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Agricultural Meteorology

Agricultural Meteorology involves the integration of climatological and meteorological data and techniques into agricultural problems, such as crop production, soil moisture, moisture stress, and migration of pests. A good background in basic math and sciences is required.

GOALS:
The goal of the Agricultural Meteorology program is to provide M.S. and Ph.D. students with advanced techniques which will enable them to address environmental and agricultural problems facing our global community. The basic components of this program are derived from expertise in agronomy, botany, statistics and meteorology at Iowa State University.

The Agricultural Meteorology program benefits from outstanding research facilities. These include high-performance computational and graphical workstations, as well as a range of equipment for conducting field experiments. Students often work cooperatively with other ISU departments as well as affiliated institutions such as the National Soil Tilth Laboratory.

THESIS & DISSERTATION RESEARCH:
Independent research is an essential component of graduate education. Research problems that students undertake depend on their personal interests and on the objectives of the research project with which they are working. Research is designed to provide new information that will merit publication in refereed journals. All students, regardless of their source of financial support, are expected to participate in research projects directed by their major professor.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT:
Most graduate students in Agricultural Meteorology are supported by research or teaching assistantships. The Charles and Verna Brown Scholarship provides an annual award of approximately $1,000 to an outstanding graduate student in Agricultural Meteorology.

PREPARATION & ADMISSIONS POLICIES:
The required preparation will vary depending on the student's goals. In general, prospective graduate students in Agricultural Meteorology should have a solid background in physical and/or biological sciences although a science degree is not required. Students should also have knowledge of calculus and statistics.

Graduate Faculty in Agricultural Meteorology