SUNY Oneonta Senior Matthew Beitscher Recognized at National Meteorology Conference

2017 Feb 9

Matthew Beitscher of White Plains, NY, attended the 97th American Meteorological Society (AMS) Annual Meeting in Seattle from Jan. 22-26, 2017. More than 4,400 scientists, educators, students and other professionals from across the weather, water and climate community came together to share, learn and collaborate.

Beitscher was recognized at the meeting for receiving the $2,500 AMS/Guillermo Salazar Rodriguez Undergraduate Scholarship, one of 22 scholarships awarded by the AMS in 2016 to outstanding undergraduate students across the country.

Beitscher was one of two SUNY Oneonta students who traveled to Seattle for the AMS meeting. Three meteorology alumni - all of whom are now graduate students at other universities - were also in attendance.

"I've been to a local and a regional conference in the past, but this was my first time attending a national meeting," Beitscher said. "The entire experience was surreal. I got to shake hands with the heads of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, something I had never envisioned for myself. I also got the opportunity to network with professionals and fellow students. All in all, it was an invaluable week of my college career that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world."

Beitscher received grants from SUNY Oneonta's Caroline '67 and David D'Antonio Undergraduate Student Travel for Excellence Fund, and the college's Student Travel Excellence Program to help defray expenses of traveling to the conference.

A senior meteorology major who transferred to SUNY Oneonta from Westchester Community College, Beitscher has received several other awards and scholarships, including the Greta Cohen Personal Development Award (2015), Student Government Association Scholarship (2014-15), and Nancy Jo Abeles Scholarship (2013-14). He is president of the SUNY Oneonta Meteorology Club, a member of the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Science Student Advisory Council, and a mathematics/physics tutor.

After graduation in December 2017, Beitscher hopes to pursue a career at a private company forecasting risk management, or forecasting for the Federal Aviation Administration or National Weather Service.