Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences Programs

Contact Information

Dr. William J. Capehart, Program Coordinator
Mineral Industries 213
(605) 394-1994
E-mail: William.Capehart@sdsmt.edu

Faculty

Professor Detwiler; Emeritus Professors Helsdon, Hjelmfelt and Smith; Associate Professors Capehart, Kliche, and Sundareshwar; Assistant Professors French and Kunza; Instructor Clabo; Adjunct Professors Stamm, Johnson, and Monfredo; Adjunct Research Scientist Bunkers.

Atmospheric Sciences

The South Dakota School of Mines & Technology offers advanced undergraduate and graduate courses leading to the master of science degree in atmospheric and sciences with specializations in meteorology or earth systems science, and the doctor of philosophy degree in atmospheric and environmental sciences (AES). For more information on the AES program, see here . Faculty of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences also actively conduct research with sponsorship from the State of South Dakota and various federal agencies.

The primary objective of the atmospheric and environmental sciences graduate program is to give students a basic understanding of the factors influencing atmospheric phenomena, including solar and terrestrial radiation, the laws of fluid motion and thermodynamics, microphysical and electrical processes in clouds, ecology, atmospheric chemistry, and biogeochemistry. Instruction is offered in the interpretation of conventional weather, satellite and radar data; observations collected by specially instrumented aircraft; and output from numerical models of atmospheric processes. The graduate student is expected to carry out original research in the atmospheric and environmental sciences using some of these tools and resources. In addition, the student must successfully complete the coursework and program requirements enumerated below.

A student applying for admission to the master’s degree program in Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences should have a baccalaureate degree in meteorology or atmospheric and environmental sciences, one of the biological or physical sciences, earth system sciences, mathematics, or engineering. It is desirable for applicants to have received undergraduate credit for mathematics through Calculus 2 (for the earth systems science specialization - see below) or ordinary differential equations (for the meteorology specialization). For the meteorology specialization, undergraduate physics is required, and for the earth systems specialization, undergraduate physics and chemistry are desirable. Experience with computer programming is recommended. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores from the General Test are required for all students except School of Mines graduates. TOEFL scores are required of all applicants from colleges outside the U.S.

Facilities and Resources

Students typically work directly with faculty on externally-funded research projects. Graduate research assistantships associated with these projects are available that provide part-time employment for students during the academic months and possible full-time employment during the summer. Facilities and resources of the department are utilized in these research efforts. These facilities comprise various meteorological instrument platforms and packages including several automated surface weather stations and laser optical distrometers. Sophisticated computer facilities are available on campus, with additional access to the larger computer complexes elsewhere.

Faculty Research

Current research projects include field investigations of thunderstorms; applications of weather radar data to rainfall measurements and remote inference of cloud microphysical characteristics; numerical modeling of clouds ranging in size from small cumulus to severe storms including storm electrification, lightning, and lightning-influenced atmospheric chemistry; analysis of field observations and numerical simulations of complex surface ecosystems; land-surface hydrology; satellite remote sensing; land-surface/atmosphere exchange processes; fire weather prediction and modeling; biogeochemical cycling; and carbon sequestration and ecological modeling. In addition, our faculty, as active research scientists, are currently involved in activities to disseminate scientific knowledge to wider audiences and improve and enhance scientific literacy and educational opportunities for the people of South Dakota.