Marc Crampe Completes Research Internship at NOAA’s National Severe Storms Laboratory

Marc Crampe, Ph.D. student in Civil Engineering at The City College of New York (CCNY), completed a summer research internship at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) in Norman, Oklahoma, from June 15 through August 15, 2026. Marc worked on the project titled Exploring Physics Guided AI for Precipitation Nowcasting.

Marc explored how artificial intelligence can improve short-term precipitation forecasting, particularly for severe weather in New York City and the northeastern United States. He developed and tested deep-learning models using rapidly updated radar observations and atmospheric data to better predict heavy precipitation and how storms may evolve. He compared his AI-based forecasts with the Warn-on-Forecast System (WoFS), an advanced tool used to predict severe weather. Using a major flooding event on Long Island as a case study, he found that the two approaches had different strengths and could work together to provide earlier and more accurate guidance for heavy rainfall and flooding.

The experience also deepened Marc’s understanding of weather science and real-world forecasting. “Working directly with meteorologists helped me better understand meteorological datasets and the physical processes that must be considered when developing precipitation forecasting models,” Marc said. Learning how weather forecasts are developed and used in practice will help him shape his doctoral research to address both scientific and real-world forecasting challenges.

Marc emphasized the role of CUNY CREST and his Ph.D. advisor, Prof. Reza Khanbilvardi, in making the opportunity possible. “Prof. Khanbilvardi established the connection with NSSL and helped coordinate my research visit,” Marc said. “His continued guidance also helped keep the project closely aligned with my doctoral research at CCNY,” Marc added.

Marc also expressed his appreciation to Jacob T. Carlin, who supervised his work throughout the internship, as well as J. J. Gourley, Derek R. Stratman, and Christopher A. Kerr for their support, collaboration, scientific discussions, and meteorological guidance.

Marc’s internship has laid the foundation for continued collaboration with NSSL, connecting his urban precipitation forecasting research at CCNY with NSSL’s severe-weather expertise. The research has contributed to the submission of two abstracts to the 2027 American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting. “The internship established a collaboration that I hope to continue beyond the summer,” Marc said.

Feature Photo Details: Members of the NSSL research team during the research internship. From left to right: Jacob T. Carlin, J. J. Gourley, Marc Crampe, Christopher A. Kerr, and Derek R. Stratman | Photo credit: James Murnan