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Programs of Study, 1997-1999
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES
Head of the Department: D. Wuebbles
Correspondence and Information: Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 101 Atmospheric Science Building, 105 South Gregory Street, Urbana, IL 61801; (217) 333-2046. E-mail: dept@atmos.uiuc.edu.
URL: http://www.atmos.uiuc.edu
GRADUATE FACULTY
Professors: K. V. Beard, M. Mak, M. Schlesinger, J. E. Walsh, R. B. Wilhelmson, D. J. Wuebbles
Associate Professor: M. Ramamurthy, R. M. Rauber, W. A. Robinson
Assistant Professors: Z. Li, M. Ting
GRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAM
Graduate programs leading to the master of science and doctor of philosophy degrees are offered.
ADMISSION
Applicants for admission are encouraged from students with bachelor's degrees in physics, mathematics, computer science, geography, engineering, and related fields, as well as meteorology and oceanography. It is strongly recommended, however, that students who intend to study for advanced degrees in atmospheric sciences know the fundamentals of classical physics and applied mathematics. Applicants whose native tongue is not English are required to take the English Placement Test if accepted. All applicants are required to take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) and submit three letters of reference.
MASTER OF SCIENCE
The requirements for the degree of master of science in atmospheric sciences correspond to the general requirements of the Graduate College for the M.S. degree, with the additional requirement that a minimum of four units be taken in graduate courses in atmospheric sciences, excluding thesis units (499). Therefore, eight units, three of which must be from courses numbered in the 400 series and four of which must be in atmospheric sciences, are required. In addition, a written thesis, which may account for one or two units of credit, must be completed. Further information on degree requirements can be obtained from the department.
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
All candidates for the Ph.D. degree must satisfy the general requirements of the Graduate College and are required to pass a qualifying examination on basic principles of atmospheric sciences, a preliminary examination based on a written thesis proposal, and a final examination based on the completed thesis. Further information on course requirements and these examinations can be obtained from the department.
CSE OPTION IN ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES
A Computational Science and Engineering (CSE) option is available to both M.S. and Ph.D. students. In either case, a student must satisfy all of the regular requirements for graduate study in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences. In addition, a M.S. student must take one course fron the list of core CSE courses and one course from the CSE option areas while the Ph.D. student just takes two courses from each. Further information is available from the department.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
These degree programs are designed for students interested in research and application in many aspects of atmospheric sciences. The areas of research include the physics of aerosol and precipitation; atmospheric chemistry (laboratory and modeling studies); observational, theoretical, and modeling of studies of clouds and severe storms; synoptic and mesoscale meteorology; numerical weather prediction; weather modification; four-dimensional data assimilation; stratospheric dynamics; low-frequency variability; nonlinear atmospheric dynamics; climate variability and climate modeling, including chemical, radiative, and transport effects; atmospheric radiative processes; human and natural perturbations to global ozone and climate; relating science to policymakers; and radar and satellite meteorology.
RESEARCH FACILITIES
Because the use of computer technology has become essential in nearly all areas of atmospheric science, the department maintains a capable and extensive computer infrastructure.
From students to faculty, each member of the department is provided with their own personal desktop computer. These include primarily Macintosh systems and a number of Windows based systems. Each is directly connected to a state-of-the-art network that allows it direct high-speed access to other departmental computer facilities and the Internet. The latter allows direct desktop access to major research facilities such as the supercomputers at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) located on campus as well as the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and many others.
Students, staff and faculty members alike use these networked computers to regularly exchange and electronically share information such as documents, electronic mail, data files and computer graphics with each other and fellow researchers at other institutions. These desktop systems are also used for tasks such as word processing and display and analysis of research results.
Most of the individual research groups within the department also maintain one or more powerful UNIX workstations for use by group members. These are used for tasks such as numerical modeling and analysis, as well as visualization and data storage. A number are now capable of performing tasks only possible at supercomputer facilities a few years ago. Multiple high speed processors, internal memory of 64MB or greater and disk space of more than 10GB are not uncommon.
General computer facilities for use by all department members are also provided. These include several UNIX servers which are used for tasks such as distributing electronic mail, providing access to Internet resources, and weather analysis and class programming projects. High speed, large capacity laser printers as well as smaller personal laser printers are conveniently located throughout the department and are network accessible from any computer.
The Department maintains a "computerized classroom" with nine Power Macintosh 7500's for use in instruction, allowing the students to do their own meteorological and other analyses at the direction of the instructor during laboratory sessions. This facility is available as a general computer lab accessible to all when not in use as a classroom. Both this room and a more traditional lecture room are equipped with overhead computer projection systems that allow lecturers to display computer graphics or video during class or other presentations. These are used, for example, to display current weather maps, and radar and satellite images during daily lunch time weather briefings held periodically during of the semester.
Because access to real time current meteorological data is important to research, instruction and operational forecasting, the department maintains a synoptic laboratory. As part of this, the department receives a number of data feeds from the National Weather Service and other commercial providers. A charter top-tier member of the Unidata (a program of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, UCAR) Internet Data Distribution (IDD) project, the department receives data feeds from the service providers over the Internet and redistributes it to several other Unidata member universities.
These data, which include surface and upper air observations, NWS textual and numerical model output products, satellite imagery, five-minute local and national NEXRAD doppler radar and DIFAX weather charts, are also stored locally. They are filed and processed by several dedicated computers into a variety of weather maps, images and other products that are readily available for viewing via any of the desktop computers. All the of raw data are also permanently archived on tape for future research use, such that the full compliment of data from any day may be retrieved and studied at a future date.
The Department has also pioneered the provision of much of this data to the Internet community via our popular WWW (The Daily Planet - http://www.atmos.uiuc.edu) and gopher (The Weather Machine - gopher://wx.atmos.uiuc.edu/) servers which serve nearly 200,000 requests per day from around the world during interesting weather events.
A laboratory for study of atmospheric chemical kinetics is part of our research facilities. In addition, professors and students also use research laboratories at the Illinois State Water Survey.
FINANCIAL AID
Financial aid is available in the form of research and teaching
assistantships, University fellowships, and waivers of tuition and service fees.
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