UIFCW Student Travel Grant Highlight

This year, the EPIC program office, in partnership with UCAR | CPAESS, offered thirteen travel grants to enable students to attend the Unifying Innovations in Forecasting Capabilities Workshop 2024 (UIFCW24) in Jackson, Mississippi from July 22-26, 2024.   These grants gave students with limited access to funding the opportunity to attend the annual workshop in person. Over 40 students applied for this travel grant, including international applicants. Thirteen students were selected to come to Jackson, representing 11 universities from across the US. Seventy percent of applicants were graduate students, and the rest were a mix of undergraduates, postdocs, and early career professionals. Awardees also included the Weather Program Office (WPO) Innovation for Next Generation Scientists (W.I.N.G.S.) Dissertation Fellows.

Alycia Triplett, a second year PhD student from Howard University, attended the workshop and shared her experience. At the time, Triplett was an intern at NOAA’s Global Systems Laboratory (GSL) and was also a member of the UIFCW24 Planning Committee.

Notably, Triplett had the opportunity to share her perspective on a panel discussion about how to expand the UFS community. She was excited to have her voice as a student heard: “This was a chance for me to share my experiences as a black woman entering the professional world of meteorology without the fear of being brushed off or misunderstood,” Triplett states. Students attending the workshop also had the opportunity to tour the Weather Forecast Office in Jackson, MS. 

Triplett enjoyed the intimate nature of the workshop. Without a background in numerical weather prediction, she was surprised by how much she understood: “A lot of the presentations built off of other presentations, so I was able to ingest a lot more than at a typical conference.” She also appreciated the time for questions and discussions that the workshop allowed for. 

Alycia is looking forward to attending UIFCW in the future, and perhaps you will see her presenting her own work on severe weather prediction next year!