather Lab and the OU Student Chapter of AMS and NWA. Ty also volunteered his time to welcome and inform prospective students as a Student Ambassador for the School of Meteorology. While all of these experiences were rewarding, Ty told us that his favorite extracurricular activity was, perhaps, being “Captain NOAA” of the OU Weather Friends. Captain NOAA and the other Weather Friends help teach elementary school children how to stay safe in extreme weather, visiting various special events and schools.
Ty was also selected as a NOAA Hollings Scholar during his sophomore year. As a Hollings Scholar, Ty gained valuable research experience from working with a National Weather Service office in New Braunfels, TX, work that eventually led to his partnership with the Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program, or SCIPP. Ty and his partner in this endeavor, Erica Lopez, were selected to present on their work at the 2018 AMS Conference in Austin, TX.
In March, Ty accepted an offer from the OU School of Meteorology’s graduate program and will begin a direct-track Ph.D. path in the fall. He’ll be working with the PRES2iP team (a National Science Foundation-backed project) researching extreme precipitation events. Ty told us that it was one of the easiest decisions he’s ever made, feeling that: “…the environment fostered by the faculty, staff, and current graduates are second-to-none.” Below are some pictures of Ty shared of his experiences during his time as an undergraduate at OU.
Congratulations, Ty! We’re glad you’ll be staying with us for the next phase of your education!