Hey! My name is Jenna Westpfahl, and this is my 5th year at UND. I am majoring in commercial aviation and Spanish with a minor in atmospheric sciences. I am from Holmen, Wisconsin, and I love winter! In my free time, I enjoy spending time outdoors and traveling. Some of my favorite activities include snowboarding, cross-country skiing, and hiking. I can’t wait to meet all of you!  

Greetings! My name is Eleanore Horning and I am going into my Junior year as an Atmospheric Science major. I was born and raised in Bismarck, ND. My favorite season is winter, and my favorite weather is snow. In my free time I crochet, draw, read, and more. I am very excited to meet and work with everyone this semester! 

Hey there! My name is Stephen Kesti, and I am a second year Master's student in the Atmospheric Sciences department. I earned my Bachelor's degree in Climate Science from Northland College, so like many of you, I am also new to UND! I am originally from Blaine Minnesota, a suburb of the Twin Cities, and my weather interests consist of severe connective complexes and tropical cyclones. 

A few fun facts about me are that I love fishing, I am very tall, and I played basketball in college. Excited to work with you all this semester!

Hey everyone! My name is Abbilyn Kaan, and I am a fourth-year student in Atmospheric Sciences, with a minor in Mathematics. I am from Aberdeen, South Dakota (aka the better Dakota). My fascination with meteorology actually started as an irrational fear of severe weather when I was a kid. To help calm my fears, I spent lots of time learning the science behind the storms, and I ended up loving meteorology. 

Some of my hobbies include painting, listening to music/podcasts, traveling, shopping, makeup, and hanging out with my friends. Besides being a TA, I am also a calculus tutor here on campus. I am also involved in several ATSC clubs and organizations. 

Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns you may have, or if you want to yap about campus, life, etc. :)

Hi! My name is Clay and I'm a third-year PhD student in the Atmospheric Sciences department. I received my bachelor's degree in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Louisville and my master's degree from UND. I was born in Connecticut, but have spent most of my life in Louisville, KY.  My research includes studying how urban heat islands affect storms and using weather models to improve forecasting for UAS.

Outside of school, I love skiing, sailing/boating, playing sports, and spending time with my wife and our three pets!

Hey! My name is Owen and I'm a second-year master's student in the Atmospheric Sciences department. I got my undergraduate degree in Atmospheric Sciences here at UND as well, Grand Forks is a place I've called home for a while! I'm originally from Woodbury, Minnesota. My weather interests are pretty broad, but I take special interest in winter weather. My specific interests in meteorology include blizzards and lake effect snow, which encouraged me to continue my college career in grad school. Ask me anything about winter weather, or any other interests you come across while taking this class! We cover a lot of topics, and I'm always happy to help spread knowledge about this wonderful field of science.

Outside of school, you may see me at the hockey games, so don't be afraid to say hi! Other than that, I enjoy spending my time outside (if it isn't too cold) hiking or generally enjoying nature. I also have been dabbling in creative writing (to balance out the professional writing), and hope to one day write a book, should I have the time!

Hello, My name is Ben, and I am a senior atmospheric science major. I grew up in Nisswa MN and my interest in weather mostly comes from experiencing it while camping or working on my parents' farm. I originally came to UND to fly, but it was not quite what I was looking for and quickly fell in love with my ATSCI classes. Outside of school I love camping and being outdoors, and most Friday nights I can be found with the UND MTG club playing a few games. I look forward to meeting you all this semester. 

Hello, I'm Taejun Joo, but I mostly go by TJ. I'm a senior in commercial aviation and I'm from South Korea. I like staying warm indoors, away from the cold. I look forward to working with you guys.  

Hi my name is Tegan Fohrman! I am a senior double majoring in atmospheric sciences and environmental studies, with a minor in sustainability studies. I'm from a very small town in SE MN called Dover. 

Outside of ATSC I really enjoying being outside whether that's hiking, skiing, swimming, or sitting. I am a part of the Students for Sustainability club here on campus, you may see some of our events around campus. I love going to the UND sporting events, especially hockey! Don't be afraid to reach out if you need!

Hey there! My name is Evan Gustafson and I am a 1st year graduate student within the Atmospheric Sciences Department. I earned my Bachelor’s Degree at Valparaiso University, located in Northwest Indiana. I am originally from Madison, Wisconsin but currently reside in Woodbury, MN, near Minneapolis.

Living in the Midwest my whole life, I’ve been fortunate enough to experience a multitude of weather events from severe blizzards to tornadoes. I have a particular interest in organized convection and the socioeconomic impacts from severe storms. I also enjoy hiking, reading, photography, and sports!

Hi everyone! My name is Jonathan Polmatier, going into my senior year as an atmospheric sciences major here at UND; in addition to my major, I am attempting to get a minor in Spanish, mathematics, and communications! I'm originally from Stafford Springs, a small town in northeast Connecticut about an hour southwest of Boston (and yes, people really do say pahk ya cah and call everything "wicked awesome"). I came to UND because I grew up with annual trips to Wisconsin and fell in love with the Midwest! I also love winter and got sick of how short Connecticut winters are, which was another big incentive for me to move to the tundra known as North Dakota. I am planning on working as a broadcast meteorologist after school, so you might flip on the TV and get jumpscared by me looking back at you one day (or you might already see me on VNL if you live down in Fargo 🙂)! 

Aside from school, I enjoy staying in shape by running, biking, or doing any outdoor activity I can. As an ex-New England resident, I have a deep obsession with hiking (in case you couldn't already tell from my photo), and can typically be found on the nearest mountain during summer/winter breaks! During the winter, I love skiing on the weekends, or chillaxing with a nice cup of cocoa and a good book on a quiet evening. 

I am looking forward to meeting and getting to know all of you! If you see me around campus or town, feel free to say hello, and don't hesitate to reach out with any questions, concerns, or even if you just want to chat!

Hey! I'm Sam Johnson. I'm from Champlin, Minnesota and I'm a fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in Atmospheric Sciences. I'm a winter fan at my core and I had a fear of severe weather as a kid. So, naturally, I came to UND for aviation and then switched to AtSci. 

In the Forks, you might catch me at the rock wall, volunteering, skating, or completely invested in some music. I also storm chase, downhill ski, and frolic. If you ever spot me around town on some side quest, don't be a stranger!

Skol

Hi, my name is Ryan O’Neill, and I am majoring in commercial aviation and minoring in atmospheric sciences.  I am currently in my 5th year as a student at UND and cannot wait to graduate! I was born and raised in Colorado, where I spent my time in the mountains hiking, skiing, and playing hockey. I can’t wait to get started this semester, and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask! 

Hey! My name is Alyssa Carlson and I am a junior in Atmospheric Sciences. I'm from the Twin Cities area (Blaine, MN more specifically). I love stormy weather and I'm always happiest on a day with precipitation of some kind, be it rain or snow :) I love to read, I'm currently writing a sci-fi/fantasy novel, and I've always got half a dozen crochet projects going. I also love to go storm chasing when time and the weather permit. I'm excited to meet you all this semester! 

Hi! My name is Josie, and I’m a first-year master’s student in the University of North Dakota’s Department of Atmospheric Sciences. Originally from Nebraska, I developed a fascination with the atmosphere, from the changing patterns in the sky to the beauty of four seasons. I’ve always enjoyed helping others, collaborating with people, and tackling challenging questions that push me to think in new ways. That curiosity led me to a double major in meteorology and mathematics.

Growing up in Nebraska, I became fascinated by a wide range of atmospheric phenomena, but my research interests have focused on microphysics and its role in lightning. While severe weather has always been a major passion of mine, I’m especially interested in looking beneath the surface to better understand the physical processes that drive these events. I hope my work can help identify gaps in our understanding of thunderstorms and provide forecasters with better tools to analyze storm intensity and potential hazards.

Beyond academics, I’m always exploring new interests. I especially enjoy traveling, paddleboarding, building Lego sets, baking, playing board games, and playing the flute.

Hello! My name is Amy Conner, and I'm a second-year ATSC master's student, originally from Omaha, Nebraska. I got my bachelor's in meteorology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where I was fortunate to participate in several storm chasing field projects. I love all types of weather, unless it's over 90 degrees, but my favorite is of course thunderstorms:)

I'm not teaching a 110 lab this semester, but you can still find me in Clifford 457 for help. I am also the co-head TA, so feel free to reach out with logistical questions!

I'm currently researching supercell interactions using satellite and atmospheric sounding data. Outside of researching and teaching, I love to read, play video games, and attend UND hockey games.