College of Education and Behavioral Sciences News

"There is no doubt in my mind that I would not be the person I am today if I had not come to Western. Simply put, no other university around the country offers everything that I have gotten to experience for the program that I am studying."

Sparked by an interest in weather, senior Jake Disinger chose WKU because of the strong meteorology program. During his time on the Hill, he also discovered unique opportunities for travel, a hands-on internship alongside a local WKU alumnus, and a second home here on the Hill.

Disinger's Hilltopper journey began with a bridge between high school and college: the Big Red Marching Band (BRMB). After participating in marching band throughout high school, Disinger chose to join the BRMB to continue pursuing something he enjoyed and earn a stipend at the same time.

"That was one of the best experiences that I could have had. It helped expose me to the world of college. You are meeting tons of new people, we got to do a little bit of traveling, and it was just an overall great fun experience," Disinger reflected.

Disinger also forged connections in the meteorology program with classmates and instructors.

"One of the nice things about the program is that we are growing, but we are still not that big of a program. You still get plenty of good one-on-one time with professors to get help with school and advice on things happening outside of school. Having [our professors] as constant mentors is something that I think really sets us apart and sets a lot of us up for success," Disinger shared.

Disinger highlighted the value of this mentorship when tackling rigorous coursework in pursuit of a meteorology degree.

"This degree is meant to challenge you - it is meant to make sure that it is really what you want to do. There have been countless times when I have thought to myself: 'Is this what I want to be doing? Is this worth it?' Each time the answer is ‘yes.’ I have been able to push through and overcome and a lot of the ways to push through those feelings are taught here," Disinger noted.

Disinger also highlighted the strong camaraderie between classmates in the program - noting it as a family away from family.

"The adversity that we face through the program forms a bond with everybody. We are all going through the same thing, it is all really tough, and we are all being challenged. You form a really strong bond with people that you may not have even thought you would get along with," Disinger shared.

Pursuing the next step in his experience, Disinger joined White Squirrel Weather during his sophomore year. An applied research, professional student service-learning initiative at WKU, White Squirrel Weather offers multiple opportunities for students to provide real-time observations and forecast weather content for WKU's campus and the local community.

During campus events, gamedays with WKU Athletics, or community events, students in the program collaborate to create a forecast utilized to make real-time decisions.

"Our lead forecaster will send out something a few days in advance and we all individually put a forecast together. We send it to our lead forecaster, who looks at everything and takes it into consideration. They make their own forecast based on their interpretations and the interpretations of all the other general forecasters and then send it off to Dr. Durkee. He then sends information to the university as the official word on the weather," Disinger described.

Through this process, future meteorologists gain hands-on experience with analyzing the weather on a deadline and collaborating with peers.

White Squirrel Weather also works closely with the WKU Disaster Science Operations Center (DSOC). Established in Fall 2022, DSOC provides experiential learning and applied research opportunities for students in the field of emergency management.

DSOC is anchored by interdisciplinary operational collaborations at WKU between White Squirrel Weather and the Meteorology Program, Environmental Health & Safety, Public Broadcasting and Athletics. Together, these units interface with Police, Fire, Emergency Medical Services and Emergency Management for anticipated risk, incident management and all-hazards monitoring and communications.

Disinger serves as the lead Emergency Management Operator with DSOC and is a DSOC scholar.

"My role in DSOC came about recently with a new scholarship that was implemented through AT&T First Net, which is their private network for first responders. They funded us to have several different roles within DSOC," shared Disinger.

In his role, Disinger works alongside representatives from campus and the local community to provide weather and on-site decision support for a variety of events. He also guides underclassmen students, who are often encouraged to attend and gain knowledge in the field.

Through his work in DSOC, Disinger provided support at a wide variety of events, such as the Jack Harlow concert in Diddle Arena, the Chicago Marathon and the Special Olympics USA Games in Orlando.

"Getting to go on these trips where we are doing weather for professional events - like the Chicago Marathon or Special Olympics - these are real situations outside of the classroom where we can apply our knowledge. We are essentially acting as meteorologists at that point. You learn so much more than anywhere in the classroom because you are actually applying it," Disinger shared.

Disinger is also applying his knowledge to benefit the local community through his internship at Weather or Not Bowling Green (WXorNot BG). Created by WKU alumnus Landon Hampton, WXorNot BG focuses on real-time weather monitoring and emergency preparedness for seven counties in South Central Kentucky. As part of his internship, Disinger prepares forecasts, writes blogs that explain weather phenomena to a non-technical audience and shares written and video updates on social media - especially in rapidly changing situations.

Reflecting on his journey, Disinger recalled his first opportunity to go live on social media: the hours leading up to the December 11, 2021, tornadoes.

"That was the first time I had ever done anything live in front of an audience, so it was kind of a trial by fire. There is so much to do, so much to analyze and so much to communicate to the public. Any nervousness gets thrown out the window really fast because it is a very fast-paced environment that you are responsible for. It teaches you a lot because you are forced on the spot to communicate what we know as meteorologists to people who are not quite familiar with all the weather terms that we use," Disinger shared.

For Disinger, studying meteorology is not only a way to understand the science behind weather patterns, but also a way to make a difference in the world.

"Something that solidified that this is what I want to do and what I am meant to do is the opportunity to help people. When we provided the forecast before the 2021 tornadoes, people who took our advice [to find shelter] and had their homes destroyed that night attributed a lot of their safety to our preparedness. Knowing that - in some indirect or direct way - we can help people or even save their lives is the most rewarding thing ever," Disinger reflected.

After the storm subsided, Disinger joined the National Weather Service (NWS) damage survey team to analyze the damage and gain insights into the strength of each tornado. This experience inspired Disinger's presentation later that year at the National Weather Association's Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh.

"I never would have thought I would have the opportunity to travel and have these experiences, let alone speak at conferences," Disinger remarked.

As he prepares to graduate, Disinger hopes to set an example for future Hilltoppers who may feel uncertain when facing challenges in college.

"I have failed classes before. I have had several setbacks on my road from freshman to where I am about to graduate. I just want to be one of the examples for people who may also be struggling. Realize that you are going to have setbacks, you are going to have challenges, but you can still do great things. You can still be a part of things if you do not have straight As. You can still do plenty of things that show your knowledge and passion for what you are studying," Disinger noted.

Reflecting on advice he would like to share with future Hilltoppers, Disinger highlighted the value of taking initiative in your career.

"Get out there and take chances on things. One of the reasons that I got the opportunity with WXorNot BG was because I sent my resume to the man in charge. You need to create these opportunities. Do not expect them to all come to you. You are going to get told 'no' a lot, but eventually, you are going to get an opportunity where someone says 'yes' and it will change your life," Disinger shared.

After graduation, Disinger aims to work in the private sector of meteorology before starting his own private consulting business.

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Learn more about the Meteorology program at WKU: https://www.wku.edu/meteorology/

Learn more about White Squirrel Weather: https://www.wku.edu/meteorology/wswx.php

Learn more about the WKU Disaster Science Operations Center: https://www.wku.edu/artp/artp_center_missions/dsoc_mission.php