Want to learn more about what our students are saying about our program? Read some recent testimonials below from current students and recent graduates of the Weather and Climate Risk and Data Analytics programs!
The Weather and Climate Risks and Data Analytics program provided me with the combination of learning computer skills (e.g. R and Python) which are vitally important to any career in the sciences and the atmospheric science knowledge to focus my career. The course, Data Science in the Geosciences, brought me from very inexperienced to proficient at Python. I was concerned, with this being my first time going to school online, that the online experience of the program would be a heightened difficulty, but Dr. Klees provided a useful lab every week to give it an in-class feel, and she offered a lot of time out of class so that I never felt isolated. I believe that this program at UIUC was the perfect way for me to jump start my career.
–Daniel Bose, spring 2023 certificate graduate
I felt very intimidated to return to school to study something that was very technical and in a different field than what I majored in, so it was fulfilling to be able to keep up with the content of a graduate level course and be able to adjust to a new format of classes (referring to the online model). I was also glad that I was able to my incorporate work experience into the ATMS 520 class and contextualize atmospheric studies through my previous field experience in emergency management. ATMS 520 started a general interest I’ve had with droughts and extreme-heat phenomena and I’d like to continue that as a potential area of focus for my capstone project as I continue on into the M.S. program.
–Mary Gan, current MS student
I really enjoyed all 3 of the courses I took in the certificate program. One thing I would share with future students is to take advantage of the interactive aspects of courses – Zoom labs, discussion boards, Slack groups, etc. Students in these classes come from such a variety of backgrounds, industries, work experience, etc. and I’ve learned a lot from other students each semester!
–Laura Hildebrand, certificate graduate and current MS student
In ATMS 526, I conducted a final project that directly related to my job and answered a novel question with real-world impact.
–Charles Altman, certificate graduate
This program provides a solid foundation which students and professionals alike can build upon to increase their skillsets. By shepherding participants through fundamental concepts regarding geospatial data, data analytics, contextualizing risk, and programming for data analysis, professors give students the ability to further expand their own capabilities through their own work and research.
–Emily Hron Weigle, certificate graduate
I really enjoyed ATMS 517 with Dr. Klees, it was a challenging but extremely rewarding course and I love how much thought she put into the curriculum and class structure! Not to mention, she is an excellent teacher.
–Sunny Sharma, certificate graduate
