Professor Sonia Lasher-Trapp
Purdue University Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
I am a first year M.S. student, having joined the Cloud Microphysics group
in August 2006. A native of the Indianapolis area, a tornado that came near
my family's home in 1974 sparked what has been for me a lifelong interest in
weather. I earned a B.A. in Telecommunications from Indiana University in
1989 and an M.S. in information and communication science from Ball State
University in 1991. After several years working in the broadcast television
equipment industry, I am returning to school to follow a lifelong dream of
doing meteorology research.Currently, I am working on inspecting thedataset from the RICO field campaign and analyzing the tools currently usedfor such examination. I intend to use my background in communicationtechnology, particularly as an interdisciplinary liaison, in order to workon the development project for a realistic meteorological visualization tool that will combine radar data, sounding data, and meteorological data from other sources into one comprehensive analysis system. My career goals are still a bit undefined, but I know I would like eventually to get my Ph.D. and continue doing meteorological research, perhaps in properties of
lightning or hail development.
When I am not studying for courses or doing cloud microphysics research, I
am an avid (formerly semi-professional) photographer, spanning the range
from large-format view cameras to point-and-shoot digital. I am also likely
to be reading or perhaps out on my bicycle or at a contra dance. I have
traveled extensively around the country and to some extent in Europe and I
enjoy getting lost in national parks in the western states, particularly
Yellowstone, Arches, Canyonlands or Zion.
