Mentor in the CICOES undergraduate intern program at University of Washington

Student: Liam Schiffer (Undergraduate from University of Wisconsin, Madison)

CICOES undergraduate intern program: https://cicoes.uw.edu/education/internships/

12. Using Data-Driven Methods to Estimate Cloud Radiative Effects

Mentor: Dr. Hongwei Sun, UW Department of Atmospheric Sciences

Previous studies have shown that clouds play an important role in the Earth’s climate system. The goal of this internship is to apply data-driven methods (e.g., multilinear regression, neural network) to explore relationships between cloud macro- and micro-parameters (e.g., cloud fraction, cloud droplet number concentration) and cloud radiative effects (i.e., how much solar radiation can be reflected by clouds). Data generated by the numerical model over the northeastern Pacific Ocean will be available. The candidate is encouraged to explore different data-driven methods (according to their interests) to see how much cloud radiative effects can be explained by cloud macro- and micro-parameters. Knowledge of cloud or atmospheric science is not necessary, but a basic understanding of programming (e.g., Python) is required. Dr. Hongwei Sun will be the primary host offering weekly mentoring. Dr. Robert Wood and Dr. Peter Blossey will be co-hosts offering occasional academic and career advice.

Skills and requirements:

Proficiency with data analysis and programming (e.g., Python) is required
Strong background in math, physics, and computer science is preferred
Work style/location: Computer-based work on UW campus. You’ll have the option to work in-person or remotely.