New WKU meteorology faculty members Dr. Jerald (Jerry) Brotzge and Dr. Zachary Suriano are excited to join a program that is poised for more growth and student success.
Dr. Brotzge, a native of Shepherdsville, returns to his home state as the director of the Kentucky Climate Center and the Kentucky Mesonet at WKU and will serve as the State Climatologist. He replaces Dr. Stuart Foster, who retired last year.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to come back to my home state and continue the work to build out the Mesonet and collaborate with our partners across the state,” said Dr. Brotzge, who had served as Program Manager of the New York State Mesonet since 2014.
Dr. Brotzge and Dr. Suriano were attracted by WKU’s applied research focus and the meteorology program’s emphasis on experiential learning opportunities for students.
“One of the big parts that attracted me to the program was its reputation,” said Dr. Suriano, assistant professor of Meteorology in WKU’s Department of Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences. “It’s a program where undergraduate students are brought into experiences that they just don’t receive at other programs at this level. That student-centered mentality was something that excited me and made me want to be a part of it.”
