Meet the Group!

Mark McGarry, Jr.

M.S. Student (B.S. - University of Northern Colorado)

Email: mark.mcgarryjr@und.edu

Connect with Mark on LinkedIn!

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About Mark

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​My passion for meteorology was ignited when I was 6 years old living in Katy, Texas in 2005. My dad got deployed for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and I was in awe with the kind of power tropical cyclones packed as they made landfall. This inspired me to pay attention to the yearly hurricane predictions from Colorado State University and the National Hurricane Center. As I continued to watch these storms develop, it became clear how inherently difficult it was to resolve them in computer models and get an accurate prediction of their future behavior. This culminated in my desire at the age of 10 to pursue meteorology as a career and the goal of developing a more accurate computer model for predicting the behavior of tropical cyclones.

I have a Bachelor of Science in Earth Sciences: Meteorology from the University of Northern Colorado with minors in physics and mathematics. During my time at UNCO, I did a variety of semester research projects that included looking at how different convective parameterizations could be used in the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model to simulate the rapid intensification of Hurricane Michael (2018), and I ran a statistical analysis on tropical cyclones across the world to determine if there is an increase in the overall strength of these systems over a 30+ year period.

I worked as a Quality Control and Service (QCS) intern at the Radiometrics Corporation performing tests on new and used microwave radiometers as well as a Supercomputing Intern with the Rocky Mountain Advanced Computing Consortium (RMACC) where I have assisted in the decommissioning of the Summit Supercomputer and learned about how supercomputers function. I volunteered at 2 National Weather Service offices where I learned more about forecasting, verification, and Decision Support Services during potentially dangerous weather events. I am really excited to move forward as a graduate student to build upon this foundation I have built and I look forward to seeing where this journey takes me!

Sydney Walters

M.S. Student (B.S. - Ohio University)

Email: sydney.e.walters@und.edu

Connect with Sydney on LinkedIn and Twitter/X!

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About Sydney

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I graduated from Ohio University in December of 2022 with my B.S. in meteorology, as well as minors in journalism and religious studies. After graduation, I accepted a job at WeatherNews in Norman, OK, where I worked as a marine meteorologist/voyage planner until returning to grad school!

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I was always fascinated by the weather, often listening to the NOAA Weather Radio for hours as a kid (weird, I know). However, I never really considered meteorology as a career. In fact, I began my undergraduate studies as a journalism major… only after considering chemical engineering, music education, and many other majors. I quickly realized how much I missed math and science, and while scrolling through the programs offered at Ohio University, I saw it: meteorology. During my time at Ohio U, I was very involved with our AMS chapter, climate and sustainability ambassadors, and mentoring first year students. 

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Quickly into my time at WeatherNews, I fell in love with all things tropical meteorology, and developed a desire to deepen our understanding of it. I also deeply missed learning and teaching and wanted to explore a new career path in academia, which led me here! I hope to contribute to the knowledge we have surrounding tropical meteorology, as well as play a role in the education of the next generation of meteorologists. 

Carter Hunter

M.S. Student (B.S. - St. Cloud State University)

Email: carter.j.hunter@und.edu

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About Carter

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I graduated with my B.S. in Meteorology and Minors in Applied Mathematics, Hydrology, and an emphasis in Scientific Computing from St. Cloud State University (SCSU) in December of 2024.  My entire college experience was quite unforgettable, I met so many amazing people, I have gotten the chance to go to some conferences (like AMS 2025 which I served as a student volunteer for).  I have also been a math tutor and a Learning Assistant for Calculus II, a member of the AMS club on campus, and I am also a Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity alumni.  From the people I have met, to the organizations I have been a part of, I have become very proud of how far I have come and look forward to seeing just how much farther I can go.

This starts all the way back to as early as elementary school.  Throughout my childhood, my dad would walk outside to watch the storms, and I would tag along with him.  I was fascinated with storms, especially with how they looked and what they could do.  This kickstarted my passion for weather and, of course, I wanted to be a storm chaser as a kid (which I now love to do, and I have been on some pretty amazing chases).  I have always wanted to learn more about the weather, and ever since I took my first Intro to Weather and Science class (in high school) back in 2019, I fell in love with the subject.

The main reason I am pursuing the research field is because during the Spring semester of 2024, I was awarded the William M. Lapenta Internship Program from NOAA.  I had to travel and live in Washington D.C. for approximately 3 months, and this is where I was for my summer of 2024.  During this internship, I worked with simulated satellite data utilizing models of various tropical storms.  This is what started my interest in both research and tropical weather, and why I will be attending the University of North Dakota (UND) for my M.S.  I'm excited to see where this takes me, where I end up, and who I get to meet!

Stephen Kesti

M.S. Student (B.S. - Northland College)

Email: stephen.kesti@und.edu

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About Stephen

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I have been fascinated with the weather since childhood. I cannot recall one defining moment that led me down this path; however, gawking in awe at every storm that rolled through from my screened-in porch definitely nudged me the right way. My passion in this field is centered around helping people. Whether that be through advancing our existing knowledge of meteorology, or being the one who identifies severe weather events as they happen, my goal is to help.

I graduated from Northland College as a junior in May of 2025 with my B.S. in Climate Science. I chose Northland because although the college did not offer meteorology, I was able to live out another life long dream: playing collegiate basketball. Throughout my undergraduate studies, I was involved with the college’s Sky Watchers Club, tutoring physics students, and working on a phenology research project. I created a lot of memories during my time at Northland, and as the last graduating class in the college’s history, I will cherish my time there. Now that my basketball career is behind me, I can fully dedicate myself to the field of Atmospheric Sciences.

Currently, I am completing an internship at Argonne National Laboratory, working in the Energy Systems Infrastructure and Analysis division. I am looking at certain aviation fuels that use CO2 and water in their production process, and how these production facilities may be affected by droughts or floods. The experience I gain from this internship will allow me to hit the ground running at UND!
I chose Dr. Carstens group mainly because of how personable he is. He knows the experience as a masters student can be challenging and I could tell from our first meeting that he would try to make the journey as smooth as possible. I also want to study tropical meteorology because I believe it gives me the chance to help the most people. I am excited to continue my studies in UND’s Atmospheric Sciences Masters Program!