Dylan Mcdermott Email & Phone Number

Des Moines, Ia, Us

Johnston, Iowa, United States

Took on a role in research and development where many areas of science were utilized such as data science, engineering, meteorology, and overall research knowledge. Our team worked to collect and store data, and assisted many teams with their projects while also contributing to several of our own.Significantly contributed to a “proof of concept” project to collect crucial data in the corn canopy. My work continues on this project as we work with engineering and agronomists to find the most effective way to collect data, and then interpret the data.Built the Corteva “Gold Standard” weather station and automated the relay of data via antenna to the main building.Created great relationships with the team and showed eagerness to learn in this new field.Technical skills and common sense were crucial in this role. I utilized GIS, Python, R, Excel, and other tools to complete tasks. Large datasets were dealt with daily.

Ames, Ia

I started work on my Master's immediately after graduating with my Bachelor's Degree in 2022. My Master's Thesis is titled "Responses of Mesoscale Convective Systems to Land-Use Change." The research project uses the Weather Forecasting and Research (WRF) Model to simulate the effects of land-use change (ex: deforestation) on large-scale storm systems.This project required a diverse understanding in many areas of science. Agronomy was particularly a new area we stepped into with this project as we had to validate the changes we were making to the model to ensure our changes made sense. My project required the use of Python, MATLAB, Linux, Spreadsheets, and numerous other forms of software to meet the demands of the research. There were often times where I demonstrated exceptional adaptability to quickly learn and proficiently utilize unfamiliar software and techniques in a dynamic research environment. This gives me confidence that I can quickly learn and utilize new software in future work.Along with this, I learned to manipulate complex datasets and conduct in-depth analysis of model outputs. I worked across diverse scientific disciplines, including meteorology, agronomy, hydrology, computer science, biology, and engineering, gaining valuable experience in interdisciplinary research. Some of these were used in Master's level classes and/or class projects, and many were used in my research.Finally, the work will be presented both written and orally to showcase my research and communication skills.

Developed and strengthened interpersonal communication skills through daily interactions with customers and coworkers. Demonstrated a commitment to providing a high level of customer care by promptly addressing inquiries, handling complaints with empathy, and maintaining a superior standard of customer service. Assumed a leadership role, guiding and supporting new and young employees in their professional growth and integration into the work environment.

Ames, Ia

My undergraduate research at Iowa State involved a project with Dr. Ian Williams. I was tasked with finding cases for a project in which we were looking at observed surface winds on days with cloud streets and comparing them to how the models predicted the winds. After we found a sufficient amount of cases I started to plot data from various weather stations in our domain on python. I got a significant amount of coding experience while working on this project, specifically in python and excel. I also assisted in drawing conclusions based off of visually inspecting the data and applying my knowledge of meteorology. Eventually, this work was used in a Master's paper titled "Influence of Convectively-Induced Secondary Circulations on Wind Surface Variability and Heat Fluxes in the U.S Southern Great Plains" by Travis Enzenberger (Iowa State University).

Quad Cities

During my senior year of high school, I had the privilege to volunteer at the NWS Quad Cities. I got to job shadow meteorologists and learn many basic things about forecasting and radar. I also got to work on an ongoing project that we could present to the local emergency management. My volunteering experience at the NWS Quad Cities was very valuable, and reaffirmed my interest in science before I stepped onto a college campus.

Master'S Degree, Meteorology

Activities and Societies: Graduate Meteorology Club, Central Iowa National Weather Association (NWA), various intramural sports

Bachelor Of Science - Bs, Meteorology

Activities and Societies: Central Iowa National Weather Association, American Meteorological Society