SLU Meteorology Students Make the Most of a Once in a Lifetime Experience
The 2024 Solar Eclipse Offered an Opportunity to Expand Knowledge on Solar Events
JACKSON, MO - A team of student researchers from Saint Louis University’s School of Science and Engineering, led by Robert Pasken, Ph.D. associate professor of Meteorology, studied the meteorological impacts of the 2024 solar eclipse on Monday, April 8.
The team, comprised of graduate students Maggie Ideker, Riley Jackson and Benjamin Schaefer, along with seniors Jimmy Bergmann, Carter Hickel and Jack Rotter, sent up weather balloons and drones up during the totality from a dedicated location in Trail of Tears State Park in Jackson, Missouri.
“It is indescribable,” said Bergmann. “I still can’t believe it.”
A solar eclipse is a natural experiment wherein the radiation of the sun is temporarily removed. That removal typically causes a decrease in temperature and an increase in relative humidity.
The students were looking to measure small-scale changes in the weather before, during and after the eclipse. Sensors recorded temperature, relative humidity, pressure, wind speed and wind direction, among other variables.
Ideker flew one of two SLU drones during the experiments. She said she was eager to dig into the data to see how the information varied between the drones and the weather balloons released at the same time.
“This is the culmination of years of work,” Schaefer said. “This was a once in a lifetime experience and I’m so glad that I got to experience this here with this group of people.”
Jackson concurred, noting that he and Schaefer both wanted to study weather from an early age.
“If you had told 10-year-old me that I would get to be doing this, I wouldn’t have believed it.”
Schaefer said he was most eager to see how forecasted predictions ahead of the eclipse compared to their data during the solar event.
“I want to see if the modeling holds up. Much of what we did today was based on the last eclipse in 2017,” he said. “I want to see if there are ways to improve upon that for the next one.”
Saint Louis University
Founded in 1818, Saint Louis University is one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious Catholic institutions. Rooted in Jesuit values and its pioneering history as the first university west of the Mississippi River, SLU offers more than 15,200 students a rigorous, transformative education of the whole person. At the core of the University’s diverse community of scholars is SLU’s service-focused mission, which challenges and prepares students to make the world a better, more just place.
Latest Newslink
- Two SLU Faculty Members Receive Emerson's Excellence in Teaching AwardTwo Saint Louis University faculty members received Emerson's 2024 Excellence in Teaching Award. Jennifer Buehler, Ph.D. (Education) and Christina Garcia, Ph.D. (Spanish) were both recognized for their teaching prowess. The Emerson Excellence in Teaching Awards Program recognizes educators in the St. Louis metropolitan area annually for their leadership in and passion for teaching, their contributions to student learning, and their knowledge and creativity.
- Chaifetz Center for Entrepreneurship Names Two to Entrepreneurship Hall of FameThe Chaifetz Center for Entrepreneurship at Saint Louis University inducted two new members to its Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame at a dinner on Friday, Nov. 8, at the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business.
- SLU's School of Education Partners with St. Louis Catholic Academy to Support Middle School EducationSaint Louis University's School of Education has partnered with St. Louis Catholic Academy, beginning a first-of-its-kind affiliation for SLU's School of Education. The SLU School of Education will provide resources to St. Louis Catholic Academy's middle school, starting with the current school year.
- SLU Study: Integrative Palliative Care Critical to Improve Mental Health Among Pancreatic Cancer PatientsFor patients facing a pancreatic cancer diagnosis, a compassionate approach to care can be transformative. Yet, a new study published in Healthcare reveals that palliative care, a service focused on enhancing the quality of life for those with serious illnesses, remains significantly underutilized among pancreatic cancer patients in the United States.
- SLU Study: Black Patients with Heart Failure Less Likely to Receive Palliative CareA study by researchers at Saint Louis University shows that only one in eight patients with heart failure in the United States receive palliative care consultations within five years of diagnosis. The study also highlighted significant racial and geographic disparities. Black people were 15% less likely to receive palliative care compared to their white counterparts.
- Team from Peer Jesuit Institutions Visits SLU as Part of Review of University's MissionSaint Louis University wrapped its year-long institutional process of discernment with an on-site peer visit this week. The visit was conducted by colleagues from three peer Jesuit universities.