April 10, 2015
Storm chaser, meteorologist, geographer to discuss tornado risk on Friday
Submitted by John Harrington Jr
P. Grady Dixon will present "Tornado Alley, Dixie Alley and Other Examples of How We Confuse the Public About Tornado Risk" at 3:30 p.m. Friday, April 10, in the Little Theater at the K-State Student Union.
Dixon is the new chair of the geosciences department at Fort Hays State University. Before coming to FHSU, he was an associate professor in the geosciences department at Mississippi State University for nine years. He earned his bachelor's in meteorology from Mississippi State University, a master's in geography from the University of Georgia and a doctorate in geography from Arizona State University.
Dixon is a nationally recognized meteorologist and storm chaser who has appeared in interviews on CNN and The Weather Channel. He has been quoted or mentioned in more than 200 popular media outlets, including USA Today, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. His professional affiliations include the International Society of Biometeorology, the American Meteorological Society, the National Weather Association and the American Association of Geographers.
Dixon's recent research has addressed the effects of weather on suicide rates, weather and climate effects on wildlife behavior, and tornado climatology. Prior research focused on the transportation of moisture into Arizona throughout the annual monsoon season and thunderstorms initiated by the urban "heat island" of Atlanta, Georgia.
His presentation, which is sponsored by GTU, the geography honorary society, is free and open to the public.