Kora Garee

Kora grew up in a small town near Columbus, Ohio, and is currently a sophomore at Ohio University, majoring in Aviation Management with a minor in Meteorology. Her passion for meteorology blossomed while taking aviation courses, where she discovered how closely weather impacts the world of flying. This realization inspired her to add a Meteorology minor to complement her studies. Kora is an active member of Women in Aviation International and Alpha Eta Rho, the aviation business fraternity. In her free time, she enjoys running, knitting, flying, and spending time with her dog. As a licensed private pilot, she aspires to build a career in the aviation industry that integrates her expertise in both aviation and meteorology.

Iryna Matsnieva

Iryna Matsnieva was born and raised in Ukraine. She received some education in the fields of art and music. Since her childhood, Iryna has been fascinated by nature. She was drawn to the weather. She moved to the United States in 2010. She began her meteorology career online at Mississippi State University in 2022, studying Broadcast and Operational Meteorology. She transferred to Ohio University in 2024 and is slated to graduate in 2026.

Emerson Young

Emerson Young studied Geography with a meteorology minor. Emerson grew up in Vickery, Ohio along Sandusky Bay near Sandusky, Ohio. His passion for weather started from watching Meteorologists at 13abc in Toledo, Ohio during Winter Storms and tornado outbreak occurring on November 17th, 2013. Emerson hopes to get a job forecasting weather in the private sector for transportation.

Bronwyn Bach

Bronwyn pursued a meteorology degree with additional studies in geographic information systems (GIS) and mathematics. Originally from Pickerington, Ohio, she now lives in Athens with her bird and two longtime friends. After graduation, she hopes to one day have a career with NOAA focusing on mesoscale meteorology. When not occupied with school, Bronwyn loves to explore the beautiful roads around Athens and the neighboring counties, create digital paintings, and play video games with friends.

Anthony Valentino

Anthony Valentino grew up in Pickerington, Ohio, where he graduated from Pickerington High School North with honors. Throughout high school he played competitive golf, earning his varsity letter in both his junior and senior years. He enjoys playing music as well by playing guitar in his free time. At an early age, Anthony was quite afraid of severe weather, however, that fear soon turned into fascination. This curiosity was enough for Anthony to pursue a career in Meteorology and work towards his goal of graduating in May of 2026 with a B.S in Meteorology. He is looking to find a career in aviation forecasting as this discipline of meteorology is where his interest lies. He gained many experiences along the way such as attending both the 2025 and 2026 AMS students’ conferences in New Orleans, LA and Houston, TX respectively.

Alexander Akpofure

Alex began his meteorology career at Ohio University in 2023. He is originally from Grove City, Ohio. He always had a huge interest in weather ever since he was young. There was a time he used to be afraid of weather, but over time that fear led to curiosity, which strengthened his interest in meteorology. Alex loves experiencing almost all types of weather year-round, whether its winter storms or severe weather. He uses around 30+ weather apps and websites, so he always has an immediate heads up on current and future weather conditions. Outside of meteorology, Alex enjoys going on runs and spending time taking timelapses.

Brian Colle

Brian is originally from Fairborn, OH and graduated from Ohio University in 1991 with a BS in Meteorology/Geography. He received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Washington in 1994 and 1997, respectively. Brian joined the faculty at Stony Brook University (SBU) on Long Island, NY in 1999. He is now a Full Professor and Division Head of the Atmospheric Science Division within the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at SBU. Brian is also a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society.
Brian teaches synoptic/mesoscale meteorology and weather forecasting at the undergraduate and graduate level. His research interests include snow banding within winter storms, ensemble model product development for forecasters, extreme weather modeling, regional climate, and better communication of extreme weather. To learn more about Brian’s CoMAP research group: https://you.stonybrook.edu/comap/.

Emma Edwardson

Emma is a graduate student earning her M.S in Geography – Meteorology. She is from Columbus, Ohio and attended The Ohio State University from 2020 to 2024 where she earned her B.S in Atmospheric Science. Going into meteorology was an easy decision for her as she remembers being fascinated with severe weather from an early age, and studying meteorology has made her love it even more. In addition to being associate director for Scalia, she is also the instructor for Meteorological Observations (GEOG 3031) and Forecasting (GEOG 3040). Her personal research interests are in severe weather and emergency management with her current research being an investigation into how to possibly improve communication from the NWS about severe convective winds. She plans to enter a career in operational meteorology with either the National Weather Service or the private sector.

Andy Wolford

Andrew studied meteorology with a minor in chemistry. He is from Amelia, Ohio. His interest in weather started due to his family being from New Orleans and having experienced several hurricanes he developed an interest in natural sciences generally and meteorology more specifically. He transferred to OU from UC Cincinnati in 2023 and joined the OU Chapter of the American Meteorological Society. After getting involved with the chapter he decided to change his major from Chemical Engineering to Meteorology. His primary area of focus is tropical cyclones, and he plans to go on to grad school and eventually apply to the National Hurricane Center.

Emily Case

Emily Case grew up in Shreve, Ohio where she was terrified of all types of weather unless the sun was shining. Her fear of weather turned into a strong curiosity for it and is the reason why she is currently a third-year meteorology student at Ohio University. Emily is heavily involved in the Ohio University’s Chapter of American Meteorological Society (OUCAMS) and is serving as the secretary for the 2024-2025 school year. This past summer, she participated in the Northeast Partnership for Atmospheric and Related Sciences (NEPARS) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU). Her research focused on extreme summer heat events during nighttime hours in the Northeast United States. The focus was on the climatological side of extreme heat events rather than the meteorological factors fueling the heat events. At the conclusion of the internship, it is evident that extreme heat events are on the rise. Outside of weather Emily loves hanging out with friends, reading, and drinking coffee.