Kevin Barjenbruch
Summer 2006 WAS*IS

When raised on a farm in Nebraska, weather quickly becomes an important player. Either we needed rain for the crops, or needed a break from baling hay, walking beans, or whatever. So upon completion of High School, I attended The University of Nebraska-Lincoln and eventually graduated in December of 1987 with a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology.

I began my National Weather Service career in Fort Wayne, IN, logged a few years in Cleveland, then moved back to work at the Northern Indiana Office. In 2004, I was fortunate to become the Warning Coordination Meteorologist for Weather Forecast Office Salt Lake City. This signaled a move from 16 years as an operational forecaster to a position where education and outreach are the focus.

My research and papers to date have been geared toward the operational Meteorologist, but now find myself more intrigued by societal response. As I travel around the Salt Lake City County Warning and Forecast Area, at times it is a struggle to generate enough interest to garner an audience. If I get the audience, it is still challenging to effectively educate individuals to the level that they will take the proper response when a weather event threatens. Being a part of the WAS*IS cadre is appealing because this workshop is aimed at addressing one of my core challenges, ensuring the public receives National Weather Service forecast and warning information, understands it, and responds appropriately.
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