Ethan Burwell
Meteorologist
B.S. in Atmospheric Science
Cornell University, 2016
Following weather
has been my hobby since 2003. It has been a fascinating journey that has allowed me to study impacts, educate the public, provide decision support, and deliver public television broadcasts. I'm particularly interested in the physical impacts of weather. While I do enjoy operational forecasting, I firmly believe that it is not enough to simply produce an accurate forecast. If we aren't fully understanding how people are actually impacted by weather conditions, and successfully communicating those impacts, then we are not succeeding.
Registered Nurse
A.S. in Nursing
State University of New York, 2014
After high school,
I wasn't sure if I wanted to pursue weather as a career. Following the weather had always been something that had been fun, and I didn't want to corrupt that by turning it into a job. Having observed weather's societal impacts over the years, I thought that as a nurse I could participate in disaster relief work. While I assisted during the aftermaths of hurricanes Sandy and Florence, most of my nursing career has been hospital-based with years of experience on surgical, respiratory, cardiac, COVID-19, and intensive care units.
Emergency Manager
M.S. in Emergency Management
Millersville University, 2021
Working in nursing and weather,
I realized there were many parallels between the two disparate fields. Moreover, the overarching aspect they share is the preservation of human life. Effective planning and communication are the essential aspects to achieving that goal. As an emergency manager, I focused on studying crisis planning and risk communication. I believe too many Emergency Management shortcomings result from a failure of creativity – we fail to adequately envision the true range of possibilities, and subsequently fail to plan.
~ Build bridges, climb mountains, chase clouds ~
Life revolves around relationships. Each relationship is a bridge to new perspectives. It's best to cultivate those relationships. It's best to build bridges.
Life is full of hurdles. Everyone faces their own personal adversities. Knock no one down, because everyone is climbing some mountain.
Life is about making tomorrow better than today. Be they imminent or distant, everyone has goals and aspirations they desire. Everyone is chasing clouds.
Audio: Ethan Burwell's Defining Moments - An interview series about the moments that make us who we are
By Jessica Hubbard | February 21, 2016