Ph.D., Geography, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois (Aug. 2022 - Current)

• Specialization: Atmospheric Science

• Advisor: Dr. Walker Ashley

• Dissertation Title: The Future of Tornado Outbreaks in the United States

M.S., Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Nebraska - Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska (Aug. 2020 - Dec. 2023)

• Specialization: Meteorology/Climatology

• Advisor: Dr. Adam Houston

• Thesis Title: An Empirical Examination of the Environmental Variability that Impacted Supercell Evolution, Longevity, and Severe Weather Production on 22 May 2019 in Oklahoma

B.S. in Meteorology Summa Cum Laude w/ Upper Division University Honors , Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois (May 2020)

• Minor: Geography

• Geographic Information System (G.I.S.) Certificate

A.S. in General Science, Waubonsee Community College, Sugar Grove, Illinois (May 2013)

High School Diploma, West Aurora High School (May 2008)

Associate Forensic Meteorologist, Haag Engineering - Dallas, TX (Jan. 2023 - Current)

Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment, Northern Illinois University - DeKalb, IL (Aug. 2022 - Current)

Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Earth & Atmospheric Science, University of Nebraska  - Lincoln, Nebraska (Aug. 2020 - Aug. 2022)

Research Assistant (Student Undergraduate Laboratory Internship Program), Argonne National Laboratory - Lemont, Illinois (May 2020 - Aug. 2020)

News Intern (Weather Center), WGN TV Chicago - Chicago, Illinois (Sep. - Dec. 2019)

University of Oklahoma - Norman, Oklahoma (May 2019 - July 2019)

• 2019 National Weather Center Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Participant

  • Project: Analysis of Tornadogenesis Failure Using Rapid-Scan Data from the Atmospheric Imaging Radar

  • Advisors: Dr. David Bodine, Dr. Casey Griffin, Andrew Mahre

  • Funded by NSF grant #AGS-1560419

Northern Illinois University - DeKalb, Illinois (Dec. 2018 - May 2020)

• Undergraduate Student Research Assistant (Sep. 2019 - May 2020)

• Honors Senior Capstone Thesis (Aug. 2019 - Dec. 2019)

  • Advisor: Dr. Victor Gensini

• Analysis of Environmental Discriminators for Significant Tornadoes and Hail Using Proximity Soundings (Spring 2019 - Current)

• ICICLE Project (Dec. 2018 - Mar. 2019)

Logistics Coordinator, XPO Logistics, Brokerage Division - Bannockburn, Illinois (Aug. 2016 - Sep. 2019) 

Freight Conductor, CSX Transportation - Ottawa, Illinois (Jan. 2015 - Aug. 2016)

Issue Resolution Coordinator, I.M.A.C.C. - Naperville, Illinois (Feb. 2013 - Jan. 2015)

Grocery and Produce Department Team Member, Prisco's Family Market (Formerly Prisco's Fine Foods) -  Aurora, Illinois (Apr. 2007 - Feb. 2013)

Pittman, K., A. Houston, 2023: An Empirical Examination of the Environmental Factors That Regulated Thunderstorm Longevity on 22 May 2019 in Oklahoma. 20th Conference on Mesoscale Processes, Amer. Meteor. Soc., Madison, WI, 35

Pittman, K., A. Houston, 2022b: An Empirical Examination of the Environmental Factors That Regulated Thunderstorm Longevity on 22 May 2019 in Oklahoma. 30th Conference on Severe Local Storms, Amer. Meteor. Soc., Santa Fe, NM, 68. 

Pittman, K., A. Houston, 2022a: An Empirical Examination of the Environmental Factors That Regulated Thunderstorm Longevity on 22 May 2019 in Oklahoma. 19th Conference on Mesoscale Processes, Amer. Meteor. Soc., Houston, TX, 11.4.

Pittman, K., A. Houston, 2021: An Empirical Examination of the Environmental Factors That Regulated Thunderstorm Longevity on 22 May 2019 in Oklahoma. Student and Early Career Scientist Conference on Severe Local Storms, Virtual.

Pittman, K., K. Axon, D. Butler, D. Healey, and M. Wilson, 2021: A Synopsis of Favorable Environments for Supercell Thunderstorms and Tornadoes. 131st Nebraska Academy of Sciences Annual Meeting, Lincoln, Nebraska.

Pittman, K., A. Mahre, C. Griffin, D. Bodine, J. Kurdzo, and V. Gensini, 2020: Analysis of Tornadogenesis Failure Using Rapid-Scan Data from the Atmospheric Imaging Radar. 36th Severe Local Storms Symposium, Amer. Meteor. Soc., Boston, MA, 919. 

Converse, C., L. Bundy, K. Pittman, B. Brock, and V. Gensini, 2020: Environmental Discriminators for Significant Tornadoes and Hail in the Midwestern United States. 19th AMS Student Conference, Amer. Meteor. Soc., Boston, MA, S159. 

Mahre, A., K. Pittman, T.-Y. Yu, and D. Bodine, 2019: Assessing the Benefits of a Rapid-Scanning Phased Array Weather Radar. 39th International Conference on Radar Meteorology, Nara, Japan, P2.08.

U.S. Army Reserve (June 2015 - June 2021)

• Military Occupational Specialty (M.O.S.): Combat Medic/Healthcare Specialist (68-W)

• Rank: E-5 (Sergeant)

Guest Contributor, Climate Vulnerability and Adaptation Subcommittee, Sustainability and Climate Action Plan, Northern Illinois University (Spring 2023)

Student Volunteer, Omaha National Weather Service Forecast Office - Valley, NE (Jan. 2022 - Jun. 2022)

Committee Member - Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Diversity Committee [University of Nebraska, Lincoln] (Sep. 2021 - May 2022)

Executive Board Member - NIU Student Chapter of the American Meteorological Society (May 2019 - May 2020)

Observer -  Northern Illinois University/NWS Cooperative Weather Station (Sep. 2018 - July 2020)

League Director - Aurora Fastpitch Softball Association, (Sep. 2017 - May 2019)

Geological Society of America (2022 - Current)

American Geophysical Union (2022 - Current)

Nebraska Academy of Sciences (2021 - Current)

National Weather Association (2018 - Current)

Gamma Theta Upsilon International Honor Society (2018 - Current)

American Meteorological Society (2017 - Current)