Gab at the Lab: Derek Stratman

Derek Stratman, NRC Postdoc

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Background:Ph.D. Meteorology, University of Oklahoma (2016)
M.S. Meteorology, University of Oklahoma (2011)
B.S. Meteorology, Valparaiso University (2009)
Experience:Derek was born and raised in Jasper, Indiana, best known for Strassenfest, an annual summer festival celebrating German heritage and culture. He attended Valparaiso University in his home state, earning his bachelor’s degree in meteorology. Then, he moved to Norman to continue his education at the University of Oklahoma. He earned both his Master’s and Ph.D. in meteorology at OU before accepting a National Research Council Postdoc position with NSSL’s Warn-on-Forecast group.
What He Does:Derek began working with the Warn-on-Forecast group in August 2016. His current research is focused on alleviating storm displacement errors in storm-scale forecasts. Previously, he had been an OU graduate research assistant. He worked with NSSL from 2009 to 2011, looking at storm-scale model verification. From 2011 to 2016, he worked with the Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms on improving storm-scale modeling and data assimilation techniques. He also took part in several field experiments. In 2010, he participated in the Verification of the Origin of Rotation of Tornadoes Experiment 2 (VORTEX2), assisting with mobile mesonet operations and taking surface observations. In 2013, Derek helped coordinate data collection for the Mesoscale Predictability Experiment (MPEX).
Trivia: Derek and his wife recently had their first child. In his free time, Derek enjoys several hobbies, including photography, storm chasing, astronomy, camping/hiking, playing trumpet, and sports.

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