Student Profile: Sam Porter
Major: Atmospheric Sciences
Year: 3rd Year
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA & Medina, OH
Growing up, Sam Porter knew he was destined to study weather. From as early as he can remember, he and his brothers would pull together impromptu news crews, where one would be the cameraperson, one would be the news anchor and another the meteorologist. Together, they called themselves the “Three Wheel Storm Blazers” and would make weather broadcasts each day. “Growing up in Medina, I heard a lot about Ohio State and how awesome the faculty members were and I knew I wanted to continue my passion for weather in my college and through to my career,” he said.
Sam believes that the strength of the program lies in its professors. He mentioned how the addition of Dr. Jana Houser to the department in 2022 made the program even stronger. “She’s a world-renowned tornado researcher who is getting grants to bring us a mobile radar system. But she also cares about her students on a personal level. She, and the other faculty, want you to succeed, not only in your career but also in life,” he said. Sam also spoke highly of the benefits of being in a small department at a large institution. “As opposed to some of the bigger majors, you get to know all of the other students and the professors know you as a person and get to mentor you through classes like synoptic meteorology and atmospheric thermodynamics. But then you’re also at Ohio State, which has so many opportunities, like, for me, playing intramural hockey and being on the ice crew for the hockey team, with plenty of leadership opportunities in student organizations to grow you as a leader.” Sam keeps busy with these organizations, working with the Scarlet and Gray Broadcasting team, as Vice President of the Meteorology Club and Chi Epsilon PI Honor Society.
Looking ahead, Sam isn’t sure if he is going to graduate early to begin graduate school or continue on for a year to add a second major to his portfolio. He’s been able to secure an internship with the National Weather Service in Cleveland studying extreme weather events in Ohio and an internship here in Columbus at ABC6. He encourages future students to not be afraid to reach out to people you can learn from. “From professors, to graduate students, to third and fourth years, never be afraid to ask for advice because you never know who’s going to help you succeed in your career,” he said. “If there’s a topic you’re curious to do research on, the professors are here to help you and want you to succeed.”
When asked where in the world he’d like to go, he said that he was a beach person who loved to fish a lot, so he’d probably have to say the Outer Banks in North Carolina is about as great of a destination as any.
Find out more about the Atmospheric Sciences major or minor.