Four Plymouth State University students were awarded the American Meteorological Society Scholarships on October 8, 2007. With only 21 AMS scholarships awarded this year, each student is hand selected by the AMS based on their academic merit/achievements and references from faculty or other professionals familiar with each on of them.
The PSU students awarded were Heather A. Dinon, Matthew J. Morin, Daniel S. Michaud, and Melissa D. Payer. All four of these students were involved in internships over the past summer. Heather Dinon and Matthew Morin worked with the meteorology program chair Dr. James Koermer on an active research project at the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Daniel Michaud worked at the National Weather Forecast Office in Gray, Maine; and Melissa Payer did an internship at the NOAA Earth Systems Research Laboratory in Boulder. Colorado.
The PSU meteorology program was established in 1982 and has only grown stronger with time. Plymouth’s meteorology program not only meets but also exceeds all recommended AMS guidelines for undergraduate degree programs.
According to Dr. James P. Koermer, over 80 percent of PSU’s meteorology alumni from the last 10 years are currently employed as professional meteorologists or have gone on to continue their studies in graduate school. This program has received national recognition from the scientific community on more than one occasion.
Not one other school had more winners of the AMS undergraduate scholarships than PSU, with Penn State being the only other university in the country to match PSU’s number.
Heather Dinon, recipient of the Karen Hauschild Friday Scholarship, said, “I definitely had to work hard to get it, but this recognition just goes to show that hard work does pay off in the end.” She said that it was amazing that four of the 21 scholarships awarded were given to PSU students. She added that people should recognize the hard work and effort needed to succeed in such a demanding program.
“Overall,” Dinon said, “I don’t think other students at Plymouth and people in general realize the time, effort, and devotion that the meteorology major requires.”
Melissa Payer, recipient of the David S. Johnson Endowed Scholarship, said, “It is definitely nice to be recognized for the time and effort we have put into our schoolwork.”
Matthew Morin felt similar. He was awarded the Saraswati (Sara) Bahethi Scholarship, based on his drive and determination to maintain a high GPA while other students fall behind.
“I believe you really have to love the weather to be a success in Plymouth State’s Meteorology program,” said Morin, “It seems to be a mental obstacle course where only the strong survive. Students are ‘weeded out’ right away with courses like University Physics and Thermodynamics. It takes a lot of hard work and determination to get through this program, but I know it will be well worth it in the long run.”