Systems Developer
Matt encountered his first tornado in Nebraska during the summer of 1998 while moving from Indiana to Colorado to study Meteorology in college. He has been passionately chasing and researching severe thunderstorms since 2000. Matt and Tim Samaras first crossed paths at a destroyed farmstead minutes after the Manchester, SD tornado struck on June 24, 2003. At this time, Matt was working with project ANSWERS led by long time friends and mentors Drs. Bruce Lee and Cathy Finley who are now scientific investigators for TWISTEX. Matt went on to receive his Master's degree in Atmospheric Science from Texas Tech University in 2004. His graduate school work focused on the differences between rear flank downdrafts associated with tornado producing and non-tornado producing storms.
In late 2008, Matt joined TWISTEX as a mobile mesonet software/systems developer and Atmospheric Scientist. He actively participates in TWISTEX field operations, enjoys contributing to science, and feels fortunate to have been part of collecting data around many strong to violent tornadoes over the years. [1]