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Elisabet is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Climate, Meteorology, and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Elisabet’s research interests are risk communication and extreme weather events in the Caribbean. At the ALERTAS lab, she is analyzing how Spanish speakers respond to various extreme weather threats, including rip currents and hurricanes. In the future, she plans to be involved with government agencies, creating weather assessments, strategic planning and improving risk communication to enhance public safety and build resilience to extreme weather challenges. She has an M.S. in Meteorology from Saint Louis University and a B.S. in Environmental Science from the Inter American University of Puerto Rico. She also received the NOAA Lapenta Internship in 2024.

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Renata is a Ph.D. student and Leeman Center Fellow in the Department of Communication at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Renata’s research interests are science and health communication on digital platforms. At the ALERTAS lab, she is conducting social science fieldwork in Brazil to understand how they respond to tornadoes. In the future, she plans to pursue an academic career focused on how society uses social media and digital platforms to communicate scientific issues (and to study how we can do better). She has an M.A. in Communication and B.A. in Political Science from the University of Brasília in Brazil.

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Anthony is a Ph.D. student and UIUC Equity Doctoral Fellow in the Department of Climate, Meteorology, and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign. His research integrates tropical meteorology, climatology, and weather risk communication to improve understanding and communication of tropical cyclone hazards. In the ALERTAS Lab, he conducts nationwide survey research and post-disaster fieldwork examining public perceptions of hurricane hazards, preparedness, and resilience across multilingual communities. His physical science research focuses on hurricane impact exposure climatology, localized seasonal hurricane risk guidance, and objective methods for detecting, characterizing, and understanding Predecessor Rain Events (PREs), with the goal of advancing forecasting and decision support. Anthony earned an M.S. in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Illinois and a B.S. in Meteorology from Cornell University.

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Kaylie is an Ph.D. student in the Department of Climate, Meteorology, and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Kaylie’s research interests are within weather weather hazard communication, specifically for end users such as emergency managers. In past research, Kaylie has led focus group discussions with end users for winter weather hazards and urban flooding hazards. In the ALERTAS lab, she is currently leading efforts in risk perception of emergency managers of different weather hazards at the national level. She holds an M.S. in Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Illinois. She also has a B.S in Meteorology and Environmental, Sustainability, and Geographic Studies from Western Kentucky University, with certificates in Emergency Management and Disaster Science as well as Geographic Information Systems.

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Zoe is an M.A. student and NSF GRFP Fellow in the Department of Communication at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Zoe’s research interests are in the intersection of extreme weather, communication, and policy. At the ALERTAS lab, she is advancing risk communication research for atmospheric rivers events across the country. She aspires to become proficient in scientific public policy that enhance resilience and equity in the face of extreme weather events. She has a B.S. in Atmospheric Science, with minors in political science and earth, society, & environment.

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Jack is an M.S. student in the Department of Climate, Meteorology, and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Jack’s research interests center on severe weather risk communication. At the ALERTAS Lab, he is examining how the public responds to next-generation warning products, such as the NSSL Warn-on-Forecast (WoFs) system. Through applied research, he provides evidence-based recommendations to local, state, and federal partners. He holds a B.S. in Meteorology with a minor in Geographic Information Systems from the University of Oklahoma.

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Juliana is a senior undergraduate student in the Department of Climate, Meteorology, and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Juliana’s research interests are in the intersection of weather and emergency management. At the ALERTAS Lab, she is working with the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District to enhance transportation safety during extreme weather. She aspires to become an emergency manager after graduation and enhance safety for the public she serves.

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Brady is a sophomore undergraduate student in the Department of Climate, Meteorology, and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Brady’s research examines the cross section between meteorology, communication, and social science. At the ALERTAS Lab, Brady is assisting with interdisciplinary research that examines how the public responds to the atmospheric river scale. He hopes to continue a career in research and potentially become a research scientist someday to continue closing the gap between scientific and public understanding.