Most people who know me consider me your usual weather nerd (those who know what Rossby waves and nacreous clouds are). But what some don't fully know is that I have had a artistic side that has grown along with my science. To those who haven't been introduced to my other side, here is an introduction.
The medium that I am most comfortable with in art is writing and I love to write poetry. My inspiration comes from feelings that I have had since I was a child and come from me observing the world and people. My poetry however, isn't of the avant-garde genre and tends to what I see as either postmodern or slightly romantic, but those could just be my own descriptions. I have been composing a four part poetry book these past four years and hope to one day publish it and call it "Creative Wavelengths", which are what I call the feelings I go to for my inspiration.
Also, I'm very creatively and educationally inspired by the culture of Japan. Though I'm not as anime obsessed as some and I draw from a wider spectrum of their culture. I find that many aspects of Japanese life are elegant and inspiring and reflect the love and acceptance that I've always wanted. I hope to one day visit there after I learn their language and complete my meteorology studies.
Finally I live the poetic person's dream of being a hopeless romantic. I hope to find that special someone who can fill my spirit with true love and happiness. It will take some time but I know that I can find that distant paradise one day.
If you want to see more my poetry you can click the link to my poetry webpage here. You can also check my photography also if you wish to see more of my artsy side!
Have a warm day,
Justin Reid
Monday, February 21, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
My thoughts on today's meteorology
Probably everyone (at least weather people) by now has heard of the 30% budget cut to the National Weather Service and it's related agencies. This is a volatile time for not just that agency but for the rest of our society as well. This gives me a chance to talk a little about what today's meteorology is like for me and how things like budget cuts to the NWS are just another proverbial "tempest" to endure.
Like most in my field I have been interested in meteorology since I was young (5 years old to be exact) ever since I saw the PBS special Cyclone. Since then I've learned many things and have become the atmospheric science student I am today and aim to be a scientist at a research agency. I find the ever changing atmospheric physical system somewhat elusive and always providing something new to unravel about it. The heavens have their own skyscrapers of moisture & rivers of air, and it's almost like traveling to another beautiful world when you explore into how it really works.
Now for the negatives, which no field of study is without them. The biggest flaw in meteorology, which I see plastered on a national stage, is the kind displayed at times on the Discovery Channel's Stormchasers. Whenever I see parts of that TV program, the atmosphere is no longer the center of interest. Instead the members of the show seem to only care about bolstering their own careers and statuses by showing how much of an "expert" they are. A true expert in meteorology would not bother with such trivialities. He or she would only be concerned about producing good science, not whether their science would result in an institution named in their honor. This ego war that sometimes manifests is what I consider the worst part of meteorology, not the hard calculus, nor the difficult upper atmospheric science courses. In order for a scientific community to operate properly, pride has to be put aside so that the we can all learn how the complex system of the atmosphere actually works.
On the NWS issue, this calls back to a rift in meteorology that has gone back for a long time, all the way back to meteorology's roots in Norway. When I was in my teens, I had assumed that the branches of research and forecasting in meteorology were symbiotic, and grew off of one another. Now I have come to realize that their is a great canyon separating them. This was evident in VORTEX2 were I heard stories of the research leaders of that project ignoring their forecasters' advice simply because the forecasters weren't researchers themselves. This practice not only caused animosity among the team, but probably caused missed tornadic thunderstorm (supercell) cases for their initiative. In my studies I focus primarily on research, but I am also a good forecaster with a WxChallenge trophy under my belt, so I understand that forecasting is an essential part of the meteorology profession as well as scientific research. These latest cuts to the NWS remind me of those days when I heard the "forecasting vs. research" debates and where the NWS seemed to be the fountainhead of the forecasting arm that wrestled with the research one. As some of my colleagues, as well as I, will tell you, forecasting is vital to public safety and awareness about hazardous weather and should not be devalued by any group or political faction!
With all of the things that have happened in my years of college, I have come to a more simpler philosophy in meteorology than I had coming into my undergraduate work. There are outside forces beyond your control that will sometimes drag you down, or try to cast you out. The best thing that I can do is to contribute to my profession the best way I can, even if it is just modest work. In that simplicity, my overall goal is still achieved, no matter what the powers that be say or do. I am still revealing how our atmosphere works using a scientific method and bringing those results to my peers.
To further discoveries,
Justin Reid
Like most in my field I have been interested in meteorology since I was young (5 years old to be exact) ever since I saw the PBS special Cyclone. Since then I've learned many things and have become the atmospheric science student I am today and aim to be a scientist at a research agency. I find the ever changing atmospheric physical system somewhat elusive and always providing something new to unravel about it. The heavens have their own skyscrapers of moisture & rivers of air, and it's almost like traveling to another beautiful world when you explore into how it really works.
Now for the negatives, which no field of study is without them. The biggest flaw in meteorology, which I see plastered on a national stage, is the kind displayed at times on the Discovery Channel's Stormchasers. Whenever I see parts of that TV program, the atmosphere is no longer the center of interest. Instead the members of the show seem to only care about bolstering their own careers and statuses by showing how much of an "expert" they are. A true expert in meteorology would not bother with such trivialities. He or she would only be concerned about producing good science, not whether their science would result in an institution named in their honor. This ego war that sometimes manifests is what I consider the worst part of meteorology, not the hard calculus, nor the difficult upper atmospheric science courses. In order for a scientific community to operate properly, pride has to be put aside so that the we can all learn how the complex system of the atmosphere actually works.
On the NWS issue, this calls back to a rift in meteorology that has gone back for a long time, all the way back to meteorology's roots in Norway. When I was in my teens, I had assumed that the branches of research and forecasting in meteorology were symbiotic, and grew off of one another. Now I have come to realize that their is a great canyon separating them. This was evident in VORTEX2 were I heard stories of the research leaders of that project ignoring their forecasters' advice simply because the forecasters weren't researchers themselves. This practice not only caused animosity among the team, but probably caused missed tornadic thunderstorm (supercell) cases for their initiative. In my studies I focus primarily on research, but I am also a good forecaster with a WxChallenge trophy under my belt, so I understand that forecasting is an essential part of the meteorology profession as well as scientific research. These latest cuts to the NWS remind me of those days when I heard the "forecasting vs. research" debates and where the NWS seemed to be the fountainhead of the forecasting arm that wrestled with the research one. As some of my colleagues, as well as I, will tell you, forecasting is vital to public safety and awareness about hazardous weather and should not be devalued by any group or political faction!
With all of the things that have happened in my years of college, I have come to a more simpler philosophy in meteorology than I had coming into my undergraduate work. There are outside forces beyond your control that will sometimes drag you down, or try to cast you out. The best thing that I can do is to contribute to my profession the best way I can, even if it is just modest work. In that simplicity, my overall goal is still achieved, no matter what the powers that be say or do. I am still revealing how our atmosphere works using a scientific method and bringing those results to my peers.
To further discoveries,
Justin Reid
Friday, February 18, 2011
Welcome to my world in the skies
Hello everyone and I would like to cordially invite you to my blog! Here I hope to post about what I am doing in the field of meteorology, and my other interests. The reason I made this page is that I hope to unify two sides of my life that rarely run into each other. One is my scientific side which involves atmospheric research and weather forecasting. And on the other is my artistic side which encompasses my writing interests and some of my photography. I hope that someone will find these musings at least an interesting bunch of stories that they can tell to their friends.
Have a wonderful day,
Justin Reid
Have a wonderful day,
Justin Reid
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