This photo of Rachel McCrary was taken on a snowshoeing outing in the Never Summer Wilderness in Colorado. Notice the moose in the background!
Click on image for full size
Courtesy of Nick Parazoo
Rachel McCrary
I am a graduate student at Colorado State University and I study drought. For my masters thesis, I am using global climate models to study drought over the Great Plains of the United States. I am most interested in trying to understand why decade long droughts, like the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, happened over this region. I am also interested in studying how future climate change will impact the occurrence of drought over the United States .
Growing up, history and math were always my favorite subjects, but I was never really a fan of chemistry or biology. It wasn't until I started college at UCLA that I discovered my love for the physics of the atmosphere. During my freshmen year I took a climate science class and I knew, on the very first day, that I had found my passion. Studying the climate and especially drought is exciting because these topics are relevant and important to everyone on the planet. It is rewarding to know that scientists, policy makers, and educators are all interested in knowing more about the topics I study.
When I am not studying or working on research I like to cook, race in triathlons, and spend time outdoors hanging out with friends while hiking or playing softball. Before moving to Colorado for graduate school, I grew up in southern California and when I get the chance to go home, I also really like spending time at the beach.
You might also be interested in:
Atmospheric science includes the study of the atmosphere, its processes, the effects other systems have on the atmosphere, and the effects of the atmosphere on these other systems. The people who study
...more
I have always been curious about how things in nature work. Growing up in New England, my house was sometimes hit by thunderstorms, hurricanes, and snowstorms that always seemed to amaze me. I became interested
...more
I first became interested in studying science and math in about the 8th grade when I discovered my love for reading maps (specifically weather maps) and graphs and plots. Plus, I grew up in Northeast
...more
I am a graduate student at Colorado State University and I study drought. For my masters thesis, I am using global climate models to study drought over the Great Plains of the United States. I am most
...more
Growing up, I used to spend weekends at my grandmother's house in the north Georgia mountains. I loved exploring the woody hillsides and creek near her house. Those hikes sparked my interest in earth science
...more
I've been interested in the weather since I was a little girl. I grew up in Maryland and during the summer I would call the weather line every hour to find out if we had a chance of thunderstorms or not.
...more
I haven't always been interested in weather and climate science, but after getting my undergraduate degree in mathematics I wanted to move into a field that was easier to apply to the real world. Being
...more
