Chelsea Snide in garden in the spring. Chelsea Snide in garden in the spring.

Clear Skies Ahead

The opportunity to participate in a summer research project focused on the climatology of thunderstorms in Taiwan was the chance of a lifetime for atmospheric-science major Chelsea Snide.

Discovering A World of Research Opportunities

Chelsea Snide

The George Tai-Jen, Ph.D. '71 Scholarship

For atmospheric-science major Chelsea Snide, the opportunity to participate in a Summer 2018 research project focused on the climatology of thunderstorms in Taiwan was the chance of a lifetime. Soon, Snide will be off to Greenland as part of a research team that will update a previous study of that nation’s ice shape. While her work in Taiwan primarily used information gathered earlier, the Greenland project will allow her “to collect my own remote-sensing data to see how the ice shape has changed. I’ll be out in the field and making observations with the instruments, applying things I learned in class.” 

Support from the George Tai-Jen Chen, Ph.D.’71, Scholarship, named for a UAlbany donor and National Taiwan University professor emeritus whose research interests coincide with her own, has enabled Snide to concentrate on academics and solidify her post-graduate plans. “The scholarship has helped me pay for tuition, books, and even for my graduate-school application. I’m pushing myself to do more and evolve more, especially with the encouragement of the faculty. I’m more prepared for what’s next,” adds the future university professor and researcher.
 

Chelsea Snide stands in lantern lit outdoor space next to a wall of posters and motorcycles.
In Taiwan, Chelsea Snide participated in a research experience focused on the climatology of thunderstorms.

Snide’s parents inspired her to work hard in school. “My mom went back to college when I was in middle school; she worked two jobs and took night classes. She was taking a nutrition class, and I would help her study for her tests.” Snide’s mother, Laura Andreson, earned an accounting degree from Siena College.

Her dad, Scott Snide ’16, a retired Albany Police Department detective, completed his studies at UAlbany. Snide recalls: “I’d see him going to class. I really thought it was pretty cool. He majored in art and minored in criminal justice.” 

Snide takes after her parents in other ways, too. “I really enjoy the arts; I attribute that to my dad,” she says. She also likes making and decorating cakes and cookies – a hobby she usually pursues now during the holidays. “Mom is a great baker. I’ll make gingerbread men and snowflakes. They come out pretty well; even if they come out badly, they still taste good!” says Snide, who also likes hiking. 

After graduating, the Schenectady native will fondly remember the Department of Atmospheric & Environmental Studies faculty and students. “Our graduating class is very small, so the department is like a family. It’s a tight-knit group.”