Who are you backing?

We've all been asked to donate to some cause before. Whether it is in support of an organization, a group of people, or an individual, the question is always the same: who or what am I backing? 

This project is no different. I am asking for help to create and disperse my research to the masses. As I've mentioned before, I think that what I'm doing has the potential to create lasting results that can save lives. However, I understand that it's natural to ask what am I really supporting, or who am I helping out?

In response, let me introduce myself a little more. I am Tyler Fricker, a PhD student at Florida State University. I've been interested in weather since I was a young boy. Growing up in Cincinnati, OH, I remember watching meteorologist Pete Delkus on WCPO Channel 9 news and thinking that's what I want to be when I'm older. The defining weather moment of my life was being woken up in the middle of the night by my parents to go to the basement during the 1999 F4 Blue Ash, Ohio tornado. Tragically, four people lost their lives in the storm and for the first time, I recognized the power tornadoes and other severe weather systems have on people and property.

 

Flash forward to now: I've spent much of the past three years working on new methods in tornado climatology. My work has focused on new ways of thinking about how we measure the strength of tornadoes, and how we map tornado casualties. I am a firm believer in open access science. I think the best way to "do" science is make it open to other scientists and the public as a whole. For me, the goal of science is to better understand the way the world works. What better way to do this than try and answer questions with methods that can be reproduced? 

Open access science prevents scientists from hiding behind work that cannot be falsified. Because my work does not involve sensitive material (medical records, names of participants, etc.), I feel it is best out in the open. This means that backing my project will not only allow you to get an inside look into how I operate around a research question, but also give you access to the data and code used to answer my hypotheses. 

For science to continue to move forward, we need to push limits. I hope that you'll be a part of my project, which will do just that.