Craig Croskery

I am at Mississippi State University in Starkville, MS, but I have lived most of my life elsewhere. I began my studies in Canada (and earned a B.Sc. in Physical Geography in 2016), but moved south to the United States to undertake a master’s degree that year. After completing my M.Sc. in Professional Meteorology in 2018, I first took some time off where I learned that science communication became critical. I eventually started a Ph.D. in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and intend to complete that in the summer or fall of 2022. After that, I hope to remain in the academic field as either an instructor, researcher or maintain a presence in communication. My grades started very slow and I’ve dealt with many challenges, yet they have improved with every degree I have taken and almost every year since the start of my academic career.

Under the advisory of the Department of Geosciences, including Dr. Brown and Dr. Sherman-Morris, I am working on a dissertation on management and awareness of severe weather shelters in challenging conditions. It was the COVID-19 pandemic, amplified by my own experience (and viral video) from the tornado outbreak on 12 April 2020 where the community had to balance tornado safety from public health safety, that started the focus. The massive racial justice protests after the death of George Floyd on 25 May 2020, which coincided with peak tornado season in a large part of the United States, also heightened the investigation. Combined, it finally asked myself if the weather community – and broadcast meteorologists – are emphasizing the push for shelters enough, as well as if the general population is aware.